There's a big problem with dreams in this world.

"Alright, we'll be going then." Lu Qing could tell that Shanara didn't want to go, so she didn't insist. She grabbed Fang Qingrou's hand and headed towards the weapon shop.

Shanara watched Lu Qing and Fang Qingrou walk away, then looked at the sign for Jinggang Craftsmanship, a look of nostalgia flashing in her eyes.

"I really miss that feeling from when I was a child..." she thought to herself.

Shaking her head, Shanara banished the thoughts from her mind and stared blankly at the crowd of people coming and going in front of her.

"Little Deer, why are you holding my hand? This must be related to the secondary objective!" Fang Qingrou asked, unable to resist being pulled along by Lu Qing.

"That's why I'm pulling you along," Lu Qing said as she walked ahead.

"Why?" Fang Qingrou asked, somewhat puzzled.

If Lu Qing knew it was related to the secondary target, why did she stop her?

Continuing to question Shanara at this time might yield some clues.

"You..."

Lu Qing glanced at Fang Qingrou with a hint of helplessness, and explained as she walked forward:

"Shanara's expression suggests she doesn't want to talk, and even if you ask, you might not get any information, and there might even be false information."

"The only reliable information we have right now is that Shanara and the owner of the weapon shop know each other. So instead of asking Shanara, we should ask the owner and see if he knows anything reliable."

"Is that so?" Fang Qingrou looked confused and asked worriedly, "But what if the weapon shop owner doesn't want to tell us?"

Shrugging, Lu Qing said, "If you don't want to talk about it, then don't. Let's take the weapons first, and we can always ask Shanara when we get back."

As Lu Qing spoke, she arrived at the entrance of the weapon shop.

I looked around but couldn't find Belis.

I had originally planned to greet Belis and chat with her for a while, but since I can't find her, I'll just forget about it.

Thinking this, Lu Qing pushed open the door of the weapon shop and went inside.

"Welcome! Oh, it's Miss Lu Qing."

As they entered the house, the weapon shop owner, who was talking to someone, looked up and greeted Lu Qing. Meanwhile, Belis, whom they hadn't been able to find before, was now standing next to the weapon shop owner.

The old man who had been talking to the weapon shop owner turned around, smiled at Lu Qing and the others, and then said to the weapon shop owner:

"Are these the two guests you mentioned?"

“That’s right.” The weapons shop owner nodded and said:

"That's them. Old friend, don't underestimate them just because they look delicate. You didn't see how that girl wielded a two-handed sword with one hand. She was even more skilled than you were when you were young."

"Go to hell." The old man lightly punched the weapons shop owner with his fist and said:

"Do you think I'm like you? I've personally witnessed a wizard cast a spell on himself to grant him immense strength and then smash a person to death with a warhammer. I never underestimate anyone!"

"Haha, alright, you can sit here for now. I'll go get the two guests' things." The weapon shop owner chuckled, not paying any attention, and then disappeared into the room behind him, seemingly to retrieve the weapons.

Lu Qing and Fang Qingrou entered the room. Because they were not familiar with the old man, they went directly to Belis's side.

"Who is that old man? He seems to know the boss very well," Lu Qing asked in a low voice.

They had been passing by the blacksmith's shop frequently these days, so they had a fairly good relationship with Bellis, and they could easily engage in such conversations as acquaintances.

Hearing Lu Qing's words, Bellis glared at Lu Qing. She glanced at the old man, and seeing that he hadn't heard her, she whispered back:

“My father used to be a war blacksmith who worked with the army. This old man was a general in my father’s army. He often asked my father to forge weapons, so the two became very familiar with each other.”

"The reason I came here today is because my father told me that he found some very interesting weapons and I wanted to show them to him."

At this point, Bellis seemed a little embarrassed, since it's not really appropriate to show other people's designs to others.

She quickly explained:

"Don't misunderstand, the design of that hidden blade is too complicated. Many of the intricate mechanisms require better tools, but these tools are not available on the market. That's why my father brought in his former general."

"Although the old man has retired, he still has connections and has promised not to leak the design drawings."

------------

Chapter 71: Cold Stone

“I’m not interested in equipment that’s of little help to soldiers but very useful to assassins, especially since it’s not cheap to make.”

Just as the two were whispering to each other, the old man suddenly spoke up. Judging from his expression, it was clear that he had actually heard their conversation from the beginning, but he was just pretending not to hear it.

"A rather morbid old man," Lu Qing thought to herself, looking at the old man with some embarrassment.

If you heard it from the beginning, don't pretend you didn't.

To speak up precisely when the two are discussing an awkward topic—what else could it be but a perverse sense of humor?

However, Lu Qing wasn't actually that disgusted by it, since most people have this kind of perverse sense of humor, and she was no exception.

Furthermore, Lu Qing wasn't too concerned about whether others would find out about the design drawings, since this was just a dream world, not reality.

Even if the design of the hidden blade is known to everyone in this dream world, what impact will it have on her after she leaves?

Just then, the door to the inside of the counter creaked open, and the blacksmith shop owner, carrying three wooden boxes, walked in and placed them heavily on the counter.

"boom!"

