Chapter 288 [Quest Number]: D-6027

Three days passed in the blink of an eye.

It was like the "couch time" right after taking off a work uniform, or a brief lunch break during a busy workday—snatching a moment of leisure from a hectic schedule.

Having just finished a long journey, Xia Nan spent his most relaxed and leisurely three days in months right here in Rivervale Town.

He didn't do anything special. Just like before, he filled his schedule with a regular training regimen. In the evenings, he would sit in a corner of the tavern hall and listen to adventurers from all corners of the world talk about this and that, letting the day slip away.

But it was exactly this kind of life—free from sleeping in the elements, free from constantly guarding against potential dangers, able to rest on a safe, soft bed every night and enjoy a hot, fragrant bowl of cream of mushroom soup with every meal—that had been impossible back when he was trekking across the Wilderness, gnawing on dry cured meat.

When Xia Nan first transmigrated, the lack of entertainment in this world had left him annoyed and bored. With no phone or computer to kill time, every second after nightfall had felt excruciatingly long.

Now, however, more than a year had passed, and he had long since grown accustomed to this relaxed, slow-paced life.

When he encountered sudden heavy rain on his return trip, he could even sit alone at the edge of a cave for hours, just watching the curtain of rain falling over the entrance.

For someone who had spent his past life buried day and night at an office desk, this was an unprecedented experience.

But... he didn't hate it.

Today was just like any other.

The morning light was faint, and a hint of cooking smoke was just beginning to drift over the streets. Xia Nan, who had just finished his morning training and found a stream on the outskirts to wash up in, returned to town with dripping wet black hair.

Rockhammer also opened very early. When Xia Nan stepped into the blacksmith shop, the owner, Barn, was already standing behind the counter, using a cloth to polish a single-edged axe that had been sitting on the shelf for a long time.

Hearing the footsteps, Barn looked up and saw the black-haired young man.

"You're right on time," Barn said, his face showing no surprise. "I'm just about done inspecting that silver ingot."

He turned and went into the back room. A moment later, he walked back out carrying a dark brown iron box.

He placed the box on the counter and gently opened it.

A scorching wave of heat carrying a fine mist instantly surged out. Lying in plain sight was the [Molten Ash Silver Ingot] that Xia Nan had left at the shop for appraisal three days ago.

Compared to before, its appearance hadn't changed much, but judging from the blacksmith's expression, it had clearly undergone a comprehensive and detailed round of testing.

"I don't know where you got this, but honestly, this is the first time I've seen this type of silver ingot in all my years," Barn said directly, making no attempt to hide his thoughts as he stared at the ingot lying quietly in the box.

"Its trait of radiating heat is a bit like 'Hell Metal,' but both the color and the texture itself are completely different, and it doesn't touch upon the soul layer, so there's no possibility of it being a mutated branch of Hell Iron."

"Its density is much higher than ordinary refined silver, yet its thermal conductivity is surprisingly poor. That's a bit abnormal. I suspect some kind of special energy is required to stimulate the full potential of this metal."

"Furthermore, although the surface appears to show characteristics of high-temperature melting, the ingot's actual tensile strength far exceeds that of ordinary metals, and its toughness is also quite good. During the tests, it even displayed weak shape-memory properties."

"All in all, it's a very high-strength forging material suitable for almost all types of equipment."

"It's just a pity that there's too little of it. It can only be mixed in."

"Otherwise, if we used this metal as the primary material to forge a suit of plate armor, it might be enough to last you until your class change."

The burly man stroked his chest braids, his weathered face full of regret. He still seemed to harbor a lingering obsession over the extremely high destruction rate of the armor he had forged for Xia Nan.

"I only have this one piece," Xia Nan said, shaking his head, though he felt a bit relieved.

Although his Attribute Panel had already indicated that he could potentially use it as a forging material, he only truly felt at ease when Barn, an actual blacksmith, confirmed it.

"What about its compatibility?" Xia Nan asked. "How compatible is it with the 'Gray Steel' of the Decapitating Longsword? Can it be used to reforge and reinforce it?"

Hearing this, Barn paused, a trace of hesitation appearing on his face.

"I've tested that over the past few days as well. The result... it's doable, but there might be a slight issue," Barn said.

"I think I mentioned this to you before. The Gray Steel that serves as the main material for the Decapitating Longsword comes from a new pit opened by my Steelbeard Clan at 'Flameforge Peak'."

