The elderly man next to her, noisily shoveling noodles into his mouth, clicked his tongue. "Grandfather? That old fellow Huang Dao, let alone a granddaughter, even if it were his son, would be nothing in front of the Chu family."
"Look at his second son, who suffered so badly back then—did he even care? The Chu family? The farther away, the better." The man grew more contemptuous.
"Staying in the Chu family is the real misfortune."
"Exactly. He Yi's daughter might actually live better after leaving the Chu family," Aunt Wang agreed. "Huang Ni, everyone has their own fate."
"Girl, you're still young. Don't lose heart. It's good to stay on Old Street for a while," Aunt Wang called out to Chu Ran. "Don't listen to Aunt Huang."
"Huang Ni, let the girl have some peace," the old man turned to Wang Cuihua and urged, "What did you say earlier about the people sent from Third Prison this time? The area my eldest grandson is responsible for is near the Garbage Dump. Will he be in danger?"
The people at the Garbage Dump were a mixed bag, but that didn't mean they were all weak. Among them were many who had committed crimes or had no identity, people who couldn't be seen in the light, but whose Spiritual Power could reach C-grade, with occasional B-grades mixed in.
Aunt Huang snorted and stopped talking.
"Depends on luck. Word is that this batch was rescued ten years ago," Aunt Wang said helplessly.
Rescued ten years ago?
Chu Ran lowered her head to eat her noodles but pricked up her ears.
But Aunt Wang didn't explain further. Instead, she started another topic. "If you ask me, it's no accident that the Garbage Dump's protective shield broke this time."
"You can't just say things like that," her companion quickly interrupted.
The protective shield is the most important security barrier for a planet. Deliberately damaging it, for whatever reason, is a capital offense.
Aunt Wang looked scornful. "Those people in the government..."
"They're all garbage."
Chu Ran didn't look up. She buried her head in her noodles, but inwardly she couldn't help thinking, "Wow, how many hidden masters are there here?"
Chu Ran ate quickly. After finishing, she earnestly thanked Aunt Huang and slowly walked home.
The nutrient fluids delivered to her home were thrown into a corner.
With the experience of her first success, Chu Ran smoothly crafted a second Basic Creation—a short sword.
This time, there was no sign of invoking a deity. She compressed the Black Divine Stone to 1/2. However, she was still unskilled at forging, and the short sword she made wasn't sharp enough on either side.
Chu Ran still didn't send this Basic Creation off. Instead, she kept coming to the studio for a whole week before taking the short sword for testing.
By then, she had used up more than twenty pieces of Black Divine Stone. For a newbie with E-grade Spiritual Power, that was a pretty good result, but she still hadn't found the pattern for activating the anomaly in her heart.
However, when she injected her Spiritual Power into the black rod she had made in her first attempt, she found that the rod occasionally emitted a faint golden light, revealing a divine aura.
A search on StarNet showed that this was a Special Artifact.
A Special Artifact is a Creation that carries a hint of divine power, and its use is not restricted by the user's Spiritual Power level.
Special Artifacts almost never circulate on the market, unless they skip the divine attribute inspection after being made.
Chu Ran was very satisfied. With a Special Artifact, even though her Spiritual Power was only E-grade, she could cover up using mysterious powers later.
Hu Meng was very interested in the first Basic Creation Chu Ran had made. She offered a testing fee discount: a 1% discount on top of another 1% discount.
The black short sword was sent into the scanning room. In less than a minute, the test results were transmitted to the terminal. The usable size was five times the original, and durability reached B-grade.
A qualified Basic Creation.
"You have a real talent for being an Artificer," Hu Meng encouraged. "Why not get a yearly pass here? You can get a 1.2% discount."
Chu Ran's mouth twitched. "What's the highest discount in your shop?"
"1.5% off, for lifetime members," Hu Meng said happily. "Are you thinking of getting one?"
"No need," Chu Ran refused decisively.
The studio hadn't seen a second customer for a whole week. There must be a reason.
"Are you going to send it to Fortune Cat? I can do it for you. Same price, but no hassle," Hu Meng continued to recommend.
Chu Ran paused. "You know I'm sending it to Fortune Cat?"
"He's the only one who assigns Basic Creation tasks to pure newcomers and provides three pieces of Divine Stone," Hu Meng said with a grin. "Most people learn in training centers. If you can't get into a training center, you don't need to learn Artificer knowledge."
"If you send this to him, he'll be very happy."
Hu Meng wasn't wrong.
Fortune Cat was clearly excited when he received the Basic Creation Chu Ran had sent. In less than a day, he sent back a large box of Black Divine Stones, four or five basic Artificer training manuals, and even a handwritten letter of encouragement.
Aunt Wang and the others were also delighted to learn that Chu Ran could make Basic Creations. They even specially invited her to a restaurant to celebrate.
"Sisters, today we gather to celebrate Chu Ran's successful creation of a qualified Basic Creation! Come, first toast!"
"As the new face on Old Street, we must celebrate again. Come, second toast!"
"No need to say more. Third toast, bottoms up!"
At first, Chu Ran raised her glass in thanks. But soon she realized that Aunt Wang was just looking for an excuse to have a big drinking session with her sisters.
"Chu Ran, I've had it hard. That unfilial grandson of mine nags me every day," Aunt Wang complained while raising her glass. "A little anomaly in the index—what of it? I bought ten boxes of cleaning agent!"
Chu Ran ate and vaguely agreed. She wasn't stupid; the satisfaction in Aunt Wang's tone was almost overflowing.
But as she was drinking her soup, Aunt Wang suddenly slapped her on the back. "I knew you were a good one."
"Remember, Chu Ran, an E-grade Spiritual Power means nothing. Don't listen to those people on StarNet blathering. Even if one day you really lose your Spiritual Power, it's still nothing."
"People can create miracles."
Chu Ran didn't know if she could create a miracle. Right now, she just wanted to receive the rest of the money.
She had already finished the tasks from Fortune Cat and sent them off. So far, she had received half the payment; the other half would come after the Spiritist Alliance received the goods.
Meanwhile, Fortune Cat shipped the finished products Chu Ran had sent, along with others, to the Spiritist Alliance.
It was now only one week until the start of the Spiritist Tournament.