Lu Mingfei, become the King of Elden!

Chapter 65 Repair
After discussing their tactics, the three went back to rest. While physical exhaustion could be restored by blessings and dew, mental fatigue could not.

Walking into the corner of the blacksmith's shop illuminated by the furnace fire, Lu Mingfei didn't even have the strength to look up and greet him. He simply relied on inertia to place the almost shapeless lump of metal onto the huge anvil in front of Xiu Gu with a clang.

The ear-piercing sound startled the mixed-race old man who was engrossed in forging iron. Xiu Gu stopped hammering and turned his wrinkled face toward the pile of "scrap metal".

When his cloudy gaze focused on the badly damaged armor, his gray eyebrows furrowed sharply.

"Humph!"

Xiu Gu let out a very unpleasant groan.

He put down the hammer, stretched out his large, calloused, and scarred hands, and began to rummage through the pile of twisted metal.

The old man stroked the terrifying dent in the center of his breastplate. It was the result of being struck head-on by the giant golden axe; the metal structure had been completely destroyed by brute force.

Next, at the side ribs, the armor was torn open with a long gash, the broken edges gleaming with the luster of solidified molten metal. It was clearly scorched by fire, the metal's properties altered. A large chunk of the shoulder armor was broken off, the arm armor was twisted and deformed, and many joints were severely deformed or broken.

"Tsk tsk tsk..."

Xiu Gu kept making disgusted and incredulous clicking sounds. His large, deeply furrowed hands lingered longer and longer on each serious injury, his brows furrowing more and more tightly, his face full of "trouble" and "tricky".

After a long while, he finally raised his head, his cloudy old eyes staring at Lu Mingfei's tired eyes.

"Kid, were you crushed by an ancient dragon? Or did you go and provoke a giant?"

Lu Mingfei twitched the corners of his mouth and gave a wry smile:
"It's not much different from that... Uncle Xiugu. He's run into... an unreasonable guy."

Giants, demigods, and ancient dragons—these creatures standing at the top of the boundary are indeed not much different to mortals.

"Humph!"

Xiu Gu responded heavily with a nasal tone.

“This thing is very difficult to repair when it breaks; it probably takes about the same amount of time as making a new one.”

Lu Mingfei's heart skipped a beat. Although he had expected it, hearing the words "difficult to repair" come from Grandpa Xiu Gu's own mouth still filled him with despair. This armor was now one of his greatest assets.

Stoneville's armory contains equipment left behind by the Storm Knights, and even the Round Table Hall displays ancient half-armor, but those are all pure heavy armor. With Lu Mingfei's current strength, he probably wouldn't even be able to wield a sword while wearing them.

He was lightly dressed, wearing only one piece of clothing.

"So, Grandpa Xiu Gu, can you repair it? If not, can you make one?"

Lu Mingfei's voice carried a barely perceptible plea.

"make?"

Xiu Gu shook his head:

"Do you know what era this craftsmanship dates back to? It's a forging technique unique to ancient dragons, predating the Primordial Golden Tree! You're overestimating me; I'm just a hybrid blacksmith."

"Well... sir," Lu Mingfei licked his chapped lips, "can you... fix it?"

Looking at Xiu Gu's expressionless old face, which was clearly telling him "this mess is really troublesome," he quickly added:
"Don't worry, Rune! Just ask! I'll find a way to raise whatever it takes! I'll even go bankrupt to do it!"

Xiu Gu did not answer immediately. Silence spread amidst the crackling of the furnace fire. His large, calloused hands slowly stroked the broken armor plates once more, as if caressing a dying comrade.

"……Can."

Xiu Gu's voice was deep and powerful.

“But it will take time, a very long time to repair. And…” He pointed to the charred areas:
“These places have been forcibly imbued with mixed divine power and remnants of dragon flame. These impurities must be removed first. Otherwise, forcibly repairing them would be a desecration of their original storm power, and they would become extremely fragile.”

Lu Mingfei nodded vigorously:
"Understood! What do you need me to do, sir? I'll cooperate fully!"

Xiu Gu picked up his huge, heavy iron hammer, weighed it in his hand, and then pointed to a corner of the forging area next to him, which was specifically used for cleaning and preparing metal:

"Take it apart and lay it flat according to the parts."

He waved his hand, as if shooing away a pesky fly:

"Then, go sit over there. Don't stand there in the way."

"Wait patiently. If he comes back alive and the old man is still breathing, then we've made a profit. The rest... leave it to this old man."

Lu Mingfei did as instructed and sat down in a corner near a wooden box.

As soon as his back touched the cold wall, his heavy eyelids could no longer hold on and slowly closed.

The crisp, rhythmic sound of hammers and chisels gently striking metal, accompanied by the warmth of the fire and the familiar scent in the air, became the most comforting lullaby at that moment.
-
After an unknown amount of time, Lu Mingfei suddenly woke up.

The rhythm of the hammer's strikes continued, causing Lu Mingfei to breathe a sigh of relief and withdraw his hand from the weapon.

He fell asleep.

This is very rare.

Aside from the time he spent in the Dragon Offering Church with the old man, Lu Mingfei rarely fell asleep in the borderlands, because sleep meant danger.

The rule that those who have faded in color are strictly prohibited from fighting in the round table hall made Lu Mingfei lower his guard and sleep soundly for the first time in a long time.

Then, he saw her.

A figure sat on a chair not far from him, her figure lithe and her wheat-colored skin possessing a wild beauty. She tilted her head slightly, her sharp yet clear eyes, like those born of a storm, watching him quietly with undisguised curiosity.

Neferi Lou.

After their brief encounter in Stoneville, they parted ways. At that time, he was shrouded in the armor of a knight from a lost home, and his true face was never revealed.

Lu Mingfei subconsciously raised his hand and touched his face.

What he touched was warm skin, not the cold mask. His heart skipped a beat, a mixture of confusion from just waking up and a slight discomfort at being seen through.

"You...recognized me?"

He spoke cautiously, his gaze also taking in the descendant of the storm. How did she recognize him after he removed his armor?

Neferi didn't answer immediately. She maintained the slightly tilted head posture, her gray-blue eyes scanning his face for a moment, as if confirming something.

Then, a very faint smile appeared on her lips, like a gentle breeze brushing against the grass, almost imperceptible.

"storm."

She spoke, extending a finger and lightly pointing to her own heart, then gently pointing in Lu Mingfei's direction.

"It recognizes it."

Her gaze fell on his face, a faint smile on her lips:
Even after removing their armor, the sound of the wind... in their blood remains the same. We... have all inherited it.

(End of this chapter)