Stone was stunned for a moment. The Blazing Rocket Launcher actually needed to be loaded with bullets?!
"Hehe, that girl's fire crystal is too high-grade. It will completely ruin the inferior imitation you made, Master. Tell her to get a lower-grade one!"
At the crucial moment, Baozi spoke up, and Shi Tou's heart suddenly welled up with tears. "Baozi, you're still the best to me. If we ever open a steamed bun shop, we definitely won't just sell soup dumplings."
"Xiaoxiao, what star level is your fire crystal?" Fire crystals weren't unfamiliar to her. The forging furnace Huo Xiaoxiao had someone bring her also required a fire crystal to start. You see, truly smelting metal requires temperatures below a thousand degrees Celsius; relying solely on firewood and charcoal would take forever!
"Two-star." Huo Xiaoxiao asked, somewhat puzzled, "Isn't that enough? My Blazing Rocket Launcher was forged by Mrs. Nika, and I've always used two-star ones."
"I doubt you'll be able to use a two-star one. Why don't you try a one-star one?" Stone thought for a moment, then took a one-star fire crystal from his own space and handed it to Huo Xiaoxiao.
Strictly speaking, fire crystal is also a type of mineral, but unlike other minerals, it cannot be mined. Instead, it originates from the body of a creature called the fire crystal beast that lives near volcanoes; in essence, the fire crystal is the heart of the fire crystal beast. The one-star and two-star ratings are naturally based on the fire crystal beast itself.
Huo Xiaoxiao accepted the one-star fire crystal that Shi Tou handed her with some disappointment. She knew that the higher the grade of the weapon, the higher the grade of the crystal required. She didn't think a weapon using a one-star fire crystal could be very powerful.
Despite feeling a little disappointed, Huo Xiaoxiao still placed the fire crystal at the bottom of the replica in her hand: "Who should put it in?"
Shi Tou hesitated for a moment. In her previous life, she didn't even dare to set off firecrackers. To be honest, she was still a little nervous about holding such a powerful weapon: "Go ahead and set it off!"
“Okay, but where should we put it?” Since it was a weapon forged from stone, Huo Xiaoxiao felt it was better to let the stone decide.
Stone took a few steps back, a little scared, and pointed to the huge tree in the neighboring Red Maple Garden, saying, "Go over there and blow that tree down!"
Huo Xiaoxiao gave Shi Tou a resentful look. That was her territory, wasn't it?
Hongfeng Garden and Zixin Garden are separated only by a wall, and that wall isn't very high, only about a meter high. Moreover, the middle of the wall is carved with many patterns. Otherwise, Shitou wouldn't have been able to easily climb into Hongfeng Garden's yard and ruin the flowers, even though the gate was locked.
"Alright, let's see how powerful your explosive rocket launcher is!" Huo Xiaoxiao only complained for a short while. In her opinion, if this weapon were really useful, she wouldn't feel bad about wasting a tree. Moreover, she was very skeptical about whether the stone's weapon would actually work, because the tree in her yard was a top-grade thousand-year-old red iron tree. You know, a thousand-year-old red iron tree is even more durable than ordinary refined iron ore.
Using the hollowed-out carving in the middle, Huo Xiaoxiao aimed the Explosive Flame Rocket Launcher at the red iron tree in her yard.
"boom!"
With a loud bang, Huo Xiaoxiao was completely stunned. Even the fact that the explosive rocket launcher in her hand had shattered into small pieces didn't bring her back to her senses.
Before Huo Xiaoxiao could even fire the cannon, Shi Tou had already dashed back to his room. "Waaah, I'm such a kind child! I don't want to do such a cruel thing!"
Damn it, don't you ever think that arms dealers are even more despicable than the soldiers who actually fire the cannons?!
Seeing that there was no movement outside, Shi Tou mustered his courage and slowly moved out. Thankfully, Huo Xiaoxiao was standing unharmed in her original spot, though her expression seemed a little off: "Xiaoxiao? My dear Xiaoxiao? The beautiful and charming Xiaoxiao?"
