Volume 1: Spring in Wulong Town Chapter 136: Which company has the best casting technology? Bailianfang, a famous city on the mainland
In Wulong Town at the turn of spring and summer, light rain fell one after another.
There are fewer people on the streets...
The sound of drizzling rain for four or five days in a row also covered up the hustle and bustle of Wulong Town in the past.
As soon as the sky cleared up, a shocking piece of news caused a sensation in the entire Wulong Town!
"The second son of the Star Hunter Luo family of Bailianfang will go to Wufeng Tavern to get back the face for Bailianfang in half a month!"
"Ah? Looking for a place? Who do you want to ask for a place?"
"Of course it's Tang Zheng! He's the teacher from Tangjiabao, the one who won the bet with Bailianfang!"
"No way...Will Tang Zheng want to get it back after he loses ? When will this end?"
Initially, not many people believed that Luo Fei would come to Wulong Town to challenge an unknown foundry apprentice, but soon the news was confirmed by the proprietress of Wufeng Tavern.
Their fight was not only real, but also a public one!
All the blacksmiths in Wulong Town who had some basic knowledge of casting were extremely excited when they heard the news.
"It's actually public casting!" Usually, they wanted to go into Bailian Workshop to see how their apprentices were casting, but they were not allowed in, let alone watch the casters of the Liexing Luo family casting on the spot.
"Wufeng Wine Shop specially hung three scoreboards, saying that materials and processing are 40 points, fire control is 40 points, and the final product is 20 points. Whoever has the highest total score wins!"
"I just don't know who Master Luo Fei invited to grade the test. It wouldn't be fair if all of them were from Bailianfang..."
"Well, they should all start choosing materials now, right?"
The on-site casting and step-by-step scoring made Wulong Town very excited.
Whether it is the first step in casting or the first step in their competition, it is all about materials, so what everyone is most concerned about now is their choice of materials.
For several days, Tang Xiaotang did not see Tang Zheng drawing the casting blueprints. However, without the blueprints, Tang Zheng called Xu Qingyan over...
Tang Zheng took off the purple gold order hanging around his neck and threw out a bag of purple gold coins: "Help me run a trip to Feishi City!"
…
The door of the Jubao Pavilion in Wulong Town was locked. The only place that could find materials that would satisfy Tang Zheng was the Jubao Pavilion in the nearest main city, Feishi City.
It is normal to purchase materials before a casting competition.
However, when Xu Qingyan went alone and drove a horse-drawn carriage back to Tangjiabao, the craftsmen in Wulong Town could no longer hold back and followed him.
Because the carriage was to be unloaded at the gate of Tangjiabao, the items on it were quickly recognized by the craftsmen one by one.
"Isn't that the Purple Sun Pure Fire Furnace? One, two... four in total!"
"There are also Xuanzhen Furnace and Qinglu Furnace... What does he need so many furnaces for?"
"Uh, that big box... don't tell me it's full of black bamboo charcoal. What kind of monster is he going to forge that requires so much charcoal..."
As materials were moved into Tangjiabao one by one, interested craftsmen communicated with each other. A little later, a list of materials purchased by Tang Zheng was completed.
However, no one could tell from the materials what he was going to cast!
Because, there are too many...
Even if the owner of Bailianfang was present in person, it would be impossible to judge what Tang Zheng was going to cast from so many materials.
However, Luo Fei got the list that night.
After reading the list, he almost fell under the table. "Really? Does this guy have any basic modesty? Yes, I said that I don't care if he uses money to pile up materials, but can't he hear that I am mocking him? Can't he be tougher and compete with me with normal materials?"
"You may be overthinking it..." Mo Feng looked at Luo Fei helplessly.
Although Mo Feng didn't know Tang Zheng very well, he was sure that Tang Zheng was definitely not the kind of person who would not use precious materials just to bet with Luo Fei.
The rules allow it, so why not use it?
If you have money, why not be willful?
Luo Fei was so angry that he scratched his head: "Okay, okay, I just want to see what he can come up with with such good materials!"
…
Late at night. In the small courtyard of Tangjiabao, where Tang Zheng planted a lot of money, there were a bunch of foundries of different sizes in front of him, and the room was also filled with various rare materials.
"You're interesting. I give you so much money at once, why don't you run away?" Tang Zheng said to Xu Qingyan while counting the materials.
"I'm still waiting for you to give me more." Xu Qingyan replied expressionlessly.
Tang Zheng originally wanted to tease him, but he answered seriously. Tang Zheng thought it made sense, so he felt that he couldn't have a good conversation with this person.
Just as Tang Zheng was checking the materials, Tang Xiaotang came in with a piece of paper.
"Master, I guess everyone at Bailianfang knows what you bought!" The "there" she referred to was actually specifically Luo Fei.
"Oh." Tang Zheng smiled, "They knew it earlier than I did."
