Tang San's eyes narrowed slightly. He naturally knew what Liu Neng was thinking at this moment; the skepticism was written all over the shopkeeper's face. He clearly thought Tang San was too young to be taken seriously. At this moment, the boss's words didn't sound like a business discussion at all; they were more like an interrogation of a delinquent child.
However, Tang San kept his cool. He needed this partnership.
"That's right, I used to be a blacksmith," Tang San replied evenly, his voice steady. "My father was also a blacksmith, a master of the craft, and I learned my skills directly from him."
After speaking, Tang San's face showed an undisguised pride. It was one of the few things he could be openly proud of in this life—the hammer and the forge were in his blood.
Hearing that Tang San came from a family of blacksmiths, Liu Neng's expression softened. He couldn't help but feel a bit more favorably towards him; there was a kinship among those who worked the metal.
"So that's how it is," Liu Neng nodded slowly. "Judging by your accent, you're not from around here, are you? It sounds a bit southern."
Tang San shook his head. "I came to Lanba Academy for school. I'm a student."
"School?" Liu Neng perk up. "Are you a Spirit Master then?"
Liu Neng looked at Tang San with a hint of expectation. Although there were various academies on the continent teaching everything from music to etiquette, Spirit Master academies were undoubtedly the most prominent and prestigious. Generally, people rarely traveled long distances to other cities just to study mundane subjects; only Spirit Master academies drew students from across the empire.
Advanced Spirit Master academies only existed in large cities like Heaven Dou City. He naturally hoped that Tang San was a student of such an institution. Although, given his age, he looked like he had just joined an intermediate Spirit Master academy.
But the identity of a Spirit Master was different, regardless of age. Their records were kept in the Spirit Hall. When doing business with a Spirit Master, the risk was lower. As long as one checked the other party's Spirit Master level and verified it with the local Spirit Hall branch, there would be no fear of them playing any tricks or defaulting on payments.
Tang San nodded. "Yes, I just entered the academy to study. Do you have any other questions regarding my status?"
Tang San felt a little guilty when he said this, though he hid it well. Technically, he was lying by omission. If nothing unexpected happened, he had already been expelled from the prestigious Heaven Dou Royal Academy. And this morning, his attempt to re-enter a school had led him to Lanba Academy.
Who would have thought that the recruitment teachers in that academy were so short-sighted? They had refused him directly without checking his qualifications properly, judging him solely on his initial Spirit Power reading which they misunderstood. Therefore, although Tang San could now freely enter and exit Lanba Academy, he wasn't a student there yet. Just like his teacher, Yu Xiaogang, he was merely one of the two newly hired cleaners.
However, there wasn't much fluctuation in his expression. He maintained the calm demeanor of a young talent.
Only then did Liu Neng relax his suspicions slightly. He took out the blueprints again, spreading them on the wooden table, and looked at them carefully under the better light of the office.
"From the blueprints, all these items you need are very intricate and not easy to forge," Liu Neng analyzed, tapping a specific gear mechanism. "Moreover, the total amount of this business is not small. Although our blacksmith shop has a certain scale, two hundred gold coins is still a very large sum for us to risk on a custom order."
He looked up at Tang San. "How do you plan to cooperate with us? What are the payment terms?"
Tang San's lips curved slightly, revealing a confident smile. He had already thought of a cooperation method on his way here.
"I'll pay a portion of the deposit first, and I'll trouble you to forge one set of these items as a prototype," Tang San proposed. "If the quality meets my standards, then we continue production for the rest. The initial gold coins I can pay right now is about one hundred."
The reason Tang San said this was purely practical: he only had a little over one hundred gold coins on him at the moment. If he wanted more gold coins, he would have to wait until next month to collect his stipend from the Spirit Hall.
Liu Neng frowned upon hearing this proposal.
"Since you were once a blacksmith, you should know the realities of the trade," Liu Neng countered. "Many intricate items require custom molds to produce. And these molds are the largest part of the initial production cost. If we only make one set, the cost of the mold eats up everything. Not only can I not give you a discount, but we will even lose money on the labor!"
Liu Neng leaned back, crossing his arms. "A deposit of one hundred gold coins is a good start, but I hope to add an additional guarantee. Since you claim to be a Spirit Master, could you show me your Spirit Master's Handbook? As soon as it's confirmed to be fine, our cooperation can begin immediately."
