You and me under the world tree

"Okay."

He swore that it was the most beautiful smile he had ever seen, like an iceberg turning up, although it was just an ordinary upturn of the corners of her mouth, but she was indeed smiling, without any grievance or disgust.

Then there was no more, she herself had no interest in that kind of marriage proposal ceremony, the two just registered on the system symbolically, and after recording each other's ID on the panel, they exchanged their weapons—— It was her request, and there was nothing else she could do.

The two still got along as before, they didn't buy a wedding room in the game, they didn't choose a place to live, and even other people in the guild didn't know they were married.

"Tsk..."

Thinking of this, Huo De couldn't help but feel a little bit of loss. In fact, he was quite envious of couples who were in pairs in the game, especially on Valentine's Day. Is filled with the 'single is a sin' atmosphere.

"Forget it, let's do the task." Finally, after stuffing the letter text from the mailbox into the inventory, he left the mailbox at the hotel entrance.

However, he still felt that it was not safe, so when he was walking, he still locked the letter in the inventory, and prepared to throw it back into the warehouse for storage.

In this way, he walked again in the main city of Volsung in the new version. Compared with the previous version, the layout of this city has changed a lot. The new king Legney is still a good The king, in the 20 years since he brought the Netherlands under his rule, the city has been relatively stable, but at the beginning, the changes in the layout still caused players to complain a lot.

Except for the surviving hotels and taverns, the locations of others including blacksmiths and shops have changed, and Huo De is now going to a new version of the blacksmith shop, which is located in the southernmost part of the royal city. Compared with other blacksmith shops, it is quite remote, but even so, many players are willing to come to this blacksmith shop to buy things.

Because the NPC here: Blacksmith Lakin is the issuer of daily tasks, and the new version of the forging formula is also purchased from him.

Of course, the above are just the interests of the players. As for personal sensibility, it is because there is a future hero here: Siegfried.

However, compared to the image of a great hero described in Dragon Song, Siegfried is still just an ordinary blacksmith at this moment. Even immerse directly in cold water.

The sound of pricking caused a burst of cheers, and those players who were obviously new and mostly girls stood at the door of the blacksmith's shop, staring at the man with a strong figure.

How should I put it, even if a handsome guy is just blacksmithing here, he can gain fans. Seeing these male and female players in front of the blacksmith shop, Huo De couldn't help but think of the small guilds he saw before, like what kind of Feige support club? Yes, there are even mother fans on the forum, and it's a pain in the ass to watch one baby at a time.

I don't understand the mentality of groupies...

In the end, Huo De bit the bullet and continued to move forward. He was ready to squeeze into the crowd, but at this moment, a system prompt popped up in his field of vision.

[It was detected that there is a 'broken sword handle (mission item)' in your item, do you want to enter the special task scene? 】

In the item bar, the task item with the exclamation mark is shining...

[Mission: Broken Holy Sword]

[Mission Objective: Bring the Fragmented Gurum to Siegfried]

[Task Reward: Free Skill Point 5]

[Item description: Time may fade memory, but it will never make emotion disappear]

Chapter 6: Haven't you been to Valentine's Day?

Special mission scene, according to game terminology, this is another kind of mirror map other than the copy, it generally shares the area with the main map that is not active with the players, and exists exclusively for certain missions.

In the game "Nine Realms", special scenes mean highly intelligent NPCs, both NPCs and bosses will respond to the player's actions and words, and there are many interactions between the two sides.

"It seems that it is quite difficult to squeeze in among these players..."

Glancing again at the group of players crowded at the door just to catch a glimpse of the future dragon-slaying hero, Hodder finally clicked the confirm button.

The next moment, the feeling of discomfort spread all over the body, dizziness, a feeling of cutting burst out from the brain, and the eyes were still a little dark, and when the vision finally returned to normal, the bustling players in front of them seemed to disappear , as described in the new release documentation:

This weapon shop located in the southernmost part of the royal city is quite secluded, there are not many noisy human voices in the depths, only the tinkling sound of iron clanging.

Under the full operation of the game cabin, this kind of auditory simulation can be said to be extremely real, as if it was really passed into the ears, along with Hodder's forward pace, it went from far to near, and finally, when When he pushed open the half-closed wooden door, he saw the interior scenery.

The entire shop is divided into a yard and a house. The two small houses at the back are obviously for people to live in. The big house facing the wooden gate is a shop. In front of the shop, which is the yard that Huo De saw, there are furnaces. , bellows, anvil, and whetstone.

