After seeing Elsana's Apothecary, I had some expectations for Lannayin's forge, expecting to find another walled compound, filled with a small army of disciples and servants. The location of it, near the center of the city, didn't change it.

To my surprise, I found a sole, almost ruined building, with its immediate surroundings empty. It looked like someone had transported the building from some kind of ruin. If it wasn't for the signboard in the front, Volcano Forge, I would have thought that I arrived at the wrong location.

The signboard was as potent as the Snow Blossom Apothecary. Just by looking, I fell into a boiling heat wave, forcing me to look away.

The door was closed, with a sign marking the place as closed. I knocked on the door despite not having an invitation. Lannayin was a direct woman, and I used it to my benefit. I had to knock three times before I received an answer. "Who is it?" a strained voice came from inside, one that gave me an interesting nugget of information.

Martial Experts also suffered from hangovers. She still sounded sleepy.

"This is Scholar Arthanum, from the previous evening's feast," I answered, but I was already prepared to leave. My surprise visit was already pushing it without waking her up from her sleep. And, when there was no answer, I turned to leave.

Before I could take a step away, the door opened. No one was on the other side. "Come in," she shouted from inside.

I entered, taking a glimpse of the place. I expected to find a storefront, maybe a few servants.

There was only one person inside. Lannayin, currently leaning against the forge. The hangover was affecting her hard. She still wore the same clothes she did the night before. They didn't look messy, like they were slept in, but I assumed it was more about the superior quality of her clothes than anything else.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, though her tone was more surprised than scathing.

"Master Elsana had invited me to lunch —" I started.

"That bitch, trying to win the bet," Lannayin growled, followed by a slight expression of panic realizing she had slipped something. The subject of the bet was easy to guess.

"Did you say something?" I asked, acting like I didn't hear what she said, acting like I didn't understand what she had been driving at. I didn't want to ruin the excellent setup they created for me.

"Nothing, continue. You were saying Elsana had invited you to lunch? Why are you here, then?" she asked, though I didn't miss her push out her considerable chest with pride.

"I already wanted to come here, but I didn't dare to ignore the invitation from a Master of her stature," I said, shamelessly lying while also admitting to being a coward. She had an expression of disdain on her face, not liking my cowardly admission.

"Then, what happened?" she said.

"Well, one of her disciples was at the door, trying to challenge me to enter," I said.

"Don't tell me that you were cowardly enough not to dare fight one of her soft disciples. They are nothing in a fight."

"Of course not. But, since I already preferred my time with a fascinating expert Blacksmith, I used it as an excuse and tested my fortune instead." It was a stretch, but last night had already shown that she was rather gullible, and targeting her pride was an easy way to make some headway.

However, tricking her was not as easy as it first sounded. She might be gullible, but she also looked reckless enough to punish someone when angered. And, if someone truly targeted her, they still would have to worry about her friend Elsana's reaction.

"You are interested in forging, really?" she said, excited. "Really?"

"Well, not the forging directly, but the techniques behind it. I'm a mere scholar, after all," I said. She looked dissatisfied, so I revealed a bit more. "For example, I'm fascinated by the way the low but continuous blows, combined with the endless blows, could be used to extract the essence out of silver to reinforce the Initiate stage weapons designed for martial artists," I said, using some information from the System reward.

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It was actually a technique that belonged to her Volcano Hammer Forging Technique, but I didn't reveal my full knowledge. Just enough to convince her I was not a complete beginner with forging.

I was afraid of revealing too much and make her expecting things from me. The ability to trigger the System through Pampering had been nice, but I didn't know whether it triggered despite Pearyin expecting my help … or due to the fact that she had forgotten everything but pleasure at that moment.

Or maybe, she had just lost herself in the role of the Master enough to convince the System.

Unlike her, Lannayin wasn't a blushing virgin who would forget everything at the moment she faced with a little pleasure. Worse, just by looking around the state of her living space — a true mess everywhere but the forge, which was flawless — I could see that she had cared about her job more than anything.

