Child of Destiny

Chapter 2263: The Assets of the Battle God

...

Shin could not help but be impressed by the new Holy City after walking through its streets for quite a while.

It wasn’t just the players who had improved.

The city itself had undergone a remarkable transformation.

The numerous facilities scattered throughout the city had expanded alongside its growing population. Even the inns, restaurants, bars, shops, battle arenas, and other establishments had become far more prosperous, with many of them expanding into multiple floors and incorporating more advanced features.

The Holy City was no longer the same place he remembered.

Seeing all of this, Shin suddenly thought of another city. "I guess I should visit the Gold Mountain after this."

A hint of guilt surfaced beneath his mask.

When he thought about it, he had barely managed his own fief despite being its duke.

So much for being the Duke of Valor.

He had practically left all the responsibilities to Shiella, allowing her to manage both the city and the entire territory in his absence.

Fortunately, Shiella was more than willing to take on the responsibility.

After all, as the mysterious Guild Leader of the Hand of Midas, she would never willingly pass up an opportunity to make more money.

To Shiella, his fief was more than just a territory.

It was a gigantic money-printing machine.

No—

It was a fortune-making machine.

Moreover, the territory was also their main source of funding for supporting their forces.

As a result, the fief was far more important to their plans than Shin’s casual attitude toward it might suggest.

On top of that, it was the only territory that provided players with access to the neighboring Frozen Kingdom, one of the highest-level neutral regions on the Aurora Continent.

Their territory also maintained a close alliance with the Frozen Kingdom.

Considering all of this, it was not difficult to understand just how strategically important their territory had become.

It was not merely a source of wealth.

It was a strategic gateway, a financial foundation, and one of the most important assets supporting their forces.

Thinking about this, Shin could not help but consider the other special places that only he could access.

The Phantom Island immediately came to mind.

It was definitely one of the best places in the game to improve one’s understanding of mana and elemental energy. More importantly, it provided an ideal environment for players to discover and develop their own combat states.

In other words, it was practically a paradise for the game’s top players.

Unfortunately, Shin still had not found a reliable way to allow other people to reach the island.

Without a proper means of accessing it, there was no way for them to turn the Phantom Island into a true strategic resource.

The Underwater Temple beneath the Forgotten Sea, however, was a different matter.

Not only did they have unrestricted access to the place, but Shin also possessed considerable authority over it. He had yet to obtain complete control over the temple, but for all practical purposes, he was its current master.

Even the surrounding maps were ideal for training their forces in underwater combat.

More importantly, the entire region was secluded enough to allow them to develop their forces without attracting the attention of other guilds and organizations.

Shin and Shiella had already discussed plans to turn the Underwater Temple into one of their strategic bases.

They simply had not finalized how they wanted to develop it yet, which had caused the plan to be delayed.

Then there was the most recent discovery he had made—the Secret Land of the fallen Immortal Empire.

That place was arguably even more valuable.

Not only did it contain numerous regions that were suitable for training, but it was also rich in resources, including rare materials that were difficult to obtain elsewhere.

And then there was the Tower of Inheritance within it.

Shin had personally experienced just how valuable that place could be.

Originally, the Secret Land could only be accessed through the teleportation formation within the Underwater Temple.

The problem was that there had been no reliable way to leave it.

Even Shin himself had been trapped inside for quite some time, unable to find a proper exit until he successfully passed the third floor of the Tower of Inheritance and obtained the exit token.

Now that he had finally found a reliable method to enter and leave the Secret Land, the situation was completely different.

He could finally propose turning the Secret Land into another strategic resource for their forces.

The more he thought about it, the more he realized just how many extraordinary resources were already within their grasp.

He had simply never taken the time to properly organize them due to the recent events.

"I guess there is a lot to do this time." Shin could not help but nod. "I’ll discuss the plans with Big Sister when I visit the Gold Mountain later."

...

It did not take long for Shin to reach his destination.

It was the same corner of the Holy City where Blacksmith Berlin’s original workshop had been located.

Just as he had expected, the place had changed once again.

During his previous visits, the workshop had undergone massive transformations every time, to the point that Shin had sometimes wondered whether he was even in the right place.

The first time he had visited, the workshop had been little more than a shabby establishment with barely any visitors.

His next visit had been completely different.

After Berlin’s promotion to Saint Blacksmith, the workshop had suddenly become extremely popular. Shin still remembered the massive crowd gathered in front of the shop, with a long line of people stretching outside as both NPCs and players waited for their turn to request the famous blacksmith’s services.

His visit after that had been almost the complete opposite.

The workshop had once again become a ghost shop.

The old dwarf had grown tired of people constantly bothering him for commissions, forcing him to close the workshop temporarily. He had simply informed the kingdom’s authorities that he was consolidating his realm after becoming a Saint Blacksmith and wanted to focus on his own cultivation.

Now, however, the workshop had returned to its humble appearance once again.

There was only one problem.

It looked completely out of place.

The Holy City had undergone such tremendous development that the surrounding buildings were now far more sophisticated and impressive. Compared to them, Berlin’s workshop looked almost like a rundown establishment that had somehow survived the city’s transformation.

Shin could only smile bitterly beneath his mask and shake his head helplessly. He truly could not understand the eccentric taste of that old dwarven blacksmith.

Even after becoming a Saint Blacksmith, Berlin still seemed determined to keep his workshop looking like a humble little smithy.

Of course, there were still players who had figured out that there was something special about this place.

Given the current stage of the game, it was impossible for experienced players to simply overlook such an unusual workshop.

A shabby establishment that had somehow survived the rapid development of the Holy City was bound to attract attention.

Many players believed that the workshop must be connected to some special quest, hidden opportunity, or rare resource.

There were always a few players lurking around the area, especially members of the major guilds who were already aware of the secrets surrounding this place.

Unfortunately, they lacked enough rapport with the NPCs working in the workshop to uncover anything meaningful.

At most, they could occasionally purchase some decent equipment from the shop while continuing to observe it from the sidelines.

Shin paid none of them any attention.

He simply walked into the workshop with the familiarity of someone returning to a place he had visited countless times.

The moment he entered, a young dwarf immediately greeted him. "Lord Envoy!"

Shin was slightly taken aback by the greeting, though he quickly understood why.

The mask he was wearing was more than enough for knowledgeable NPCs to recognize his status within the Church of the Sun and Moon.

Moreover, his close relationship with Berlin was already well known among those who frequently interacted with the old dwarf.

Shin also recognized the young dwarf standing before him.

He was one of Berlin’s apprentices—the same apprentice who had received him during his previous visits.

Shin casually nodded in response.

The young dwarf immediately bowed before gesturing toward the inner workshop. "Master is already expecting the Lord’s visit."

Shin nodded once again before following the young dwarf inside.

The interaction between the two immediately aroused the suspicion of the surrounding players, particularly those from the major guilds.

They began wondering about the identity of this mysterious person who had earned such high regard from the young dwarf they recognized as the Saint Blacksmith’s direct apprentice.

Their suspicions quickly reached their superiors.

"Keep an eye on that guy. Don’t let him out of your sight."

"We’ll be sending more skilled people to track his movements later."

"Make sure he doesn’t escape your eyes."

One order after another was relayed to the players stationed around the workshop.

They could not help but feel that they had stumbled upon something significant—something they could potentially exploit in the future.

Little did they know...

The person who had just entered the workshop was someone they should never have considered provoking.

Forget about his unprecedented reputation throughout the Saint Heaven Kingdom.

His title as the Battle God alone was more than enough to make them think twice about getting involved with him.

Unfortunately, they had already set their sights on him.

And Shin hadn’t even considered them worth noticing.

......