Colonel Guan’s rousing voice bood through the livestream. "And now, Zhou Chen has stepped onto the winner’s podium to claim his championship trophy!"
After the trophy ceremony, a mature-looking female host ca over to interview Zhou Chen. As they spoke, her eyes practically devoured his young, sculpted physique, her gaze as predatory as a wolf’s.
When interviewed, Zhou Chen gave a very standard, polite response. "To have won this Sword Forging Competition, I must thank the competition itself, the organizers, the partners, my superior, my friends, my fans, and the comrades who fought alongside . This award belongs to all of us..."
Blah, blah, blah...
Once the lengthy interview was over, Zhou Chen finally received the champion’s prize he had been waiting for.
—The forging hamr once used by Forging Master Mitkail.
The mont he held it, the Hamr of Forging deep within his soul pulsed with an intense craving, like a starving man who hadn’t eaten in days, desperate to devour every last drop of the Forging Secret Power it contained.
’Easy, easy. Now’s not the ti. We’ll wait until we get ho.’ Zhou Chen hurriedly reined in the ravenous Hamr of Forging to keep from giving himself away.
After the award ceremony was over, Zhou Chen used an Any Door to travel to the Forging Association headquarters. He was given a rapturous welco by the mbers of the Forging Master Sect there, and all the flattery and praise made him a bit embarrassed.
Then, a staff mber led Zhou Chen to an office.
A middle-aged man in a striped suit was already waiting in the office. He had golden hair streaked with red, and his temples were beginning to gray.
Zhou Chen’s heart jolted when he saw the man.
President of the Forging Association: Bell Kevin.
Known in the Forging Realm as "Bear Grylls."
In his youth, he climbed a mountain of blades and descended into a sea of fire—and note, this was no taphor. To acquire rare materials for Forging, he had literally climbed a mountain of blades and journeyed into a sea of fire.
Both locations were extrely dangerous Restricted Areas, and few adventurers in those days dared to challenge them. Yet Bell not only took a stroll through them and ca back alive, but he even recorded the entire adventure. He later edited the footage, posted it online, and beca an overnight sensation. From then on, he was known as the "Bear Grylls" of the Forging Realm, and his life beca one of incredible, seemingly impossible success.
Today, he is one of the world’s few Master Forgers, his na ranked alongside the likes of Celestial Craft, Vulcan, and Master Craftsman. According to reliable rumors, he took part in the construction of the man-made marvel, the Celestial Floating City. A large part of the credit for the successful completion of the Annihilation Cannon—a weapon capable of wounding Gods—also goes to him. He is, without a doubt, one of the most powerful Master Forgers alive.
He was also Renie’s maternal uncle.
"Please, have a seat."
To Zhou Chen’s surprise, this world-class heavyweight didn’t put on any airs. On the contrary, he gestured enthusiastically for him to take a seat.
"Your performance in the competition was truly... impeccable!"
Bell applauded vigorously, his admiration clearly genuine. "That Akita Town instance... The Forging Association sent a total of five exploration teams in, one after another, and every last one was wiped out. To this day, seven or eight of them are still lying in isolation, suffering from varying degrees of ntal contamination. It’ll take at least two more months for them to recover."
"Every failed expedition cost us nearly a hundred million. The Forging Association isn’t short on money, but we can’t just keep burning cash for nothing. Then, I had a flash of inspiration over dinner. With the Sword Forging Competition coming up, I thought, why not let the contestants serve as our next exploration team?"
"And now, it seems my decision was one-thousand-percent correct... no, ten-thousand-percent correct!"
Only by clearing the Akita Town instance could the Restricted Area be fully unsealed, allowing developnt to proceed.
This Restricted Area is rich in Extraordinary resources, and the Forging Association had long ago contracted the developnt rights for the entire zone. The sooner it was unsealed, the better it would be for them.
Unfortunately, the previous exploration teams weren’t up to the task, and they burned through the developnt budget without achieving any tangible results.
