After Juhua finished her steamed bun lunch, the carriage finally drove away from the Huo family's residence. Shi Tou thought to himself, "This house is too big; even going out is so troublesome."
After thinking for a moment, Stone asked, "Chrysanthemum, the Huo family manor is located in the suburbs, isn't it?"
Chrysanthemum ate three large steamed buns in a row, patted her belly contentedly, and when she heard Shi Tou's question, she nodded naturally: "Yes, the Huo family manor is located in the suburbs of the capital." Her tone was full of pride.
Stone raised an eyebrow dismissively. "Does living in the suburbs have to be something to be proud of?"
"Second Miss, may I ask where you're headed?" Chrysanthemum suddenly realized she'd forgotten to ask the Second Miss where she was going. Although servants generally couldn't tell their masters where they were going, she knew the Second Miss's situation was different; she was completely unfamiliar with the capital.
Actually, Chrysanthemum guessed wrong. It wasn't that Stone was unaware of the situation in the capital; rather, she only knew about the situation in the capital several hundred years ago.
"I'm planning to join the Blacksmiths' Association!" I learned from Baozi that hundreds of years ago, the capital city had three major powers: the Blacksmiths' Association, the Qi Masters' Association, and the Mercenary Association. Among them, the Blacksmiths' Association was the most powerful. Judging from Baozi's tone, the Blacksmiths' Association was equivalent to Microsoft in the previous life, or even more powerful, because it was a monopolistic association.
You should know that there are no anti-monopoly laws in this other world.
"What? The Blacksmiths' Association?" Chrysanthemum's face showed obvious confusion. "What's that?"
Shi Tou was stunned. Was this girl ignorant, or ignorant, or ignorant?
Even if you're just an ordinary maid, you should at least know a little about the market rate, right?
"The Blacksmiths' Association is an association formed by all the blacksmiths in the entire Fallen Empire." Stone was too embarrassed to argue with a little girl—even though she was actually much younger than her—so she patiently explained, "It's the most powerful association in the capital."
Chrysanthemum's confusion didn't lessen after Stone's words. Instead, she hesitated even more: "Second Miss, Chrysanthemum isn't very clear about what's happening outside. But she does know that the most powerful association in the capital is the Mage's Association!"
The Magicians' Guild?!
This time it was Stone's turn to be confused. She had never received any information about the Mage's Association from Baozi. Hesitating for a moment, Stone could only secretly slip her hand into her pocket and pinch her ring while gently trying to get information out of Chrysanthemum: "The Mage's Association, well, it is indeed very impressive. But Chrysanthemum, you know, I haven't been in the capital for long, and I don't know much about things here. Could you tell me about the Mage's Association?"
Chrysanthemum paused for a moment, then spoke with a troubled expression: "Whatever the Second Miss wants to know, Chrysanthemum will tell you, of course. However, Chrysanthemum doesn't know much about the Mage Association."
That's true. If this happened in your past life, and someone suddenly pulled you aside and asked, "Tell me about Microsoft," what would you know besides the big boss?
"Chrysanthemum, I think you should tell me as much as you know."
Chrysanthemum tilted her head and thought for a while. In the end, she could only say dejectedly, "Second Miss, all Chrysanthemum knows is that the old master is the vice president of the Mage Association, the master is a person in charge of the Mage Association, and the eldest miss is now an apprentice mage, so she should also be considered a member of the Mage Association. As for the rest, I really don't know."
So Grandpa Huo is the vice president of the Magicians' Association? Stone finally understood why Chrysanthemum thought the Magicians' Association was the most powerful. It turned out that their master worked in the Magicians' Association!
Nodding subconsciously, Stone asked again, "Besides the Mage Association, what other associations are pretty awesome... powerful?" Although Stone really wanted to use "awesome" instead of "powerful," she ultimately acted like a lady.
"Chrysanthemum knows this!" The worry on Chrysanthemum's face vanished instantly: "Besides the Mage's Association, there's also the Mercenary Association and the Apothecary Association!"
"Tell me more about it." Stone was eager to understand the world, so he looked at Chrysanthemum with encouraging eyes.
Chrysanthemum was troubled again, and after hesitating for a while, she finally spoke: "Second Miss, Chrysanthemum only knows these names, and I really don't know the specifics. I only know that these large associations are very powerful, and the presidents and vice presidents can meet with His Majesty the Emperor at any time."
Well, being able to meet with the top leader of a country at any time is indeed very impressive!
Stone curled his lip: "How about this, you go ask the coachman if he knows about a blacksmith's association." Stone thought that perhaps a maid who stayed at home all day might not know about things outside, but there was no reason why a coachman who was out and about all day wouldn't know, right?
Chrysanthemum nodded in agreement, walked to the front door of the carriage, opened the small window in the door, and spoke softly to the driver. After a while, Chrysanthemum turned back to Stone with a face full of disbelief: "Second Miss..."
