Chapter 322: Extraordinary Items
At that moment, Zhou Ning was still thinking about the orphanage from earlier. It wasn't until Richie Burke called out to him that he came back to his senses and followed him down from the carriage.
Before them stood an old, rather dilapidated house. Zhou Ning couldn't help but find it strange—any craftsman capable of creating extraordinary items would never be short on money. After all, such people had to be deeply knowledgeable in alchemy, forging, and enchantment, and capable of balancing extraordinary effects with their negative counterparts before they were even qualified to make such items.
So if this person was a well-off powerhouse, why would he leave the Byron Republic and live in such a remote, shabby place? And why had Zhou Ning never heard of him in his past life?
Richie Burke stepped forward and knocked on the door.
Knock, knock, knock!
"Who is it?" came a coarse, raspy voice from inside.
"It's me, Richie Burke of the Northlands. I made an appointment earlier—former Finance Minister Adam Aiden is my guarantor," Richie replied.
Adam Aiden? Zhou Ning's eyes flickered. This was the second time he'd heard that name. The first time had been when Sherlock mentioned that Adam Aiden had witnessed Charles VI's transformation into a giant and reported it to the Sunwatchers. Because of his family's motto—"Honesty"—he hadn't been suspected. Now that Zhou Ning thought about it, Aiden was also Jeremy Aiden's surname. Was that just a coincidence?
The house fell silent. Ten long minutes passed before the door finally creaked open.
A tall man stepped out, shrouded entirely in a black mage's robe that concealed his face. In a deep, hoarse voice, he said, "Come in."
This must be the Ignatius Woods that Richie Burke had mentioned.
The inside of the house was just as decrepit. Garbage was piled up everywhere, reeking so badly that it was hard to find a place to step. Zhou Ning followed Ignatius Woods into a room and sat down on a short stool.
Without any small talk, Ignatius Woods asked bluntly, "Show me the materials you've brought, and tell me what kind of extraordinary item you want crafted."
Zhou Ning took the materials he had prepared from his inventory and laid them on the table one by one—a black crystalline extraordinary material dropped from Archibald, a rare material that increased spell power, a material obtained from the ghost mage Gran Vaughn, and a material harvested yesterday from the spider-formed Argus.
"I'd like an offensive-type extraordinary item, preferably a piece of armor or an accessory."
Ignatius Woods's gaze swept over the items and lingered for a long while before he said, "I can forge you an accessory. It will most likely be an unknown artifact. Given the nature of the materials, the result will inevitably be dark-aligned. Is that acceptable?"
"What kind of negative effects will it have?" Zhou Ning asked.
"I don't know yet. No one can answer that before the item is complete. But most likely, nothing too severe," Ignatius Woods replied.
"What will it cost me, and how long will it take?" Zhou Ning nodded thoughtfully.
"Seven hundred and eighty Vecktas, and at least four days," said Ignatius Woods.
"Deal." Zhou Ning didn't even hesitate. Before, he might have found the price steep—but with his current profits from selling magic silk, and the upcoming hundreds of thousands from the mithril golems, money was no longer a problem. He had plenty to spare!
After they agreed on the price, Ignatius Woods reached for the materials on the table. As his sleeve fell slightly, a patch of skin covered in faint purple spots was exposed.
Zhou Ning's pupils contracted. Considering the man's towering physique and the fact that he'd left his homeland, there was only one explanation—he was likely a fallen one, like Richard Pessa, someone who had found a way to suppress his corruption and retain his sanity.
But Zhou Ning showed no sign of alarm. He simply bid farewell calmly, left the house, and boarded the carriage, departing from Sweetwater Alley.
"Do you know what kind of person Ignatius Woods is? And how do you know Adam Aiden?" Zhou Ning turned to Richie Burke and asked.
"I only know that Ignatius Woods came from the Byron Republic. He arrived here about three months ago. Before that, he attended several extraordinary gatherings in the Old District and offered two chances to commission extraordinary items. That's how I met him. Later, he only accepted requests from acquaintances.
"As for Adam Aiden… I met him when I was serving aboard the Myrny Rooster. He and Count Robbins once visited the pirate port on Grant Island. Aaron Ingersoll knew him even better. There's even a rumor that Aaron's 'Will Ragley's Placement' came from a trade with him."
Zhou Ning nodded, falling into deep thought. Everything was starting to feel too coincidental—it was unsettling. If that was the case, then Adam Aiden's identity wasn't simple. Could it be that, like Count Robbins, he was also a follower of the God of Death? And that he himself was already dead, thus freed from his family's "honesty" oath? Perhaps his report to the Sunwatchers about Charles VI's giant form had merely been bait to draw their attention away from something else—something more sinister, in line with the Curse Church's methods.
Just then, the long-dormant quest panel suddenly updated—the progress for Investigate the Truth of the Giant jumped from 27% to 55%.
So that was it… Zhou Ning rubbed his temples, his thoughts racing.
Then, another possibility occurred to him—perhaps the Life Alchemy Society's true goal in this conspiracy wasn't to turn Charles VI into a god. Maybe the real aspirant to godhood was someone else entirely—perhaps a high-ranking member of the Life Alchemy Society, or a powerful figure within the Bryston Kingdom itself.
Vaguely, Zhou Ning felt he was beginning to grasp some threads of the truth.
...
The carriage stopped in front of Vick University. Zhou Ning and Richie Burke walked to his alchemy shop. Since he had told players yesterday that he would be open for business over the next two days, there was now an unusually large crowd gathered out front. Zhou Ning could see Richie Burke's legs trembling—he was probably realizing he'd soon be responsible for managing this horde of players, and was already overwhelmed.
"This is nothing," Zhou Ning thought. He stepped into the crowd and patted Richie Burke on the shoulder. "Everyone, this is the newest member of the Starry Sky Guild—and currently our only official officer—Richie Burke, a high-level rogue and historian. From today onward, he'll be helping me distribute guild assignments. You can also earn his guidance by completing tasks."
As Zhou Ning expected, the moment he finished speaking, several players turned toward Richie Burke, bombarding him with questions in an attempt to trigger quests.
Soon enough, even more players swarmed around Zhou Ning.
Over the past days, players had saved up a good deal of money. Within an hour, many valuable items had been auctioned off.
Previously, a female player had purchased a Stone Mask. Although her combat ability weakened during the day—making her only suitable for indoor fights or life-skill grinding, and she occasionally got burned to death by sunlight—her nighttime combat power skyrocketed. With enhanced physical stats and the Phantom Waltz ability, she turned from a weakling into a strikingly formidable player, gaining countless fans.
Because of that, as soon as Zhou Ning appeared today, more than a dozen players clamored to "stop being human." From time to time, someone would scream "Ah!" as they were burned to ashes and respawned in a flash of light.
Besides that, numerous potions, Devil Fruits, and Starry Sky Guild invitation letters were sold. Accounting for the reserved slots for the Northland pirates, there were still about fifty vacancies left in the guild. Zhou Ning had brought twenty-five invitation letters with him today—and they sold out in no time.