Since the opening of the blacksmith shop, Huo De can be said to be familiar with the road and everything here, so he naturally walked into the yard, beside the anvil, the man who had not yet become a hero The young man was concentrating on beating the metal in his hand, and the iron block was gradually becoming the shape of a sword.

He is very attentive and patient. Being immersed in the casting, he doesn't care about the flying sparks, and he doesn't care about the continuous heat in the furnace. He doesn't even notice that there are customers in this shop. , and Huo De was not in a hurry, he just watched the boy who blacksmithed quietly, covering his face could not hide his vision.

The game "Nine Realms" is extremely sophisticated in terms of character modeling. It will not bring two irrelevant people together, force the setting of father and son, and it will not use the same image To fool people.

Siegfried is completely different from his father. I don’t know whether he used the same model’s face model or made a deliberate adjustment. With just a glance, even StarCraft players can confirm that Siegfried is the same as the young Siegmund. They are definitely not the same person, but at the same time, they can confirm the father-son relationship between them.

Then, after some tempering, Siegfried put the formed sword into cold water to quench it. The sword shone coldly in the sun and looked extremely sharp, and Siegfried liked it very much. , he looked at the blade carefully, but in the end, he shook his head.

This sword is no good. The blade is too thin and the blade is too sharp. Although it is hard enough, it is not malleable enough. If it is used to chop wood, it will break directly.And the reasons are obvious:

The strength of the tempering was inconsistent, the quenching was not good enough, and there were also problems with the design. At least in Huo De's eyes, at least three problems had been marked in his vision.

To put it bluntly, the forging skill points don't add up. After all, he is just an apprentice in a blacksmith shop. The dwarf Lakin is responsible for raising him, but he doesn't intend to let him inherit his craft, so he hasn't taught him carefully.

"Alas..." In the end, Siegfried sighed deeply, and then put the gray equipment full of problems in his hand beside him.

Then, he entered the plot of the scene mission - he discovered Hodder's existence.

"Uncle!" He yelled that NPCs have various unique names for players, and these things will change with their reputation. Players like Huo De who have filled up the reputation of the royal family in a certain main city and even completed a series of tedious tasks will be honored as 'sages'.

However, the game "Nine Realms" is a little different. Although the official has never stated it clearly, according to the summary of the strategy group composed of first-line players, NPCs have a favorability system, and their names will also change with the quest line.

Hodder has already thoroughly understood everything in the first expansion pack. He was called the "sage" in the former Volsung royal family, and later experienced the plot completely, so he is in this game His identity is not a passing adventurer, but a figure of Siegfried's father's generation, so he can still afford to call him uncle.

"Hmm..." After accepting Siegfried's title without any pressure, Huo De nodded slowly, "Is Lakin there?"

"For Lai Jin, he's in the weapon shop. Is uncle here to buy something?" He smiled gently

The environment in which he lived was far away from the battlefield since he was a child, and he had not received any orthodox royal education. At this time, Siegfried did not have any aggressive and decisive aura. He was not like a hero with enthusiasm, but a carefree carefree child.

"I don't need to buy anything, I have something to do with that dwarf."

"That's right, Uncle's sword looks very sharp and doesn't need to be replaced."

Siegfried's movements were not rigid, he just walked around the fully armed Hodder, and his eyes finally settled on the two-handed epee on his back.

"Speaking of which, uncle made this sword himself."

"Um……"

"Speaking of which, Uncle, today is Valentine's Day, don't you have anyone to celebrate with?"

Then, unexpectedly, such a sentence popped out of Siegfried's mouth, and in an instant, Hodder's expression changed. Although the helmet completely covered his expression, his expression was is quite wonderful.

What's going on with this dog's plan?

When did your Valentine's Day tasks and activities go well?

Do you need to intersperse this kind of question in every task line or even special scene task?

Of course Siegfried didn't know that the 'uncle' in front of him had already greeted the game-breaking dog hundreds of times, and he just looked at Hodder with harmless but slightly mischievous eyes.

"I thought that a warrior like Uncle should have many lovers."

"No such thing." In the end, Huo De just coughed lightly, and then dismissed the matter, "I have something to do with Lakin, and this matter has something to do with you, so let's come together."

"Huh? What's the matter?"

Siegfried's question was not answered, because when he asked this question, Hodder had already taken his own steps and walked into the shop.