I would have no hope of actually triggering the System if she believed that the discussion between us was an exchange of information. I wanted to know more about forging, not because I wanted to make an honest living, but because I wanted to prepare for the future.

If there was a problem, no one would assume that an arrogant and lazy young master and a mysteriously skilled blacksmith were the same person. Making preparations for the future was the smart thing to do.

Her babbling about a topic to seduce me and win her bet was far more appropriate to trigger the System. Hopefully, it would be enough not to trigger any kind of suspicion out of her, and even allow me to focus on getting some lessons out of her.

Even more importantly, as long as I maintained her good mood, I could get a few more gifts, and rely on the System to multiply it further.

I had the time to slowly think and consider all. At the moment, she was convinced about my interest, she started talking about forging, powering through her hangover. She was hesitant at first, but as she saw my fascinated expression, she continued talking about the finer points of forging.

Unlike the last time, she wasn't drunk … but that made tracking her talk even more challenging. Whenever she asked me a question, I had to answer with a poem to distract her from the fact that I didn't even understand her point, followed by a few pointed questions to drive the discussion back to the basics.

I was glad that I had spent some time reading the books Pearyin collected for me, which allowed me to know which topic was basic, and which topic was advanced, therefore changing the topics accordingly.

"It's such a pity that I don't have any fate with forging," I sighed when she finished yet another complicated explanation, and during that, forged a simple dagger. I continued mentioning my pity not to lose her emotional investment even though she continued to flirt with me in her own unique way.

"Here, take it," she said once she attached a hilt. The dagger was small and easy to hide, and it looked fascinating.

[Cultivation Difference Bonus - 30; Pity Bonus - 40 (Capped)]

[70x Return - Volcano Steel Dagger, Yellow Medium-Grade]

I smiled as I accepted it, though my happiness was more about the multiplier I had received from her gift than the gift itself. It was merely a Mortal High-Grade weapon — though it could still be sold for a hundred gold.

I wasn't wasting my time for nothing.

Once she gifted me the dagger, I asked her another question about ordinary forging, and kept the class going. The more interested I looked at her explanation, the more passionate she got about explaining; which was understandable, as she was truly a terrible teacher, jumping between topics without a warning, assuming a higher level of knowledge without prompting.

I was starting to believe that her lack of apprentices was not a choice.

She only stopped talking when she noticed the sky was darkening. She gasped. "I forgot. I have a meeting at the city lord's manor," she gasped, looking regretful.

Ending the lesson and triggering the System response once more.

[Cultivation Difference Bonus - 30; Pity Bonus - 40 (Capped)]

[70x Return - Ordinary Forging Technique Lesson, Beginner - Minor Accomplishment]

[70x Return - Volcano Forging Technique Lesson, Initiate, Beginner]

[70x Return - Volcano Forging Technique Lesson, Muscle Reinforcement, Beginner]

"It was fun," I said, doing my best to look like I hadn't spent hours trying not to fall asleep listening to the lesson I didn't compherend. Then, I took a deep breath, and sighed in despair while I mumbled a statement. I tried to make it look like I was talking to myself, but I knew she could hear that easily.

"I wish I could stay here a few days longer, but I'm almost out of money."

Her eyes widened as she heard that, but said nothing while she played with her hammer. But, when she passed next to me, I felt a sense of pressure in my pouch.

[Cultivation Difference Bonus - 30; Pity Bonus - 40 (Capped)]

[70x Return - 700 Gold Piece]

Just like that, I was rich.

I hid my elation while she returned to her earlier location. "It has been fun, talking to someone that appreciates the art of forging," she commented. "Do you have anything to do tonight?" I shook my head. "Good," she said as she flicked some kind of token toward me, one that didn't trigger the System return. "I have a room reserved for tonight's fight. Come watch it with me."

"It would be my pleasure," I said, giving a soft bow before leaving.

Surprised by how easy my trip was shaping up.