Seeing the obvious hesitation on Juhua's face, Shitou was a little confused: "What's wrong? Did you find out?"
Chrysanthemum opened her mouth, but no sound came out. After thinking for a long time, she softly advised, "Second Miss, how about we go shopping in the capital's commercial district?"
Stone rolled his eyes and looked up. Why did Chrysanthemum sound like she was talking to a kindergarten kid? Even if her body had shrunk, she still couldn't be associated with a kindergarten kid, right?
“I want to go to the Blacksmiths' Association, do you understand?” Provoked by Chrysanthemum’s tone, Stone refused without hesitation.
Chrysanthemum was startled. Although she knew very well that the second young lady in front of her was not the master's biological daughter, she knew even more that the eldest young lady valued the second young lady very much and treated this imposter much better than the real second young lady.
Suddenly, Chrysanthemum became a little nervous: "Chrysanthemum understands. But, Second Miss, if Master finds out that you went to a place like that, he will definitely be very angry!"
That kind of place?!
Stone was immediately speechless. Was she impure, or too innocent? Why did the mention of "that kind of place" remind her of the flashing red lights of a certain island nation from her past life?
"I'm going to the Blacksmiths' Association, Chrysanthemum, did you really understand?" Stone glanced at Chrysanthemum with a very depressed expression.
"Yes, Second Miss, Chrysanthemum truly understands." Chrysanthemum nodded fearfully, "But Master will be angry, Second Miss, perhaps you shouldn't go!"
Is the Blacksmith's Guild really that impure? Stone racked her brains trying to imagine what the Blacksmith's Guild was like, but even after racking her brains, she still couldn't figure out what was impure about it. Could it be that colleagues in the same profession are mutually exclusive? But that doesn't make sense either; her cheapskate father seems to be a member of the Mage's Guild. Why would a mage go against the Blacksmith's Guild?
"Anyway, I'm going to the Blacksmith Association. Chrysanthemum, you can do whatever you want!" Stone really had no patience left. All she wanted to do was to carry forward the skills that Steel Poop had taught her in the human kingdom. Why was it so difficult?
Chrysanthemum looked hesitant, but when she saw the determination on Stone's face, she swallowed her words and said, "Alright..." After saying that, Chrysanthemum walked to the carriage door with a furrowed brow, opened the small window again, and gave the driver a few instructions.
Looking at Chrysanthemum, who had been frowning ever since returning from the front door, Stone felt incredibly depressed. Was it really necessary for her to be so downcast? Anyone who didn't know better would think he was planning to sell this Chrysanthemum girl to a brothel!
However, Stone's confusion didn't last long. About an hour later, the carriage stopped. There was a gentle knock on the front door, and then the coachman's voice came from behind the door: "Second Miss, um, we've arrived at the Blacksmiths' Association."
Trash? What trash?!
Stone didn't miss the driver swallowing the word "rubbish," nor did he miss the tearful expression on Chrysanthemum's face after hearing those words. Although still very puzzled, Stone was still prepared to get off the carriage to take a good look at the Forging Masters Association, which was so glorious in Baozi's eyes but insignificant in Chrysanthemum's.
"Second Miss!" Just as Shi Tou was about to get out of the car, Ju Hua spoke up urgently, "Let's... let's go back to the Huo Family Manor!"
We're already at the door; if we turn back now, we'd be foolish!
Stone pretended not to hear and turned to get off the bus without looking back.
But……
"Second Miss!" This time, Chrysanthemum not only spoke, but also quickly leaped over the rock and stood in front of it: "Please don't go down!"
Even Stone couldn't help but roll his eyes. So what if it's a brothel? It wouldn't matter if we just glanced at it, right?
Seeing that Shi Tou still seemed determined to go down, Ju Hua was truly helpless: "Then... if Second Miss insists on going down..."
Are you just going to smash your head against a wall and die?
Stone looked at Chrysanthemum with anticipation, pondering to himself, "If she really wants to be a loyal servant, should we grant her wish, or should we grant her wish, or should we grant her wish?"
“…Then let Chrysanthemum go down first!” Chrysanthemum steeled her heart and uttered a sentence with a tone of resignation.
Stone's lips twitched visibly, and he nodded silently.
When Chrysanthemum saw Stone nod, she first breathed a long sigh of relief, then her face showed extreme fear. Trembling, she opened the car door and slowly got out of the car: "Second Miss, please be careful when getting out of the car."
Actually, what you really want to say is, "Let's go back!"
Because of Chrysanthemum's actions, Stone's originally calm mood was disturbed and he became a little uneasy. After hesitating for a moment, Stone first carefully looked outside the car door, but it didn't seem like anything was wrong.
He gave himself a pep talk and slowly got off the car.
etc!
Instantly, Stone's eyes widened as he stared ahead in disbelief.
