Matrix Survival: One random treasure chest per day

Chapter 627 Black Dragon Spear!
After the master and servant finished their dinner, they threw all the tableware into their capsule dwelling. The housekeeping android worked diligently to collect and clean everything.

Upon arriving at the front hall, Zi Yuan was still sitting behind the counter. The blacksmith shop was deserted, with very few people coming in to buy anything.

Occasionally someone will come in to take a look, but they will eventually leave disappointed.

It's not that the goods here aren't good enough, but rather that the quality is too good and the prices are too high, making them unaffordable for ordinary residents of the outer city.

Even though Block 7 is a highly ranked gathering place for top players, not everyone has the extra money to buy good things. It is home to a large number of high-end shops, and the prices are equally frightening.

Li Zheng had come and gone in a hurry before and hadn't had a chance to look around carefully. Now that he had some free time, he took a stroll through the blacksmith shop.

[You should definitely take a good look around; perhaps some unexpected surprises await you.]

The moment Li Zheng had the idea, Lao Pu switched to riddle mode, giving vague hints.

"A surprise?" Li Zheng looked at the first item on the shelf closest to him. It was an ordinary, unremarkable longsword. There was a monitor next to the shelf displaying the price.

Thirty thousand red crystals!
"That's more like a shock!"

Li Zheng was secretly astonished. He had just completed an official mission issued by the terminal, and his final reward was only a mere five hundred red crystals. Yet this unremarkable longsword was priced at sixty times his entire fortune!
The problem isn't the price; it's your problem!

Old Pu coldly stabbed Li Zheng in the heart, making him so angry that his mouth almost twisted into a crook: "When have I, Li, ever been treated like this?!"

But the next moment, thinking about how long it would take to earn so much money, he suddenly felt discouraged again.

"Although I hate to admit it, I am indeed a poor bastard..." Li Zheng was on the verge of tears. If other players in the matrix heard this, they would only secretly curse him as Versailles, but in the outer city, his wealth was indeed not enough.

Especially in neighborhoods with such early numbers, five hundred red crystals are really nothing.

Seeing him standing there in a daze in front of the first weapon, Zi Yuan assumed he didn't know how to operate the shelf, so she leaned over and said, "I'll help you pull up the detailed information for this item, and it'll also be a good opportunity for you to see the blacksmith's skills."

As he spoke, he clicked a few times on the price display screen, which immediately brought up a text. These shelves displaying goods had a built-in translation function. Based on Li Zheng's race, Zi Yuan adjusted the text to one he could understand: "This is the detailed information of the Wrathful Flame Longsword. Because it is different from the matrix, the outer city cannot see the information left by the maker to judge the quality of the item. Therefore, someone developed this kind of shelf, where the merchant writes all the characteristics of the item on it."

Li Zheng nodded, thinking to himself, "I know a little about your blacksmith shop's capabilities, but the items are just too expensive!!!"

On the surface, he pretended to be calm and carefully read the detailed description of the Flaming Blade. He discovered that this weapon, which looked unremarkable, was actually a weapon that was above the initial grade!

Moreover, the forging process used a mineral called "Raging Flame Crystal" that Li Zheng had never seen before. The longsword itself has the property of flames, and by simply infusing it with a little mental power and genetic force, a layer of high-temperature flames can be summoned on the surface of the longsword.

According to reports, this flame is quite magical; once summoned, it will only affect the user's target, and other people or things will not be affected by the flame.

If the user is skilled in fire-based gene abilities, there are even more ingenious uses when combined with this sword. For example, it can unleash blade-shaped flames to attack enemies from a distance, with power comparable to ordinary low-level high-level weapons, making it easy to kill low-level creatures.

After seeing the Flaming Blade, Li Zheng, out of curiosity, looked at several other items and became increasingly amazed.

The blacksmith shop truly lived up to its reputation as a premier establishment in District 7; he couldn't afford any of the items randomly picked from its shelves.

That Flaming Blade was actually relatively cheap; there will be weapons priced at over 100,000 red crystals in the future!
Moreover, Li Zheng was quite familiar with this weapon.

It was a pure black spear with a frosted surface, and a golden dragon was carved out with a special process, making it lifelike.

At first glance, the dragon's head was right in front of Li Zheng's face, and he almost thought that the golden dragon was about to leap out and attack him!
The last time he saw something exactly like this spear was when he fought with the wandering merchant Xiao, who used the same weapon.