Involuntarily, Siegfried felt a chill hit him.He has a bad feeling...

Chapter 7: The Broken Sword in the Tree

Siegfried is 19 years old this year. In nearly 20 years of life experience, he really only has memories of less than 16 years. During this time, he has known a lot of people, not to mention the people around the blacksmith shop. Those neighbors, with his lively and active personality since he was a child, he knows most of the people in the whole city.

But among these memories, there are two people who left a deep impression on him. One is Lakin, who has the name of adoptive father but doesn't care much about him. The bitter dwarf never taught him anything, but Because he has been raising him, he doesn't care, and the other is the warrior he calls his uncle-Hodder.

In Siegfried's memory, his attire has never changed, it has always been the simple but extraordinary plate armor, even the style of the helmet has not changed, and he has never seen the man under the helmet. Face, since he brought him all the way from Denmark to the Netherlands when he was young, and told him seriously: This is your homeland, the close-fitting armor has become the only symbol in his heart.

He taught himself to read and write. Even wearing metal gauntlets, he can use a slender quill to draw magnificent characters. He has seen him describe too many characters, including not only the languages ​​​​commonly used in these countries, but also characters. There are even runes with mystical effects-that is the gift of the gods to the warriors.

Even, Siegfried even remembered the impressive fonts he just glanced at - those characters were like squares, equal in size, as if each word had a meaning, in terms of complexity Much better than runes.

He taught him unpretentious swordsmanship, although it was only the simplest movements such as slashing, lifting, and sweeping, but the skills he explained and the practice with him benefited him a lot.

In Siegfried's heart, this person who has not seen many times has already firmly occupied a corner in his heart, and it can be said that he is the elder he respects most.

So even if Siegfried himself had a trace of arrogance in his heart, he would not be angry because of it, let alone show it on his face. He just followed Huo De all the way into the shop, and his adoptive father Lai Jin sat on the chair bored.

This is an old man with a long history, but unlike the bold and unruly appearance described in other fantasy games, the dwarves in "Nine Realms" do not have the same single impression and face. He has seen those bold people, but I've seen a few badass guys too, and Lakin is right in between the two.

He has excellent blacksmithing skills, and can be said to be one of the best blacksmiths in Midgard. Countless heroes have brought their own materials to ask him for magical weapons, and he often donates his craftsmanship for free. He has always been very famous for being a hero who pushes the cup for a change.

But on the other hand, Lai Jin is a greedy and cowardly guy. He is born to be inseparable from gold coins, and he is quite resentful of his life. Unlike the kind of uprightness that ordinary people imagine, he will forge magical weapons for free for those he admires. But he will not refuse money, and even when his life is threatened, he will flatter the other party and do his best to keep himself alive.

No one knows this guy better than players from reality, because he also has a quest line and a copy of the blacksmith profession. The dwarves were brought out from the hands of the giants.

If it wasn't for those recipes or even the daily mission points, the ghost would have saved him, and this sand sculpture would not have killed Huo De in the first place.

Thinking of this, Huo De couldn't help but glanced at Siegfried who was following him. Although he was just an NPC, he was still Siegmund's child. Most of the players who came over from the previous version were Siegmund. De has excellent senses, and anyone who has read real-life stories about the 'Nibelungen' or 'Volsunger' knows that Rakin, the mean dwarf, has murderous intentions for the young dragon-slaying hero. .

And the reason is quite bad, it's just that I don't want to pay the reward for killing the evil dragon...

"Huh? Uncle?"

Siegfried's senses were very keen, and now that Hodder had only paused for a moment, he sensed that the man in armor glanced at him, so he couldn't help but ask.

He always felt that today's uncle was a little strange...

Faced with the high intelligence that Siegfried showed in the mission scene, which is similar to that of a real human, Hodder did not express anything. He has been used to the last version, or even since the launch of "Nine Realms", so He just reached out and pushed open the door of the shop, and then walked into the house.

"Lakin." He said, his voice was a bit dull, but it passed through clearly.

"Oh Hodder!"

The dwarf just jumped up from the chair, his old face wrinkled like a flower.

"Are you going to buy something today?"

"formula?"

"Ah! No! This is a secret!" When Hodder casually mentioned the casting process of those weapons or armor, Lai Jin jumped up like a cat whose tail was stepped on.

However, this old dwarf is not a cute cat after all, his voice is as high-pitched and piercing as a groundhog whose track has been changed by someone, even when the voice was clearly fed back to his ears, Huo De wanted to get rid of it. He took off his helmet and picked out his ears, but he still didn't do that after all.

