Chapter Fifty: The Second Floor of the Divine Armory Pavilion, The Black Heart

“Our Armory’s second floor, aside from housing higher-grade armor and weapons, also holds many rare and advanced magical beast cores and other materials, including precious and uncommon elixirs.” The words of Manager Wang stirred Xu Wen—what he needed most now was more information about this world, intelligence on advanced equipment to strengthen himself.

Since Lin Qingxuan hadn’t stepped forward to object, it proved that Manager Wang spoke truthfully. Xu Wen agreed without hesitation, following him to a corner of the hall and stepping onto a simple teleportation array.

Lin Qingxuan did not follow…

She watched as Xu Wen and Manager Wang vanished from the hall before her eyes.

“Steward Lin? Where are they going?” Irene from Slaan Academy happened to catch this scene and walked over, puzzled.

“The second floor of the Armory…” Lin Qingxuan, aware of Irene’s identity and strength, explained the situation.

“You mean not even you can go up?” Irene’s face showed shock; she quickly glanced at the spot where the two had disappeared. “How did he get in?” It was hard to imagine that a two-star fire mage had been invited in, while a five-star fire mage like herself was denied entry.

“I don’t know either.” Lin Qingxuan shook her head. She had been happy for Xu Wen to have such an opportunity, but thinking about his importance to the Horton-Klein family, she worried—what if the families of West City discovered Xu Wen’s extraordinary talent?

Conflicted thoughts swirled within her!

“Steward Lin, I heard from Xie Zhan that Xu Wen has only trained for less than four months? Is that true?”

“I can’t say.” Lin Qingxuan would never casually reveal anything about Xu Wen to outsiders, and she also intended to warn the talkative Xie Zhan. To rise from an ordinary civilian to a two-star, eighth-tier fire mage in three months—even at Azure Cloud Academy, where countless youth elites gathered—was extremely eye-catching!

Xu Wen absolutely could not flaunt his abilities before too many people.

But she did not realize that Xu Wen, now following Manager Wang to the second floor of the Armory, had already piqued Irene’s curiosity and attention.

“Young man, the Armory is not a place for ordinary folk. Whatever you see here, I hope you can remain calm,” Manager Wang instructed Xu Wen in front of a door.

Manager Wang’s demeanor had changed completely; gone was his merchant’s air, replaced by solemnity. He gradually released a deep and restrained aura, no less impressive than that of Patriarch Mu Yuanshan.

“I understand.” Though Xu Wen was unsure what Manager Wang meant, the long-unused teleportation array suggested to him that even Lin Qingxuan was considered “ordinary” in Wang’s eyes; the second floor must be extraordinary.

Manager Wang nodded with satisfaction.

He had broken protocol to personally bring Xu Wen upstairs—not only because this low-level, two-tier fire mage had purchased equipment usable only by those of four-star strength, but also because Xu Wen’s demeanor, his earnest scrutiny of each item, had left a deep and peculiar impression.

Moreover, Manager Wang noticed Xu Wen quietly observing the haggling between adventurers and clerks, then, after the adventurers departed, decisively taking the “Purple Flame Robe” for two thousand gold coins without even blinking.

Even seasoned adventurers would show some emotion—pride, excitement, or heartache—when spending two thousand gold on a single item. Yet Xu Wen remained entirely calm from start to finish.

Then there was Lin Qingxuan, who had never brought an inner disciple here, following him closely with equal focus. This made Manager Wang feel the situation was highly unusual!

Trusting his own judgment, Manager Wang decided to bring Xu Wen to the Armory’s second floor.

He pushed open the door.

Two rows of elegant, refined beauties smiled sweetly and bowed in greeting as they entered. The sight reminded Xu Wen of hostesses in a five-star hotel; he nodded slightly, his gaze natural and unforced as it passed over these young attendants, then turned toward the hall.

His composed bearing further convinced Manager Wang—this youth was no ordinary person and could well become a potential client for the West City families.

Xu Wen followed Manager Wang inside and paused, surveying the hall.

It was spacious; antique wooden racks, hollow and tastefully arranged, lined the walls and center. Every hollow spot held one or several items.

A dozen or so similarly dressed attendants accompanied each guest as they strolled, speaking softly, lending the place an air of elegance and tranquility.

“Xiao Qian, please help look after this young gentleman,” Manager Wang beckoned one of the attendants, then turned to Xu Wen: “If you fancy anything here, you may pay cash or barter. The value of items is determined by our chief appraiser, Elder Huang.”

Xu Wen saw, not far away, an elderly man whose hair gleamed silver, sitting in a grand armchair, quietly sipping tea with his eyes closed. An attendant stood behind, gently fanning him; the scene was quite leisurely.

Once Manager Wang departed, the girl called Xiao Qian approached.

“I am your humble servant, Xiao Qian. How may I assist you?”

“Just call me Xu Wen.”

“Yes, Young Master Xu.”

Xiao Qian’s manner was exceedingly respectful; she gestured invitingly. “Young Master Xu, are you a fire mage?”

“Yes.”

“The fire mage’s armor and weapons are this way. Please follow me.”

She turned gracefully toward the east side of the hall, Xu Wen trailing behind, only glancing at the items on the racks as they approached.

Even with just a few hurried looks, Xu Wen felt the Armory’s reputation was indeed well deserved…

A magic staff topped with a seven-star beast core larger than a fist!

An eight-star top-tier weapon—the “Elven Bow”—whose shaft was entwined with vibrant, magical green leaves!

A pair of seven-star exquisite defensive boots—the “Winged Boots”—once famed as a matching set!

There were also many dazzling items whose names even Xu Wen could not guess.

Suddenly!

Xu Wen stopped, his gaze drawn irresistibly to a black object on a nearby rack, contracting and expanding like a beating heart…

“Could it be…”

His heart raced; unconsciously, he changed direction, drawn toward the black, pulsating “heart” that seemed to beckon him.

Xiao Qian noticed his shift but was unperturbed, turning lightly to follow him.

She had seen many visitors entranced by various objects on the Armory’s second floor, but none more so than the mysterious “black heart”; everyone who passed it for the first time, without exception, would approach for a closer look.

The youth before her was no different, drawn in as expected.

Yet Xiao Qian failed to notice that as Xu Wen drew near, his eyes suddenly widened, a fleeting look of shock and fear flashing across his face…