Chapter 124: The Dragon-Tooth Military Dagger

Inside the mountain cave, a pile of energy crystals sparked a roaring fire, slowly raising the temperature. Wu Hua took the opportunity to drink some mineral water and chew on some beef jerky to recover his stamina.

When his fatigue level dropped to 56.5%, the girl woke up. Seeing a man sitting in front of her, she recoiled in shock. "Whoa, who are you?"

Wu Hua was busy eating. "Want some beef jerky? It's not bad."

The girl was fairly bold; seeing that Wu Hua didn't look like a bad person, she steadied herself and asked, "Did you save me?"

"Do I look like I have the time? She saved you." Wu Hua pointed toward Yiyi, who was sitting by the fire.

Upon seeing the haughty Yiyi, the girl couldn't help but say, "What a cute little thing. Is this your daughter?"

Wu Hua choked on his water, spraying it onto the fire. "Sure, let's go with that!"

The girl wasn't slow and immediately realized, "Oh, so it's your pet."

She then summoned her own pet: a small, white-furred fox that looked incredibly adorable. Yiyi walked over and patted the fox's head; it seemed to enjoy the attention, and the girl couldn't help but smile.

After chatting for a while, Wu Hua learned that the girl had indeed come here to mine crystals. Her name was Caterpillar, and she was a Metallurgist. Her level surprised Wu Hua: 34.

Generally, Metallurgists have much lower levels than Technicians, and even lower than most other players, because they are a combat class that requires both studying and grinding. The Metallurgists in the 1860 family were likely around level 30, which was equivalent to a warrior above level 40. For this girl to be level 34, the Star Wars world was truly full of hidden talent.

Wu Hua finished his meal, patted his butt, and stood up. "Let's move!"

"I'll come down with you," Caterpillar said quickly.

Wu Hua looked at her. Caterpillar lowered her head in embarrassment. "My... my energy source ran out. If you hadn't come along, I would have frozen to death here."

Wu Hua sighed. "Then let's go."

It was near dusk by the time they reached the bottom of the mountain. The sheer size of the mountain range made Wu Hua feel like vomiting from exhaustion.

In the distance, Phoenix Tail City finally appeared.

A river, about a hundred meters wide, flowed through the city from east to west. Phoenix Tail City was much like the City of Phantom Moon, surrounded by water on all sides, but it resembled Venice, floating atop the river. As night fell, the myriad of lights from the homes reflected beautifully against the water. Compared to the cities in the Southern District, it lacked a high-tech atmosphere, but it possessed a warm and tranquil beauty.

"You're the first person from the Southern District to come here, so of course you wouldn't know. This is just a small border town in our Central District," Caterpillar explained.

"Oh?" Wu Hua was shocked. "A small border town is this massive?" In his mind, just judging by its appearance, the city was about the same size as the City of Sky Blue.

He soon realized why, as many players on the forums had mentioned that each district of the Glorious Federation had its own characteristics. The Southern District featured the most exquisite, modern architecture, but the Central District was the most expansive, and the true capital of the Glorious Federation, the City of Hake, was located there.

Wu Hua opened his receiver and checked the map; they were over 8,000 kilometers away from the City of Hake. The Central District was indeed vast.

"I'm planning to go to the second-hand market to sell some things. Don't you need to get some equipment appraised? My older brother is a Technician," Caterpillar said.

"Hmm, a second-hand market. Sounds interesting. Lead the way," Wu Hua replied.

Caterpillar smiled bitterly. "It's not interesting at all."

The outskirts of Phoenix Tail City were entirely water, and the streets within the city were waterways; one had to take a boat to enter.

Wu Hua noticed that the general technological level of Phoenix Tail City was actually higher than that of the Southern District. Although these speedboats were also powered by energy crystals, the models were far more advanced than those developed by the Blue Company at the East Sea Port. They were very stable and had minimal noise.

"Why isn't there a service port at the city entrance?" Wu Hua wondered.

Caterpillar replied, "To get out of here, you have to go downstream to the west. Fighter jets can't land here, so it's hard to build an airport. To the north is a giant mountain, so trains can't pass, and don't even get me started on roads. So, everyone just travels by boat."

"Oh!" Wu Hua acknowledged, and the speedboat slowly entered the city.

The sight inside the city was an eye-opener. It was a complete replica of the real-world Venice: ancient-style architecture, winding water alleys, and flowing clear waves. It was like a romantic dream floating on blue water, a poetic and picturesque scene that lingered in the mind. Various boats came and went; while the city wasn't advanced in other ways, its shipbuilding technology was exceptional.

The speedboat stopped in front of a massive European-style building. Walking inside, Wu Hua couldn't help but laugh. "Isn't this just a black market?"

"This isn't a black market; it's a trading center established by the federal government," Caterpillar explained. "The taxes and service fees are very cheap. You don't need credits to enter, and the system only takes a 1% service fee after a transaction is completed."

"Haha!" Wu Hua chuckled. It was no different from the underground black market in the City of Dream Star: orderly stalls, glowing electronic signs, and a constant stream of people.

Caterpillar led Wu Hua to Area K, Plot P2 in the center. A modestly dressed male player was busy there, with the stall covered in various items and equipment.

"This is my brother, Coffee Cat," Caterpillar introduced. "And this is a friend from the Southern District, Mad Gun. I was almost buried on the snowy mountain, and he saved me."

Coffee Cat greeted Wu Hua warmly. "Haha, thank you. I'd be happy to appraise your items for free."

Caterpillar smiled. "My brother is a level 29 Technician. Don't worry, the appraised items will be fine. He's an established name around here."

Wu Hua didn't dally and handed the military dagger he had looted from Atlantis to Coffee Cat.

Coffee Cat jumped in surprise. "Good heavens, a Blue-tier item! You've got real skills."

Wu Hua noticed that Coffee Cat was using a wristwatch to appraise it. The watch emitted blue rays, and Coffee Cat continuously adjusted the buttons on the device, as if increasing the intensity. After a while, the rays vanished. The dagger was now crystal blue throughout; it had clearly been unlocked and undergone a qualitative change.

Coffee Cat clicked his tongue in admiration. "This military dagger is truly excellent. Here, take a look for yourself."

Wu Hua was overjoyed and took it:

Dragon's Tooth (Poisonous Version)
Blue-tier Equipment
Strength Requirement: 30
Agility Requirement: 30
...

Seeing such high requirements, Wu Hua knew the stats would be incredible:

Attack Damage: 320–400
Sharpness: A2 Grade
Bonus Attribute: 8% chance to ignore all defense, 20 points of intermediate poison damage per second for 30 seconds.

"Awesome!" Wu Hua was ecstatic. A2-grade sharpness meant this was a blade that could cut through anything like a hot knife through butter. From E1 to A2, this Dragon's Tooth could penetrate 1,300 points of defense. In other words, this thing could even cut through twelve-element alloys. Plus, the 8% chance to ignore defense made it a perfect armor-piercing weapon.

It even carried poison damage; a single strike could potentially deal up to 1,000 points of damage. The only flaw was that the base attack power was a bit low, and it lacked a hidden compartment.

1860 had let Wu Hua pick up the loot first, and he had ended up with a massive bargain.

Wu Hua played with the Dragon's Tooth, unable to put it down. A moment of carelessness caused him to slice his own finger, and blood began to flow immediately, with purple "-20" damage numbers continuously floating above his head.

This scared Coffee Cat and his sister, and Wu Hua himself was terrified. This Dragon's Tooth was simply too sharp.