Whose world-class drama are they criticizing?

The butler's lips twitched slightly. No matter how he observed him, this guy didn't seem to be acting... If he was acting, Mr. Jack's acting skills were good enough for the National Centre for the Performing Arts.

Young Master Ryan's ability to judge people is far superior to that of the Master.

This isn't just having a discerning eye for talent; it's practically having an uncanny ability to judge people.

"Could it be that the young master is actually skilled in divination?" the butler murmured. "The copper coins are the young master's divination tools?"

This thing is more accurate than even the most skilled astrologers he has ever seen.

If Wuguangling goes bankrupt, the young master can easily make a living by fortune telling.

"Impossible." On the other end of the magical communication channel, Grand Duke Lawrence, who was listening in, was also stunned. He was still unconvinced. "Let this kid try again!"

So Ryan continued his search for talent.

Archduke Lawrence's dog food just arrived. While he can't afford to throw money around like crazy, he's certainly throwing money around in moderation.

Led by the fifth-rank butler, Ryan walked down Blacksmith Street with his head held high, acting like a bully.

The process is very simple: knock on the door, give a tip, and finally read out the name of the person who bestows the blessing.

The blacksmiths' expressions changed from initial joy to horror to anger, but upon seeing the fifth-rank butler, they finally understood and their eyes cleared.

"Oh, I happen to have some hammers I don't need..."

"What a coincidence, I was originally planning to throw these pieces of equipment away."

"Haha, who put these five catties of mithril in my warehouse!"

The butler was numb, and so was Archduke Lawrence.

They would never doubt again that this was all an act, and that there weren't that many professional extras.

Lawrence had to admit that his son truly had the talent to be a lord; he was born for it.

Wherever he went, the people welcomed him with open arms and longed for progress.

In just one hour, Ryan visited more than ten shops in search of talent. The once empty magic carriage was now filled with all sorts of forging materials, from mithril to black steel, from forging hammers to dwarven wine, and dozens of kilograms of black iron even bent the carriage under the weight.

This isn't a job posting, it's a place to buy inventory!

"My lord..." the butler whispered, "These materials?"

“…Go to the warehouse for reimbursement.” Archduke Lawrence rubbed his forehead, gritting his teeth. “Settle this kid’s bill.”

This is something we have to clean up Ryan's mess for; otherwise, if word gets out, where will he put his face?

Is it really true, as rumored, that they'll open a sex-themed street?

Chief Steward Lu Ming followed Ryan the entire time, which, in the eyes of the people, was to be seen as using the name of Grand Duke Lawrence.

Archduke Lawrence only felt a pain in his stomach.

Why should you take the benefits while I bear the blame?

The butler followed behind Ryan, watching the latter strut around with his head held high and his radiant demeanor, and suddenly had a strange feeling... that the young master was doing it on purpose.

Even if he truly has the talent to see through other people's blessings, there's no need for him to read them aloud.

He was using a scheme against me, taking advantage of my presence behind the scenes, using Lawrence's name, and deliberately saying things that would mislead people, ultimately forcing the face-conscious gentleman to pay the bill.

The thought of this possibility sent chills down the butler's spine.

This is way too new.

Ryan felt a sense of joy, like a bountiful harvest. He hadn't asked for it; it was all voluntary donations from the people to support border construction.

He not only took advantage of Lawrence's name, but also the "Curse of Ignorance and Folly" on him. Since his words were easy to misunderstand, he was even more inclined to say things that were easy to misunderstand.

The blacksmith shop has already prepared more materials than needed; everything is ready except for the final step.

All that's missing is a lousy blacksmith.

Chapter 20 Ryan was so frightened he cried.

As dusk settled, a howling wind swept through the streets, causing the signs on both sides to sway and rustle. The whole street felt like a storm was brewing.

Ryan is the wind and rain.

Amid the enthusiastic welcome of the progressive crowd, Ryan strode confidently down the street, followed by Miss Jasmine, a carriage laden with goods, and the butler with a dark expression.

Of course, Ryan did not forget his original intention; he came here to seek out talented people.

"Young Master Ryan," the butler said after a long silence, "have you found a blacksmith you like?"

"Shouldn't we be heading back soon?"

He was afraid that if Ryan kept wandering around, Blacksmith Street would be emptied out.

"Be patient, Mr. Butler. Have you heard of such a story?"

Ryan smiled and said, "In ancient times, a king sought the help of a hermit master and visited his hut many times, but he could not find the master the first two times. He only found the master on the last visit."

Miss Jasmine was a little puzzled, "Why couldn't we find a master the first two times?"

Could this be the master's test of the king's sincerity?

"Because that master was a dwarf."

Ryan said seriously, "The king didn't see him the first two times."

"And the third time?" Jasmine's expression revealed a look of realization.

"Because he was ignored twice in a row, the master finally couldn't take it anymore," Ryan said mysteriously, "and jumped up and hit the king's knee."

"This story teaches us that only by persisting and making three consecutive visits can we find talent."

Stop telling dwarf jokes!

The butler was desperate. One robbery was bad enough, but you want to do it three times?

Did they really think they were buying from a wholesale market?

Even the well-informed steward couldn't help but admire Ryan's discerning eye. Along the way, Ryan had discovered many talented young craftsmen, some of whom even possessed skills that rivaled those of dwarven craftsmen.