The wooden box made a heavy thud against the counter, suggesting it was quite heavy.

"I'm getting old. I'm exhausted just from carrying a few weapons."

With a sigh, the weapon shop owner plopped down in a wooden chair behind the counter and looked at Lu Qing and Fang Qingrou, saying:

"These are the weapons you ordered. They're all in these wooden boxes. Would you like to open them and take a look?"

"Ah."

Lu Qing nodded without hesitation; she was already eager to see her new weapon.

Taking 24 gold coins from her pouch and placing them on the table, Lu Qing said, "This is the money for the weapons."

After paying, Lu Qing took down the top wooden box.

The box wasn't very heavy, and Lu Qing felt she had already guessed what was inside.

Lift the lid off the wooden box, and a finely crafted leather wristband lies quietly inside.

However, that wasn't the main point. Lu Qing picked up the wrist guard and looked underneath it. A sharp blade was hidden beneath the wrist guard, radiating a sharp, cold light.

【Item Name: Hidden Blade】

[Item Quality: White]

[Description: Forged by experienced craftsmen using meticulously hammered steel, this blade possesses unparalleled penetrating power and concealment. It can be hidden beneath anyone's wrist, waiting for the enemy to reveal an opening before delivering a fatal blow!]

[Skills: Extreme Armor Penetration, Reduced Blade Damage, Compact Concealment]

[Ultimate Armor Penetration: The blade, forged from meticulously crafted steel, grants the hidden blade unparalleled armor-piercing capabilities; even heavy plate armor cannot withstand its penetration!]

[Blade Wear Reduction: Although hidden blades are inherently prone to wear and tear due to their unique attack method, the excellent craftsmanship of the artisan greatly reduces wear during use.]

[Small and Concealed: The small hidden blade is extremely difficult to notice; unless one has exceptionally keen eyesight, it will be very hard to spot the blade hidden under the user's arm.]

[Note: Under the hidden blade, everyone is equal!]

Nodding in satisfaction, Lu Qing put the wristband on her left wrist.

To Lu Qing's surprise, the wristband unexpectedly matched her clothes and didn't make her outfit look out of place.

Seeing the expression on Lu Qing's face, the weapon shop owner said with a hint of pride:

"This hidden blade was meticulously forged by me. No armor can compare to it. In the entire empire, apart from blacksmiths with extraordinary strength, I bet no one can do it better than me!"

"Yes, thank you for your hard work, boss." Lu Qing nodded.

She couldn't tell how impressive the craftsmanship of the hidden blade was, but judging from its description, the weapon shop owner's forging skills were indeed impeccable.

As for whether the other party or the old blacksmith in Misty Town was more skilled, Lu Qing had no idea.

After all, she wasn't a blacksmith, so how could she possibly determine which weapon was better based on just two weapons?

"Oh, right." The weapon shop owner suddenly remembered something and pointed to the wrist guard on Lu Qing's arm, adding:

"This bracer is made from the serrated black crocodile skin from the stinking swamp. It can withstand the slashes of large swords, but since it is ultimately just a leather product, don't have too high expectations for its defensive capabilities."

"I see."

Lu Qing nodded, took a closer look at the wristband, and after finding that there was no white light on it, she stopped caring about it.

She had previously bought some items at auction houses, and according to her research, it's not only items that reach a certain quality that can become game items.

Only items with special effects or skills can be classified as game items.

This has nothing to do with the attributes of the item. Just like those useless gray items, some of which will break if you touch them even lightly, but they can still be identified as game items by the system.

In addition, Lu Qing discovered something else: even props of the same quality could be distinguished by their superiority or inferiority.

For example, the white light emitted by the hidden blade below Lu Qing's wrist was slightly less than that of the mithril dagger.

The blue light emitted by the Ripper's Throwing Knife was more of a bluish-white than a true blue, and it couldn't compare to the pale blue light emanating from the cursed scabbard.

"Wow!" Fang Qingrou's strange cry suddenly rang out, and Lu Qing subconsciously turned her head after hearing the sound.

Fang Qingrou had opened the second wooden box at some point, and inside were twelve gray-white throwing knives neatly arranged.

Fang Qingrou looked at the throwing knives inside the wooden box and couldn't help but say:

"Just thinking about how cool you look when you throw a knife, Xiao Lu, makes me feel so cool, just like those female assassins in movies."

With a smile, Lu Qing opened the last wooden box, reached inside and picked up the greatsword, handing it to Fang Qingrou, saying:

"Xiaorou, you look so cool wielding that giant sword!"

"Hehe, right?" Fang Qingrou took the giant sword handed to her by Lu Qing and said somewhat smugly.

"Of course, he's incredibly handsome," Lu Qing said earnestly.

As she spoke, she picked up the throwing knives from the wooden box and then inserted them one by one into the sheaths hidden under her short skirt on the inside of her thighs.

The throwing knife wasn't recognized as a game item by the system, so it seems it doesn't have any special skills.

As for the greatsword, it did have a faint white light on it. Lu Qing had already examined it; there was nothing particularly noteworthy about it. It only had one skill called [Froststone].

[Cold Stone: The hilt of the greatsword contains special stones that allow the person holding it to remain calm.]

------------