The weapons I forge are absolutely flawless.

"Good, good, you're both good children, please come in." The village chief looked at the two with satisfaction, but pulled Vina to his side as she passed by.

"You're something else, bringing back such a beautiful girlfriend. I'll keep it a secret from Miss Anna."

He had tried to keep his voice down as much as possible, but such concealment was obviously of little use in front of the group.

“Well, thank you so much,” Viner said expressionlessly.

"But Anna knows we're coming to Lumiel Village, so what else is there to keep secret?"

Felix was unaware that this was a so-called "whisper".

The village chief was startled at first, then slapped Vina hard on the back, "Why didn't you bring Miss Anna with you? Did you make her angry?"

"......"

Although she knew the other party meant no harm, Wiener had no desire to respond to the conversation.

He regretted not settling the two of them in first before meeting the village elder.

“Miss Anna is under house arrest, so she couldn’t come along. But before she left, she specifically asked Venere to give you her regards,” Lisette said, smoothing things over for Venere. “Am I right?”

Unable to voice any objection under his gaze, Viner had no choice but to agree, saying, "That's right."

"I see," the village chief remarked. "Miss Anna is indeed a good girl."

"Ah, of course I'm not saying there's anything wrong with either of you. It's this brat's good fortune to have gained your favor."

"However, the village's development to its current state is indeed largely thanks to Miss Anna's help."

“I believe that,” Listy nodded. “Just the fact that Vena almost couldn’t find her way home shows how much Lumiel Village has changed.”

"May the village chief tell us what happened after Vina left?"

"I just hope you don't mind my nagging."

The village chief led the group to the living room and had them sit down. Lisette then offered to pour water for everyone. Although the village chief didn't say anything, his gaze toward Lisette became increasingly satisfied.

“Vina brought Miss Anna to the village for inspection before. Not long after they left, the Valentin Merchant Guild came looking for them. After inspecting the blacksmith shop, the guild built an inn in the village as a base, and thereafter frequently sent people to purchase equipment forged by Sargozi.”

"With the Valentine Merchant Guild taking the lead in opening up trade routes, other merchants naturally followed suit. Although most of the works would be taken by the Valentine Merchant Guild, there would always be some that they didn't like, as well as works forged by other apprentices, which would end up in the hands of those small vendors."

"Half a month later, Sargozi became a master blacksmith."

"It's faster than I expected." Viner nodded almost imperceptibly.

"After becoming a master blacksmith, his treatment naturally changed. After learning that Sargozi had no intention of leaving, the Chamber of Commerce specially selected a site in the village to build a new workshop for him."

"As our reputation spread, more and more craftsmen came to learn from us, and our village became famous in a different way." The village chief looked at Vina with pride in his eyes.

He certainly understood that Sargozi had stayed in Lumiel village because of someone else.

“There must be more than that,” Wiener said, puzzled. “I’ve seen quite a few more houses in the village. They couldn’t all have been built by those apprentices, could they?”

“Of course not,” the village chief paused, then continued, “they are villagers from the surrounding villages that were merged here.”

"You have no idea how rampant the monsters outside are. Several villages have been affected. Those guys who were so eager to collect taxes have all disappeared now."

"They moved here as a whole village to survive. At least there will be guards from the Valentin Merchant Guild and other caravans here, so there's no need to worry about general threats."

Wiener finally understood why the wall outside the village had been built.

"So you became the mayor?" Viner asked with a hint of sarcasm.

“That’s what outsiders call me,” the village chief said with a hint of dissatisfaction. “The original villagers will still call me village chief.”

“You’re not happy about the promotion?” Viner shook his head. “I’m afraid that when I come back next time, this place will have become the city of Lumiel.”

"This will always be Lumiel Village." The village chief gave Vina a deep look, but only for a moment. "You didn't come back this time just to see this old codger, did you?"

“Don’t flatter yourself. It was Lisette who wanted to see what my old village was like, so she made the detour,” Vena replied. “It’s just a pity that the village has changed so much, there’s not much left.”

"Yes, in a few days, the city walls will be up." The village chief seemed a little sentimental. "How many days are you planning to stay this time?"

"We'll see how many days we stay."

"Then you should take good care of these two yourself, and also take a good look at this Lumiel Village."

“Don’t worry, I will,” Vena replied. “By the way, village chief, do you remember Arios?”

"Remember, what happened?"

“I received some favors from him, but I couldn’t find him. Since I couldn’t thank him in person, I thought I should at least visit him at home.”

"But he burned his own house down when he left," the village chief said.

Wiener: "......"

"Is there nothing else left behind?" Lisette asked nervously.

"If that's the case... there's still one outpost he built himself, but it'll be dismantled in a few days," the village chief recalled.

"Why?" Lisette asked, her voice filled with confusion and regret.

"Because the village has grown and expanded, that location has become less important," the village chief sighed.

