Douluo Amon: I am the Heavenly Venerable of the Dragon King.

Chapter 298 Strange Combination

From the middle lane, I also gradually began to understand the composition of the mechs.

Logically, war machines like mechs should be as big as possible. Bigger means they can carry more weapons and more energy. However, in reality, this is not the case.

The higher the level of the mech, the smaller its size. A standard yellow mech is generally over twelve meters tall, a purple mech is ten meters tall, and a black mech is only eight meters tall. A red mech, on the other hand, is no more than six meters tall.

The reason is simple: a large shield makes a target more visible and easier to become a sitting duck in battle. Moreover, if the shield is to cover the entire body, it will consume a huge amount of energy.

Secondly, there's the issue of being poor. If it were just ordinary white or yellow mechs, it wouldn't matter; those mechs could be forged using common, mass-produced metals.

However, things are different when it comes to purple-level mechs. The core formation requires at least a thousand-fold forging of first-grade metal or spirit-forged metal, and the body must also be made of hundred-fold forging metal. These are the minimum requirements.

For Black-level mechs, the requirements are even higher. The metal used for the core array must be at least Soul-Forged Metal. At the same time, the metal required for the mech body must be at least Spirit-Forged Metal or Fusion-Forged Metal.

To become a senior mecha pilot, one needs not only sufficient skill but also wealth. This can come from either a wealthy family background, one's own salary and bonuses, or external sponsorships.

Just like in the Federation, if a civilian wants to acquire their own Black-level mech, they must achieve something, verify their identity, and go through layers of review before the Federation will provide assistance.

Of course, the Federation only provides the core magic array to the Black-level mech; the specific materials must be provided by the mech pilot. However, this mech can be owned by the pilot, and as long as it has served for a certain number of years, the pilot can take their meritorious mech with them in the future.

Well, because the Black-level mechs have the condition of recognizing only one master, even if the Federation wanted to detain them, they couldn't.

The so-called service life is actually used to repay the cost of the Black-level mech core array.

Red-level mechs are even more outrageous. Their core formation requires Heaven-Forged Metal, and the materials needed for the mech body also require Soul-Forged Metal. There are only about twenty or thirty Saint-level craftsmen in the forging world, so obtaining a large quantity of Soul-Forged Metal is extremely difficult.

However, the notes also mentioned that even among Red-level mechs, there were different levels. The highest-level Red-level mech, of course, was forged entirely from Heavenly Forged Metal. But that was impossible.

After all, the cost of forging a single red-grade mecha is enough to forge several four-word battle armors. Therefore, it has always remained just a concept. At least in the world of Soul Masters, no such red-grade mecha has ever appeared.

Basically, all existing red-level mechs, except for the core array which is made of Heaven-Forged Metal, are made of Soul-Forged Metal.

Some of the lower-grade ones only have a soul-forged metal outer shell, while the interior is composed of spirit alloy. This type of red-grade mech is also known as the sewer of red-grade mechs.

Therefore, although mech pilots do not have the same high quality requirements for rare metals as battle armor pilots, the amount they need far exceeds that of battle armor pilots.

This is especially true for advanced mech pilots, which is one of the reasons why the blacksmith profession has endured for so long.

Ao Hongchen piloted the black-level mecha high in the sky. The mecha had a special navigation system inside that could guide the direction and also avoid potential collisions with flying objects through navigation and radar.

Whenever the mech traversing the mortal realm passes through a city, countless radars scan it in an instant. At this moment, its mech releases a response signal using a series of codes stored in its identification card to ensure its safe flight.

The identity card issued by Dang Hongchen has undergone various reviews and can be used freely in most parts of mainland China.

The Federation maintains strict restrictions on mechs. After all, mechs are extremely destructive, and if an uncontrollable situation arises, it can easily lead to massive casualties. Therefore, it is generally very difficult for mechs to obtain official permits.

Generally speaking, it is easier to obtain a travel permit for a single city, but it is much more difficult to obtain a travel permit for the entire continent.

