Melee archer with maxed-out Douluo luck

Chapter 244 A Thoughtful Gift and the Beggar's Edition Mainland

More than an hour later.

Han Li, who had returned to his original appearance, and Lou Gao, who was grinning from ear to ear, walked down the open staircase side by side, with Zhu Zhuqing silently following behind them.

"Don't worry, brother, I'll build it for you as quickly as possible. After that, I'll immediately start working on the ideas you mentioned. Sigh, it's such a pity. I wish I had met you sooner. I've wasted so many years. I hate it."

Lou Gao spoke these words sincerely. After hearing Han Li's thoughts, he felt as if they had known each other for a long time.

"Good things come to those who wait. You're in your prime, brother, you have plenty of time."

Han Li, however, offered words of comfort, saying that he meant it sincerely.

Such a good tool, even if he's about to die, he'd still want to help him prolong his life.

This time, he specifically instructed that a soul beast could be used for blood sacrifice, but sacrificing oneself to the artifact was strictly forbidden.

What kind of rubbish is this? A weapon without a soul, not even a soul tool, yet it dares to take someone's life?

He needs this thing for other uses. If we're talking about attack power, wouldn't it be more powerful to fire an arrow with his martial spirit activated?

Seeing that the two had become sworn brothers after only chatting for a little over an hour, Si Long rubbed his eyes in disbelief. When did his teacher become so easy to please?

Beside him, the head of the chamber of commerce closed his eyes and lowered his head, as if he hadn't seen anything.

"Alright, brother, you're busy. I have urgent business to attend to, so I really can't stay any longer. Once the things are ready, just send them to me through the Chamber of Commerce."

Han Li pointed to the head of the chamber of commerce on the side.

"Alright, then I won't see you off. To be honest, I'm getting a little itchy to get my hands on it."

Lou Gao laughed heartily, making no attempt to hide his thoughts.

"Brother, you're a true man. It seems like success is only a matter of time."

Han Li gave him a thumbs up, applauding the tool man's enthusiasm.

Lou Gao was even happier. He glanced at Zhu Zhuqing beside him, then turned to look at his apprentice:

"Oh, right, Silong, go and fetch those two Eight Treasures Ruyi Soft Armor pieces, and give them to my brother and..."

"Sister-in-law."

Han Li smiled and replied.

"Yes, for my younger brother and sister-in-law."

Lou Gao continued along with his words, but in his heart he was wondering which family's young lady this was.

"teacher……"

Si Long stood there hesitant, but Lou Gao glared at him and made him back down.

You worthless bastard, you don't know anything. In a different setting, even if you wanted to give it to someone, they might not accept it. You'd be afraid of incurring a favor.

Seeing that his teacher was angry, Silong immediately slunk away to retrieve his treasure armor.

"Don't mind him, brother. He's shallow and doesn't deserve any respect."

Lou Gao saw him leave and tried to make amends.

"It's alright. After all, it's your masterpiece. I would feel the same way if it were me."

Han Li replied with a smile, saying that he could really understand it; he even felt that the building's height and grandeur were a bit excessive.

In the world of Douluo Continent, where defense relies primarily on physical strength and defensive soul skills, close-fitting soft armor capable of withstanding damage from levels below 60 is not much less valuable than soul bones, and may even be more valuable.

Because the soft armor does not require consuming one's own soul power, it is equivalent to having a ten-thousand-year-level defensive soul skill solidified on the body, which is quite amazing and is also the reason why the divine craftsman's status is still quite good.

Of course, most of this fame comes from Lou Gao. As for Tang Hao and Titan, they only have the name but have not produced any works.

Han Li had some doubts about whether the Blacksmith Association's rating of these two was simply because the Haotian Sect was powerful back then, and they wanted to use that as a pretext to ask questions.

Of course, one cannot ask Lou Gao about this. However, one can ask Tang Hao about it when one sees him in the future. Hopefully, he won't get angry out of embarrassment.

Since others had given him gifts, Han Li naturally wanted to reciprocate.

Han Li glanced at the chamber of commerce leader, who was looking down, eyes downcast, seemingly lost in meditation, and then looked up at the building.

"Remember to keep your oath, or you will be purified."

This time, he used his mental power to deeply imprint those words into Lou Gao's mind.

Lou Gao looked at Han Li with a mix of bewilderment and uncertainty, only to find that Han Li's smile had returned, and those words were still echoing in his mind.

He wasn't planning to breach the contract; he couldn't afford to offend the Spirit Hall.

Just as he was about to ask, Silong returned carrying two boxes.

"teacher."

"Give the things to my brother."

Lou Gao's thoughts were interrupted, and he pointed in Han Li's direction.

Han Li casually took the box and handed it to Zhu Zhuqing beside him. He neither opened it nor put it away immediately, which was a matter of politeness.

"Alright, brother, I'll accept the gifts. If there are any problems later, just communicate through the Chamber of Commerce. I won't disturb your fun any longer; inspiration is fleeting."

Han Li pointed to the location of the stairs.

"Okay, see you another time then."

Lou Gao cupped his hands in greeting and looked at Si Long, "You take your brother back."

"Also, never mind, I'll pick out the ore myself. Don't bother me lately unless it's news from my brother."

After saying that, Lou Gao rushed up the stairs; he had been holding back for a long time.

Han Li smiled and shook his head, then walked downstairs.