"Gray Steel itself isn't unfamiliar to blacksmiths like us, but even the most common copper and iron on the market have subtle differences depending on where they were mined."

"The Gray Steel used to forge the longsword should have been compatible with the silver ingot, but perhaps because of Flameforge Peak, my tests show that there is... indeed a slight conflict between them."

At this point, Barn's tone took on a hint of awkwardness.

"Forcibly melting the silver ingot in for a reforge is certainly possible, and the conflict with the Gray Steel won't affect your normal use. But if you happen to encounter some special, untested circumstance during intense combat, it's very likely to cause cracks in the blade or even snap it completely."

"It's a flaw with a low probability of occurring, but disastrous consequences if it does."

The vast majority of highly skilled blacksmiths who cared about their professional future were true perfectionists when it came to their craft.

Barn could have easily chosen to hide the conflict between the two materials and trick Xia Nan into placing the order with him.

But his professional ethics and pursuit of quality meant that, even if it cost him a few hundred gold coins, he would tell Xia Nan exactly what he knew about the longsword.

Hearing this, Xia Nan frowned.

Feeling the scorching heat radiating in front of him, he asked, "Is there any way to resolve this? Gold isn't an issue."

Barn seemed prepared for this, having already formulated a solution in his mind. As soon as Xia Nan finished speaking, he replied, "From a forging perspective, the problem between these two metals is actually quite simple. Their similar properties mean that fusing them is like smashing two pieces of brittle steel together. It's a clash between overly dense but differently natured fire elements. Under external stimulation, it's very easy to trigger an unwanted explosive reaction."

"Sorry, that might have been a bit too technical. In short, I have two solutions here."

Barn held up two thick, stubby fingers that looked like short radishes.

"The first is to completely abandon the original plan, find other suitable materials to reforge the Decapitating Longsword, and use the silver ingot to craft a different piece of equipment."

"The advantage is that this directly bypasses the material conflict I just mentioned, essentially starting fresh. The downside is that you might have to wait a while, or accept that the reforged Decapitating Longsword might not meet your expected quality."

"After all, the silver ingot you provided is of extremely high quality. I don't currently have any materials of the same tier in the shop, so I would need to order them from the clan."

"Of course, buying additional materials means the price will definitely be much higher than it is now."

"And the other option?" Xia Nan asked thoughtfully, carefully weighing his choices.

"The second option," Barn said, meeting the black-haired young man's gaze with a serious expression, "is to directly resolve the conflict between the two materials."

"By using a supplementary material, we can create a buffer zone for the conflict, or even directly dissolve the friction point between the Gray Steel and the silver ingot. This would allow the two to fuse perfectly, achieving a result greater than the sum of its parts."

Catching the keyword in the blacksmith's explanation, Xia Nan raised an eyebrow.

"Supplementary material? What kind? Do they sell it in town, and how much is it?" he asked.

Prepared for the question, Barn gently shook his head.

"Any material that contains inert water elements will do. But I already asked around town yesterday, and not a single shop has any in stock."

"So... we just have to give up on it?" Xia Nan asked.

"No, no, no." Barn wagged a finger, a knowing smile appearing on his face. "Good thing I'm a quick thinker. After asking around yesterday, I decided to take a final look on the Association Second Floor to see if there was any information on related materials."

"And then... I found this."

...

[Quest Number]: D-6027

[Type]: Hunt

[Reward]: 500-1000 gold / 15-30 Points

[Quest Summary]:

An adult Petrification Lizard (Challenge Rating 3) has recently been spotted operating near the alien ruins on the eastern outskirts of the Misty Forest. We require an adventurer/squad with relevant countermeasure experience to drive it away or hunt it down. The commission reward will be issued based on the completion status of the quest.

[Time Limit]: 180 days

[Additional Information]: Please prepare your own anti-petrification potions!

...

"Mr. Xia Nan, you're looking for this commission, correct?"

Her short blonde hair was tucked behind her ears, revealing a delicate, bright silver stud on her earlobe.

Wearing her Association uniform, the receptionist "Molly" wore an extremely professional, kind, and enthusiastic smile on her fair, pretty face, without a hint of sycophancy.

"I recall this quest just passed the Association's review a few days ago. Since you haven't been back in town for long, it's perfectly normal that you didn't know about it," she added.

Xia Nan's gaze swept over the quest document on the counter in front of him, his expression somewhat strange.

"Petrification Lizard... alien ruins..."

