Chapter 3738 — The Invitation

He paused, and Scrap King drew a deep breath, fixing Wei Zhao with a burning stare. "The forepaws and whip-tail of a Nine-Tailed Cloudpiercer are rare finds that can't be sought, only stumbled upon. If you trust me, Brother Lin Er, come find me at the Azure Cloud Pavilion anytime. I'm willing to forge a weapon for you, free of charge."

So that was it! Only then did Wei Zhao understand the purpose of his visit. He did not answer at once, but asked instead, "Might I ask where you learned your craft, Brother Wang? Does the Threefold Pavilion have a place that specifically trains artificers?"

Scrap King was taken aback for a moment, then answered, "Not at all. Artificing is a very obscure profession. As far as I know, there aren't many proper artificers here on North Island—though there are quite a few over on Middle Island. As for my own training, I just happened to study for a few days under a master artificer named Sun Jichuan, and everything else I picked up on my own from manuals and trial and error. But rest assured, I won't boast about other things—my skill at artificing is absolutely solid!"

And that was what he called not boasting? Wei Zhao could not help but laugh. "But just now, Chen Blackbeard and the others said you've never once succeeded at a forging, Brother Wang?"

"Uh..." Scrap King was instantly rendered speechless. However much he considered himself an artificing genius, this was a bloody, undeniable fact—and it was precisely for this reason that people called him Scrap King.

"I believe you'll succeed. If the chance comes in the future, I'll come find you at the Azure Cloud Pavilion!" Wei Zhao gave him a faint smile.

His impression of Scrap King was actually rather good—it was plain to see the man had genuine substance. It was just that, even with the shoddiest of materials, he always insisted on forging top-grade divine weapons and treasures. Clinging to such a bizarre creed, if the fellow could actually succeed, that would be a true wonder to behold!

Still, the forepaws and whip-tail of the Nine-Tailed Cloudpiercer were useless just sitting in his hands. When he had time later, he might as well seek the fellow out and study the craft together—perhaps they really could forge something decent!

"You really are willing to trust me?" Scrap King was overjoyed beyond expectation. He had not held out much hope for this at all; he simply did not want to see such excellent artificing materials wasted and ruined. Yet unexpectedly, Wei Zhao had actually agreed.

One had to understand: though this peculiar profession of artificer had always been sought after, those truly worthy of the name could be counted on one's fingers.

An artificer like Scrap King, who had never once succeeded in forging a decent weapon, was in others' eyes an utter laughingstock. No one would take his words seriously, much less hand him rare materials to work with—not even if Scrap King volunteered to forge for free.

Because once materials were used in a forging, there were only two outcomes: success, becoming part of a divine weapon or treasure, or failure, reduced forever after to a pile of scrap with no value whatsoever.

And given Scrap King's embarrassing record, could the fellow possibly succeed? Only a ghost would believe it! Oh, no—not even a ghost would believe it!

It was no exaggeration to say that out of ten thousand people, nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine would not trust Scrap King's ability. But today his luck was good: he had met the last one, the one person willing to believe in him.

To him, this was very likely his last straw. If he could not seize this chance to redeem his name properly, then for the rest of his life he might truly have nothing to keep him company but that awkward title of Scrap King.

Seeing Wei Zhao nod firmly, Scrap King was so excited that his words tumbled over one another. "Th-then thank you so much! Rest assured, Brother Lin Er, I'll definitely forge you something fine—I won't waste such splendid materials. Whenever you have time, come find me at the Azure Cloud Pavilion. I'll be waiting all along!"

"Good. I have some pressing matters for the time being, so it will likely be a while yet. I'll leave it to you then," Wei Zhao replied.

Though he believed Scrap King had the skill to forge, the fellow's embarrassing record of zero successes was, after all, right there before his eyes—he could not afford not to be cautious. If he rashly handed over the materials, they might well be lost for good.

So even though he had agreed to let Scrap King help with the forging, Wei Zhao still decided to follow the whole process closely. It would also give him a chance to observe and learn how artificing was done.

After all, Scrap King was a proper artificer; in artificing, his attainments were bound to run far deeper than those of an outsider like Wei Zhao, who had learned everything by fumbling on his own.

Granted, Wei Zhao had previously repaired the Shennong Cauldron, expanded the jade pendant's space, crafted the Essence Necklace, and even forged heaven-tier divine weapons and treasures—but none of that counted as artificing in the true sense. To forge genuine divine weapons and treasures himself, he would still have to put in the work and study it systematically.

For artificing was not a matter of following a map, but of creation—fusing different materials into one, not simply forging according to blueprints!

There were thousands upon thousands of materials in the world. If everyone forged the same divine weapons and treasures, how could there be any distinction of superior and inferior?

In this respect, however foul Scrap King's reputation might be, he was more than qualified to be his teacher. When the time came to observe and learn together, he would surely benefit greatly.

Still, although he had agreed to his face, Wei Zhao reckoned that if he really did go to Scrap King for help, it would be at least a few months before he could.

For forging took far more time than pill refining—months at the least, and ten years or more at the most. And right now Wei Zhao still had to deal with the Newcomer Pavilion's assessment for new disciples, so he simply had no such spare time. He would have to wait until all that was done.

"Yes, yes, no problem—take your time, Brother Lin Er. An artificer's patience is no idle boast; I can wait however long it takes!" Scrap King did not mind in the least, nodding again and again.

To him, Wei Zhao's agreement to let him help with the forging was already a stroke of tremendous good fortune dropped from the heavens. As for waiting a while—that was no problem at all. However long it took, he could wait!

At that moment, Scrap King had even begun pondering which supplementary materials he would seek out to pair with the forepaws and whip-tail of the Nine-Tailed Cloudpiercer.

Though with his abilities it would be hard to obtain anything of quality, scraps and odds and ends, if used well, could likewise produce wondrous effects beyond all expectation—and that was precisely where his core value as an artificer lay!

"Brother Wang, then let us part here for now." Wei Zhao bade him farewell and turned to go, only to find that Scrap King paid him no attention at all. The man stood alone, frowning in thought, muttering artificing materials to himself from time to time. He seemed to have sunk entirely into his own mind, heedless of the world outside. RS