"I'm not joking today, I have something to do." Finally, when the clown-like dwarf covered his drawer full of forging drawings, Hodder dragged the topic into the right track, "This matter It's also related to the kid Siegfried."

Then, the clown-like jumping feet and tense emotions on Lai Jin's face disappeared, which shocked Siegfried on the side, because he had hardly seen Lai Jin's serious look since he was a child .

It seems a little strange today...

"What... what's wrong with me?" He couldn't help asking

However, no one answered him, because at this moment, Lai Jin had already put all his attention on the man in plain armor.

"Are you serious?"

"of course."

In Lai Jin's eyes, this man exudes a huge sense of oppression just by standing there, just like when he was rescued from the giant's hand more than ten years ago. He doesn't like to talk nonsense, and he doesn't like to listen to people's flattery. More importantly, Lakin knows that no one can shake his decision.

This is the precipitation of time. Although the current bards don't know who he is at all, the moment he appeared in front of him, Lai Jin always felt that those young people today were completely childish.

Then, the man fumbled out a broken hilt from the package he was carrying, engraved with mysterious runes on it, although it was dusty, the aura of the holy sword that did not belong to the world still rushed towards his face.

"Gullam...the sword is indeed in your hands." Lai Jin raised his head, his eyes fixed on the man, and the shock on his face could not be lingered, "Legin is looking for this sword. For a long time."

Then, he patted his head...

"No wonder you haven't been in Volsung or even in the Netherlands these years. You used to wander around with this thing."

Under Huo De's slightly unclear gaze, even a person like Lakin couldn't help showing a lingering admiration, and the gaze was even a little complicated.

He has never changed, and has been like this for decades. It is difficult for Lakin to imagine what kind of mood he has spent the past 20 years since the Battle of Volsung.

Of course, as a player, Huo De himself didn't know about this issue.

Chapter 8: The Venerable Sage

Lakin's impression of the man named Hod was similar to that of Siegfried, but because he lived for a long time, he knew more. This man was once a distinguished guest of the Volsung royal family, King Siegmund He is the most trusted thigh of Germany. He has a detached position in the entire royal family. Even the former princes have the necessary respect for him. Therefore, he waved his hand and let him wander here in Volsung. stay.

Lakin himself was just a blacksmith after all, and as an excellent blacksmith, he did not receive much criticism, even if Legny carried out a crazy bloodbath on the Volsung family, those who were loyal to Siegmund were not expelled. After leaving the Netherlands, he was brutally killed, but Lai Jin still survived, because his craftsmanship was valued by the new king, and he needed the weapons made by Lai Jin to arm his soldiers and warriors, so he could fight in the Live on here.

But Huoder is different. Although it was just heard, Lakin knew that he seemed to have participated in Siegmund's last battle, and even went to other places to ask for help when the war was in decline. After his death, he also mysteriously disappeared, and after a few meetings, he handed over the kid Siegfried to him to raise.

Just like in the past, he showed up from time to time and appeared like a ghost, but now, this kind of disappearance has been answered.

"No wonder you haven't been in Volsung or even the Netherlands these years. You wandered around with this thing." Lakin said, reaching out to touch the ancient On the hilt of the sword, there was a touch of lingering complexity and admiration in his eyes.

There was no need for Hodder to speak, his clever brain came up with the whole story. He first escorted the former queen to Denmark, and after Queen Theotis gave birth to Siegfried, he finally decided to marry him. When it was given to King Elf of Denmark, he brought the young Siegfried back to Volsung, and let him live and grow here as an ordinary person.

During this period of time, Siegfried didn't have any worries. Living as Lakin's adopted son and apprentice, his life was guaranteed at the most basic level. No one would trouble him, but the Hodder is different. He is equivalent to a street rat in Volsung and even the entire Netherlands.

Wandering with the holy sword for nearly 20 years, what kind of life is this?You must know that the current king, Legni, has been looking for the legendary holy sword in the tree, and this hot potato has been hidden by him until now?

"Your blacksmithing skills are not bad. You should be able to collect materials after you are adventurous..." Lai Jin's words ended here, but his eyes kept glancing at the sword on Huoder's body, "You can take it for yourself. Yes, this is much better than your sword, Gorum is the pinnacle of our dwarves, its era is even older than the entire Midgard, you can hold it and live up to its reputation."