Re: Evolution Online

"Hey! Did you hear about the new shop?"

"Just yesterday, it popped up, and it is selling really amazing weapons it seems!"

"Yes! Yes! I also heard that a human being runs the shop?"

"What? A human being in Kimoria? Are you drunk?"

Lyana blinked as she looked around in a daze. It hadn't even been a single day, and yet somehow, Liam was the talk of the entire city. 

She thought back to how worried she was if he would get any customers at all, and she sighed in embarrassment. Now she couldn't even get to the shop if she wanted to.

The crowd outside the shop was so big that nothing in the front was visible. All the elves were clamoring to go forward, and those who obtained a spot did not want to leave.

"If this continues on…" Lyana exhaled as what she had been dreading began to occur really soon. A few elves in the line started roughhousing with their neighbors, and soon fights started to occur.

Though Liam seemed to be still unaffected in the front, this much disturbance was more than enough to garner the attention of the higher-ups.

Lyana rushed ahead to stop this, but she was too late. The royal guards promptly showed up on site. Now things were out of her control. The best she could do was make them wait until Liam finished forging the current item.

An hour later, Liam once again found himself standing in the grand hall in front of the elven King, elven Queen, and a few others, including a particularly burly elf who had an amused smile on his face.

"Tell me again? What is this disturbance that I am hearing about?"

Liam politely smiled as one of the guards stepped forward and explained the incident. This was the outcome he was also expecting, so he did not have any qualms about it. Only Lyana, who was standing on the side, was trembling nervously on his behalf.

The king who heard the detailed explanation was equally shocked. In his wildest imagination, he had not anticipated that the human who had somehow wandered into their elven lands by chance would possess such a talent.

Now, what was he supposed to do? The king frowned in contemplation. 

On the one hand, it was troublesome to allow a human being to linger in their territory for too long, let alone conduct business sales. On the other hand… this was a different time… a time of war. 

An extra pair of hands in the production of weapons, especially ones of this caliber, was an irrefutable necessity at the moment.

The elven king looked at the human being who was starting to give him a headache now. Though everything he did was for the welfare of the elves, there was just something unsettling about the whole thing. His intuition said so.

Seeing the king remain unusually silent, Lyana quickly butted in. "Your majesty, please forgive me. It was I who obtained permission for him to set up a stall and sell his wares. Please don't punish him. It was my ignorance that has led to this occurrence."

"Hrmm. I see." The king answered, his cold eyes never leaving Liam. A few more seconds of uncomfortable silence filled the room when the king finally cleared his throat again and announced, "I have made my decision."

Everyone curiously listened, and the king continued, "Though the circumstances are against our guest, it has been my understanding that he had simply wanted to sell his wares before making the return trip back to the human kingdom."

"This is indeed a special case. No human being before had had such a privilege. However, no other human being has contributed more to the elven lands when compared to our guest."

"Taking into account the services he had already done for our kingdom, I have decided to temporarily grant permission for our guest to sell some of his wares before departing our fine city."

"But this will be done in an orderly fashion, adhering to the rules of the city. That will be all." The king stood up to leave, dismissing the gathered elves. Everyone else seemed in agreement with this decision, so the whole thing went smoothly.

After the King, the other elves also gave Liam a customary glance as they left the hall one after the other. Liam politely smiled back at them while Lyana sighed in relief.

The elves also did not look at him with as much hatred as they did during the first meeting. Almost everything was falling into place, and Liam triumphantly turned to look at the elf he was mainly interested in.

When everyone else had left the room, the old elf lumbered over to Liam, a wry grin still on his face. He even seemed a little friendly this time. 

Huh? Did it already work? Liam became nervous for the first time as he could see that the old guy was finally paying attention to him. This was also exactly what he wanted.

But the next second… his questions were answered…

Thud! Liam once again collapsed on the floor as a burst of sudden pressure assaulted him and forced him to fall face forward on the cold, hard ground. All he could now hear was the unruly laughter once again filling the entire room.

"Damn it." Liam was speechless. He could only breathe when the old monster left the room, and Lyana rushed forward to help him. "Are you okay?"

Liam shook his head. No, he was not okay. In fact, he would not be okay until he dealt with this damned old guy! He punched the floor with his fist and then stood up to leave the hall as well. 

The guards escorted them back out of the teleportation portal, and Liam was once again at the commoner's city. However, unexpectedly, one of the guards turned around and gave him an emblem.

"You can now use the weaponry teleportation portal."

"It's that one," Lyana whispered to him. Liam smiled in response. He was also excited to check out this one.

The elven woman accompanied him as the both of them used the new teleportation gate and entered the 'weaponry' area.

Immediately, a different place appeared in front of them, and Liam's eyes glittered at the magnificent sight. Splendid golden buildings, pristine streets, beautiful and elegant elves… 

This place was completely different from the commoner's city. It was almost as if this was an entirely different kingdom. 

But before Liam could take another step… "Halt!" A guard immediately appeared next to them. Liam raised his brows as he saw that the elves hadn't trusted him completely after all. 

"For now, you are only able to visit the smithing building." The guard listed out the clear instructions provided for Liam. Standing next to him, Lyana felt very awkward at how her fellow elves were treating her savior, but she was also helpless.

Liam, however, did not mind. Things have to be done step by step. There was simply no way around it. Soon the group arrived at the smithing building, and Liam was escorted to the ground floor, where the guard finally left him.

Of course, the other elven guards inside the building took over. The elf at the reception of the building gave Liam a stern look up and down and handed to him a token. "You are free to use this room for your convenience."

"Thank you." Liam gave a polite smile. The guards then escorted him to the specific room, which was fully equipped with all the tools that a blacksmith would require.

On top of this, there were also some scrolls at the top of the workbench.

Hmm? Liam picked up the scrolls to see that they were work orders. "You will be working on these." One of the guards behind him haughtily reminded him.

So I am supposed to stay inside this single room and work on one order after another like a slave? That is the courtesy the elves have shown me? 

Perhaps it was time to deal with the elves in an entirely different manner.

Liam's cold gaze swept over the scrolls when they suddenly disappeared, and new notifications popped up in front of him.

<Ding. New Quest Available>

<Ding. Quest: Forge a weapon to perfection>

<Ding. Reward: 10 gold coins; 10000 experience points; 100 reputation points>

<Ding. Bonus Reward available depending on the grade of the weapon forged>

<Ding. New Quest Available>

<Ding. Quest: Forge a weapon to perfection>

<Ding. Reward: 10 gold coins; 10000 experience points; 100 reputation points>

<Ding. Bonus Reward available depending on the grade of the weapon forged>

…

…

…

Just like that, Liam's sour mood disappeared on seeing the five new quests that were now available to him. His cold gaze cracked, replaced with another polite smile on his lips as he gave a response to the arrogant guards. 

"Sure, I will get cracking right away." He was finally on track to gain reputation points in the elven territory! Now everything was definitely going to work out!