Past the clouds, Ming Yue saw Rong Lu City under her and she looked on with excitent. It was certainly different from any other city she saw. The architecture here was unlike anything she had ever seen. Buildings were clustered together, forming one great mass. Connected through a great number of bridges and walkways that twisted and winded, this city had no rhy or reason to its design. As if they were cobbled together in a hurry, there was no order to it. The surroundings of the city were bare, there were no trees or any plant of so sort, possibly to avoid causing a fire. The ground around the city was covered in a field of gray grass instead.
She could see flas and smoking coming from them and the sll of tal strengthened as the ship got closer and closer. Minutes later, the sky ship landed on the port and everyone exited.
As Ming Yue and Li Gang left, the captain gave her a few words.
"If you ever need to get sowhere in a hurry, show this to the people of the skyport", he said, giving her a small coin with the characters for Blue Skies on its sides.
"Its proof that you are an honored guest of our caravan."
The captain had grown quite fond of Ming Yue, her constant questioning and curiosity had reminded him of his own children. Not to ntion, she was a great help to that pirate attack, even going out of her way to help treat the injured.
She thanked him for the gift and left the skyport with Li Gang.
Contrary to what she had thought, the air within the city was clean. There was no sll of tal or soot to be found.
Li Gang saw her confused and surprised face, "You must be surprised that this city doesn't sll like crap. Despite the sowhat chaotic city that is Rong Lu, we have multiple underground systems that filter out the air and send it off to our surroundings. So of the crafters here had created a plant that feeds on the fus, so type of grass and planted it around the city. Those grass are harvested every now and then, having then feed on the fus turn them gray and it would turn tallic. If we didn't do this, we would die from the fus as the mines would be impossible to enter anymore. Co with ."
Ming Yue followed him as he began to introduce her around the city.
"We do have our fair share of food and entertainnt. We sit in the middle of three countries and countless others have co from far away lands. The outer levels are where the restaurants, hotels, and markets are. The central area is where the forges reside."
The city really did seem like a ss from the outside. As they continued to move, Ming Yue could sowhat understand the thought behind this wit a bit of help from Li Gang.
The outer section was where people lived a congregated: hos, businesses, etc. The closer one walked to the center of the city, the more forges there were. The middle sections were where most of the forges ran but the center had only one forge, the Forgelord's personal workshop.
It was the biggest building within the city.
Li Gang took her in and the rush of heat washed over her as the door opened.
She stood in front of a huge hall. There was stone head of a dragon on one wall and a phoenix head on the other. The dragon's head had water flowing from its mouth while the phoenix had lava pouring from its open beak, falling into their own tubs. The center had a great anvil and it was surrounded by racks and racks of hamrs. The ceiling was full of contraptions for forging as well but she could not discern their specific uses. Along with the hamrs were sharpening wheels. Nurous torches filled the hall with light and she saw everything clearly.
The constant ring of tal resounded throughout the hall.
At the anvil was a man who hamred away at a piece of tal, Seconds later, he held it close to his face. It was a sword, burning bright. He walked over to the tub of water and placed the blazing hot weapon in. Water fizzed as steam rose from the tub.
He took it out and inspected it.
"Pah! trash!" he said, annoyed, he threw it behind him, onto a pile of unfinished weapons.
Afterwards, he picked a ingot of tal that was sitting above the tub of lava, ready to be forged. Placing on the anvil, the man started hamring away.
"Fu Shan! How are you?!" Li Gang spoke happily as he walked towards the man.
Getting closer, Ming Yue realized sothing about Fu Shan. He was quite large, giant even. Ming Yue herself was a little under five feet tall, shorter than Parting Sun but this man was almost twice her height. Maybe 9 feet tall and he was not thin at all, his bulky arms and protruding belly made him quite intimidating.
"Li Gang, my friend! You've co back! How was the General Auction at Red Lotus Country?" the man turned around and spoke with a deep and gentle voice.
"It was pretty good! I've finally found the swords!"
"Oh, what fortune! Does it have anything with this young lass next to you?"
"Yes! If it wasn't for her, I would not have completed my lifelong goal!"
Fu Shan looked towards Ming Yue and gave a little bow.
"Let introduce myself again. I am Fu Shan, master of the Jun Heng Forge that you are in right now."
Ming Yue responded with a small bow.
"My na is Ming Yue, it is a pleasure to et you."
"Hah! There is no need to be no formal, I am not so noble or fancy person."
Ming Yue quite liked Fu Shan, he seed like a very humble person.
"Anyways, Fu Shan, where is the Forgelord?" Li Gang asked.
"His favorite place as always, you rember don't you?"
"Of course I rember! I haven't been gone for that long!"
After exchanging a few more words, Li Gang and Ming Yue left Fu Shan to continue his work. Leaving the Jun Heng Forge, they walked back to the outer levels of the city. During their stroll, Li Gang talked to Ming Yue about the Forgelord.
"The Forgelord is an old geezer and he only likes two things: forging and gardening. He's quite the eccentric. Even among other eccentrics he is the most unusual one in this city. The only ti he accepts requests is whenever he feels like it. Sotis, he will forge a sword for a king or fix a toy for a child. Sotis, he will do it if you do what he requests of you. There's no telling what he will do. As a blacksmith, he is incredible, soone whose talent is highly sought after. But as for his gardening skills..."
"What about my gardening skills, you brat?"
A wild and energetic voice spoke out from above them, as an old man landed on the ground right in front of them. He was a small man whose clothes were very dirty. His hair was ssy and yet he had a well kept beard that was braided. His wrinkled face carried a sense of energy and excitent and his eyes were still bright. His two hands carried several large sacks of dirt and he had a bag slung on his back, carrying a number of tools.
He looked mockingly at Li Gang, who was shocked from the Forgelord's sudden appearance.
"Ah...Old man Qin!"
"Quiet! We're in front of guests, call Lord Qin!"
"Yes, Lord Qin!"
"Now follow ! I've got sothing to show you!"
Lord Qin quickly ran off while Li Gang and Ming Yue chased after him.
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