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

As he went deeper, the sound of picks striking ore became clearer, mixed with faint whispers of conversation. Curiosity piqued, he cautiously circled around an icicle and saw two people busy at work.

They were a man and a woman, neither of them high level; neither had reached level 25 yet.

The man, dressed in ordinary equipment and appearing to be in his thirties or forties, was struggling to swing a pickaxe.

The woman squatted on the ground, carefully picking a plant that emitted a faint blue light.

They wore IDs above their heads; the man was called Old Wang the miner, and the woman was called Xiao Fang the pharmacist.

The two of them were completely unaware of anything unusual, or rather, they were completely oblivious to the danger they were in.

"Old Wang, look at this snow lotus, it's of such high quality!" The pharmacist Xiao Fang's voice was filled with excitement as she carefully placed the blue snow lotus into her backpack. "If we could pick a few more, we'd make a fortune this time!"

"Yes, Xiaofang." Old Wang, the miner, wiped the sweat from his forehead. His face showed a hint of fatigue, but even more so, satisfaction. "But this place is too dangerous. If we had run into those Frost Wolves, we would have been done for."

Xiao Fang muttered, "Luckily we ran fast!"

Li Wu did not reveal himself immediately; he stood in the shadows, observing the two.

Their equipment was ordinary, clearly indicating they weren't players with any special background. Their survival in this level 30 area was largely due to luck.

Just then, miner Lao Wang seemed to sense something. He suddenly looked up and met Li Wu's gaze.

Old Wang was stunned at first, then his pupils suddenly dilated, and the pickaxe in his hand fell to the ground with a clatter.

"The Great God of Fog... Fog-Seeing-Flowers!" Old Wang's voice trembled as he pointed at Li Wu and stammered.

Pharmacist Xiaofang was startled by the sound. She turned around abruptly and froze when she saw Li Wu. Then, her face lit up with ecstasy, and she rushed excitedly to Li Wu, her eyes filled with admiration.

Li Wu was a little taken aback by the sudden enthusiasm, but given his current popularity in District 21, it was quite normal.

He simply nodded and calmly asked, "How did you get here?"

Old Wang finally snapped out of his shock. He quickly picked up his pickaxe and replied respectfully:

"Master, we...we're here to mine and gather herbs. I'm a blacksmith, and Xiaofang is an apothecary. The Frost Iron Ore and Snow Lotus from Frostwhisper Glacier are rare materials, so we can only try our luck here."

"Try your luck?" Li Wu raised an eyebrow. "The monsters here are all level 29 or higher, and you're only in your early 20s. It's very dangerous."

Xiaofang stuck out her tongue. "We know, expert. But... that's how it is for casual gamers, nothing ventured, nothing gained."

"We're very careful and never fight. We haven't died since we came out of the 101st newbie village."

When Li Wu heard "Newbie Village No. 101", he felt a little touched.

He glanced at the two crafting players, his expression complex. Although they lacked formidable combat abilities, their unwavering spirit in pursuit of their dreams and materials was undeniably admirable.

"Are you solo players?" Li Wu asked.

Old Wang nodded, his voice somewhat dejected. "Yeah, Master. For casual players like us, we either have to join a big guild or work for a gold farming studio. But the big guilds look down on small fry like us, and the studios exploit us too much. We wanted to try our luck on our own, so we've been playing solo."

Xiaofang added, "We want to save some money first, and then open our own small shop to sell equipment and potions!" Her eyes lit up again as she said this.

Li Wu listened to their words and began to make plans in his mind.

Crafters, especially professional crafters, are indispensable for the future development of guilds.

A powerful guild needs not only top-tier combat players, but also robust logistical support. Blacksmiths can craft equipment, and apothecaries can provide potions; these are the cornerstones of guild operations.

Judging from their levels and equipment, it would be difficult for them to get out safely from this depths of the glacier. Since he was leaving anyway, giving them a ride wouldn't be a problem. Besides, they came from beginner village number 101, which made Li Wu feel a little closer to them.

"In that case, you should come with me," Li Wu said. "It's too dangerous here; it's not suitable for you to stay any longer."

Old Wang and Xiao Fang were stunned when they heard this. Then, an unbelievable look of surprise appeared on their faces.

