I Can Reap Qi Fortune from Players-Chapter 679 - 163: NPC Mentor, Emergence of New Embers

Duang Duang!

Inside the blacksmith shop, heat waves rolled.

Ning Zheng pushed the door open and entered, seeing a group of little blacksmiths shamelessly surrounding Thunder Hammer Duke, spouting flattery and honing their acting skills.

"Sir, you're amazing."

"My admiration for you is like the mighty river, flowing endlessly."

"Sir, I heard your son passed away young, and his dream was to eat cooked food. I also love cooked food. Look at me..."

...

Ning Zheng: "..."

A bunch of little bastards.

Actually coming here to increase the NPC's favorability.

They've only been here for a few days, and you're here serving tea and licking boots like this.

The good thing is, these guys have gone through multiple mistakes, errors, and self-exposure...

Indeed, their acting skills have greatly improved!

Now, they have learned to disguise themselves, no longer jumping into the forging furnace in front of the big shots, becoming experienced "pseudo-humans" who can almost perfectly simulate natives.

"Sir, you're here."

"Old steward... Ah! Yes, Your Majesty, you're here."

...

A few blacksmiths noticed Ning Zheng and happily approached.

We've completely transformed, taking over the nest.

The blacksmiths have become Imperial Maids and eunuchs, and the old steward wore a handsome Sea Race dragon robe, looking quite proper.

Epic-level plot update!

Though our identities have changed, the habit of coming to the blacksmith shop hasn't changed a bit.

Daojiu habitually introduced his new product:

"Old steward... Ahem, Your Majesty, look quickly, our improved version of Coral Ball under the guidance of the Sea Race's top Divine Craftsman!"

He took out the previous flagship product of the Bone Demon Sect.

Now, after formula improvement, this Magical Artifact has become stronger and more formidable, making these blacksmiths ecstatic.

"They haven't bothered you, have they?" Ning Zheng looked at the respectable old man.

"Not at all."

Thunder Hammer Duke's face was radiant, as if rejuvenated, with Essence, Qi, and Spirit full and vigorous, "They are all good kids, eager to learn!!"

Ning Zheng was silent for a moment.

Thunder Hammer Duke couldn't praise them enough, "Your Bone Demon Race, these blacksmith seedlings are all excellent, passionate, ambitious, kind, humble, diligent, constantly forging for the people across the world, preparing to research standardized weapons and benefit the common folk."

Ning Zheng listened for a while and understood: Such a simple elder, truly blown away by these guys.

If it were anyone from the Human Race educated like Xinyi Baisan, Doukou Hong... they wouldn't be taken in so quickly.

It seems the folk customs of the Sea Race are still very simple.

But this also results from a good first impression.

The Bone Demon Race produced wise Kings, Detective Yan Shuangying... the remaining Bone Demons are passionate and righteous, what bad intentions could they have?

Under this assumption, with a bit of deception from these acting blacksmiths, even the clever powerhouses might believe them.

"They are all good."

Thunder Hammer Duke laughed, saying, "There are quite a few Middle Grade blacksmiths, and several Upper Grade blacksmiths... especially that Daojiu, he's close to the threshold of becoming a Divine Craftsman."

Ning Zheng nodded, saying lightly, "That's good."

These blacksmiths are all using the "Divine Summoning Plaque" from the Experience Book for enhancement.

But because blacksmiths are fearless of death, the Resurrection Mechanism, the "Divine Summoning Plaque," doesn't have the negative effects like possession or personality influence, allowing them to reach this level so quickly.

But the "Divine Summoning Plaque" can only reach Upper Grade blacksmiths at best.

Because higher-level Divine Summoning Plaques require the muddy qi lingering spirit of a Divine Craftsman, how many Divine Craftsmen are there?

Every creation of a Divine Summoning Plaque symbolizes the fall of a High Tier profession, it's no joking matter.

They've reached Upper Grade blacksmith, and next, the bottleneck can only rely on their insight.

