Free Web NovelChapter 147: Why Is My Client the City Lord?
Damian originally expected to arrive at some merchant association, blacksmith workshop, or perhaps a warehouse belonging to several wealthy traders.
Instead, he stopped in front of a massive estate surrounded by heavily armed guards.
Damian looked up at the enormous gates, then back down at the mission details in his hand. "...Did I take a wrong turn?"
He checked the address again.
Once.
Twice.
Damian even looked at the nearby street before returning his attention to the mission notice. "Nope. This is definitely the right place."
His eyes moved toward the large symbol carved above the gates, and he quickly recognized it as the emblem of the City Lord’s Mansion.
Damian blinked. "So the mysterious requester is actually the City Lord? Well, I guess nobody simple could casually post a mission at the Heavenly Sword Sect."
He looked down at the mission notice again and frowned.
"Then why the hell wasn’t any of that written here?"
One of the guards noticed the Heavenly Sword Sect token hanging from Damian’s waist and immediately stepped forward. "Are you the disciple who accepted the investigation mission?"
Damian nodded. "That’s me."
The guard’s attitude quickly became more respectful. "Please follow me. The City Lord is already waiting."
Damian followed him through the estate.
The City Lord’s Mansion was far larger than he had expected, with wide courtyards, private training grounds, heavily armed guards, countless servants, and several important buildings protected by formations.
A few minutes later, Damian entered a large meeting hall.
A middle-aged man was already waiting for him inside.
He wore dark blue robes decorated with silver patterns and carried the calm, heavy presence of someone used to holding authority.
His cultivation was clearly far above Damian’s, though Damian could not immediately tell exactly how strong he was.
The man looked at him carefully. "You are Damian, core disciple of the Heavenly Sword Sect?"
Damian cupped his hands. "That’s me."
The middle-aged man nodded. "I am Corven, City Lord of Thousand Forges City."
Damian’s eyes briefly moved around the hall before he casually sat down. "So, City Lord Corven, I have to ask something."
Corven raised an eyebrow.
Damian held up the mission notice. "I thought the requester would be some merchant crying over a pile of broken swords. I definitely didn’t expect the City Lord himself to be my client."
Corven’s expression barely changed, though a faint trace of amusement appeared in his eyes. "The mission notice was intentionally kept vague."
Damian leaned back slightly. "Why?"
Corven’s expression became more serious. "Because too many people learning the full situation could cause panic. As you have already seen, Thousand Forges City survives through blacksmithing and spiritual weapon production."
Damian slowly nodded.
"Fair enough. If people hear that weapons made here are suddenly breaking for no reason, this city’s reputation would be fucked."
Corven continued, "During the last month, more and more spiritual weapons throughout Thousand Forges City have been damaged."
Damian raised an eyebrow. "Damaged how?"
Corven sighed and placed several reports on the table for Damian to inspect. "That is the problem."
He pointed toward the reports. "For some unknown reason, the weapons crack far more easily than they should. Some suddenly collapse during use as though something inside them has already been broken."
Damian frowned slightly. "That sounds like bad craftsmanship. Have you checked the blacksmiths?"
Corven sighed again and nodded. "We did. At first, we suspected exactly the same thing."
His expression became increasingly troubled. "However, the affected weapons were forged by many different blacksmiths, and the methods they used were the same methods they had always used before."
Damian picked up one of the reports and carefully looked through it. "Different blacksmiths, same problem..."
He rubbed his chin.
"If the smiths aren’t the problem, then what else connects all the weapons?"
A moment later, Damian looked up. "What about the materials? Could the materials be the problem instead?"
Corven immediately shook his head. "Impossible, Sir Damian. We already inspected every shipment coming into the city."
He continued seriously, "Most of the major workshops receive their important forging materials through channels controlled by the City Lord’s Mansion. I personally established that system to ensure their quality."
Damian looked down at the reports again.
"The blacksmiths are supposedly fine. The finished weapons only break after being used. The materials were already inspected..."
He tapped one finger against the table. "Can I take a look at the warehouse?"
Corven paused.
Damian added, "Mainly the materials that haven’t been used yet."
Corven thought for a moment before nodding. "Of course, Sir Damian."
He stood from his seat. "I also want to inspect those materials again after what you just said."
Damian placed the reports back on the table and rose as well. "Good. Let’s take a look."
He followed Corven toward the door while quietly muttering to himself.
"I came here to learn blacksmithing. Somehow, I ended up investigating why an entire city’s weapons are falling apart."
Damian sighed.
"Why can’t I ever get a normal mission?"
---
A short while later, Damian and Corven finally arrived at the main material warehouse.
The moment Damian stepped inside, he stopped.
His eyes slowly widened as he looked at the enormous space filled with mountains of spiritual ores and other forging materials.
"Wow... this place is huge."
Corven gave a faint smile. "Thousand Forges City supplies materials to many blacksmith workshops. A warehouse of this size is only to be expected."
Damian walked toward the nearest pile of spirit ore and picked up a piece.
The moment he examined it, his expression changed again. "Damn... the quality really is good. You were right, City Lord."
Corven looked at him with mild surprise.
Damian casually turned the ore over in his hand while muttering to himself. "The purity is high, the spiritual energy is stable, and there are barely any impurities."
Corven’s eyes narrowed slightly upon hearing that.
He had not expected Damian to recognize so much with only a quick glance.
For the first time since they entered the warehouse, Corven began looking at Damian a little more seriously.