-----
There will be another chapter later...
☆, Chapter 132 Changes: From Sea to Land
The streets are lined with shops...
Okay, that's nothing. But what's the point of putting so many carpets on both sides of this otherwise spacious road?
Okay, that's nothing, but what's the problem with having more vendors than customers?
Okay, if that's not enough, then why are all these stalls displaying pots, pans, hoes, and plows?!
"Chrysanthemum, is this the Blacksmiths' Association?" Stone stared intently at both sides of the road. It was a spring afternoon, which should have been the busiest time for business, but there were few people on both sides of the road, mostly just stall owners.
Chrysanthemum wanted to cover her face in embarrassment: "Second Miss, this is the notorious garbage street in the capital. No one comes here except for poor people."
Stone looked at Chrysanthemum speechlessly. Okay, she admitted that she had misunderstood the girl. It turned out that the girl was actually very innocent. She was simply trying to stop her because she disdained coming here, not because of the flashing red lights.
"Second Miss, if you want to buy ironware, you can just have the servants do it. There's no need for you to come here in person. Besides, even if the Huo family wants to buy ironware, we usually go to reputable stores in the capital's commercial district." Chrysanthemum couldn't help but feel a headache coming on when she saw that her young mistress still seemed very interested in this place.
Stone wasn't really interested in the place; she was simply stunned because she couldn't accept that the supposedly glorious and invincible Blacksmith Association described by Baozi was actually like this.
"Chrysanthemum, is this really the Blacksmith's Guild?" After a long pause, Stone finally regained his sense of language: "You didn't lead me the wrong way, did you?"
Chrysanthemum was also taken aback. She instinctively turned to look at the driver: "Uncle Kurt?"
Uncle Kurt—the middle-aged man sent by the Huo family's head butler to be Stone's personal coachman—pointed to a building not far away and said, "Second Miss, look over there. Doesn't it say 'Forging Masters Association'?"
Stone followed Uncle Kurt's finger and looked in the direction he was pointing. The building he was referring to was probably the tallest on the street, and it looked like it was several hundred years old. The stone walls were covered with ivy-like plants, and there were obvious cracks on the surface of the walls. At first glance, it looked just like a typical haunted house from a horror movie in his previous life.
Of course, the haunted house itself wasn't scary, and there was still a long time before sunset, so Stone wasn't frightened by it. What truly made Stone tremble was the five large characters written in jet black above the five-meter-high door of the haunted house:
Blacksmiths Association.
/(ㄒoㄒ)/~~
Is this really the most glorious, magnificent, elegant, and arrogant blacksmith association that Baozi has been longing for?!
Looking at this awful building, Shi Tou made up her mind. In a few days, she would definitely open a snack shop, selling only one kind of snack—soup dumplings!
"Second Miss, you've already visited the Blacksmiths' Association. Chrysanthemum thinks, perhaps we should head back first?" Chrysanthemum looked at Stone with a tearful expression.
Stone thought that she should be the one crying right now.
"Uncle Kurt, has something happened to the Blacksmiths' Association before?" After hesitating for a while, Stone thought that although Baozi's character wasn't great, it was unnecessary to tell such a lie that would be exposed immediately. Most importantly, Baozi was shameless, not brainless!
Uncle Kurt looked at the stone with trepidation, rubbing his hands nervously: "Second Miss, please just call me Kurt. I can't accept your honorific title."
Stone twitched his lips. Okay, this guy probably doesn't know she's a fraud: "Alright, Kurt, then tell me, has anything major happened at the Blacksmiths' Association recently?"
Kurt was still a little at a loss, but he answered the question about the stone very seriously: "Second Miss, no! The Blacksmith Association has always been like this. This is the source of all the farm tools in the capital, and even some of the pots and pans used by poor people are produced here."
Stone's lips twitched even more: "Besides farm tools and pots and pans, nothing else is produced here?"
Kurt thought for a moment and then replied, "And those raw ores, I heard that the ores are all processed here in the most basic way, but they only process some very common ores, such as iron ore."
Well, the stone gazed at the sky in silence.
Farm tools, cooking utensils, tableware, plus preliminary processing of iron ore—Stone deeply felt that a single steamed bun shop wasn't enough...
"Oh, right, Miss, I remember now." Kurt suddenly slapped his forehead and said excitedly, "I heard my great-great-grandfather say that the Blacksmiths' Association used to be quite powerful, and they could even forge longswords for the city guards!"
Forging longswords for the city guards...
Stone really wanted to ask, "Is that so amazing?!"
According to Baozi, the Blacksmiths' Association should be an entity that surpasses imperial power. They should all be wise elders who draw inspiration from pieces of metal to forge weapons for the world's top martial arts masters. Moreover, not all martial arts masters can obtain their weapons; they are not afraid of authority and are solely focused on finding the most suitable master for the weapons they forge.