'It couldn't be the same one from before, could it?' he thought. 'If it really is, I can settle both old and new scores on this trip.'

The supplementary material that Barn of "Rockhammer" needed had to contain inert water elements.

And according to him, the petrifying slime secreted from a gland at the back of the Petrification Lizard's head possessed exactly this special property.

Barn himself had only suddenly remembered this because he had accidentally seen the bounty on the second floor.

And Xia Nan was no stranger to Petrification Lizards.

After all, he had encountered this kind of creature on his second quest after transmigrating to this world.

His party had nearly been wiped out.

If the half-elf Hai'an and his guard, Wood, hadn't helped him at a critical moment, he would have likely been crushed to death on the spot.

And it was exactly while being chased by that lizard that he had accidentally entered the secret realm occupied by the massive snake corpse—which was also the source of the Snake-Scale Arm Shield and Blue-Grade Wooden Sword he carried.

Considering the quest board's description of the monster's active area, there was a high probability that the target Petrification Lizard was the exact same one he had encountered back then.

It gave Xia Nan a chance for revenge.

He wasn't in any particular rush, though. He maintained his calm and carefully analyzed the feasibility of this quest.

First, and most importantly, regarding the Petrification Lizard itself.

Although it was a monster with a "Challenge Rating" as high as 3, its combat heavily relied on those eyes that could freeze prey into stone statues. Of that Challenge Rating of 3, probably at least 1.5 of it came from its "Petrification Gaze".

Stripping away that special ability, the Petrification Lizard's physical stats and actual combat capabilities were nowhere near as strong as most people imagined.

By comparison, the Owlbear he had encountered during the Lycanthrope quest shared the same Challenge Rating, but it was clearly much more difficult to deal with.

That was because the Owlbear's Challenge Rating came entirely from its robust and powerful body. It was a pure "stat monster." It didn't need any other special abilities; its physical template alone was enough to prop up its combat power.

This was the conclusion Xia Nan had reached from personal experience.

'So... can I handle a Petrification Lizard by myself?'

His answer was that he most likely could.

Things were different now. The first time they met, he hadn't even learned [Fang Hunt] yet. Relying purely on a single [Spinning Slash] to bully green-skinned Goblins, it was only natural that he had been chased away.

But right now, he was a bona fide Level 2 Class Holder. Moreover, considering the massive improvements he had gained from multiple secret realms, he possessed physical stats far surpassing adventurers of the same level, a full set of Magic Equipment, multiple trump cards, and several high-quality combat techniques.

He was effectively an "overpowered" existence.

If the rating system used to measure monster danger levels were applied to him, his Challenge Rating might even be higher than his Class Level—an "elite/boss" template.

Back in his rookie days, he had been able to forcefully resist the erosion of the Petrification Gaze through sheer willpower. Now that he was on guard and even preparing anti-petrification potions in advance, there was no way he would fare worse than before.

Without the effects of the Petrification Gaze, the Petrification Lizard's bulky body posed almost no threat to Xia Nan.

'I can do this!'

He made his decision.

"Yes, this is the one." Nodding at the blonde girl in front of him, Xia Nan pointed at her quest document. "The Association should have relevant information regarding the Petrification Lizard's detailed activity range, right?"

"Yes, sir!" Molly's face beamed with an enthusiastic smile as she bowed slightly and nodded repeatedly. "I'll go get it for you right now!"

...

Half an hour later.

At the entrance of the Adventurers' Association.

Carrying his wooden sword on his back, Xia Nan squeezed out from the crowd.

Compared to a moment ago, the balance in his account was 160 gold lighter, dropping back down to three digits.

But equally, there were now two [Petrification Resistance Potions] in his waist pouch. They were from the Alchemists Association Apothecary inside the Association, and they were of excellent quality. Each bottle's effect could last for six hours; he just needed to drink it in advance when he got close to the Petrification Lizard's area of activity.

He couldn't help but feel a pang of heartache, and remembering the Decapitating Longsword waiting to be forged in the blacksmith shop—which would cost an unknown amount of money—he felt like his hard-earned savings were about to be completely wiped out.

He figured that once he slaughtered that lizard, he would have to harvest as many materials from its body as possible to see if they would fetch a good price.

Of course, before that, he still needed to find a few other channels to gather more detailed information about Petrification Lizards.

He was just turning to leave when a familiar figure suddenly appeared at the entrance of the tavern across from the Association.

Xia Nan paused in his tracks, feeling a wave of surprise. 'Abi?'