Usually, there were no real blacksmiths in the [Lower Domain].
At least, not ones that worked for players.
Weapon repairs, enhancents, and crafting were almost exclusively handled by players themselves.
So invested heavily into crafting classes, others learned enhancent through trial and error, often breaking their equipnt in the process.
There were natives who could forge weapons for other natives, of course. But none of them offered their services to players.
The reason was simple: it would be too valuable.
If a native blacksmith worked for players, especially one with a high level, it would completely change how fast people could grow stronger.
And yet... Right in front of Leon’s eyes, Tolkien had just done exactly that.
He had set up shop in the heart of [Moon City].
Any nearby player could now repair broken weapons, attempt enhancents with higher success rates, or even commission better equipnt, assuming they had the materials and the money.
Of course, none of this was free.
Tolkien charged a hefty amount of [Eternal Coins] for his services.
But Leon knew that wouldn’t stop anyone.
Even high level players would gladly pay if it ant better gear and fewer failures.
On top of that, Tolkien was a level 50 native.
Almost no one in the [Lower Domain] could defeat him.
Anyone foolish enough to try and cause trouble would be crushed in seconds. That alone made his shop safe.
As long as Tolkien stayed here, [Moon City] would beco one of the best places to improve equipnt in the entire domain.
Leon watched the crowd grow around the stand.
Players whispered among themselves, excitent clear on their faces.
So had broken weapons they desperately needed repaired.
Others clutched equipnt, hoping this would finally be the attempt that succeeded.
So simply wanted to see what Tolkien could do.
Without aning to, Leon had changed things.
His actions had created a way for players to grow stronger, faster, and more reliably.
He hadn’t planned this. But it happened anyway.
"Is it a bad thing?" Emilia asked, tilting her head slightly. "I an... it’s going to help a lot of people."
Leon scratched his chin and thought about it.
"Hm... depends on the person, I guess," he replied. "Not everyone is good. Honestly, most players don’t really care about other races. They just tolerate them."
Emilia grinned, her eyes sharp.
"If they keep being arrogant," she said, "then we just show them."
Leon sighed, but a small smile still appeared on his face.
"That’s one way to do it."
He turned away from the crowd, deciding to let Tolkien handle things on his own.
Hundreds of players were already surrounding the stand.
Tolkien didn’t look bothered in the slightest.
At the sa ti, another thought crossed Leon’s mind.
’I guess I can sell everything I don’t need now.’
There was a lot. All the [Moon Sect] armor, swords, and staffs he had collected.
The equipnt dropped by [Moon Sect Devouts].
The items from the mutated monsters he fought during the [Blood Heart Challenge] that weren’t useful to him.
And several other pieces he had no intention of keeping.
Leon opened the [Trading House] and placed everything for sale.
Then he closed it just as quickly.
If everything sold, he would easily have enough money for another [Storage Space] expansion. Possibly even more.
Satisfied, Leon opened his [Friends] panel.
Ding!
[You have received a ssage from "Eleonore Starlight"]
[You have received a ssage from "David Windbreak"]
[You have received a ssage from "Aaron Godfield"]
[You have received a ssage from "Alice Evicton"]
Leon raised an eyebrow. He opened the ssages one by one.
All of them had completed their assessnts.
Next to their nas, he could see the words [Lower Domain], confirming that they had successfully advanced.
[Eleonore Starlight: I managed to complete the B-Rank assessnt, though it was extrely tough ╰(°∇≦*)╮]
[David WindBreak: I failed the B-Rank assessnt at first but managed the C-Rank one thankfully.]
[Aaron Godfield: C-Rank assessnt completed, though Eleonore managed to beat us all!]
[Alice Evicton: A-As a support I could only manage to clear the D-Rank one... sorry!]
Leon read through all of them and nodded. Eleonore was as impressive as ever.
Even among all races, people who could clear a B-Rank assessnt were rare.
That ant the rewards she got must have been extrely generous.
’She deserves it,’ Leon thought, ’I’ll give them so of the items I kept later,’ he decided. ’For now, it’s fine if they explore the [Lower Domain] and reach [Hub City] on their own.’
Leon quickly sent ssages back, congratulating them and wishing them good luck.
He told them they would et soon. Then he closed the panel.
After that, Leon and Emilia walked toward a small restaurant near the main square of [Moon City].
It wasn’t flashy, but it looked clean and welcoming.
Emilia’s eyes sparkled the mont she stepped inside.
"I didn’t expect a place like this to exist in this world," she said honestly. "Everything until now has been pretty grim."
Leon chuckled.
"If you know where to look, it’s not as bad as people think," he replied.
In his past life, Leon had spent a long ti simply living. Especially in the [Higher Domain].
Nearly ten years, to be precise. Many players eventually realized how vast [Eternal Ascension] truly was.
And once they did, so of them decided they didn’t want to grow any stronger.
They reached level 50 or level 100, the thresholds required to move to the next domain, and then stopped.
They saw no reason to push further. If they were already among the strongest in their domain, then why leave?
Why risk death, stress, and endless battles?
They could just enjoy themselves. Eat good food. Live comfortably.
Leon understood that way of thinking. He had followed it himself once.
He had stayed in the [Higher Domain] longer than he should have, satisfied with his life there.
But in the end, that logic was flawed.
Because once the gods and other overwhelming entities began to appear, peace stopped being an option.
There was no place to hide forever.
Those who thought they could live quietly would eventually be forced to face reality.
Still, Leon wasn’t worried.
At the pace he was moving, he would finish everything he wanted to do in the [Lower Domain] within days.
As for the [Higher Domain], he planned to stay there for about a year. Enough ti to prepare properly.
He didn’t know much about the [Eternal Domain], but he knew one thing for sure: he needed to be ready.
A few minutes later, a native brought their food. The aroma alone made Emilia’s eyes widen.
They started eating imdiately.
"Oh my god," Emilia said after the first bite. "After eating that tasteless at before, this tastes like heaven!"
Leon laughed.
"The food gets better the further we go," he said. "I hope that’s motivating enough."
"It is!"
They ate while talking casually.
Most of the conversation was Emilia telling Leon about her life in her previous world.
Verdia didn’t sound that different from Earth.
The biggest difference was that its inhabitants were elves, aning they lived much longer lives.
Other than that, daily life was surprisingly normal.
"But I know what your talent is now," Emilia suddenly said, puffing out her chest proudly. "No doubt about it."
Leon raised an eyebrow, amused.
"Oh?" he said. "Then tell ."
And...
"Max Drop Rate?" she said eagerly. "That’s how you keep getting all these items that make you stronger!"
"Bingo," Leon nodded. "You finally got it."
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