Hearing Tang San say he was willing to pay one hundred gold coins upfront had made Liu Neng believe him somewhat. However, he had been running this blacksmith shop for many years, surviving in a tough city. The items Tang San wanted to make were strange and unfamiliar to him. Therefore, to be on the safe side, he naturally hoped to first get a clearer understanding of Tang San's background.
As long as Tang San's Spirit Master identity was confirmed, he would dare to take on this big business.
As for the Spirit Master's Handbook, it was issued to Spirit Masters when they first registered and received their monthly subsidy from the Spirit Hall. It could be said to be the ultimate symbol of a Spirit Master's identity in civil society. It would record the Spirit Master's personal information and have a special serial number. With just this serial number, one could spend a small fee to check through Spirit Hall's communication system whether this Spirit Master truly existed.
Tang San frowned slightly. This boss actually didn't believe he was a Spirit Master?
If it were before, back when he had the backing of Shrek Academy or the Royal Academy, he probably would have turned around and left directly at such an insult. But now, his and Yu Xiaogang's lives were really not easy. They were homeless and essentially jobless. It was already very difficult to negotiate to this extent, and he needed these weapons.
Therefore, he could only swallow his pride and accept it this once.
Thinking of this, Tang San's right hand brushed over the Twenty Four Moonlit Bridges at his waist. With a flash of light, he took out his Spirit Master's Handbook.
The Spirit Master's Handbook was not made of paper or cloth, but a palm-sized metal plate. It was said that this special metal only came from Spirit Hall mines and was very difficult to counterfeit. The handbook was made of metal to prevent damage; after all, this handbook was meant to stay with a Spirit Master for their entire life under normal circumstances, surviving battles and travel.
On the palm-sized metal, the time of each advancement of the Spirit Master was engraved. There were ten lines available in total, representing the potential for ten rings.
The first line engraved the registration time and place, as well as the Spirit Master's Spirit. The second line then began with the advancement time and the level of the spirit ring obtained. On the reverse side of the Spirit Master's Handbook was engraved Spirit Hall's primary mark, a long sword pointing downwards.
In terms of the handbook's design, all Spirit Masters were the same. Only people directly employed by Spirit Hall would have some additional variations in the insignia.
Seeing Tang San take out his Spirit Master's Handbook and hand it over, Liu Neng took it respectfully with both hands. The Spirit Master's Handbook was a private record; it was generally not shown lightly to strangers.
Taking the cool metal plate, Liu Neng looked at it carefully under the lamp. The first thing that caught his eye was the top line of small, precise characters. The people who engraved these were specially trained by Spirit Hall scribes. No matter which Spirit Hall branch you went to, the font was always the same.
It read: Name: Tang San. Gender: Male. Douluo Calendar 2637, registered at Nuoding City Spirit Sub-Hall. Spirit: Blue Silver Grass.
After reading this line, Liu Neng couldn't help but feel a little disappointed. Although his own talent wasn't high—he was only a Spirit Grandmaster in his twenties who would likely never break through level thirty in his lifetime—he still had some discernment about the world of spirits. He naturally knew that Blue Silver Grass was the standard "waste Spirit."
Could it be that even with a Blue Silver Grass Spirit, one could become a Spirit Master? he wondered.
With doubts clouding his heart, Liu Neng looked at the second line of the Spirit Master's Handbook.
Level 10 Spirit Master. Registration time: Douluo Calendar 2637. Registered at Nuoding City Spirit Sub-Hall.
Liu Neng blinked and rubbed his eyes, wondering if he had misread the dates.
"Why is it still 2637?" he muttered.
The registration as a scholar and the advancement to Spirit Master happened in the same year. This implied innate full spirit power—or something very close to it. But... for Blue Silver Grass? Could a Blue Silver Grass Spirit truly cultivate to the Spirit Master realm so quickly? Was this a record error by the Nuoding branch?
He looked up at Tang San, his gaze filled with confusion and questioning.
"Young man, is there a problem with the record in your Spirit Master's Handbook?" Liu Neng asked bluntly. "Why is it that you registered as a Spirit Scholar and became a Spirit Master in the exact same year? That implies... unusual circumstances."
Tang San's brows immediately furrowed deeply upon hearing this. Was he giving this boss too much face? He was doubting his identity as a Spirit Master again and again?
"Are you questioning my innate full spirit power?" Tang San asked, his voice growing cold.