Chapter 909: Prop Crafting Competition
Chapter 909: Prop Crafting Competition (Combined)
Heavenly Forge City is one of the distinctive cities in the Hollow Plains.
A large number of Familiar Artificers gather here.
If anyone in the Hollow Plains wants to craft a custom Artifact for their familiar, they would generally choose to come here.
Migala quickly packed their bags, and after a lunch, the two set off for Heavenly Forge City.
...
Three hours later.
Heavenly Forge City.
Qiao Sang stepped down from the Sky Passage and immediately noticed that the temperature here was about ten degrees hotter than in Flora City, giving it an early summer feel. Many people around her were already wearing short sleeves.
Qiao Sang, who had been replenished multiple times by Fangy, didn't feel particularly hot and was too lazy to take off her jacket.
Qiao Sang formed the seals and summoned Fangy and the others.
The eyes of the people around them immediately fell on Fangy.
Their expressions were as if they had just seen a familiar that caught their eye.
Just as Qiao Sang thought they were deducing that she was the Beastmaster who bonded with Qingqing Ni based on Fangy's appearance, a middle-aged man in his forties, with a slightly weathered face, approached her. He pointed at Fangy and asked:
"Hello, I was wondering what the Junior form of your familiar's race is called?"
He then pulled out a somewhat old Beast Identifier and said, somewhat apologetically, "My Beast Identifier has been in use for eleven years and is an older model. I tried to identify it directly, but it couldn't, so I thought I'd ask you."
"It's called Fangflare", Qiao Sang replied, glancing at the Beast Identifier in his hand.
"Fangflare?" The middle-aged man thought for a moment, scratching his head. "I haven't heard of this familiar before. It must not be available in every Companion Base. Could you tell me where you bought it? I'd like to take my son to see it."
When he mentioned his son, his tone became warm and affectionate.
"My son likes Flying Beasts, but he also wants a Fire Familiar. I think your familiar would definitely be to his liking."
Fangy puffed out its chest, thinking that this human had good taste.
Qiao Sang listened patiently and then asked, "This familiar is from the Yuhua Region. Is that okay for you?"
Most Beastmasters, to ensure a more secure environment for their familiars, only bond with those from their own region.
The middle-aged man was taken aback for a moment but then nodded immediately.
"Yes, as long as my child likes it."
He paused and added with a smile, "It's both a fire-type and has Flame Wings, and it's so handsome. There's really no other like it in the Hollow Plains."
Qiao Sang couldn't help but smile and gave him the number of her mother's shop.
The middle-aged man thanked her profusely, wrote it down, and then waved goodbye.
Migala watched the middle-aged man leave and suddenly said, "In this city, Fire Familiars seem to be very popular, especially those that are Flying Type and Fire Type dual-types."
Qiao Sang looked around and indeed noticed that red-colored familiars made up the majority.
Most red-haired familiars are fire-types, which is common knowledge.
Qiao Sang turned her gaze back to Fangy and reflected, "It looks like you'll be very popular here."
"Yah!"
Fangy raised its head, puffed out its chest, and swung its tail, letting out a call. It felt that it was popular wherever it went.
Alright, you're pretty confident... Qiao Sang climbed onto the enlarged Fangy and they navigated toward the Beastmaster Center.
"Xunxun?"
High in the sky, Treasure Seeker appeared, calling out with an expectant expression.
Where would it be popular?
Qiao Sang was taken aback for a moment and then laughed, "Aren't you always quite popular?"
"Xunxun..."
Treasure Seeker didn’t look happy, instead pouting and letting out a small cry.
No way...
Seeing this, Qiao Sang suddenly felt a pang of sympathy.
To her, Treasure Seeker had always been an optimist, someone who could easily forget anything that bothered her. She never expected Treasure Seeker to be this sensitive.
Qiao Sang pondered for a moment, then said, “In Zhitia Region, the Guardian Deity is the Ghost Familiar, and almost every Beastmaster has one.”
“Xunxun…”
Hearing this, Treasure Seeker’s face lit up with longing.
Qiao Sang smiled and said, “After the Regional Tournament ends…”
But then she remembered that her current schedule was arranged by Teacher Mikara, so she hesitated.
At this moment, Mikara spoke up:
“After the Regional Tournament, if you want to go to Zhitia Region, then go. It’s considered a paradise for Ghost Familiars, and there should be plenty of resources for raising a Ghost Ring King. It would be a good trip.”