Just when everyone was getting a headache over the issue, Bell slapped his hand on the table and decided to hold this year’s Sword Forging Competition inside the Restricted Area, effectively putting the contestants to work.
Unsurprisingly, he faced so opposition, but he overruled it all.
Now that the plan had succeeded, his previous opponents were left speechless, forced to admit he was right.
Bell considered himself truly brilliant and inspired, capable of casually producing genius-level ideas.
’Looks like Renie was right. This big shot isn’t serious at all...’ Zhou Chen couldn’t help but snark internally at the smug expression covering Bell’s face.
"In any case, the Forging Association will not be stingy with you or the other contestants."
Bell pointed to the items on his desk. "These are your rewards."
Zhou Chen leaned in for a closer look.
A Gold Bank Card from the World Bank, which held the champion’s prize money. A small label on the card read: fifty-six million US Dollars.
A lifeti mbership card for the Forging Association;
A lifeti mbership card for the Alchemy Association;
A lifeti mbership card for the renowned "Helandy Alchemy Workshop"...
There were nearly ten mbership cards from various renowned associations alone.
Next was a long list filled with the nas of Extraordinary Materials—all part of the championship prize.
Finally, there was a stylish, leather n’s waist pack.
"This is part of the prize, too?" Zhou Chen tried to recall the officially announced prizes, but he didn’t rember a waist pack being on the list.
"This is a personal reward from . You’ve probably figured it out—it’s a Storage Artifact."
Bell said, "You just have to promise one thing, and this Storage Artifact is yours."
’Even though I’ll be going to the gamified Zone 009 in a few months and will automatically get a ’Player Backpack’ Storage Artifact, who’s going to complain about having an extra high-end item like this? Even if I can’t use it later, I can just toss it in the Round Table Hall’s treasury.’
Zhou Chen asked, "What is it?"
"Stay away from Renie." Bell’s expression grew serious. "Renie is a very innocent girl. If you so much as play a few gas with her, she’ll probably start developing feelings for you. I don’t want soone like you getting close to her."
Zhou Chen raised an eyebrow quizzically. "Soone like ?"
’What kind of person am I?’
"Zhou Chen, the mont I first saw you, I knew we were the sa type."
Bell said in a solemn tone, "We—are both scumbags!"
"..."
Zhou Chen’s jaw dropped in astonishnt. ’Sir, do you even hear yourself right now?’
"How... How can you just slander my good na like that!"
"’Good na’?" Bell scoffed. "Do you want to list them out one by one? You used soone else’s Extraordinary Ability during the competition. That signature azure lightning... that’s Aspiration of the Blue Clouds, isn’t it?"
Zhou Chen froze.
"The Tyrant, who made a na for herself over fifty years ago. You think a man my age wouldn’t know about her?"
Bell continued, "I was young then, only seven or eight years old, so I’d only heard stories of her deeds. However, plenty of the younger generation in my family had been beaten up by her... Then she vanished mysteriously, and no one knew where she went. That is, until recently, when word got out that she had appeared in the Pantheon to participate in the Heroic Trials."
"Many people know she has a ring identical to the one you’re wearing. So, the mont I saw it on your finger, I knew there was sothing going on between you two."
"Then, I looked into your background. I found that you were awarded an Honorary Knight’s dal by the Laine Kingdom. And just before that, the Battle of Jinzhu broke out, and the daughter of a Laine Kingdom Grand Duke was involved... Her na is Erin, correct?"
"Also, there’s your superior. While nothing may have happened between you two, my intuition tells your relationship isn’t so simple either."
Bell took a calm sip of water. "Zhou Chen, never underestimate a scumbag’s intuition for one of his own."
Zhou Chen’s scalp went numb. He nodded hastily. "Renie and I are just friends. Seriously, I have no intentions toward her whatsoever..."
"Good enough." Bell nodded, satisfied. "Take your things. You can go."
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