"Master...you mean you're going to take us out?" Xiaofang's voice trembled slightly.

Li Wu nodded. "Otherwise what? You want to stay here and feed the snowman?"

"No, no, no! Of course not!" Old Wang waved his hands hurriedly, his words tumbling out in excitement, "Thank you so much, Master! Thank you so much! We...we will definitely repay you!"

Xiaofang's eyes welled up with tears. "Great master, you're such a kind person! If you ever need any weapons or potions forged in the future, just come to us! I... I'll definitely give you the best!"

Li Wu didn't say much, he just waved his hand, "Let's go outside first."

He knew in his heart that the two men were grateful to the point of tears, but the real repayment would depend on their future performance.

"Master, are you heading back to Ironforge?" Old Wang asked cautiously.

"Mm," Li Wu replied.

"That's great! We're going to Ironforge too!" Xiaofang jumped up excitedly.

"Alright, stay close to me," Li Wu said, then turned and walked towards the entrance of the ice cave.

Old Wang and Xiao Fang quickly followed, staying close behind Li Wu, afraid of being left behind. Under Li Wu's guidance, they clearly felt a sense of security.

The Frost Wolves and Ice Elemental Monsters that had previously made it difficult for them to move were nothing in front of Li Wu; he could take them out before they even got close.

Stepping out of the ice cave, the biting wind swept over them again. But with Li Wu's protection, Old Wang and Xiao Fang didn't seem so cold anymore. They continued northward, heading towards the edge of the glacier.

On the way, Xiaofang couldn't help but ask curiously, "Master, what brings you to Frostwhisper Glacier?"

Li Wu glanced at the quest panel; the "Reignite the Furnace" quest prompt was still there. He thought for a moment and said, "Come here to do the quest and find Frost Iron Ore."

"So that's how it is!" Old Wang suddenly realized. "A master is a master, even doing quests on top-tier maps!" He thought to himself that the difference between himself and a master was like heaven and earth.

Xiao Fang exclaimed, "Yeah, we just came here to try our luck and gather some materials. You, the master, came and wiped out all the bosses here!" She said, somewhat exaggeratedly.

Li Wu smiled, said nothing, and continued on his way.

As they gradually left the glacier area, the surrounding snow began to thin, and the temperature gradually rose. On the distant horizon, a coniferous forest covered in white snow could already be seen.

Both Lao Wang and Xiao Fang wore relaxed expressions. They knew they were safe.

"Master, what are you going to Ironforge for?" Xiao Fang asked again.

She was always very curious and often asked strange questions along the way.

Li Wu thought for a moment and said, "Go turn in the quest, then prepare to level up and establish a guild."

"Let's establish a guild!" Old Wang and Xiao Fang exclaimed at the same time.

"Yes, the master is starting a guild!" Xiaofang exclaimed excitedly, waving her arms and legs. "Then... then do we have a chance to join, master!"

Li Wu glanced at them and said, "Once my guild is established, you can come find me if you're interested." He neither agreed nor refused directly, giving a vague answer. He needed to assess these two individuals' potential and their loyalty to the guild first.

Even so, Lao Wang and Xiao Fang were already extremely excited. To receive a "we can consider it" reply from the mysterious expert was an immense honor for them.

They chatted all the way, dreaming of a bright future.

Li Wu occasionally responded with a few words, while also pondering the plans after the guild was established. With the addition of these two crafting players, at least in terms of forging and potion making, a lot of trouble could be saved.

Just as they were about to leave the taiga and enter the plains leading to Ironforge, a sudden burst of noisy fighting sounds came from ahead.

Li Wu's vigilance instantly reached its peak.

He gestured for Lao Wang and Xiao Fang to keep their voices down, then led them quietly over.

Through the dense forest, he saw a group of people attacking a player on the path ahead. The group wore bright red IDs above their heads—clearly the insignia of the Blood Wolf Guild!

The player being besieged was a tall, thin man wearing black leather armor. He was agile, but clearly outnumbered, and had already sustained several injuries.

"Blood Wolf Guild?" Li Wu sneered inwardly. What a small world.

Without hesitation, he drew back the arcane bow.