Qiao Sang gave Teacher Mikara a grateful look.
Clearly, Teacher Mikara had overheard her conversation with Treasure Seeker. Otherwise, according to her usual way, after the Regional Tournament, she would have let the Fate Spirit test the next destination to decide where to go next.
“After the Regional Tournament, we’ll go to Zhitia Region,” Qiao Sang said to Treasure Seeker, finishing what she had wanted to say.
“Xunxun!”
Treasure Seeker’s face lit up with joy, and she spun around in place.
Mikara watched the scene with a gentle smile.
Given Qiao Sang’s rate of progress, she felt that no matter where they went, they wouldn’t stagnate.
…
Beastmaster Center.
Third-floor Assessment Office.
The dark-skinned Examiner finished reviewing the documents and looked at Fangy, his eyes widening in surprise. He confirmed, “This is a Fire and Psychic dual-type familiar?”
Sure enough, people here were more interested in Fire and Flying types, and the Examiner was no exception… Qiao Sang nodded in agreement.
“Those two attributes together are quite rare.” The Examiner’s eyes showed a hint of envy. “Just looking at those wings, even without the Psychic type, it should be able to fly.”
“Ya Ya!”
Fangy held her head high and chest out.
Of course!
“There’s a mission that would be perfect for you,” the Examiner smiled. “An Artificer’s Artifact Crafting Competition is coming up soon. They need to choose different Fire Familiars’ flames to craft artifacts, increasing the difficulty of the competition. I think your familiar would be a good fit. You should complete this mission and help them craft the artifacts.”
Do Artificers have to make things so complicated? Why can’t they just craft artifacts normally, without using someone else’s Fire Familiar… Qiao Sang nodded and said, “I understand.”
She paused and then asked, “When does the competition start? How long will it last?”
“You’ll see the mission details in the backend when the time comes,” the Examiner replied.
…
Beastmaster Center, Residential Area, Room 901.
The Prop Crafting Competition… It’s starting the day after tomorrow… It lasts for three days… So it’s over in just three days. The scale must not be very large… Qiao Sang held her mobile phone, leaning back on the bed, and looked at the mission details, unable to resist a bit of sarcasm.
She had gained a basic understanding of various professions and knew that a high-level Artificer could spend months, even a year, dedicated to crafting artifacts.
“Xunxun?”
Treasure Seeker leaned in, looking at the content curiously and calling out, wondering what Big Brother Yabao needed to do for this mission.
Fangy immediately looked over.
It didn’t know either.
Actually, I’m not quite sure either… Qiao Sang thought for a moment and said, “It’s probably about using Flame-type Skills to help the Artificer craft Artifacts.”
“Xunxun?”
Treasure Seeker looked at Fangy, its expression puzzled.
Can Big Brother Yabao craft Artifacts?
“Fangy”
Fangy looked bewildered. It couldn’t…
“Crafting Artifacts is the Artificer’s job. You just need to assist by providing Flame,” Qiao Sang explained.
Fangy felt relieved.
“Xunxun?”
“Xunxun?”
Treasure Seeker called out several times, curious.
What exactly do we need to do? Do we keep using Flame Skills the whole time? What if we stop in the middle? Big Brother Yabao’s Flame is so strong, what if it burns the Artifacts? It also has Ghost Flame Skills. Can those be used to craft Artifacts?
“Fangy”
Fangy’s heart, which had just relaxed, tightened again.
It was afraid it might mess up its Beastmaster’s mission.
You still have so many questions… Qiao Sang glanced at Treasure Seeker and said, “This match is a test for the Artificer. We just need to be selected and provide Flame. As for Ghost Flame, it should also be usable for crafting Artifacts, but it ultimately depends on the Artificer’s choice.”
“Xunxun!”
Treasure Seeker, hearing that its Ghost Flame could be used, immediately perked up and started displaying Ghost Flame on the side.
“Fangy”
Fangy’s heart relaxed once more.
At that moment, there were two knocks on the room’s door.
Then, a familiar voice said:
“It’s me.”
A gust of wind blew, moving the doorknob.
The door opened, and Migala walked in, sitting down on the single sofa. “What mission did you take?”
Qiao Sang briefly explained the mission.
Migala smiled. “No wonder you’re here.”
What do you mean? Qiao Sang looked at her, confused.
“Otherwise, according to your usual habits, you would already be on your way to the mission,” Migala continued.
