I am the Arcane Archer, and all my skills are self-created.

Li Wu pushed open the creaking wooden door and went inside.

The blacksmith shop was dimly lit and small, cluttered with ores, unfinished weapons and tools.

A middle-aged dwarf, shirtless and muscular, was standing with his back to the door, repeatedly swinging a hammer in his hand, striking a red-hot iron block on an anvil.

Sparks flew, each strike heavy and powerful, full of a unique rhythm.

"Is there something you need?"

The middle-aged dwarf did not turn around; his voice was hoarse and low.

"I...I would like to ask you to help me forge a few bows." Li Wu got straight to the point, while showing the design blueprints for the [Star Chaser Longbow] that he had just purchased.

The middle-aged dwarf stopped what he was doing, and threw the hammer into the bucket of water next to him with a clang, stirring up a cloud of steam.

He turned around, wiped the sweat from his face with the towel hanging around his neck, and then raised his cloudy eyes to look at Li Wu.

This is a middle-aged dwarf with a face full of the marks of time, deep wrinkles, but eyes that reveal a world-weary wisdom.

He glanced at the design drawings in Li Wu's hand, a barely perceptible tremor flashing in his eyes.

"Star Chaser... Interesting. However, I've already retired from hammering and don't take any more jobs. You should leave and check out other places."

After saying that, he ignored Li Wu and turned to continue working.

This reaction was exactly what Li Wu had expected.

Legendary figures always have their own temper.

It would be strange if they agreed so easily.

"Master Horn, I wasn't introduced by anyone," Li Wu said calmly. "It was Barton who sent me to find you."

Upon hearing the name Patton, the old blacksmith Horn, who had raised his hammer high, abruptly stopped in mid-air.

The entire blacksmith shop fell silent instantly, with only the crackling sound of the flames burning in the furnace remaining.

After several seconds, Horn slowly turned around, his cloudy old eyes fixed on Li Wu, his voice trembling slightly.

"Who...who are you talking about?"

"Barton." Li Wu repeated, then took out the ring with terrible stats that he had been treasuring all along from his backpack.

【A bleak longing】.

When Horn saw the ring, all the pretense and hardness on his face instantly crumbled.

He stretched out his calloused and scarred hand, trembling, wanting to touch the ring, but then hesitated, his hand frozen in mid-air.

"Is he...is he alright?" Horn's voice was filled with worry and deep-seated pain.

"He left the starting village. Before he left, he asked me to give this to you." Li Wu handed over the ring and then recounted what had happened in the starting village.

He didn't embellish the story; he simply presented the entire process objectively as an observer.

Horn listened quietly, his expression shifting.

When he heard Patton consider himself a failure, the old blacksmith, who had been strong all his life, instantly teared up.

He snatched the ring and clutched it tightly in his hand.

"That fool...that fool!" Horn murmured to himself, his voice choked with emotion. "So what if he failed? If he failed, he could just make another one! Isn't a blacksmith's destiny to forge miracles through repeated failures? Why couldn't he understand that!"

Li Wu silently stared at the middle-aged dwarf in front of him who had suddenly become vulnerable.

He could sense that there was a deep affection between the father and son, but also a deep estrangement.

Ding!

A system notification sounded in Li Wu's ear.

[System Notification: You have successfully returned the fading memories to Horn Barton. The second stage of the quest "The Blacksmith's Lament: Father Inherits Son" has begun!]

[Task Name: Reignite the Furnace Fire]

[Quest Description: Horn is heartbroken by his son's stubbornness and has decided to reforge the ring, giving it new life. But he needs your help to find materials that can temper his longing. Please go to the Searing Canyon to defeat the Lava Giants and obtain the Lava Core; go to Frostwhisper Glacier to mine the Frost Iron Ore guarded by frost elementals.]

[Task Reward: ???]

Looking at the mission prompt, Li Wu understood.

"Adventurer, thank you." Horn's emotions had calmed down a bit. He wiped his eyes with the back of his rough hand and looked at Li Wu again. "Thank you for bringing me his news."

"It was nothing," Li Wu said.

"No." Horn shook his head, carefully placing the ring on the shelf next to the anvil, his gaze becoming serious. "You not only brought news of him, but you also gave me hope. Perhaps the child's inner conflict needs your help to truly resolve it."

He paused, his gaze falling on the design drawing that Li Wu had taken out earlier.

"I'll take this blueprint." Horn's voice regained its previous composure. "I'll forge this bow for you. I won't charge you a single copper coin."

Li Wu was overjoyed.

Become!

"However..." Horn changed the subject, "Although I won't charge you for your workmanship, you'll have to collect the materials needed to forge this Starseeker Longbow yourself."

"That's natural," Li Wu nodded.

"Very good." Horn walked to a table piled with drawings, picked up a pen, and quickly began to write on a piece of parchment.

"The main body of the Starchaser Longbow requires one hundred pieces of Star Iron. This ore only appears at night after absorbing starlight. It should be found in the mines of Blackwind Valley."

"Its bowstring requires ten magic crystals to be twisted together. These are condensed magical energy, and they may also fall from the elemental creatures in Blackwind Valley."

"To increase the bow's resilience and rate of fire, three Wind Feathers are also needed, which are only found on the Wind Elemental Lord at the top of Blackwind Valley."

"Finally, and most importantly, the core of the bow requires a complete ancient treant heart. That's a level 30 world boss, located deep within Blackwind Valley. Only a heart containing immense life energy can bear the power of the stars."

Horn handed the parchment filled with writings to Li Wu, his eyes serious.

"Each of these materials is extremely difficult to obtain. Especially the last one, the heartwood—that huge thing is not easy to deal with. Are you sure you still want to forge this bow?"

Li Wu took the parchment, glanced at the materials listed on it, and did not hesitate at all.

"I'm sure."

For him, most of these items were available for purchase, except for the Ancient Treant Heart, which was more difficult to obtain, since he needed to forge six bows, meaning he would have to defeat the boss at least six times.

I wonder how long the boss respawns.

Moreover, the origins of these materials all point to the same place—Black Wind Valley.

That's exactly where he'll be leveling up next.

Kill two birds with one stone.

"Good! That's impressive!" Horn nodded approvingly. "Come find me again once you've gathered all the materials. Then, I'll show you what true master-level forging is all about!"

Li Wu put away the parchment and design drawings and bid farewell to Horn.

Stepping out of the blacksmith's shop and basking in the artificial sunlight of Ironforge, Li Wu was in a very good mood.

They not only successfully received the follow-up mission, but also solved the biggest problem in weapon upgrades.

Now, everything is ready except for the materials.

He didn't linger in the city and headed straight for the east gate of Ironforge.

Black Wind Valley is located not far from the East Gate.

However, just as he was about to step out of the city gate, a feeling of being watched made him subconsciously stop in his tracks.

He glanced around discreetly.

People were coming and going at the city gate, with players and NPCs mixed together, and nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

But Li Wu trusted his intuition.

He could feel at least three gazes fixed on him from different directions.

Moreover, these gazes carried undisguised malice.

Has it finally arrived?

Li Wu sneered inwardly.

It seems that his extravagant purchase of the blueprints at the auction house has attracted the attention of some interested parties.

He made no reaction, pretending to be an ordinary player who was completely unaware, and stepped out of the gates of Ironforge into the perilous wilderness.

He knew that a hunt targeting him was about to begin.

But what he didn't know was that this vast network, woven by the Blood Wolf Guild and the top assassin Shadow Killer, was far larger and more deadly than he imagined.