Tang Zheng hadn't even finished counting what Xu Qingyan had bought, but Bailianfang already knew everything. He had never realized that the craftsmen in Wulong Town were so gossipy.
However, the gossip is definitely not directed at him alone...
Tang Zhengyi stretched out his hand: "Then I guess what you have in your hand is the material that Luo Fei purchased?"
"Hey, how did you know?" Tang Xiaotang nodded and handed the paper in her hand to Tang Zheng.
"Because gossip is fair..." Tang Zheng smiled and unfolded the paper.
Luo Fei didn't buy much, only a dozen or so items in total.
Ore, charcoal, high-purity purple gold, some auxiliary materials for casting, water, etc. From the amount used, you can tell that he should be casting a dagger.
More than a dozen items added together are not as expensive as one of Tang Zheng’s materials.
"He is going to compete with his skills." Xu Qingyan sat in the corner and quietly read the list handed over by Tang Zheng.
"Tsk, so this is sentiment..." Tang Zheng smiled and handed the list back to Xiaotang.
Although it seems that Tang Zheng has all the advantages in terms of materials, in fact, Xu Qingyan and Tang Xiaotang both know that Tang Zheng's choice actually puts more pressure on him!
Because, for something cast with ordinary materials, anyone's expectations would definitely be lower.
Since Tang Zheng bought so many precious materials, the judges' expectations were raised. If he only cast something similar to Luo Fei's, or just a little bit better, he would lose!
Xu Qingyan remained expressionless.
But the worry in Tang Xiaotang's eyes became even stronger.
"Master..." Tang Xiaotang frowned tightly, "Although the materials used by Master Luo Fei are far inferior to ours, but..."
"But?" Tang Zheng turned his head to look at her.
"But since he said that he's not afraid of you using good materials, he must have made some preparations... You... You must not underestimate the enemy just because the materials he chose are ordinary!"
"Underestimating the enemy?" Tang Zheng was speechless.
Tang Xiaotang overestimates him!
No matter what, the other party is from the Star Hunter Luo family after all. No matter how silly Tang Zheng is, it is impossible for him to have such an emotion as "underestimating the enemy"!
"How are you going to start?" Xu Qingyan sat quietly aside, with no intention of leaving.
Because Tang Zheng hasn't started drawing the design yet!
The normal casting sequence is to draw the design first, then select and process the materials. Once the materials are ready, they can be put into the furnace. What comes out of the furnace is the semi-finished product, and then the array is carved to form the finished product...
But Tang Zheng clearly didn't plan to do it in this order!
However, Xu Qingyan had nothing to say - Tang Zheng was right not to follow the normal order. If he followed the normal casting order, there was no way he would win!
"Let me try first to see which materials are the best..." As Xu Qingyan expected, Tang Zheng did not adopt the method of determining the design first and then choosing the materials.
His criterion for selecting materials is - the best one!
Although Tang Zheng's life skills in his previous life were all maxed out, he was a novice among novices in the Xingyao Continent. If he wanted to make a two-star item independently, he certainly couldn't use a design that was too complicated.
So, his order is to first select the best materials, and then see what can be designed with these materials...
Tang Zheng picked up the materials and started processing them.
Although each piece of material was very precious, after Tang Zheng processed it, most of them were thrown aside by him...
Don’t do anything that is too complicated to handle, that consumes too much star power, or that is not handled smoothly…
Don’t accept those who are not good-looking, and don’t accept those who are not pleasing to the eye…
Even Xu Qingyan's eyelids couldn't help but twitch.
"Fortunately, no one is here at Bai Lian Fang." Tang Xiaotang felt that if Tang Zheng was seen by Bai Lian Fang screening usable materials like this, he would definitely vomit blood for three days and become seriously ill.
Among the full car of materials, there were only thirty items that Tang Zheng finally liked.
"Hmm..." Tang Zheng looked at the thirty selected materials with satisfaction, and then he began to form a picture in his mind...
Among the thirty pieces of materials, only less than ten will be used in the end. Tang Zheng's mind was filled with design drawings, which matched these materials.
While he was composing the picture in his mind, his hands were not idle either.
In the palm of his left hand, there was already a gourd-sized foundry furnace...
Sparks are shining.
Tang Zheng’s star power extends out!
With a "whoosh", the purple-gold constellation rose up behind him, and two stars shone in the fate palace. At the same time as the constellation rose, the fire in the furnace in the palm of his left hand became brighter, and a hot breath suddenly spread in the room.
But the next moment, Tang Zhengxing gathered his strength, and the fire in the furnace changed again. Two strands of red flames, one high and one low, intertwined and rose and fell continuously...
"Control the fire..." Although Tang Xiaotang did not know how to cast, she could roughly guess that what Tang Zheng was doing was controlling the fire!