After calling for a while, Huo Xiaoxiao still didn't come to her senses, and Shi Tou couldn't help but feel a little scared: "Huo Xiaoxiao!"
Huo Xiaoxiao turned her head blankly to look at the stone, her eyes filled with a variety of complex emotions: shock, fear, excitement, heartache, and a strange sense of exhilaration.
Shi Tou swallowed hard and looked through the carved hole in the wall that Huo Xiaoxiao had been aiming at. Suddenly, she was dumbfounded.
The tree in Red Maple Garden was originally over ten meters tall, lush and vibrant. But now? Blazing fire started burning from its roots, yet the tree seemed unwilling to be destroyed, standing strong and resilient. It was precisely because of this that the scene was so astonishing.
Can you imagine? A tree standing tall amidst the flames.
Shi Tou suddenly remembered a game promotional photo she had seen by chance in her past life. It seemed that one of the scenes in it was a forest in a sea of fire, which left a deep impression on her. But she never expected that she would see such a scene in real life.
Waaah, why does she suddenly feel so heartbroken?
"Xiaoxiao, what do we do now? Should we go put out the fire?" The big tree was just standing in the sea of fire, not actually burned to ashes. But Shi Tou also understood that if it was allowed to burn like this, it would eventually be reduced to ashes.
"Put out a fire?" Huo Xiaoxiao's brain seemed to be slowed down by fright: "Okay, let's go put out the fire."
Shi Tou grabbed Huo Xiaoxiao and said, "What a joke! How can she go to put out a fire in such a daze? What if the fire gets out before it's extinguished and ends up setting her on fire instead? Then Shi Tou really won't be able to get out of here alive."
Just as Shi Tou was hesitating about what to do, a huge commotion broke out outside the courtyard.
"It's Xiaoxiao's yard! What happened? Xiaoxiao, where are you?"
Stone paused for a moment, then heard that voice...
Huo Xiaoxiao was also shocked: "Grandpa?"
Immediately, the two of them disregarded everything else and rushed out of Zixinyuan, where they happened to run into the Huo family father and son, who were on the verge of getting anxious and angry.
"Xiaoxiao, are you alright?" Old Man Huo was truly terrified. He pulled Xiaoxiao into a tight embrace, his hands trembling with anxiety. "Are you hurt? Who attacked you?"
Grandpa Huo looked quite nervous, but he wasn't completely out of control: "Xiaoxiao, tell Grandpa what happened? Who dares to cause trouble in our Huo family?!"
Okay, this person didn't lose their composure, but their aura was incredibly powerful; even Stone wanted to immediately hide in the ring's space.
"Dad, Grandpa, I'm fine..." Huo Xiaoxiao was about to explain, but her father immediately interrupted her.
"Xiaoxiao, are you really not hurt? Is anything bothering you? Were you scared?"
Well, Stone was helpless. There's just no difference between biological children and adopted children!
Grandpa Huo, mindful of Shi Tou's feelings, walked over to him, bent down, and asked, "Xiao Yi, tell Grandpa, what exactly happened?"
Shi Tou swallowed hard, finally deciding to tell the truth: "Grandpa, I'm sorry, I forged a Flame Rocket Launcher, and then Xiao Xiao took it to play with, and then..."
/(ㄒoㄒ)/~~
She knew that even if the explosive rocket launcher was a disposable item, it shouldn't be given to children to play with!
-----
It's past midnight!
I'm exhausted from making pan-fried buns, time for bed!
(～ o ～)~zZ
☆, Chapter 144: Consumables Also Sell at Exorbitant Prices
Stone looked at the newly arranged forge with endless resentment.
The location of the new forging room remained the same, still in the basement not far from Zixin Garden, but the interior decorations were completely different. Huo Xiaoxiao had previously prepared a decent set of forging tools for Shi Tou, but Shi Tou only now realized that she had truly underestimated the Huo family.