However, Dang Hongchen's identity is not ordinary after all. The Hongchen family also has a place among federal councilors, so obtaining a pass is not difficult.

Of course, the premise is that you can't cause any trouble. Once a problem occurs, the mech identity card will be taken back and you will be blacklisted.

If someone flies into the sky without an identification card, ordinary cities will issue a warning first, and if they do not stop immediately, they will be attacked.

In a place like Shrek City, with its own laws, the city's defensive soul-guided cannons wouldn't care about your reasons and would attack immediately. The mecha escort team would also arrive and shoot them down.

The speed of the black-level mechs was quite fast. Lu Fa and his group set off in the morning and arrived in Tian Dou City by noon.

Dang Hongchen flew directly to the Blacksmith Association in Tiandou City. They had been to Tiandou City several times and knew that there was a special place to park mechs. Moreover, Lu Fa had also informed Zhen Hua in advance.

The docking system connection was completed, and the mecha descended from the sky, landing steadily on the exclusive parking spot on the roof of the Tiandou City Blacksmith Association.

The mecha came to a stable stop, and Dang Hongchen slowly breathed a sigh of relief. Piloting the mecha with complete concentration had taken a toll on his mental energy. Now that they had arrived at their destination, he was naturally relieved. After all, surely no one would launch an attack within the Blacksmiths' Association?

Stepping off the mecha, Lu Fa took the elevator to the Blacksmiths' Association lobby. He didn't go looking for Zhen Hua; after all, he mainly came to the Blacksmiths' Association to relax and fish, and forging wasn't in a hurry.

Zhenhua also said that his most important task now is to improve his cultivation level so that he can forge his soul more easily, instead of having to rely on the power of blood and qi to forcibly forge it every time.

As the elevator descended, Lu Fa took out a helmet from his storage soul tool and put it directly on his head—yes, he put a helmet on his head.

His short, platinum blonde hair was particularly striking. After the last live broadcast across the entire continent, he was practically famous throughout the continent; most master craftsmen weren't as well-known as him.

In the Douluo Continent today, if you randomly ask someone if they know the Divine Craftsman Zhenhua, ordinary people might not. But if you ask them if they know Lu Fa, they will definitely say yes.

This is the reach of SoulNet's live stream, especially considering that Lu Fa is not only handsome but also has striking platinum blonde short hair, plus he is a fourteen-year-old One-Word Battle Armor Master who defeated Shrek Academy students despite being of a different age.

Even after more than half a year, Lu Fa's popularity has not decreased much. If he dares to appear openly in the Blacksmith Association, he will definitely be surrounded by many people.

He didn't have any good way to hide, so he could only roughly put on a helmet. Although it was still conspicuous, it was better than being recognized and then surrounded by onlookers.

As the elevator doors opened, a person wearing a helmet and a middle-aged man walked out of the elevator openly and honestly.

Along the way, Lufana's peculiar attire attracted the attention of many people in the Blacksmiths' Association, but they only glanced at him a few times and did not go up to bother him.

After all, it's someone else's hobby, and they can't interfere. Besides, people who come to the Blacksmith Association are usually either commissioning forging or taking on tasks. They don't have that much time to care about someone with a special appearance.

……

And so, Lu Fa and Dang Hongchen successfully left the Blacksmith Association.

The most distinctive feature of Tian Dou City is that it doesn't have many particularly tall buildings. Many of its original buildings are very well preserved, making it the place with the most original buildings in the entire Douluo Continent.

Lu Fa wandered through the streets and alleys, strolling through some old streets. Although he was preparing to use a sting operation, he also took the opportunity to relax since he had come out for a rare trip. Dang Hongchen quietly followed behind Lu Fa.

As they walked, the two unknowingly came to a shop selling rare metals. Lu Fa thought for a moment and went inside. Since he had some free time, he didn't mind looking at these ordinary shops.

He currently purchases rare metals from the Blacksmiths' Guild, as the prices are lower than those sold outside the guild due to the guild's internal channels. However, he has yet to see any shops outside that sell rare metals.