"After Arios left, the outpost has been empty and unattended, and it might collapse at any time. To avoid any accidents, it will be demolished after the city wall is built."

“Tell us its location, and we’ll handle the rest,” Viner interjected.

"Then you'd better remember that—"

Chapter 457 The Crowd Outside the Inn

Having obtained the information they wanted, the three got up and said goodbye to the village chief.

Wiener's gaze inadvertently fell on the wall clock, and he frowned slightly. "Village Chief, the clock in your house seems to be running slow."

The village chief turned his head to look, then said nonchalantly, "Really? It's just a small matter; it'll be fine in a few days."

"The inn employs people from our village, they'll definitely make arrangements for you."

"okay--"

......

Lumiel Town Inn.

"Boss, I need a room!"

Felix rushed into the store first and shouted at the counter.

"Okay, how many people are there in total?"

The clerk behind the counter had just stood up when she saw Vina walking in from outside.

"Oh, isn't this Vena! It's you who's back?"

“Long time no see, Dean,” Viner replied with a smile. “Are there any rooms available?”

"Yes, yes, yes, since you're back, I'll definitely save the best room for you."

Dean knew all too well who had gotten him this job.

There are three of us, and three horses outside.

Feeling inexplicably ignored, Felix had no choice but to raise his voice.

"Alright, there are three of us. We have a special stable for the horses, so I'll take care of that later. You can all relax and settle in."

Dean put on a professional smile.

"We need three rooms."

As Wiener spoke, he secretly made a "two" gesture with his fingers.

"Let me take a look," Dean instantly understood, and pretended to flip through the ledger. "Sigh, there are only two rooms left on the third floor by the window, the second-best—"

"Then let's open two rooms," a clear female voice interrupted Dean. "Please hurry up."

The three of them were already exhausted from a day's travel, and the chat at the village chief's house made Lisette even more tired.

She just wanted to rest early and then visit the Hero's Hut after she woke up.

"Don't worry, I'll take you all upstairs right away." Dean picked up a bunch of keys and led everyone upstairs.

The third floor is reserved for the internal affairs of the Chamber of Commerce and is only cleaned regularly; it is not open to the public.

But given the relationship between Viner and the Valentin Chamber of Commerce, such hospitality would only earn praise from the shop manager, even if he knew.

Dean, who was already a formal employee of the Chamber of Commerce, naturally knew more about the inside story than others.

"Rest assured, everyone, the king-size bed in the suite on the third floor is guaranteed to be soft and comfortable. Even if two or three people sleep in it, it will not feel crowded at all."

Dean opened the two adjacent rooms and left the keys inside.

“Then I’ll take this one!” Felix quickly chose the one on the left.

"See you in the morning," Lisette said, then slammed the door shut.

After the two entered their respective rooms, Dean patted Vina on the shoulder and secretly slipped him a key.

"Here's the spare key for you."

Don't look at what you shouldn't see, and don't ask what you shouldn't ask.

After relieving himself, Dean immediately turned to leave.

“Wait a minute, Dean!” Viner called out to him.

"Don't worry, I know nothing about what happened tonight."

Dean returned a knowing look to Vina.

“Who told you that?” Viner said, both amused and exasperated. “I wanted to ask about other things.”

"What do you say."

"Are the clocks in this hotel accurate?"

Wiener thought of the bell that rang in advance when he entered the village.

"Why don't you check it yourself?" Dean pointed to the wall clock by the corridor.

This question baffled him.

Wiener then took out his pocket watch and compared it with the wall clock, and there was no problem.

“...It seems like it’s my problem.” Viner pinched the tip of her nose, thinking that she might be overthinking things. “Alright then, I won’t bother you anymore.”

"I should be the one not bothering you anymore," Dean said with a smile as he left.

“This guy…” Viner looked at the key Dean had secretly slipped to him and shook his head slightly. “Why would I need something like this?”

Lisette's request for two rooms—does that even need to be said?

Wiener put the key into his ring and reached for the doorknob of the room on the right.

The doorknob remained completely still.

Wiener: "......"

“It’s a minor issue. At most, Lisette will be a little upset. As long as I apologize as soon as I go in, she will forgive me.”

Viner silently encouraged himself, then took out the spare key that Dean had given him and inserted it into the lock.

"Gah-"

The moment he saw that the key was also stuck, Vina's expression finally changed.

“Listy—” Venere knocked gently on the door, “I’m sorry, Listy—please open the door, Listy.”

To prevent the soundproofing from being too strong, he even used a "mirror image" device, allowing his apology to be heard directly through the door panel.

Even so, there was still no response.

"Looks like he's really angry."

After knocking for about fifteen minutes, Vena finally accepted the reality that Lisette was unwilling to open the door.

"This Dean is completely unreliable." He vented his anger on the key. "What kind of key can't even open a broken door—?"

"Click——"

Another door opened.