Rebirth: The Time-locked Girl
Chapter 427 Kicked the Iron Plate! Meeting [1 More]

Chapter 427: 427 Kicked the Iron Plate! Meeting [1 More]

Valianky City, as the oldest city in the Northern Lands and now the third largest international metropolis there, teemed with tourists coming and going.

Most tourists would merely stop here and take photographs of the buildings.

But there were also a few who, uninvited, wanted to enter the banquet to cling to the powerful.

Unfortunately, these greedy individuals were all kept out without exception, and the Valianky family did not hand out invitations to outsiders.

Ye Wanlan paid no heed to the server and simply said, "Swipe the card."

"What?" The server didn’t hear clearly, still frowning, "No invitation, no entry."

Many high-ranking members of the Valianky family were attending today’s banquet.

As far as he knew, no one from Shenzhou had been invited.

The battle three hundred years ago had annihilated all of Shenzhou’s combat forces, stunning the world.

Who didn’t know that now Shenzhou could hardly compare with the Northern Lands?

Ye Wanlan looked up and finally repeated, "Move aside, swipe the card."

Her gaze was very faint, like the clear ocean color after a heavy rain, yet an oppressive aura spread from the depths of her pupils.

Few could maintain eye contact with her for long.

The server was frozen in place by her gaze, momentarily unable to move.

Ye Wanlan picked up her phone and swiped it at the card reader by the entrance.

A cheerful tune played as the "beep" sounded, and the automatic doors slid open on each side.

Ye Wanlan put her phone away and walked forward into the banquet hall.

Xie Linyuan followed right behind her, walking shoulder to shoulder, though no one else could see him.

The server stood shocked, taking a long time to regain his composure.

After a while, he remembered that there was such a pass, which allowed entry to any banquet hosted by the Valianky family even without an invitation.

In the last century, this pass had been crafted from a special ore using the unique smithing techniques and insignia of the Valianky family, and it couldn’t possibly have been forged.

As society entered a fast-paced era of high technology, the Valianky family kept pace, converting their physical passes to an online electronic version.

But... how could a person from Shenzhou possess such a top-tier pass?

The server was puzzled, but more so relieved and grateful.

Anyone who held such a high-level pass was invariably a close friend of the Valianky family’s senior management.

If he had been found at fault, he would have faced severe punishment, luckily this lady from Shenzhou didn’t take it to heart with him.

The server wiped the sweat from his forehead, yet the back of his shirt was soaked with cold sweat.

**

The banquet hall was vast, filled with guests.

Ye Wanlan chose a corner to sit down, picked up a glass of wine, and didn’t drink, just silently observing and gathering information about the various attendees as quickly as possible.

"In our time, the fame of the Valianky family had already spread from the Northern Lands to the Ning Dynasty," Xie Linyuan also surveyed his surroundings, "Truly worthy of being the first family of craftsmen; even though the items here are ancient, they are exquisitely made."

In former years, Shenzhou and the Northern Lands had friendly relations, and the trade between them was extremely developed.

Shenzhou transported minerals to the Northern Lands, which then turned these minerals into weapons, armor, and other items before sending them back to Shenzhou.

"Elder brother, let’s go find Farouk," Ye Wanlan set down her wine glass, "There’s no useful information here."

Xie Linyuan followed her, and via the signs, they crossed the corridor and arrived in front of a massive building.

This was one of several forging bases of the Valianky family, where only senior blacksmiths could independently own a base.

And here, in this place, was where Farouk Valianky most frequently forged.

Unexpectedly, there were already quite a few people waiting.

Upon seeing an additional person, the others merely glanced indifferently before withdrawing their gazes.

"So many people?" Xie Linyuan scanned around, frowning, "Can we even line up?"

Ye Wanlan’s eyes narrowed as she stepped forward and saw the notice posted on the large door.

The notice stated that Farouk had left the Valianky family half a month ago, without a specific date of return.

"This lady from Shenzhou," a woman shook her head with a smile beside her, "I’m afraid you’ve made a wasted trip, Mr. Farouk Valianky isn’t someone who will forge just anything. The more talented the person, the higher their standards tend to be, unless, of course, you can present something that catches his eye."

Ye Wanlan did not speak.