Silong scratched his head and quickly followed.

I don't understand what's going on, but I'll definitely follow the teacher's advice.

On the fifth floor, where he was already looking at the blueprints, his interest was just beginning to grow when Han Li's words from earlier echoed in his mind again. He couldn't help but shudder and almost tore the blueprints apart.

This is really weird, how come it has an echo?

He unconsciously reviewed the contents of the oath in his mind again, and he felt that something was amiss. He thought it best to be careful.

After seeing off Silong and the person in charge, Han Li and Zhu Zhuqing returned to their room.

"Open it and take a look. Inside is a soft armor for you. Try it on and see if it fits. Before you leave, it will be easy to adjust it if it doesn't fit."

"Furthermore, your combat style leans towards close combat, which makes it more resistant to attacks below level 60, and therefore safer."

As Zhu Zhuqing placed the box on the table, Han Li pushed it in front of her.

It's hard to say, but after Han Li finished speaking, Zhu Zhuqing became even more unwilling to reach out.

She looked at Han Li with a serious expression: "Give it to Lingling, she needs it more than I do."

He stared at her somewhat youthful face for a long time, until she couldn't take it anymore and turned her head away. Only then did Han Li smile and say:

"No need, this is a gift for you, just accept it. As for Lingling, if you don't mind, that men's shirt could be altered and given to her. What do you think?"

"After all, the defensive capabilities of soft armor are indeed a bit too low for me."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Zhuqing nodded.

"Alright, open them all. This is the first time I've ever seen this kind of soft armor."

Han Li pulled one of the boxes in front of him and opened it, while Zhu Zhuqing opened the other box.

One blue and one white, they look quite exquisite.

Han Li reached out and picked it up, stretching it out forcefully. The soft armor stretched considerably with his strength, but returned to its original shape after he released his grip.

"It seems like no changes are needed; the flexibility is sufficient."

Han Li glanced at Zhu Zhuqing, who was doing the same thing, and said casually.

Afterwards, he controlled the intensity and tested the defensive effects against elements, energy, and sharp weapons before finally putting away the blue one with satisfaction.

It's light blue, and there's not much difference between the men's and women's versions, so it wouldn't be too outrageous to give it to Lingling.

His gaze drifted to Zhu Zhuqing, who was still holding the white soft armor: "Why don't you try it on? What if it doesn't fit?"

His words made Zhu Zhuqing, who was preparing to put the soft armor into the box, pause for a moment, and she lowered her head: "I'll change it tonight."

Is it a basic white soft nail design? Or a more elaborate version with a white maxi dress?

Of course, Han Li didn't actually ask any questions; a cat will run away when cornered.

It seemed that Han Li's gaze was too much for Zhu Zhuqing to bear, so she quickly put the box away and changed the subject.

"Are those weapons you talked about with Lou Gao before really feasible?"

She listened in the entire time as the two talked, feeling both longing and fear.

"If it's just basic guns and cannons, it wouldn't be difficult for Lou Gao to make them, but even if he did manage to manufacture them, it would be difficult to develop them further."

Han Li spoke eloquently, and as a keyboard political scientist, he could easily make judgments based on his experience over the past decade.

Why?

Zhu Zhuqing asked with some confusion, because according to what Han Li and Lou Gao said, it could be said that Soul Masters below the Soul Saint level would have a hard time resisting.

"Because the masters of this world now are Soul Masters. Even if their numbers are small, there is no doubt that Soul Masters are in charge, and only Soul Masters can be in charge."

"Furthermore, do you think the Blacksmiths' Association has the capability to mass-produce weapons? Once the news leaks out, they'll probably be wiped out by the swarming forces while they're still in production."

Han Li shook his head as he thought of what Lou Gao had shown them in his foundry.

The current blacksmith association is so small that they can't even walk on one leg. They are hardcore players who rely on martial spirit and brute force to forge parts. They even regard casting molds as heresy, let alone assembly line production.

However, Han Li did not offer any reminders; it was not the right time, nor was it necessary.

In his plan, the future trend is universal cultivation. Instead of investing too much in traditional firearms, it would be better to transform directly and shift towards soul tools, which is the mainstream of the future.

The pie in the sky he painted for Lou Gao was also heading in the right direction, but of course, there wasn't enough time.

Therefore, his request was that after the necessary plot props were built in the building, he should focus on gunpowder research.

Regarding this, Lou Gao was somewhat surprised after coming into contact with the gunpowder formula, but he only marveled that it was better than the formula they had. Based on his idea of ​​improving the power of firearms, he agreed without hesitation.

Although he knew that this was not the same as the pie in the sky that Han Li had painted for him, he could still work honestly for the time being since he had no clue about soul tools.

He could only hope that after the research and development was completed, Han Li could give him some pointers so that he would have the opportunity to start the so-called "great cause of the rise and transformation of blacksmiths".

Han Li did not lie to him about this. Although he did not understand the various soul tools or how they were made, it did not prevent him from drawing the relevant array patterns. The biggest problem for him was actually the simplest one.

It is worth mentioning that through his conversation with Lou Gao, Han Li confirmed one thing.

That is gunpowder made from the material basis of Douluo Continent, and in terms of power, it is indeed a basic version.

However, even the base model is enough as long as there's enough quantity, since everyone starts from the same point and no one is without the base model!

(End of this chapter)