"One claw, two claws, three claws... five claws!?" Li Zheng finished counting the claws of the golden dragon winding across the surface of the spear and was surprised to find that there were actually five. "Who put the carvings on the surface of this spear? What is the reference point?"

"This?" Zi Yuan was taken aback. He hadn't expected Li Zheng to be interested in such a thing. He explained, "The Black Dragon Spear was made by our senior brother. It's his masterpiece. There are only two in the world, and one has already been sold."

The carvings on it were also carved by the eldest brother based on the appearance of a certain creature in the legend of the Divine Bird Clan. It is said that this creature is called 'Dragon' and is a sworn enemy of the ancestors of the Divine Bird Clan, and is extremely cruel.

The eldest brother used a dragon as the carving motif, taking into account the Black Dragon Spear's inherent characteristics as a weapon, to add a touch of ferocity to it.

Li Zheng listened silently, his expression complex.

Unexpectedly, what was regarded as an auspicious and noble totem by the Chinese people on Earth turned into a ferocious beast by the Divine Bird Clan!
[Wow, what a rare treasure! If the materials weren't so scarce, there wouldn't be only two in the world. At 100,000 red crystal coins, if you could buy it, you'd be getting a steal!]

“This gun…” Li Zheng reached out to touch it, but was pushed away by the barrier on the shelf: “Could you save it for me? I’ll buy it when I’ve saved enough money.”

"You like this weapon?" Zi Yuan asked in surprise, then explained, "It's not difficult to keep it for you."

He pointed to a line of small print at the very bottom of the information and said, "See that?"

Li Zheng looked closely and saw that the small print read: "Those who cannot wield the Black Dragon Spear will not be sold at a premium!"

"What does this mean?" Li Zheng asked curiously, "How can there be a reason for not selling even if you offer more money?"

"This is a privilege that the teacher gave to our eldest brother," Zi Yuan explained. "Only our eldest brother has this privilege in the shop because the things he makes have some strange and wonderful properties."

He pulled Li Zheng around and looked at the row of shelves behind them: "These are all Senior Brother's works. Look at this crossbow. Senior Brother's condition was that it's not for sale to wingless races!"

He then pointed to the bow beside him: "I don't sell the ones with long wings! I don't sell the ones with scales over there, and I don't sell the ones with thick fur over there..."

Li Zheng was stunned: "Why are there these strange restrictions? Won't this affect the shop's business?"

“Yes, but there’s no other way. If we don’t add some restrictions, it will only damage the shop’s reputation.” Zi Yuan sighed helplessly and pointed to her senior brother’s works, saying, “Didn’t you notice that all of senior brother’s works are weapons? And they all have different engravings on their surfaces.”

Li Zheng looked at it and found that it was indeed the case.

Besides the five-clawed golden dragon on the surface of the Black Dragon Spear, he also found phoenix-like carvings on the crossbow and peacock feather carvings on the bow. There were no fewer than fifty different carvings that Li Zheng could identify!
There were even more engraving prototypes that he couldn't recognize at all, and that required Old Pu to explain and answer his questions!

Seeing that he was still puzzled, Zi Yuan smiled, manipulated the Black Dragon Spear shelf a few times, and opened the isolation barrier: "Try it yourself, and you will understand the intention of Senior Brother."

Li Zheng hesitated for a moment: "Is it really possible?"

“Of course,” Zi Yuan said. “If you can’t control the Black Dragon Spear, wouldn’t that be the perfect way to put an end to the idea of ​​buying it? It would also save you from saving up enough money only to find out in the end that it was useless to buy it.”

"It's just a weapon, isn't it?" Li Zheng reached out and grabbed the Black Dragon Spear, thinking, "Could it be that in the wrong hands it could... um?"

The moment he grasped the Black Dragon Spear, he suddenly froze.

The gun didn't look heavy, but it was extremely heavy. With his current physical condition, he couldn't lift it for a while, and he couldn't even move it!
With his current physical condition, moving something weighing ten tons is no problem for him.

However, he couldn't even lift the Black Dragon Spear, which was within his grasp!
"Now you understand? If you can't handle the Black Dragon Spear, you'll have trouble even picking it up. If you pay but can't take it with you, wouldn't that ruin our shop's reputation?" Zi Yuan laughed and reached out to activate the isolation barrier, but found that Li Zheng was looking at the hand holding the gun in horror and showed no intention of letting go.