Although the Huo family has only been passed down for over six hundred years, the wealth they have accumulated is enormous. Huo Xiaoxiao's original arrangements were just her private actions, but ever since Shi Tou's fierce cannon shot (in fact, it was Huo Xiaoxiao who fired the shot, but the Huo father and son directly attributed it to Shi Tou), Grandpa Huo's attitude towards Shi Tou immediately changed.
If before she was just a substitute, someone who was dispensable, now she's treated like a precious gem! Putting aside everything else, this hastily set-up forging room isn't something money can buy. You have to understand that there are many things inside that can only be found in the underground auction house in the capital's central auction house.
"Xiao Yi, are you satisfied with this forging room?" Grandpa Huo looked at Shi Tou with a loving expression and handed him a beautifully carved gold wire bracelet: "Hehe, Grandpa bought a lot of rare ores. Keep them safe. If you run out, remember to tell Grandpa right away."
Stone took the bracelet in a daze, thanked her, and then belatedly realized that it was a high-quality spatial bracelet.
Spatial bracelets are divided into three grades: high, medium, and low. The one Huo Yi gave Shi Tou before was a low-grade spatial bracelet, containing only two or three square meters of space. But the spatial bracelet that Shi Tou is wearing now, at a glance, has at least nearly a thousand cubic meters of space.
Within this nearly thousand cubic meter space, various ores that had undergone preliminary refining were neatly piled up. Stone examined them carefully and found that, except for mithril ore, all the materials needed to assemble the true divine weapon, the Blazing Rocket Launcher, were present.
"Xiaoyi, Grandpa's leaving now. You play with Xiaoxiao! Don't overwork yourself. You can do forging anytime." Grandpa Huo's face was full of kindness. Shi Tou didn't know if he was being sincere or just putting on a good show.
After watching Grandpa Huo leave, Huo Xiaoxiao immediately clung to the stone: "Hehe, little sister Yi~~~"
Shi Tou couldn't help but shudder. To be honest, having gotten used to Huo Xiaoxiao's fiery and outspoken nature, seeing her deliberately feigned gentleness was truly terrifying: "Xiaoxiao, can't we talk properly?"
Huo Xiaoxiao's gentle expression froze instantly: "What? Can't I be gentle?!"
“Sure, sure.” Shi Tou quickly added, “Xiao Xiao, when you find someone you like in the future, you can be gentle with him. As for me, you don’t need to be like that.”
Huo Xiaoxiao's face immediately turned red: "You!"
Seeing Huo Xiaoxiao's expression, Shi Tou was a little surprised. She really had just said it casually, without any other meaning. How could this girl actually...
"Xiaoxiao, do you have someone you like?" Shi Tou blinked and asked very cautiously.
Huo Xiaoxiao's face flushed red and then turned green, and she remained silent for a long time. But her expression didn't escape the sharp eyes of the shrewd Shi Tou. Naturally, he understood everything.
Shi Tou hesitated for a moment. Although Huo Xiaoxiao was only 9 years old this year, she knew that this was no longer the world of her previous life where she had to be careful of fire, theft, and early romance. Let alone 9 years old, there were plenty of children here who were engaged at the age of two or three: "Xiaoxiao, if you really have someone you like, you have to be careful."
Early romance is fine, but Huo Xiaoxiao's identity is quite special. Although when she first entered the Huo family, Grandpa Huo said she had the same inheritance rights as Huo Xiaoxiao, Shi Tou knew very well that it was just talk and shouldn't be taken seriously. In other words, Huo Xiaoxiao is the true heir of the Huo family. In the Huo family, one of the six great families of the East that values bloodline inheritance, it would be quite interesting if Huo Xiaoxiao fell in love with someone from another of the six great families of the East.
"What's wrong? Did you hear something?" Huo Xiaoxiao didn't understand what Shi Tou was thinking, so she quickly asked.
"No." Seeing that she was really anxious, Shi Tou quickly shook his head: "I just wanted to tell you that you are the heir of the Huo family, and your future husband must be from one of the six major families in the East. Moreover, Grandpa might let you marry into the Huo family in the future."
