MMORPG: Crowd Control

"I can work for Candice, but I will not work if I don't feel like it. Also, I do not wish to be shackled by any laws nor will I be forced to work at all." Smither Gary said adamantly.

Accepting to work for Candice, was already his bottom line because she had the ability to summon Mistress Doreah- something that had assisted him in his tragic youth.

Thus, no matter how reluctant he was, he would still work for the successor of Mistress Doreah. He might have focused his entire life on blacksmithing, but Mistress Doreah was someone that had a special place in his heart.

And of course, Lei Zhen understood that this was the best outcome.

To be able to obtain a blacksmith into his guild, was equivalent to improving their guild strength by a margin of a ton of players combined.

"Our Zero Fear guild welcomed you, honorable Smither Gary." Lei Zhen extended his hand and smiled brightly.

Smither Gary snorted coldly, but still shook hands with Lei Zhen.

With that handshake, the Magnolia system officially recognized the entry of Smither Gary into their guild. Even though Smither Gary was an NPC, they could still join a guild created by players with a fixed salary.

When Lei Zhen checked the fixed salary of Smither Gary, he could feel his heart bleeding in pain because Smither Gary's salary was 10 gold coins per month.

And that was at a discounted price due to Candice's appearance. Otherwise, he was afraid that the 10 gold coins would be 1000 gold coins minimum. Not to mention, the process of being able to recruit him in the first place wouldn't have even happened if it wasn't for Candice.

'One must prepare to bleed money in exchange for an expert. It's worth it.' Lei Zhen exclaimed inwardly, trying to calm his emotion.

Sometime later, Lei Zhen finally decided to request Smither Gary to craft more Bolten artifacts.

"We can talk about the charges later on, but I would be grateful if you could craft a lot of these Bolten artifacts. They aren't for me, but for my companions because these are extremely important." Lei Zhen said in a solemn expression.

Lei Zhen's serious facial expression somewhat astonished Smither Gary because he could tell he was afraid of something.

"Is there a specific reason why you needed so much Bolten?" Smither Gary asked.

Lei Zhen nodded his head. He then explained the situation, including the fact that Liu Lingxin was the one being ambushed.

"Recently, there's been a group of people that have mysterious abilities, capable of capturing people and detaining them. We still have no clue as to how this group of people functions, and only the Bolten artifact can provide some safety for us."

"Is that true, little lass?" Smither Gary turned his attention to Liu Lingxin and asked.

Liu Lingxin nodded her head and regretfully informed him that she had wasted the Bolten artifact.

Toward Lei Zhen and Candice, Smither Gary no longer believed their words because of how many times they had deceived him.

However, he could somewhat believe Liu Lingxin to be the honest and straightforward type.

"What exactly was the monster screaming?" Smither Gary suddenly asked.

And without hesitation, Liu Lingxin answered swiftly, with complete confidence in her answer as well.

Smither Gary nodded his head when he heard her answer.

"Indeed, that's the only monster that I have used in the past for the Bolten artifact. If you had answered incorrectly, then I wouldn't have believed you." He replied, revealing that he was merely testing Liu Lingxin's honesty.

"Not everyone is dishonest, Smither Gary." Tang Qiaolian interrupted and said, seemingly displeased about the fact that Smither Gary would think badly of Liu Lingxin.

"That was my thought as well, but it was a shame that you are a companion with this goddamn brat." Smither Gary snorted coldly and glared at Lei Zhen, clearly still holding a grudge.

"Didn't we say let bygones be bygones?" Lei Zhen twitched his mouth and said in disbelief.

"Sorry, but I'm old and my memory is fuzzy. Who knows what I have said previously." Smither Gary sneered.

And he continued, "I can craft multiple Bolten for your safety, but this brat must be my assistant, meaning whatever I say, he must follow it exactly without any complaint. Otherwise, I will not craft it at all and you all can be fearful of your life."

"..."

'This damn old man is definitely trying to get revenge.' Lei Zhen cursed silently. He would be a fool to believe someone of his caliber to require an assistant, much less an inexperienced person in terms of blacksmiths.

Of course, if Lei Zhen could tell that Smither Gary wanted some revenge, the other women obviously knew about it as well.

Alas, they could only sacrifice Lei Zhen in return for safety and peace.

"Lei Zhen would definitely be joyous to know that he could be an assistant of you, Smither Gary." Tang Qiaolian was the first one to say, followed by the rest.

"Indeed, Lei Zhen is always eager to learn new stuff, and this is a great opportunity you're giving him, Smither Gary." Griselda chuckled softly.

Liu Lignxin nodded her head and cheered for Lei Zhen. "Fighting Lei Zhen, I'm so jealous that you can learn from a great blacksmith."

Lei Zhen twitched his brows when they all readily threw him under the bus without hesitation.

"Candice, you aren't going to agree with them, right?" His only hope was Candice, who always supported him no matter what.

Candice smiled brightly and patted Lei Zhen's shoulder.

"Of course, I will not agree with them." She said brightly.

Just when Lei Zhen was about to praise her, Candice's next word stumped him completely.

"You shouldn't be bothered by their words and focus on crafting. Smither Gary is an expert and many people would beg or crawl on their knees to receive guidance from him. Master is indeed the lucky star to have such a fortune to learn under Smither Gary."