"Since you are not the master chosen by the Black Dragon Spear, let go. I understand your love for your favorite weapon, but no matter how reluctant you are, what is not yours will never be taken away. So let go."

A bead of cold sweat appeared on Li Zheng's forehead: "Would you believe me if I said my hand was sucked in by the Black Dragon Spear?"

"How could this be?" Zi Yuan exclaimed in surprise. "You must be joking. This has never happened before!"

Li Zheng felt an irresistible suction force emanating from the Black Dragon Spear in his palm, causing his hand to grip the spear tightly, unable to let go.

For a moment, this bizarre situation prevented him from picking up the Black Dragon Spear, nor from letting go and leaving.

"Wait here, I'll go get the teacher!" Zi Yuan tried to pry Li Zheng's fingers open, but no matter how hard she tried, it was no use. Li Zheng's hand seemed to have turned into an indestructible alloy, and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't budge it an inch. Unable to solve this unprecedented situation, she could only run to the back of the blacksmith's shop to ask the blacksmith for help.

No sooner had he left than Li Zheng made another move!

The surface of the Black Dragon Spear, where he was gripping, seemed to have a tiny needle protruding from it, piercing Li Zheng's palm. Then he felt the blood in his body being drawn to the Black Dragon Spear, gushing into the shaft.

Strangely, upon closer inspection, Li Zheng could not discern any change in the Black Dragon Spear, as if his blood had vanished into thin air.

Sigh, you're just too stupid to survive!

Old Pu had no choice but to give a hint:
Look at the dragon's head!

Leading company?

Li Zheng looked as instructed, only to find that the previously empty eyes of the golden dragon had slowly developed into a pair of lifelike pupils!

The eyeballs were completely filled with blood, yet they did not look sinister; instead, they exuded an aura of majesty!
"This is... the finishing touch?" Li Zheng recalled a story: "Could it be that the carvings made by Senior Brother are actually missing the final step?"

To be precise, it's already complete; this is merely the process of recognizing a master. I never imagined there were races in this universe with such skill…

Li Zheng caught the fleeting notification text in his eyes, his eyelids twitched twice, but his expression remained unchanged. He wondered to himself, "How much blood does it want to suck from me before it stops? I can't hold on much longer!"

The golden dragon's eyes changed from red to purple, the color becoming increasingly deep, gradually turning into black.

Conversely, Li Zheng's originally healthy and rosy complexion slowly turned pale, and a deathly aura crept onto his forehead, making him look like a dying man.

Not only that, because his body was becoming weak, the long, black hair behind him sensed an opportunity and began to twist and turn strangely. The whispers in Li Zheng's ears grew louder and louder, as if he were standing in the center of a square with tens of thousands of people, listening to them all talking at the same time.

"Shut up!" Li Zheng snapped, annoyed by the noise.

But the whispers didn't lessen at all; instead, they grew louder and louder until his hearing was completely blocked. He could hear countless voices echoing in his ears, their meanings unclear.

He tried to find something to replenish his blood in the capsule dwelling, but he couldn't find a single item even after searching through all the inventory.

Li Zheng tried to use his mental power to stop the dragon pattern from absorbing his energy, but because his body had become weak, even the slightest exertion caused countless cracks to appear on his body surface. Because his blood had become scarce, the cracks were only a faint crimson color, and no blood flowed out.

"Oh no, am I going to die here?" Li Zheng's vision blurred. It would be too frustrating to be drained dry by a spear.

The black hair twisted and wriggled, spreading like tentacles across Li Zheng's face, and two hairs as thick as a baby's arm covered his eyes, making it impossible for him to see.

Several thin lines then branched out, drilling into his nostrils, mouth, and ears, penetrating deeper and deeper, launching an attack on his brain.

Li Zheng tried to raise his left hand to stop it, but he had no strength. A wave of dizziness came from the depths of his consciousness, and he was about to collapse.

Just as he was about to run out of energy, a faint trace of energy surged from the depths of every cell in his body—the last bit of medicinal power remaining from the Marrow Cleansing Pill!
Sensing that Li Zheng had become extremely weak, the medicinal power of the Marrow Cleansing Pill emerged from his limbs and bones, transforming into nutrients for his body and rapidly replenishing it.

