Qin Lun carefully moved towards the edge of the stone platform, discovering that this trading place suspended high in the sky actually had protective measures. A faint, transparent shield surrounded the platform. It looked inconspicuous, but when he pressed against it, he found it surprisingly elastic, strong enough to withstand tremendous force.
“Noble sir, is this your first time on the Order Alliance’s trading demiplane?” A sweet female voice sounded behind Qin Lun. Turning around, he saw a beautiful female Elf dressed in an employee uniform.
“Please register your Identity Plate! Without confirmed information, you cannot complete any transactions.” Seeing Qin Lun look back, the Elf woman smiled and offered a spherical card inserter.
Qin Lun took out his Identity Plate and swiped it through the inserter. He asked with a smile, “Aren’t customers worried about safety conducting trades on such a high-altitude platform?”
“Sir, you might not know. This platform isn’t made from ordinary stone; it’s cloudstone. This cloudstone has a law-based connection to the demiplane. As long as the demiplane holds, this cloud platform is perfectly safe.” The female Elf explained, her face wearing a professional smile.
After Qin Lun swiped his card, 500 Shattered Crystals were automatically deducted from his Identity Plate. Unlike the circular trading grounds of the Chaos Alliance, the Order Alliance’s Demiplane Trading Floor had a service fee. Of course, it wasn’t directly taken; after paying 500 Shattered Crystals, the female Elf gave him ten small chips resembling casino tokens.
“And what about that shield around it?” Qin Lun accepted the service chips, asking curiously.
“That’s merely to protect the cloud platform from disturbances by Void Static electricity. Look below the cloud platform in the distance…” The female Elf pointed away on the platform.
Qin Lun looked closely. Sure enough, he spotted flashes of lightning occasionally streaking through the clouds slightly below the platform’s distant edges, appearing dazzling and beautiful.
The young man’s eyes flickered, but he didn’t ask further. Beautiful as it was, this phenomenon probably wasn’t as harmless as the Elf attendant claimed. The Order Front likely chose this location for the demiplane trading ground for other reasons. However, he had no desire to probe such mysteries; seeing it was enough.
“Tell me about the trading rules here!” Qin Lun looked up, surveying the platform. He noticed Apostle traffic on the trading demiplane was sparse, making it somewhat quiet. Frowning slightly, he flicked his finger. A 50-Shattered-Crystal chip traced a graceful arc through the air and landed in the Elf attendant’s hand.
The female Elf’s smile remained, but her voice warmed a fraction. “Sir, trading with the Order Alliance is somewhat similar to the Devil’s Horn Auction House. There aren’t many attendants; it mostly uses automated vending…”
Listening to the Elf attendant’s explanation, Qin Lun discovered the stalls at the center of the trading platform weren’t physical booths. They were examples projected by devices. These square projectors were akin in purpose to the Chaos Alliance’s equipment identification goggles. They could also display equipment properties and skills, including their composition and whether they could advance further.
However, unlike the identification goggles, they could store data on multiple equipment items. They functioned like automated vending machines, allowing simple queries and transaction operations. Plus, they could act as communicators, connecting users directly with the sellers of the items.
“Sir, actually, the auction device in Devil’s Horn is just an enlarged version of this equipment technology. The Order Alliance originally provided this tech to the Apostle Cities.” The Elf attendant briefly explained.
“Hmm,” Qin Lun nodded noncommittally and asked plainly, “Besides trading equipment items, does this demiplane offer alchemy and forging services too?”
“Of course!” The Elf attendant nodded respectfully. “In the lower right corner of the platform, there’s a row of projectors that connect you to alchemists, Blacksmiths, and runesmiths from Devil’s Horn. As long as you agree on price and timeframe with these masters, they will enter specially designated alchemy rooms within the Order Alliance via teleportation gate.”
“Special alchemy rooms? Not on the trading platform?” Qin Lun voiced mild surprise. When he forged his Burial of Light and Darkness with the Chaos Alliance, he had done so directly in a demiplane alchemy shop.
“The trading platform isn’t large enough for many alchemy rooms. Those rooms are separate expansions,” the Elf attendant replied, shaking her head with a smile. “Some equipment is custom-made for Apostles. After signing an forging contract, the master crafters enter special alchemy rooms.
“Only the equipment’s owner and high-ranking members of the Order Alliance can access these rooms. Once forging is complete, the masters personally notify the Apostle to collect the equipment. During this time, their freedom of movement is… somewhat restricted.”
Qin Lun nodded in understanding. Custom Apostle equipment was generally valuable and often contained personal secrets, requiring appropriate confidentiality and security measures.
Having now experienced demiplanes from both the Chaos Alliance and the Order Front, Qin Lun gained a new appreciation for their value. The Order Front’s demiplane not only held unpredictable dangers but also seemed considerably smaller. These specially expanded alchemy rooms essentially confirmed the demiplane itself was too cramped for such activities.
