Having arrived at the entrance of Willowbrook Village, Xu Feng was quickly greeted with the familiar sight of the villagers walking around.
However, he noticed something was amiss. Although the villagers still smiled at the children, there was a hint of worry concealed in their eyes.
'Hmm, did something happen?' He decided to keep a mental note of this weird scenario as he headed straight for Forgefire Blacksmith.
Sometime later, he heard the familiar sound of metal clanking despite being outside of the Blacksmith.
He entered and was just about to greet Fiona, but paused himself when he saw the person hammering was a man.
"Could you be Thorin Forgefire by any chance?" He inquired softly.
Meanwhile, the man who was interrupted during his forging process was annoyed. They stopped their hammering and turned to Xu Feng with an unfriendly gaze.
"And who are you?" They asked coldly. "I'm not taking any commission. I am in no mood to craft or forge anything."
Speechless, Xu Feng knew blacksmiths were eccentric in their behavior.
But there was still that glimpse of hope in him that one day, there would be a blacksmith who didn't act haughtily or annoying like them.
"I've already commissioned one a while ago. I'm here to look for Fiona Forgefire." Xu Feng replied calmly.
"Hmph, so are you the bastard who caused my daughter to alienate me lately?" Instantly, the aura of the man exploded and Xu Feng felt a looming pressure encroaching on him.
Unfazed by the sudden pressure, Xu Feng quickly buffed himself and stood his ground. Soon, the pressure alleviated slightly due to an increased resistance.
At the same time, he could now confirm the man in front of him was indeed Thorin Forgefire.
'Damn, he still looked so young.' Xu Feng thought to himself, failing to recognize them immediately because of how young Thorin appeared compared to the one in his memory.
Amidst the pressure, Thorin was very displeased with the mere sight of Xu Feng. "Did you know that because of you, my daughter is constantly ignoring me, claiming that she needed to work on your commission?"
"Eh, what commission? I'm just here to deliver materials requested by Miss Fiona." Xu Feng feigned a confused look.
Dumbfounded, Thorin swiftly dispelled the pressure and raised an eyebrow. "Didn't you just say you commissioned already?"
"Yeah, I was commissioned to deliver materials for your daughter."
As Thorin stared deep into the eyes of Xu Feng, he pursed his lips and wondered if he was the wrong person.
"Apologies, young man!" Thorin apologized and was about to speak further until someone entered the blacksmith.
"Oh, you're here already. I was just about to send a message for you to pick up your commissioned weapon." Fiona Forgefire returned to the blacksmith and immediately spotted Xu Feng.
As soon as she finished her statement, Xu Feng chuckled and quickly hid behind Fiona.
"Fiona, your father is about to kill me." He exclaimed, hurriedly using her as a shield and a cover. The timing of her arrival couldn't be any worse. He was just about to get away with it and posing as a delivery man.
"My daughter, move away from him. I have something to discuss with him." Thorin clenched his fist, his eyes appeared as if it was on a blazing fire.
Without a doubt, he was infuriated from getting duped by Xu Feng's act. This gutsy bastard had the nerve to deceive him and make him apologize!
"Enough Father!" Unamused, Fiona glared at him and crossed her arms. "I've accepted his commission as a blacksmith and if you keep doing that, then are you trying to ruin my career?"
Having been shut down by Fiona once again, Thorin was struck with a dilemma.
"Oh, I've killed some Shadow Wolves along the way, Fiona. Hopefully, they can assist you." Realizing it was his chance, Xu Feng took the opportunity to reveal how he came in with welcoming gifts.
"I sure am missing some Shadow Wolves materials." Fiona smiled and nodded. "Come follow me upstairs. Your weapon is also ready after I spent so much time on it."
"Great, I knew it would be successful if it were you, the future Pinnacle Blacksmith." Xu Feng praised sincerely.
"Alright, stop glazing on me and just follow quietly." Despite saying so, Fiona held a satisfied expression on her face.
And as the two proceeded upstairs, Thorin still made a last-ditch effort and asked, "How about we get dinner later on tonight, Fiona?"
Unfortunately, Fiona gave zero response, leaving Thorin helpless at his daughter's behavior. To make things worse, that sort of behavior was equivalent to his, so it was definitely karma hitting him back.
Sometime later, Xu Feng once again took out a pile of Shadow Wolves' corpses in the room whereas Fiona went to retrieve the weapon Xu Feng had commissioned long ago.
When she returned, there was a lingering look on her expression.
"This weapon was not really worth the price I offered." She said in a bittersweet tone. "But a deal was a deal, so you are lucky that I'm someone who honored them."
Once the staff was handed to Xu Feng, he began admiring the crafts work.
"I named the staff, Convergence, and you should try to use some spell to test its power," Fiona suggested, her hands placed on her waist as she couldn't wait for his reaction.
"Understood." Nodding, Xu Feng did as told and started testing it.
The Convergence staff had a sturdy, dark metal core with silver lines that glowed softly whenever he cast a spell. Along with its length, there were simple and shifting runes marked in each segment that glowed from a faint amber to a bright blue.
At the top, three prongs formed a unique headpiece, each holding a gemstone for different elements: red for fire, blue for water, green for earth, and a dark onyx for shadow.
These gems weren't just for looks; they helped channel spells faster and boosted elemental attacks.
'It's really no understatement that I really got a bargain.' Xu Feng was stupefied by the gems inlaid and realized this kind of weapon could easily exceed 3000 gold coins. Of course, if put in an auction, the 3000 value could easily quadruple in price.