Ironclad: How can hand-crafted knight belts not be considered genius?

"Don't get excited, Sambo."

Jiang Ning gently pushed away Sang Bo's hand that was gripping her collar, calmly straightened her clothes, and her face remained serene.

"I never said I would help either the upper or lower levels."

I'm just doing what I want to do and taking the corresponding actions, that's all.

Sangbo was stunned by what he heard, his hand, which had been pushed away, hovering in mid-air.

Then, he rested his chin on his hand and began to examine Jiang Ning carefully, looking him up and down.

After a long pause, he leaned close to Jiang Ning's ear and uttered a sentence:

"...The curtain falls?"

Jiang Ning raised an eyebrow and pushed Sang Bo, who was standing too close to him, away.

"...What nonsense are you spouting? What are you trying to say?"

"Tsk...that doesn't make sense...?"

Sangbo clicked his tongue in confusion, his eyes filled with doubt as he looked at Jiang Ning.

"Brother Jiang Ning, is what you just said true?"

The stars and March 7th followed closely behind.

Xing looked towards Jiang Ning and spoke with some uncertainty.

"Yes, although the expression might be a bit direct, according to my research, that is indeed the case."

"The Silvermane Guards of the Upper District came from the Lower District... This news is quite dramatic."

Where did you hear this news?

Dan Heng crossed his arms over his chest, narrowed his eyes slightly, and looked at Jiang Ning with curiosity.

"I have my own sources of information, you don't need to worry about them."

By the way, how's your mission going? Is everything going smoothly?

Upon hearing this, March 7th wilted instantly, like a frostbitten eggplant.

"Don't even mention it, it's that old woman named Cocolia, she's two-faced."

We were having a nice chat, but as soon as we mentioned "star core," her personality changed drastically, and her face immediately darkened!

Brother Jiang Ning, you have no idea how outrageous that old woman was! She actually accused us of "malicious intent" and had the Silver Mane Iron Guards surround us! If it weren't for…”

Before March 7th could finish complaining, Sangbo chimed in, lifting his hand to brush his bangs aside.

"If it weren't for the reliable old Sambo's intervention, bringing his friends back to safety, there might have been three more new inmates in the Winter's Lair in the upper district."

March 7th frowned, puffed out his cheeks, and glared fiercely at Sangbo.

"How dare you say that! If you hadn't attracted the Silvermane Iron Guards in the first place, we wouldn't have been taken to see Cocolia without any preparation!"

"Um... well..."

Sangbo, embarrassed by being exposed, scratched his head.

"We can't say that... Who knew that old woman Cocolia would be so heartless?"

"Alright, I understand the general idea."

Jiang Ning waved his hand, drawing everyone's attention back to each other.

"In short, the three of you are currently wanted by the Upper District, and we know nothing about the location or information of the 'Star Core,' right?"

Belloberg is silent tonight.

The atmosphere at the scene suddenly fell silent. The three pioneers lowered their heads without saying a word, looking helpless like children who had done something wrong.

"It's not that we know nothing at all. It seems that the Great Guardian—Cocolia—probably knows some inside information about the 'Star Core.'"

Of the three, it was Mr. Danheng, the most intelligent teacher, who broke the awkward situation.

Jiang Ning nodded and spoke slowly.

"That's enough that you can think of it. That's why I provoked Bronya to her face."

To be honest, Sambo, you did do a good job by bringing Bronya to the Lower District.

Having personally witnessed the misery in the lower districts, and knowing that my words would exacerbate the conflict between the mother and daughter, the combination of these factors would cause her to question the governance of the upper districts.

March 7th scratched his head, somewhat puzzled.

"But what does this have to do with the 'star core'?"

"Good question~"

Jiang Ning snapped his fingers crisply and gave March 7 an encouraging look.

"March 7th is a good question. This brings me to my investigation of Cocolia."

Based on the clues I've found so far, Cocolia was most likely bewitched by the "Star Core," which distorted her will to "preserve" and pushed it to extremes, leading to the split between the upper and lower zones.

"Discarding parts to preserve the core, like a lizard...? I can't believe such a thing exists..."

Dan Heng carefully studied the information provided by Jiang Ning, considering its possibilities.

Jiang Ning didn't say anything more, but simply shook his head slightly.

"We'll have to wait and see what your investigation reveals to find out the specifics. If you want to know more, asking the leader of 'Earthfire' might be a good option."

"well?"

Xing noticed a loophole in Jiang Ning's words, grabbed Jiang Ning's arm, and said with a somewhat aggrieved tone:

"Brother Jiang Ning, aren't you coming with us to investigate?"

"Um... well..."

Jiang Ning turned his head and scratched his cheek.

"I have some important matters to attend to, so I can't travel with you for the time being."

Oh right, I almost forgot! I have some nice things to give you…

As he spoke, Jiang Ning raised his right hand and waved the "Boundless Hand Box," revealing three blank energy bottles in his palm.

"Huh? What's this?"

Xing and March 7th curiously crowded over, their heads huddled together, while Dan Heng stood quietly behind them, his gaze unconsciously drifting towards Jiang Ning's hand.