"If it’s just something ordinary, then any other blacksmith from the Valianky Family would suffice," the woman smiled again, suggestively. "Many blacksmiths from the Valianky family take on tasks at the guild. Why don’t you try your luck there?"

Blacksmiths who took on tasks from the guild were often those on the fringes of the Valianky family, and naturally, their craft wasn’t highly skilled.

Ye Wanlan nodded lightly, "When will Mr. Farouk be back?"

Seeing she had no intention of leaving, the woman shrugged, "We’re all waiting here, nobody knows when he will return. It’s all up to luck."

Farouk Valianky was not often seen around Valianky City, spending most of his time alone diving into various uninhabited forbidden zones in search of new forging materials.

One time, he nearly had his guts ripped out while wrestling two polar bears, yet as soon as he was able to leave his bed, he ventured into the Far North again.

"Geniuses, indeed, they all have their quirks." Xie Linyuan hugged his arms and raised an eyebrow, "I also don’t accept every challenge, only from opponents who are worthy."

"Of course, I know," Ye Wanlan smiled, "So if he can repair the Divine Might Spear, then I would like to see if he could create a body that would allow you, big brother master, to use it."

Xie Linyuan’s current state was something she could not quite grasp.

Not a soul, but also without a body, and visible only to her.

However, scientifically speaking, this situation could be explained by a type of particle invisible to the naked eye, distinct from both physical bodies and soul bodies.

This was what Ye Wanlan worried about most.

What if one day Xie Linyuan disappeared suddenly, just as he had appeared?

The words ’living apart and leaving forever’ might sound light, but they were truly too painful.

"If he doesn’t show up, do we just keep waiting here?" Xie Linyuan frowned, "Wouldn’t that be—"

Before he could finish, the tightly closed iron door suddenly opened.

This scene excited the crowd.

"Mr. Farouk has finally returned, this time I’ve brought a lot of money, hoping to obtain a weapon that is uniquely mine."

"Forget it, I thought the same last time, and I didn’t even get to see Mr. Farouk’s face."

After all, presenting something that could intrigue Farouk proved extremely difficult.

Crowds thronged, but Ye Wanlan still sat in her chair, quietly waiting.

The first person went in and, after just about ten seconds, left dejected.

Then the second, the third... until the thirty-seventh person in front of Ye Wanlan was ousted within half a minute; there was no one else left in front of the base.

Ye Wanlan brushed off the dust from her clothing and walked into the base.

Inside, it was dark, lit only by dim red flames.

In front of a giant furnace stood a tall man, nearly two meters in height, with impressively developed muscles.

Ye Wanlan spoke slowly, "Miss Estelle told me about Mr. Farouk’s exceptional talent in forging, which led her to recommend you to me. I would like to ask for your help in repairing a weapon."

"It’s been a whole year since I last contacted Miss Estelle," Farouk set his smithing hammer on the ground, turned around abruptly, his gaze intently fixed on Ye Wanlan, "Do you know where she is?"

"She took on a long-term mission because it’s important, and she’s been following up on it for a while now," Ye Wanlan said lightly, "But I’m not clear on the specifics."

Farouk let out a breath, "Miss Estelle is my friend, and naturally, her friends are also my friends."

Ye Wanlan looked at him, silent, waiting for him to continue.

Sure enough, Farouk went on, "But friends are friends, and forging is forging. I only forge what interests me. As for repairs?"

He had never found a broken item worth repairing.

To him, fixing other people’s flawed creations was an insult.

His current pursuit was to create a weapon that could rival the Treasured Sword that the ancestors of the Valianky family had forged for Princess Yongning three hundred years ago.

Farouk’s expression turned cold, his voice icy, "I never repair other people’s work. If Miss Estelle still wants to continue being friends, then she would not have sent you here. Please leave and do not come back."

These words did not drive Ye Wanlan away. She took down the zither bag from her back and unzipped it.

Inside the zither’s body lay the Divine Might Spear, broken into two pieces.

Historically, the Musician of Heavenly Sound also used to store a Longsword in the zither, which is the origin of the phrase ’Sword in the Zither.’

"Whether or not it is worthy enough, you’ll have to see it to know," Ye Wanlan’s expression remained calm.

"There’s no such thing," Farouk picked up his smithing hammer, turned around casually to look.