With the Sea Race's top Divine Craftsman helping as a mentor, teaching Daojiu, it's an immense help indeed.

This is true foundation!!

Previously, Ning Zheng didn't dare let Xinyi Baisan and others train them... because Xirong Divine Craftsman was too prestigious.

But here, they can solidify their foundation and learn from a renowned teacher.

Ning Zheng glanced at the blacksmith shop, Daojiu began introducing: "Our master is now using the Thunder Forging Technique; over here at the Sea Race, due to geographical reasons, fire quenching isn't popular."

"Because it requires a lot of air, which the lower-level blacksmiths can't afford, so basically the Thunder Forging Technique and Water Quenching Technique are left here as Dharma Methods."

Ning Zheng listened for a bit.

The forging method here in the Sea Race takes a different path.

Electric heating iron forging.

Special Spirit Water quenching.

And Thunder Hammer Duke is precisely a fish that generates electricity, perfectly suited for iron forging.

He's considered a rising star among the Sea Race, without background or family lineage, during a great famine his son starved to death, wife taken by sea birds, and relied on himself to lead the race's rise, only over eight thousand years old, life worthy of a legendary story.

This made Ning Zheng sigh, realizing not only on the Human Race side are there talented and extraordinary ones born.

"Work hard."

Ning Zheng said to Daojiu and others: "Study well, observe well, assist this one in researching some useful things, serve the country, serve the Sea Race!"

"Yes!"

"Yes!"

They shouted.

In a few days, they'll be performing the new style of jumping into the forging furnace.

Previously, they jumped into the furnace.

Now they jump into the electrothermal furnace, jump into the hydraulic furnace, the play must be refreshing.

"Don't spare us any face, punish us to your heart's content, beat them, scold them; if they break the rules, execute them on the spot." Ning Zheng couldn't be bothered with these brats, turned and left with Yan Shuangying.

Very soon.

Ning Zheng passed by other areas, Spirit Farmers, Alchemy Room, Tailoring.

He also saw various blacksmiths, trying to entice, and make connections with the new NPC profession mentors.

He casually opened the forum and found that these days the posts were all:

"The Great Profession Era: Boohoo, NPC mentors have finally appeared"

"Exclusive! Hidden apprenticeship tasks with the Spirit Farmer NPC mentor, specific process is as follows!"

"Discussing the new era map, what is the significance of the Imperial Palace to the Sword Casting Manor!"

...

Ning Zheng was too lazy to read more.

Anyway, the oldest batch of players under him were mostly Middle Grade, Upper Grade professions, having already reached the backbone level, they're just right to mingle with the Divine-level professions.

Very soon, Ning Zheng arrived at the destination.

Ka!

Pushed open the heavy iron door.

What came into view were glass cylinders, each containing various Embers.

The Immortal Aunt, as well as other players in the Embers Laboratory, were here wearing white coats doing research, and discussing wildly.

Leading them was a Soul-type Divine Doctor.

The Yin Yukey of Yin Jade Fish Race was a beautiful, voluptuous woman... with a fish head.

Very fitting to the aesthetics of their race, probably also considered a beauty among them. No wonder some blacksmiths were secretly praising this NPC for being so beautiful, with such a great figure, I want to kiss her fish head's tongue.

Yin Yukey saw Ning Zheng, and walked swiftly, saying: "Emperor, we have researched... Ghost King just half a day ago!"

"Hmm?" Ning Zheng was taken aback, "Our research yielded a Ghost King here?"

Yin Yukey said seriously, "Yes, a Ghost King was born on the Human Race's side, and we roughly understand how it happened."

She pointed at a glass cover, inside was a terrifying monster emitting the aura of a Ghost King.

Ning Zheng took a look.

A sub-human creature, with a disproportionately large head compared to its small body.

To what extent is it exaggerated?

Like a grasshopper human with a huge soccer-sized head, the mouth of this head is enormously large, full of countless teeth.

