[System prompt: Orange treasure chest opened. Reward: Magic Cannon Design Drawing ×1]
[Magic Cannon]
Type: Prop
Rarity: Epic
Description: Powered by crystal energy. The stronger the crystal input, the greater the destructive power of the energy cannon.
Su Xingyu stared at the blueprint in his hand, dumbfounded. Two full minutes passed before he blinked and snapped back to reality.
"What the hell kind of luck is this?" he muttered, rubbing his face in disbelief. "At this rate, I better watch out for random spatial turbulence trying to whisk me away."
An epic weapon of war from an orange-tier chest? Even knowing his recent string of good fortune, this felt like a cosmic joke.
The grin on his face lingered as he lay in bed for a moment, processing the haul. He had originally planned to relax, maybe browse the info channels before sleep. But now? With something this powerful in hand, he couldn't sit still. He leapt out of bed, threw on his clothes, and hurried out the door.
There was no telling when the information channels would refresh. Better to get the barracks constructed immediately. And while he was at it, he could toss those two silver-level blueprints to the Night Tribe's blacksmiths and let them have a crack at crafting them. Even if the items weren't immediately usable, the experience alone would be worth it.
There were two ways to utilize equipment or weapon design drawings. The first was to consume the blueprint entirely, granting a permanent tribe-wide forging bonus for that item. The second was non-destructive—letting blacksmiths study the blueprint manually. No bonus, but the blueprint remained intact.
Su Xingyu had no plans to consume the blueprints. The Armor of Light and Goblin Staff were of little strategic value to the Night Tribe. But that didn't mean they couldn't be used as study material. If nothing else, it would broaden his blacksmiths' experience.
He activated the second-level Archer Camp, then made his way to the Night Tribe's Forging Hall, a towering structure that never slept. Even at this late hour, the rhythmic clanging of metal echoed through the night.
"Chief? What brings you here this late?" A burly, soot-smeared man in his thirties emerged from one of the smithy rooms.
It was Han Yan, the tribe's chief blacksmith—and the first in the Night Tribe to achieve silver-tier proficiency.
"I've got something for you." Su Xingyu smiled and handed over the two design drawings. "Both are silver-tier. Try your hand at forging them. Don't worry about materials—I'll have the logistics department approve another batch. Treat this as a chance to experiment and improve."
Han Yan's hands trembled as he took the blueprints. His eyes widened. "Both... silver-tier?"
"That's right," Su Xingyu nodded. "One's armor, the other's a staff. Use whatever time you need, but I may reclaim the blueprints later, so don't delay."
"Understood, Chief!" Han Yan's excitement was palpable. Without Su Xingyu standing there, the man would've sprinted straight back into his forge.
"It's not just you," Su Xingyu said, correcting him. "Everyone in the forging team should participate. The more hands, the faster you all improve."
"Yes, we'll all study them together!" Han Yan thumped his chest like a war drum.
Su Xingyu paused, then added with a grin, "By the way, I've got a gold-tier blueprint. If you and your team can craft two usable silver-tier items within seven days, it's yours."
Han Yan's eyes nearly popped out of his head. "Are you serious?!"
"Completely." Su Xingyu conjured the gold-tier blueprint into view for a second—just enough for Han Yan to catch a glimpse before it vanished again.
Han Yan clutched the silver-tier drawings like sacred relics and vanished into the forge without another word.
Su Xingyu left the hall, intending to visit the construction department next, but one look at the sky convinced him otherwise. Not everyone was nocturnal. Most of the construction crew was probably asleep by now. Best to leave it for the morning.
Back in his room, Su Xingyu opened the message channel and found Wang Dong's profile.
[Xingyu]: "I've got two silver-tier equipment blueprints. Can you find a buyer?"
Silver-tier designs were rare and expensive. Even with Wang Dong's vast network, it could take a while to secure a good deal.
Still, Su Xingyu wasn't in a rush. If the blacksmiths couldn't learn anything from studying blueprints for a month, they probably didn't deserve to be blacksmiths.
Wang Dong replied almost instantly.
[Black Star]: "WHAT?! Silver-tier design drawings?? Bro, you're not keeping these for yourself?!"
[Xingyu]: "They're not compatible. Can't use them."
He sent over the basic descriptions of the Armor of Light and the Goblin Staff.
[Xingyu]: "Any of your contacts a good match?"
[Black Star]: "Tough to say. It's not that they're bad. They're too good. Most people can't afford something like this right now. I do know some folks with goblin followers, but they're broke. Definitely won't meet your expectations."
Su Xingyu frowned. If even Wang Dong was struggling to find a buyer, he might have to set up shop himself in the City of Gods. Not ideal. Setting up a stall there wasted valuable time—but at least time flowed differently there. He could still handle other tasks while waiting for a buyer.
[Xingyu]: "So? You in or out?"
[Black Star]: "In, of course. You underestimate me! I just need time. Hey, can we trade for other blueprints instead?"
[Xingyu]: "Yes. The Light Armor should be traded for equivalent non-attribute or dark-attribute armor designs. Same for the staff. But if that's not possible, send me their offers and I'll consider."
[Black Star]: "No problem. Leave it to me!"
Bartering was ideal. Su Xingyu didn't lack crystals or divine sources—what he truly valued now were blueprints.
Satisfied, he closed the message window, browsed the info channels a bit longer, and finally drifted off to sleep.