Qiao Sang felt a bit embarrassed. “Isn’t it because I fell behind by half in my mission progress?”
Migala smiled, not pressing the matter further, and said, “I just happened to look into the mission you mentioned.”
She took a flyer from her bag and handed it over. “Take a look.”
Qiao Sang took it and scanned through it.
It was promoting the Prop Crafting Competition.
Why is she showing me this? I’m not participating in the match… Qiao Sang pretended to read it seriously and said, “Right, it’s the match for my mission.”
Migala knew she hadn’t seen the important part.
“Check out the prize for first place.”
The prize for first place? Qiao Sang paused, then looked down.
2 million Union Coins, a Flamefruit…
Hmm? A Flamefruit?
The prize for first place is that good?
Qiao Sang was stunned.
She had seen this item in the Imperial Beastmaster Academy’s public Points Exchange. It cost 50,000 credits and was described as being able to help a Fire Familiar enhance its Fire Energy without strain.
She had wanted to get one for Fangy back then.
But she didn’t have enough credits, and using her one-item selection right on this would have been too wasteful.
She never expected that a three-day Prop Crafting Competition could offer such a valuable prize!
Qiao Sang couldn’t help but feel a bit envious.
It's a shame that I can't refine Artifacts myself; otherwise, I would definitely participate in the competition.
"A Flamefruit can roughly boost a fire-type Champion-level familiar by a small realm", Migala said. "If your Flame Kiru takes it, it should be able to reach the Mid-Commander Rank directly."
"Ya Ya!"
Fangy was initially taken aback, then his eyes lit up with excitement.
Qiao Sang hesitated, "Do you want me to sign up for this match?"
Migala's lips twitched. "Do you want to embarrass yourself?"
Qiao Sang: "……"
"You've taken a mission related to this match, which is perfect", Migala explained. "You'll have the chance to interact with the contestants. When someone wins, you can talk to them and see if you can exchange the Flamefruit from them."
Qiao Sang nodded. "I'll try."
Although the Flamefruit is valuable, she wasn't penniless anymore. She was confident she could offer something that would satisfy the winner.
……
8:13 PM.
Indoor Training Ground.
With a flap of his Steel Treasure Wings, two Air Blades shot toward Qingbao.
Qingbao used Wind Transformation and charged forward.
"Qingqing!"
However, in the next second, Qingbao reappeared and shouted.
"Xunxun~"
Treasure Seeker's eyes glowed blue.
Qingbao vanished from the spot and reappeared a dozen meters away.
"Bang!"
The Air Blades missed and exploded.
"Qingqing……"
Qingbao shook his head at Qiao Sang.
It seemed that Qingbao could only control Flying-type skills that had a flow without a physical form. Qiao Sang had a better idea now.
Suddenly, her phone vibrated.
Qiao Sang pulled it out and saw an unknown number.
She answered and put it to her ear.
A mechanical voice, clearly altered, spoke:
"Hello, I'm an Artificer who will be participating in the Artifact refinement match the day after tomorrow. I heard that your Fire Familiar was selected for the Flame blind selection round. Could you tell me about your Fire Familiar's Fire Skills and proficiency?"
"I can offer you appropriate compensation for the information."
Qiao Sang had only heard that Professional Beastmaster matches had various underhanded tactics before the competition, but she didn't expect Artificers to do the same. She asked:
"Can you win the championship?"
"What?"
"I said, can you win the championship?"
The mechanical voice paused, then replied, "I'm just an ordinary Artificer. Winning the championship is beyond me. I just need the information to …"
Before the voice could finish, Qiao Sang hung up.
If he couldn't win, there was nothing to talk about.
Really, she wondered where he got her number from.
Qiao Sang put her phone away and continued focusing on her training.
With the Regional Tournament approaching, she needed to quickly study and practice Combination Techniques.
……
On the day of the Artifact refinement match.
Qiao Sang freshened up and navigated to the location provided in the mission details. With Treasure Seeker's Psychic Control, she teleported to Fangy, who had already grown to a large size and was waiting outside the window.
About half an hour later, she saw a spherical structure with a highly futuristic design.
The crowd below was immense, as if half the city's population had gathered there.
Even the sky was crowded, with Flying Beasts everywhere, making the usually vast sky seem congested.
Qiao Sang suddenly realized that this Artifact refinement match was much grander in scale than she had imagined. (End of Chapter)
Chapter end
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