His heart began to beat strongly again, and streams of hot blood began to flow from his heart into his blood vessels, pumping throughout his body.

At that moment, Longwen's eyes turned completely black, like two vibrant pupils, and turned to look at Li Zheng.

The next moment, a resounding dragon roar echoed in Li Zheng's ears, and the noisy whispers that were so loud they were almost annoying disappeared as if they had encountered their natural enemy.

The 'black hair' that had burrowed into his mouth, nose, and ears hurriedly escaped, transforming back into smooth, long, black hair behind him and ceasing to move.

Once his vision returned, Li Zheng, leaning on his Black Dragon Spear, bent over and gagged, coughing incessantly.

He felt something had violently entered his throat, which made him very uncomfortable.

[Congratulations, its interior has taken on your shape. From now on, unless you die, no one can use this gun.]

The side door opened, and Miriel, hearing the noise, entered the front hall. She was startled by Li Zheng's appearance: "What happened to you?"

She had just finished dinner when she suddenly felt a surge of desire. Unable to control herself, she stayed in her room to suppress the urge and did not stay by Li Zheng's side as usual.

She gently patted Li Zheng's back to help him catch his breath: "You look terrible, like you've lost too much blood. What happened? Were you attacked?"

Li Zheng raised his left hand, finally catching his breath, and said weakly, "It's nothing, I just paid a little unexpected price."

Although the price almost cost him his life, from then on he had to live like Xu, using spiritual power.

Fortunately, the previous Marrow Cleansing Pill had reached its limit due to the rapid increase in his physical strength, leaving some medicinal power accumulated in various parts of his body. This gave him a boost at the critical moment, allowing him to pull through.

The price was that the effects of the Marrow Cleansing Pill finally wore off, and it would be truly dangerous if a similar situation were to occur again.

"Teacher, come quick! Li Zheng, he..."

The back door opened, and Zi Yuan hurriedly led the blacksmith out. Turning her head, she saw Li Zheng straighten up, raise his right hand lightly, and easily take down the Black Dragon Spear.

The blacksmith's massive frame squeezed in through the back door, and he said in a muffled voice, "What happened to him? He was perfectly fine."

Zi Yuan was stunned: "But...but...he wasn't like this just now..."

Li Zheng examined the Black Dragon Spear carefully for a moment, then put it back on the shelf and tried to let go of it.

This time there was no suction, and he was able to let go smoothly. He breathed a sigh of relief and forced a smile: "I'm sorry, this gun seems to have recognized me as its master. Please leave it in the shop for me, blacksmith. I will come back to pick it up when I have saved enough money."

The blacksmith's body was covered in a dark red hue that seemed to flow like magma. His reddish-gray eyes stared at Li Zheng for a moment before he asked Zi Yuan, "How much does that gun cost?"

"Replying to the teacher, the eldest brother has set the price at 100,000 red crystal coins," Zi Yuan replied.

"Hmm." The blacksmith nodded slightly. "I'll make the decision. I'll sell this gun to him at half price. I'll talk to your senior brother about it."

After saying this, he nodded to Li Zheng, then turned and went back into the back of the shop.

"The blacksmith really doesn't miss any opportunity to do me a favor. The Black Dragon Spear has already recognized me as its master, and no one else can take it away even if they want to buy it. It's just taking up space in the shop." Li Zheng thought to himself, "Now he's making the decision to sell it to me at half price right in front of me. Once I take the Black Dragon Spear, I'll owe him a favor."

Zi Yuan walked back looking bewildered, reopened the isolation barrier on the shelf, and wondered, "That's not right. The process of these weapons recognizing their owners wasn't like this before. Why did it change this time?"

Li Zheng originally wanted Miriel to help him back to his room to rest, but upon hearing this, he became interested and asked with renewed vigor, "Brother Yuan, do you remember the buyer of the last Black Dragon Spear? How did he acquire it?"

“The previous one…” Zi Yuan began subconsciously, then suddenly stopped, alert: “I can’t tell you the customer information, but I can tell you about the process of him subduing the Black Dragon Spear.”

"Oh?" Li Zheng asked curiously, "How did he do it?"

Zi Yuan reached out and made a grabbing motion, saying, "He just grabbed the Black Dragon Spear like that, then picked it up, paid, and left."

Li Zheng was stunned: "It's that simple?"

Zi Yuan nodded: "It's that simple!"

(End of this chapter)