As soon as we stepped out from the tailor shop, I noticed the blacksmith shop next door. My footsteps paused—oh right, there's Harrison, that NPC!
"Wanna check out the blacksmith shop?" I suggested. Harrison always has his nose in the air, but hey, he's a local NPC. Maybe I can get some info out of him.
I'm not hoping for much, just anything useful.
"Sure." Ding Qiurou was curious about dwarves too.
We were on the same page, so we went straight into the blacksmith shop.
When he saw someone come in, Harrison didn't even lift his head, just kept working away at his iron ore at the workbench.
Diana hadn't gotten her hands on materials for ages in the Undead Kingdom—same for Harrison.
So even with materials in short supply, Harrison wanted to get a feel for them, practice a bit.
"Need any materials?" I took the initiative.
Hearing my voice, Harrison glanced up and said coolly, "Anything I need, you think you can provide?"
"I can!" The system store had my back, so I answered with zero hesitation. Then I added, "But, I hope the materials I give are worth it."
Hearing that, Harrison's face darkened. "Are you questioning my professional ethics?"
"No, it's just my territory is small, and I need to save where I can." I explained.
"Hmph, you've got a Level 1 territory with a Primary City Wall, and you're short on gold coins?" Harrison looked down on Human Territories, but seeing the whole village's setup after stepping out of the Heroic Spirit Hall, he was actually somewhat satisfied. Maybe he could stand staying here a bit longer after all.
"Can't help it—we have to prepare for the upcoming Territory War. If, say, we run into a Dwarf Clan territory, maybe…" I tried, watching Harrison's reaction.
"If you run into a Dwarf Clan territory, I advise you to surrender early! With your low-level human strength and shoddy weapons, not even the hardest city wall could hold. If you run into other races, you might manage to hold out for a bit." Harrison was dismissive.
From Harrison's words, I felt more confident.
Turns out, my territory's defensive power is actually pretty good.
I followed up on his lead. "We can work on our strength, but as for weapons—that's on you."
Harrison was caught off guard again and realized why I'd been asking. He snorted, "I can forge silver-level weapons now, but without Level 10 strength, you guys can't use them."
"We can't use them now, but in a few days, someone will be able to buy them. Go ahead and make them!" I earnestly encouraged him.
Harrison was stumped for a moment, eyebrows drawn tight. He snorted, "No need to forge too many in advance. The iron axes and long spears sold here before were just adequate, barely usable. I'll make some other types of weapons. As for level 10 and up, the best thing is to customize the weapons by profession and attributes for everyone—that's the most comfortable. I'm not going to make conveyor-belt weapons."
"I'll count on you then." Through this exchange, I got a basic grasp of the master blacksmith's personality. My tone got more respectful—at least he had some principles.
"As for the pieces I'm making for practice, I'll sell them later—just see who wants them. I won't let your materials go to waste." Harrison was still holding a grudge from my earlier comment, speaking gruffly.
"It's fine, it's fine." I replied hurriedly. As long as he doesn't waste them, that's my money after all!
Harrison: "…"
—Who was it that said not to waste things just now? Two-faced much?
"Leave some iron ore and wood for me. You, out!" He promptly shooed us out.
I cheerfully dropped off the materials, then left with Ding Qiurou once again.
Leaving the blacksmith shop, my mood had improved a lot. "The Heroic Spirit Hall might be summoning undead, but I have a feeling all of them will fit the 'heroic spirit' part. If I bring in more people, we might learn more about this world—and have more ways to survive."
Ding Qiurou watched me and couldn't help asking, "Today's news got everyone fired up, ready to level up, prepare for territory war, prepare for this new world—but it turns out, this is just the beginning. So many tough problems waiting ahead. Xiao Bai, are you tired?"
The past few days, I've been tense every moment, unable to relax. Thinking about it, as lord, Xiao Bai must be under even greater pressure!
"Tired! But I'm used to it. Compared to before, when I knew nothing and could only react passively, now I have direction and info—I actually feel more secure." I replied, optimistic.
Ding Qiurou took my hand as I spoke, as if giving me strength.
I have to admit, I really did feel comforted.
"Mom, I'm really glad you and Dad are here with me. That way, I can focus on building up the territory, building our home." I said seriously. Having my parents gave me the courage to face anything.
"Should we notify the residents about the weather changes?" Ding Qiurou asked.
"No need. In a couple days they'll figure it out themselves. Just make sure territory has backup plans. If they know too soon, it'll just stir up anxiety. Instead of worrying them, it's better to act when things happen so they know their territory stands behind them. That way, even when things get hard, they won't give up easily."
"Okay." Seeing I had a plan, Ding Qiurou didn't say more, and would keep this secret.
Right then, I noticed my territory looking empty. I glanced at the territory map—there were various little green and red dots, but unlike the past two days, the green dots were starting to surround the red dots, and the red dots were slowly decreasing.
The residents who went out today were really kicking ass!
Now that territory matters were settled, I could worry about myself for a change.
Everyone else is hustling; I can't fall behind!
Might as well check out the surroundings while I'm at it.
Thinking about all that, I turned to speak, "Mom, you stay in the territory for now. I'm heading out for a look."
"Alright, go!" Ding Qiurou nodded.
She knew perfectly well that strength is the key to survival in this world, so she wouldn't hold Xiao Bai back from getting stronger.