The two went inside. At this moment, in addition to the shop assistant, there were two other people standing in the shop, an old man and a young man. The older man looked to be in his sixties or seventies, with gray hair, a tall and robust figure, and a pair of particularly deep eyes that did not show any signs of the cloudiness of old age.

The other person was not only young, but also a girl, who looked to be about fifteen or sixteen years old. She was extremely beautiful and had a slender figure.

At that moment, a shop assistant was standing respectfully beside the two of them, explaining something with a smile.

"Welcome! Hello, is there anything I can help you with? I can show you around." Seeing Lu Fa enter, another employee walked over politely.

"No need, we'll just look around casually," Lufa dismissed him.

Upon hearing this, the shop assistant didn't deliberately follow the two. Some eccentric blacksmiths, when examining rare metals, genuinely don't want to be disturbed. Especially since this guy was wearing a helmet; he certainly fit the description of an eccentric blacksmith.

Seeing the Level 6 Blacksmith Badge on Dang Hongchen's body, the shop assistant tactfully withdrew. With a blacksmith master by his side, there was no need for an outsider like him to introduce him.

Lufa looked at the rare metals on the shelf. He recognized most of them; most were just ordinary items. The prices were only about 10% higher than what he had bought at the Blacksmith's Guild.

"A very ordinary shop." That was Lu Fa's assessment.

A crisp "ding" rang in Lu Fa's ears. He turned his head and saw the old woman and the young woman who had been in the shop earlier. The young woman was now tapping a piece of metal with a small hammer, about half a foot long, and said:

"The echo is melodious, which is good, but it lasts too long. This proves that the metal itself is relatively fragile. Although it is very compatible with elements, the volume remaining after purification is very small, and its overall quality is weak, lacking any special characteristics."

"Oh." Lufa looked at the girl with interest. Usually, only experts who know a lot about rare metals use a touchstone when selecting rare metals. The touchstone can detect the differences in metals by striking them.

Lu Fa looked at the girl's hands. Her palms were as white as jade, her fingers were particularly long and slender, and her hands were no less than the size of an adult man's but much more delicate.

"This is a blacksmith, and at least a level three blacksmith." Experienced blacksmiths can always tell whether someone is a blacksmith from certain details about them.

The young woman's technique was clearly very skillful. From the way she used the touchstone hammer to her confident gaze, it was clear that she was no slouch in forging.

Although her specific level is unknown, judging from the way she used the touch hammer, she must be at least a level three blacksmith.

Of course, what attracted Lu Fa's attention even more was the old man beside the girl. He possessed a perfect harmony of spirit, energy, and character, and his aura was incredibly powerful. In terms of cultivation, he should be no less than Dang Hongchen, meaning that this old man was a Soul Douluo.

His hands were calloused and larger than the average person's, so he must be a blacksmith, and a high-ranking one at that.

When Lu Fa came over to look, the old man was stunned by his attire. Wearing a helmet in broad daylight, what was that all about?

However, upon seeing Dang Hongchen beside him, the old man smiled kindly at them. After all, the sixth-level blacksmith badge that Dang Hongchen wore wasn't for nothing.

"Ding!" The girl struck another piece of metal, the echo short and powerful. She frowned and said, "This should be an extremely hard metal, with an extremely high internal density. I can hear from the echo that it has a strong sense of self. It probably isn't very suitable for fusing with soul power. What a pity."

Hearing the girl's words, the old man remained calm. However, Dang Hongchen and the shop assistant's gazes became strange, because the metal the girl was striking was called cloud copper.

This rare metal is actually quite common in the Douluo Continent; it's one of the mass-produced metals used in white-level mechs. Anyone who has ever been involved in forging should be familiar with this metal.

Judging from the young girl's skillful technique, she should be able to recognize this metal at a glance. Why would she need to tap it to confirm?

"How much is this rare metal?"

The girl turned around and saw Lu Fa and Dang Hongchen watching behind her. She first glanced curiously at Lu Fa, who was dressed strangely. Then she pointed at Yun Tong and asked the shop assistant.

(End of this chapter)