Chapter 1419: Artificer and Subclass Stone
This was an artificer who had once been on the rankings, but due to her unique style of doing things, she wasn't ranked highly. Later, she was even removed from the list for beating up a customer. However, on the Message Collection Terminal, reviews of this artificer were mixed. Overall, even without being on the rankings, she still had no shortage of clients.
After resting for a night at the hotel, early the next morning, Xu Huo searched for an address on the Message Collection Terminal and found a residential area.
This residential area consisted of individual houses, each with its own entrance. Dense household greenery formed a natural barrier to keep distance from others. Compared to other bustling places, it seemed somewhat quiet, but the number of surveillance cameras had increased exponentially.
Following a small path where cars couldn't enter, he arrived in front of a courtyard. Just as he was about to knock, he saw an old lady wielding a ruler, chasing a young man all over the yard:
"I said borrow, borrow, borrow! Where's the stuff you borrowed? And you dare come back empty-handed!"
"It's not my fault! Blame it on the opponent being too strong! They broke the props, what could I do!" the young man defended himself.
"You dare talk back!" Although the old lady was advanced in age, her legs were very nimble. She didn't even get red in the face or out of breath while hitting him, targeting only the fleshy parts. "With your level, how many opponents could you possibly face that break props? You probably gave them away again! I'm almost cleaned out of my stock because of you, you wasteful brat!"
The young man clutched his backside and jumped high. "I brought money today! If you keep hitting me, I'll give you a bad review!"
Hearing this, the old lady's eyes gleamed. She threw the ruler forward. The metal object, which looked only half an arm's length long, split into dozens of pieces in mid-air. They automatically tracked the young man, quickly connecting front and back into a birdcage shape, directly trapping him inside and pulling him back.
Seeing it getting closer and closer, the young man quickly begged for mercy, "Grandaunt, I was wrong! For the sake of me being your most beloved grandchild, let me off this time!"
The old lady reached in and grabbed his ear. "Plenty of people want to be my grandson! You never learn your lesson! Even if you bring money, I won't do business with you anymore. Get lost!"
The birdcage formed from the ruler automatically flew towards the courtyard gate.
As he passed by Xu Huo, the young man greeted him and shouted into the yard, "Grandaunt, there's a guest!"
"I'm not doing business today..." The old lady didn't even look up as she turned to go back inside.
Xu Huo reached out and held the courtyard gate, which was about to close automatically. "I have good materials."
The old lady turned around, smoothing her silver hair. "What kind of good materials?"
"Subclass Stone." Xu Huo stood outside the door. "I'd like to ask Teacher Lu to make a few suitable props."
Hearing this, the old lady gestured for him to come in.
Xu Huo grabbed the man who was reluctant to leave the gate, pulled him out, and casually closed the courtyard door.
The outer yard looked quite homely, but once inside the room, almost every visible shelf was filled with mechanical tools or crafting materials, along with some unfinished machines. The floor was also piled high with ore and metal raw materials.
"The operation room doesn't have any props." Old Lady Lu said as she walked inside. "The machines aren't worth much."
Xu Huo understood her meaning and smiled. "How could that be?"
It wouldn't be difficult for an artificer to get a Gray Player identity, especially since the Platinum Eye was particularly lenient towards artificers.
The inner area was the place for receiving guests. A young woman was doing housework. Seeing Xu Huo following Old Lady Lu, she immediately washed her hands and went to make tea.
"Don't bother, he might leave soon," the old lady stopped her.
The woman smiled. "Teacher, you're joking again."
She nodded at Xu Huo and still went to make tea.
The old lady snorted. After sitting down, she told Xu Huo to take out his items.
Xu Huo first took out the Subclass Stone he had received as a reward for clearing W37 City.
Subclass Stones are a type of ore that forms around Primordial Stones, gradually changing over time due to the energy released by the Primordial Stones.
There are many types of Primordial Stones, and the Subclass Stones derived from them are also diverse. Not every type is suitable for crafting props, but generally, those that can become raw materials for props are of considerable value. Compared to ornamental ores and other common ore materials, Subclass Stones are very high-grade prop raw materials. If they have special attributes, such as space or time attributes, they are even more precious.
Old Lady Lu glanced at it, then took out her glasses and gloves, put them on, and lifted the stone to examine it carefully for a moment before saying, "The quality is not bad. It's among the better tier of B-grade Subclass Stones. It can make two C-grade props, or one B-grade prop, but the effect of the prop made from it should be average."
"Teacher Lu can tell at a glance that this stone has no special attributes?" Xu Huo knew that judging ore grades usually required instruments. Relying on the naked eye could only give a rough idea, not accurately determine the ore's grade, main components, or what type of prop it would be best suited for.
The old lady snorted. "This kind of Subclass Stone doesn't need instruments. But I'll say this upfront: one Subclass Stone can only serve as the main material. If you provide the auxiliary materials yourself, I'll only charge a labor fee. If I choose them, you'll have to pay an additional material fee. And in the end, the effect of the prop is up to me, not you."
Old Lady Lu's specialty was selecting suitable auxiliary materials based on the main material to maximize its potential, rather than changing the material's primary use according to the client's requirements. In other words, if Xu Huo provided the main and auxiliary materials, she would craft the prop according to those materials. Of course, the configuration of the auxiliary materials was also a key factor in determining the final finished product effect. She would make props based on whatever materials the client gave her.
But if she chose the auxiliary materials herself, she would select them based on the texture of the main material. For example, if the best prop she could make was a Defense prop, she would unhesitatingly make a Defense prop, completely disregarding whether the client wanted an attack prop.
"When it comes to selecting materials, I'm certainly no match for an artificer. I'll leave it to you to decide what prop this Subclass Stone can make," Xu Huo said.
The old lady's expression finally relaxed a bit. "Come pick it up in seven days."
"Please wait a moment." Xu Huo took out the remaining Subclass Stones. He placed the three Subclass Stones obtained from the 002 District laboratory in front, and the one with time attributes, along with the one left by He Pu, behind them. "Please take a look at these stones too, Teacher Lu."
The old lady became a bit interested. She raised her hand and attached a small prop to her eye, then picked up the stone left by He Pu.
"This one is not bad," she said as she examined it. "Just by looking with the naked eye, it's at least A-grade. It might have special attributes. The quality is very good."
"Bring out my tools," she said to the woman who had brought the tea.
The woman complied and went into the inner room. After a moment, she pushed out a small operation table, on which sat a box-shaped instrument. It wasn't very large. Through the transparent wall of the box, a small metal tray could be seen inside.
Waving away the young woman who had come to help, Old Lady Lu carefully placed the Subclass Stone on the tray, then gently tapped the outer wall. Light illuminated inside the instrument.