Huo Xiaoxiao breathed a sigh of relief after hearing Shi Tou's first words. But after Shi Tou finished speaking, Huo Xiaoxiao's face immediately turned pale.
"What's wrong?" Shi Tou asked hesitantly, "Is it because the person you like is from one of the six great families of the East, but he refuses to marry into your family?"
Huo Xiaoxiao nodded, her face pale: "He is the only son in his family, he..."
Shi Tou pursed his lips: "Then you'd better break up with him. Grandpa won't let you get married."
"Xiao Yi, I..." Huo Xiaoxiao gritted her teeth and suddenly said firmly, "Xiao Yi, how about you become the heir of the Huo family? Go and find a husband for yourself!"
o(╯□╰)o
For a moment, Shi Tou really didn't know what expression to wear when facing Huo Xiaoxiao. She's only 8 years old! For an 8-year-old child, the idea of finding a husband is just too far-fetched!
"Please?" Huo Xiaoxiao saw that Shi Tou didn't speak, so she started to grab Shi Tou's hand and shake it hard: "Xiao Yi, please, I really, really like Brother Xiao Tian!"
"Little Tian Brother" sounds so much like a submissive character!
Shi Tou swallowed hard, suppressing the absurd thought: "This isn't up to me! Xiao Xiao, we're still young, why don't you wait a little longer?"
Huo Xiaoxiao's eyes darted around, and before long, she actually came up with a terrible idea. Why a terrible idea? Listen to her say, "Xiaoyi, I've thought about it, and I really like Brother Xiaotian. How about this, I'll fully support you from now on, so you'll have to put in a little extra effort and find a son-in-law to live with you in the future!"
This can't be solved with just saying "thank you for your trouble," can it?
Shi Tou opened his mouth, about to speak, but was interrupted by Huo Xiaoxiao: "If you really don't want to, then there's nothing I can do. My dad is not even 40 years old this year, and I believe that if he wants to, he can still give me a younger brother. If you really don't want to, I'll have to find us a stepmother."
OTZ!
Shi Tou's knees buckled instantly; he almost knelt before Huo Xiaoxiao. "Miss Huo! Do you know what you're doing? You're blatantly pimping! And the pimp is your own father! Your own father!!!"
"Why don't you think about it some more?" Huo Xiaoxiao looked at Shi Tou with bright eyes. "How about this, I'll give you a month. If you're still not willing after a month, then I'll have to go find some pretty girls for Dad."
Stone was still dumbfounded, unable to react for a long time.
"Oh right, Xiaoyi, I almost forgot to tell you the most important thing!" Huo Xiaoxiao exclaimed in Shi Tou's ear in a very startled manner.
Stone was about to burst into tears. Miss Huo, wasn't what you just said important enough?
"Hehe, Xiaoyi, can't you replicate the Explosive Flame Rocket Launcher?" Huo Xiaoxiao's face, which had turned pale with fright, had returned to normal. She smiled ingratiatingly at Shi Tou and said, "Could you replicate a few more for me?"
"Don't you already have one?" Stone subconsciously shrank back. What a joke! What she made wasn't a replica, was it? If she followed the recipe, it would be a real explosive rocket launcher.
Huo Xiaoxiao flipped her hand, and the replica of the Explosive Flame Rocket Launcher that had been inside her spatial bracelet appeared in her palm: "Look for yourself. Although mine is also a replica, it's been many years, and its power is getting weaker and weaker. Moreover, it needs to be filled with a two-star fire crystal every time, but its power is completely inferior to the one you forged."
“But yours is permanent!” Stone really didn’t want to take out the real artifact for the children to play with: “Mine can only be used once, the difference is huge.”
"It's alright, the ones you forged are powerful! You can just prepare a few more for me~~~" Huo Xiaoxiao pulled Shi Tou along, smiling obsequiously: "Don't you like gold coins the most? How about this, the kind you let me play with a few days ago, a disposable explosive rocket launcher, you can sell it to me for 100 purple gold coins, okay?"