It gives a sense of frenzy, darkness, evil, as if countless crazy wills have merged together.

"This is a Ghost King? Why does it have no self-consciousness?" Ning Zheng frowned, "What exactly is going on?"

"Well, it's like this," Yin Yukey briefly explained their research on the Embers Disaster.

Because they also found that similar persistent Embers pieced together can accelerate awakening progress.

Thus.

They pieced together the common "I want to be full" Ember from the Sea Race.

Because the Sea Race is backward, many Sea Race slaves died of hunger, so Embers with this kind of persistence are easily found for experiments.

But after piecing together over a hundred of them, the strong persistence of "I want to be full" reached the extreme, hitting the limit threshold of awakening.

Afterward, they fed this pieced Ember, crazily filling it up, urging it to awaken...

Thus, it awakened.

The Ghost King appeared.

At first, this Embers Ghost King was quite rational, with a "main Ember" consciousness leading it, discovering he had awoken inexplicably.

The two parties had a good conversation, the other was also very rational, like a normal Ghost King.

But it didn't take long before mutations occurred, and the other constantly entered a state of hunger, began crazily finding things to eat.

Then began to go mad, twist, frantic, started eating people.

And its strong persistence — I want to be full, completely dominated its consciousness, controlled its body.

"So, this Ghost King... turned into this," Yin Yukey pointed at the creature coldly, "Its potential is huge, enormously large... but also extremely insane!"

"If it weren't still weak, and if we didn't give it a Ghost to grow... this Ghost King growing up would cause a major disaster."

Ning Zheng nodded.

He understood very well how exaggerated the growth rate of a free Ghost King could be.

Eating Ghosts, enables growth!

Eat to the extreme, the baseline is One Heart Realm.

In the entire Nine-State Four Seas, how many can reach One Heart Realm? Every generation of Saint Child and Saintess intensively cultivated by every force may not achieve it.

This is the strength of the Ghost King!

Moreover, now with a 50% drop rate of Ghost upon death, it is simply a paradise for Ghost King growth.

"This Ghost King... can it be controlled?" Ning Zheng said, "You should know, if controllable, it would be the strongest combat power force of our Sea Race army."

"Still under research, this pieced together[Persistence]awakened Ghost King has desires greater than self," Yin Yukey said, "Moreover, if it bursts in the wild, it would form a terrifying disaster."

Yin Yukey said, "But you must know, the probability of appearing same persistence is relatively high, for instance, in a chaotic disaster-affected region, all died of hunger... their dying persistence is pretty much[I want to be full], after they died and fused in one area, the probability is extremely high."

"Also, for example, if I slaughtered an academy, because many students there carry persisting ambitions of[I want fame and success], their death rate is 50%, stacking up the probability is extremely high."

Ning Zheng fully realized the severity.

Wipe out an academy, stack stack stack, piece piece piece, very likely to produce such a mutant Ghost King.

They are dominated by awakened persistence, the conditions for killing are more pure. 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

Moreover, they are not Earth-bound Spirits.

Ghost King does not require rooting, can pluck itself from the Earth Vein, akin to moving ancestral graves, the places they move to, you must abide by Killing Rules.

Ning Zheng frowned: "This kind of Ghost King, is very easy to artificially manufacture... if intentional with ill-intentioned people, piecing together a heap of similar awakening condition Embers, it is directly born."

"Indeed!" Yin Yukey said.

In the future, many of these Ghost Kings will surely plague the era, forming a whole new terrifying species in this Great Evolution Era.

Ghost Kings with a One Heart Realm limit, mass-produced directly.

Simply gathering a few hundred Mortals with the same persistence stacked together will bring one forth.

Then, what chance do ordinary people have to survive?

Yin Yukey said:

"I just communicated with friends on the Human Race side, questioned several times, they finally admitted they have also discovered this kind of Ghost King. We briefly discussed, calling this kind of[Ghost], [Demon Ghost]."