But the young master didn't fancy any of them.

"Young master, you've already walked through most of the street."

The steward had to say something more: "The closer the shop is to the blacksmiths' guild, the higher the skill level of the craftsmen, and vice versa. If you continue walking forward, you will definitely not find any high-level craftsmen."

The quality of the land one is allocated is closely related to the craftsman's skill.

“That’s great,” Ryan said. “Let’s keep going further off the beaten path!”

"Why?" The butler was about to lose his temper.

“As the master blacksmith once said, the market today is a place where bad money drives out good,” Ryan said mysteriously.

The butler thought Ryan's words made sense, so what?

"So all that's left in the center of the market is bad money," Ryan said, waving his hand dismissively. "The real good money has been driven to the slums!"

No wonder he couldn't find any talent.

The whole journey has been filled with top-quality produce, all forged to such a high standard; giving it to the player would be a complete waste.

Since the forging skill level is high, the salary must also be high, which is completely unacceptable.

The real Zhuge Liang and his youngest son are hidden in humble alleys.

It was already late, so he quickened his pace, took a shortcut, and headed straight into a sparsely populated alley.

Highly skilled craftsmen usually have workstations in the association, while less skilled craftsmen live in prime locations. Only those unskilled craftsmen who don't even have an apprenticeship or a craftsman's license live in such alleys.

Broken Iron Alley

The entire alley was dilapidated.

The blacksmiths here also lack a progressive spirit and can't make a living off them.

However, he did not show any sign of frustration. On the contrary, he was very pleased and exclaimed, "This is the true style of a master!"

The craftsmen they encountered along the way were either missing limbs or too thin to even lift a hammer. Each one had a unique skill, and Ryan was eager to acquire them all, so he continued to spend money.

The butler thought his young master had very unique taste.

But judging from Ryan's previous performance, his ability to recognize and judge people is so strong that it makes the butler suspicious of himself. Could it be that there are really talented people who have been buried in the alley?

Ryan unlocked the favorability of another down-on-his-luck craftsman, and after seeing the excellent stat from the [Intermittent Parkinson's] disease, he added him to his shortlist.

Just as they were about to continue their search for talented individuals, the Parkinson's blacksmith kindly said...

"Young master, I advise you not to go any further. That guy lives at the very end of the alley."

"Who?"

How could someone with Parkinson's disease be considered unfit, and have such poor skills?

Ryan looked into the depths of the alley. It was already dark, and the night was eerily quiet, with only a strange tinkling sound coming from the dark alley.

"A cursed criminal, a madman, whose name no one knows."

When this person was mentioned, the blacksmith looked away with obvious disdain.

"I don't know where this old man came from, he's filthy, has no business, so he just spends all day hammering his hammer... but that's secondary..."

"He did not bestow any blessings."

The Parkinson blacksmith lowered his voice and said cautiously, "On the contrary, that madman is cursed. If you get close to him... you will also be tainted by that forbidden misfortune!"

curse?

Ryan didn't know if this was a 'curse' in a figurative sense or a true curse from the gods. He continued to ask Parkinson, but the latter refused to say anything, waving his hand to indicate that he knew nothing, looking very mysterious.

The butler thought it was time to go back. For some reason, even as a five-ring warrior, he felt a strange sense of unease in this alley.

The more he said that, the more interested Ryan became, and he wanted to see what was going on.

Ryan decided to go, and Miss Jasmine would naturally follow, as would the butler, since he couldn't escape responsibility if something happened to the young master.

As you continue deeper into the alley, the atmosphere gradually becomes eerie.

Although the broken iron alley ahead is sparsely populated, there is always a shop every few steps.

Claire had been walking deep inside for ten minutes without seeing any shops along the way, as if it had formed a forbidden zone, isolating it from the outside world.

Even the lowest-ranking unskilled craftsmen looked down on that guy.

The alley was eerily silent, save for the echoing tapping sounds at its end. After walking for an unknown amount of time, Ryan finally met the source of the tapping—

How would you describe it?

To describe him as skinny would be an understatement; he was far too fat.

The skin covers the bones, but the bones are stuck outside the skin.

He looked like a puppet made of thin bones and glued together with withered skin, wearing a dirty rag that barely covered his aged body. He wielded a rotten hammer and struck the empty stove.

Ding, ding, ding.

The clanging sound was low and unpleasant, like the sigh of someone nearing the end of their life.

The butler shielded Ryan behind him, his brows furrowed. The mere presence of this man gave off an ominous feeling.

Ryan observed that he might be a criminal, or had been a criminal, as there were marks from shackles embedded in his wrists and ankles.

Ryan was quite satisfied; as expected, there were even lower-level opponents among the lower-level ones.

"Hello."

As is customary, Ryan handed over a copper coin to raise his favorability rating and check the stats.

But the old blacksmith seemed not to have seen it.

He ignored Ryan's money and continued hammering.

This was the first time Ryan's tip had been refused.

"have a look."

He said to the butler and Jasmine, "This is true integrity."

Ryan was delighted, not even wanting the money, and perhaps not even needing to be paid a salary, and continued to test the waters.

The butler thought to himself: He is indeed both crazy and ruthless.