Considering the Order Front possessed several large teams, hundreds of small-to-medium Apostle teams, and thousands of Professional Apostles, it clearly showed just how scarce and precious such demiplanes were. No wonder so many Apostle Cities vied fiercely during the division of the Atlantis Sacred City’s legacy, even launching a Metropolis Domination War.
“Alright, I won’t be needing you anymore.” While deep in thought, Qin Lun tossed another service chip to the Elf attendant. After she bowed and withdrew, he headed alone toward the row of projectors connecting to alchemists and Blacksmiths.
“Huh? Blacksmith Francis?” Scanning the row of projectors representing the Blacksmiths, Qin Lun was shocked to spot a familiar name. Looking closely at the displayed portrait, it confirmed it was indeed the Gnome Blacksmith master who had forged his Burial of Light and Darkness so long ago.
…
“Young man, what do you seek to forge… hmm? Is it… Qin Lun?”
The projector screen quickly displayed an elderly Gnome with a grey-white beard, wearing work goggles. Old Francis looked unchanged: clad in a filthy apron, still bustling about his smithy even as he accepted the video projection.
But upon seeing the video image, the old Gnome’s eyes lit up. He rubbed the grease off his hands onto his apron, then leaned towards the projection.
“Master, it seems you recognize me!” Qin Lun smiled.
“Of course! Although I merely elevated the quality of your Burial of Light and Darkness based on its heritage, it remains the only Legendary weapon I’ve ever forged – how could I forget? Besides,” the old Gnome grumbled, pursing his lips slightly, “you collected those Legendary firearms barely over a month ago. I’m not so old that I’ve forgotten what happened just thirty-something days prior!”
“Thirty-something days?” Qin Lun’s gaze became momentarily distant. After a moment’s contemplation, he sighed faintly.
During the Metropolis Domination War, he’d spent about a month in the Shattered Starry Sky, followed by consecutive journeys through the Hunter World and the Toril World. By local time in the Shattered Starry Sky, it truly had only been around thirty days since then.
“Oh, my apologies! I forgot – discussing time isn’t wise with you Apostles. A mere month of your adventures might hold more than a lifetime for other sentient beings,” Francis said awkwardly, rubbing his hands on his apron, his wrinkled face twisting.
“It’s fine. The life of an Apostle isn’t enviable. Perhaps before next month arrives, I’ll have vanished forever from the star void,” Qin Lun replied calmly, shaking his head.
The old Gnome opened his mouth, then closed it, at a loss for words. He mumbled, “Alright, perhaps that’s a topic best avoided! So, young man, what do you seek to forge this time? I… can offer you a discount.”
“Master, this time the items I need are a bit complex. The materials are numerous, I require your personal presence.” Qin Lun replied with a smile.
“Fine, I’ll come immediately… You’re at the Order Front?” Francis took a closer look at the projector ID number on his end, clearly surprised.
“Yes. When I was with the Chaos Alliance previously, it was temporary. Now I’m formally affiliated with the Order Front as an Apostle.” Qin Lun explained. “By the way, as a master Blacksmith of the Chaos Alliance, are you allowed to perform services for the Order Front?”
“Ha! Of course. I am a Blacksmith of the Dwarf Clan, not a servant to the Chaos Alliance. Our relationship is purely contractual; I often perform work for the other two Apostle Alliances in my free time. High-ranking Blacksmiths are rare in Devil’s Horn, after all.” Francis declared, stroking his white beard with a chuckle.
Two quarter-hours later, the old Gnome, freshly prepared, entered the headquarters of the Order Front promptly. However, they didn’t convene within the Demiplane Trading Floor. Instead, they met within a private chamber deep inside the alliance headquarters.
Surveying the substantial collection of rare items Qin Lun presented, the aged Blacksmith master couldn’t stifle his astonishment.
“A longbow crafted from a branch of the World Tree? Starfall Iron? This must be Starfall Iron, yes? There’s no such forging material native to the Shattered Starry Sky – I only ever witnessed it once before, held by an Apostle! And this? Some kind of staff? But that grotesque skull design… honestly invokes dread!”
“Young man, just how many pieces of equipment are you looking to forge?!” Francis demanded, eyeing Qin Lun with pronounced uncertainty.
“Master, I seek to forge only one item – an auxiliary piece. I wish to combine Burial of Light and Darkness, this Claw Chain, and Frostwind Chaser into a single Weapon Case. Additionally,” Qin Lun stated earnestly, “if this World Tree Longbow can be repaired to a functional degree, ideally it, along with the Mithril Arrows, could also be integrated into the Weapon Case.”
“Hmm… This World Tree Longbow was clearly a finished Spiritual Equipment once, what a pity!” The old Gnome examined the longbow with deep regret. For a master craftsman like him, seeing spiritually potent equipment rendered inert was always deeply unpleasant. “I may have a few low-grade Artifact Spirits on hand, but frankly, none truly suit this bow. Your best course would be to procure a top-tier Artifact Spirit.” Francis murmured thoughtfully.