"My self-made energy bottle prop can convert 'elements' into energy for absorption and storage."

As for the specific usage... March, can I borrow your camera for a bit?

March 7th looked puzzled, but still reluctantly handed his beloved camera to Jiang Ning.

"Brother Jiangning...I hope my camera is okay?"

"Don't worry~ Made in Jiangning, absolutely safe!"

After saying that, Jiang Ning unscrewed the cap of one of the blank energy bottles and pointed it at the camera.

The next moment, blue energy particles spread out on the camera and were gradually absorbed and gathered by the energy bottle.

The grayish-white energy bottle was filled and emitted a pale blue glow. Then, a camera relief appeared on the bottle, making it look exceptionally exquisite.

Wow!

On March 7th, he took the energy bottle from Jiang Ning's hand and held it in his palm as if admiring a work of art.

"Brother Jiangning, your skills are amazing! How did you do that... it's so exquisite!"

Upon seeing this, Xing rushed to Jiang Ning's side, clasped her hands together in front of her chest, and her eyes gleamed.

Jiang Ning chuckled softly, handed the remaining energy bottle to Xing, and spoke calmly.

"Star, you need to keep one of the blank energy bottles I gave you on you."

Xing, who was engrossed in choosing between the "Basket" energy bottle and the "Trash Can" energy bottle, snapped out of her reverie and was about to ask a question when Jiang Ning silenced her with a look.

"Don't ask, or I won't give you a single one."

Helpless, Xing could only nod blankly.

Then, Jiang Ning turned around and took out another blank energy bottle, tossing it to Dan Heng without giving him a chance to refuse.

Dan Heng reached out and caught it, curiously looking it up and down before gently unscrewing the cap.

The energy bottle, which had been dormant, seemed to sense something and suddenly unleashed a tremendous suction force.

Faint blue-green light spots emerged from Dan Heng's body and rushed into the energy bottle.

Under Dan Heng's questioning gaze, the blank energy bottle transformed into a full blue energy bottle engraved with a giant dragon's head.

Upon seeing this, Dan Heng's pupils suddenly contracted, and his hands trembled involuntarily.

How could he...?!

Shocked gazes swept towards Jiang Ning, but Jiang Ning did not look at him. He was just chatting and laughing with San Yueqi and Xing, completely unaware of what was happening here.

Dan Heng narrowed his eyes, his heart churning with mixed feelings.

Does he know... or doesn't he know?

If it were a star or March 7th, Danheng could treat this as an accident without any pressure.

But if it's Jiangning... then the implications are rather intriguing...

Unbeknownst to him, Dan Heng's gaze toward Jiang Ning held a newfound wariness.

Unaware of what was happening, March 7th pouted and leaned forward, looking Jiang Ning up and down with a suspicious expression.

"Brother Jiangning, why do you always disappear at crucial moments? What important matter is it this time?"

Jiang Ning waved his hand impatiently and replied casually:

Children shouldn't pry into adults' affairs.

If I had to say something... Iz is getting promoted, and I have to go help.

It's almost time, I'll be going now.

See you later~

"??????"

Before March 7th could process all the information, Jiang Ning turned and vanished without a trace.

As Jiang Ning passed by Sang Bo, he cheekily patted Sang Bo on the shoulder.

"Izu...is going into labor?!"

Isn't Iz an omnic? Omnics can reproduce...?

March 7th stood there stunned, her large eyes filled with even greater shock.

Dan Heng sighed and rubbed his forehead, then stepped forward and gently patted March 7's shoulder to help her bring her back to reality.

"Don't worry about it. Any normal person would know that Jiang Ning is just kidding you."

Compared to this, the "subterranean fire" that Jiang Ning mentioned is more worthy of our exploration.

Xing suddenly looked up, as if waking from a dream.

"What?! So it was just a joke to tease the March 7th Festival! I knew it!"

In March, your IQ still needs improvement!

"...You're not much better, are you?!"

Teacher Danheng, who is raising two children on her own, feels immense pressure, but she has unknowingly become somewhat accustomed to it.

Not experiencing stress...is that a good thing?

Danheng sighed helplessly, too lazy to pay attention to the two laughing and joking beside him, and turned to look at Sangbo.

"Sambo, could I trouble you with the introduction...?"

Sangbo paused for a moment, then quickly reverted to his usual cheeky demeanor, patting his chest confidently.

"No problem! Leave it to Old Sambo!"

Who says I'm the most loyal friend? I'll never refuse a friend's request!

Upon hearing this, Danheng nodded slightly and turned to break up the fight between Xing and Sanyueqi.

Sambo remained standing with his hands clasped together until Danheng walked away, at which point the businesslike smile on his face gradually disappeared, and he became serious.

He slowly opened his clasped hands, and a tiny piece of paper lay quietly in his palm.

Jiang Ning casually placed it on his person when he left.

A complex emotion rose in his heart, and Sangbo couldn't help but smile.

"Jiang Ning...you really surprised me~"

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