Mission in another world with my transformed best friend

Zhang Lan was surprised that Ilya would describe these "hearsay" in this way, and frowned slightly, asking a question.

"Then why do you find it exciting?"

"Of course it's exciting! Once we 'go to war' with the heroes, the whole continent will be in chaos. Someone like me, who makes a living by petty theft, will actually have an easier time surviving..."

Wang Kai was about to retort when Zhang Lan gestured for him to shut up and took over the conversation.

"Alright, your idea makes some sense. I don't want to say whether it's right or wrong, but I'll just give you a piece of advice: if some people with ulterior motives find out what you just said, like the people on the 'Hero's' side, they'll definitely arrest you immediately and make you an 'identifier'..."

"The 'identifier,' who is he identifying?"

"Didn't you just say those 'lackeys'?"

"But... I don't really remember what they look like, and I've almost forgotten their voices too."

“It’s possible you’ve forgotten, but the people on the ‘Hero’s’ side definitely won’t believe it. So they’ll keep torturing you until you cooperate. They might even cut off your hands and feet, put the rest of your body into a jar, leaving only your head sticking out. After all, ‘identification’ only requires eyes, ears, and a mouth. Do you understand?”

Upon hearing this, Ilya's hair stood on end again. Her previously smug expression instantly turned to fear. She bent over and squeezed her legs together tightly, as if she might draw a "map" on the floor if she didn't exert herself.

It took Ilya a long time to come to her senses. She looked up at the two people in front of her with pleading eyes...

"Saintess, Brother Kyle, could you please keep this a secret?"

"That depends on whether you can keep our secret..."

"Okay, I promise... Waaah, can I go now? I need to go to the bathroom!"

Zhang Lan nodded and stepped aside. Ilya clutched her stomach and ran away in a flash...

Wang Kai was a little worried, so he leaned closer and whispered something.

"That girl, is it alright to just let her go like this..."

"At first, I thought that the 'god' gimmick alone wouldn't scare her, but after hearing what she said, I felt much more at ease. After all, there are many people on this continent who are dissatisfied with heroes, and there are quite a few 'organizations' like ours... As long as she keeps her mouth shut and doesn't reveal our true identities, we'll be fine."

"But she actually called it 'exciting'? Is she out of her mind? If the hero goes to war with the entire continental empire, can the days of bloodshed and devastation under war be described as 'exciting'?"

"Don't jump to conclusions. Different life experiences shape different values. Ilya was a pitiful girl who survived by petty theft while seeking revenge. Do you expect her to reach the moral standards of 'civilized' people in our world? Is that even possible? Perhaps for her, 'chaotic' environments are easier to survive than 'peaceful' times, which is why she found it exciting... I wonder which nearly thirty-year-old man, fueled by youthful passion, abandoned his retirement and chose to take the initiative and strike..."

Wang Kai scratched his head, thinking that this "veiled criticism" was a bit too explicit.

Zhang Lan felt there was nothing more to say for the time being, and yawned slightly.

"Alright, I'm a little sleepy after lunch, I'm going to take a nap. Tomorrow I have to attend the launch event for 'Lafite II,' and I need to memorize my lines tonight..."

"Ah... what about me?"

Wang Kai pointed to himself. The awkwardness of last night was finally over, and the conversation between the two of them was returning to normal. How could he not take the opportunity to improve their "favorability"?

Zhang Lan glared at Wang Kai and said.

"Do you think I can control you? Go wherever you want... Also, the 'stay one meter away from me' rule still applies, so move aside a bit!"

"No way, that's so petty."

Wang Kai was stunned for a moment, and could only watch Zhang Lan walk out, unable to help but sigh.

After Zhang Lan became a girl, it became increasingly difficult to guess what she was thinking. One second she might be laughing and joking with you, and the next second she would turn on you and deny everything... Her psychology and behavior were not exactly the same as those of a real, ordinary girl, but they were practically identical.

Moreover, Wang Kai also clearly felt that the other party's words and actions were becoming more and more like those described in the "Alice's Personal Notebook." Could it really be related to the influence of the Alice soul remaining in his body?

"Oh dear, this is troublesome. Kyle, the 'ultimate simp,' ever since I put on your skin, I feel like I'm not inheriting a 'destined character,' but rather a collection of curses. Therefore, apart from Zhang... Alice, I feel almost no attraction to other girls. You're making the soul of this healthy, thirty-year-old uncle suffer so much! Please, can your soul rest in peace and stop influencing my thoughts and actions? Just ascend to heaven already. I'll burn a huge pile of paper money for you right away. There are plenty of beautiful women in the underworld; I guarantee you'll be surrounded by beauties and have a great time... But whether that money can be transferred through the 'Heaven and Earth Bank' to the underworld bank managed by Satan, I don't know."

With nothing else to do and a relaxed mindset, Wang Kai's only plan for today was to familiarize himself with the furnishings of the "Alchemy Pavilion." His previous idea of ​​returning to being a "single-player gamer" was long forgotten.

We already knew the general layout of the fourth and fifth floors. On the top floor, there were some wooden barrels used for "brewing," which were probably heated by sunlight to speed up the fermentation process. In addition to the barrels, the walls around the top floor were also quite high. I had originally planned to climb up and enjoy the beautiful view of the entire town of Merck, but I had to give up on that idea.

As for the other floors, Wang Kai remembered that the only floor Zhang Lan hadn't taken him to see last night was the third floor. Following his memory, after several twists and turns up and down the stairs, he finally felt a distinct heat in the air on a certain floor. Taking advantage of the temperature difference, he slowly walked to a large iron door on that floor. There were two soldiers standing guard at the door. One of the soldiers recognized Wang Kai, knowing he was a "VIP" here, saluted, and turned to open the iron door...

A gust of hot wind and a reddish-yellow light immediately blew out. Wang Kai went inside and saw several large blacksmith furnaces sizzling and crackling at full power. The burning charcoal inside the furnaces was mixed with some pig iron that had been heated to a deep red. Several men dressed as blacksmiths were constantly picking up pig iron and hammering it, and the sparks flying everywhere were dazzling. The primitive scene of iron forging was unfolding right before his eyes...

If he hadn't been mentally prepared, Wang Kai would never have imagined that such a large blacksmith shop would be located on the third floor of a large "office building," and he would also understand where the 24-hour hot water in the bathhouse on the upper floor came from.

When he saw rows of crafted weapon blanks on a display shelf, Wang Kai couldn't help but stop and pick up a sword blank to examine it. Compared to the ordinary iron weapons he used and discarded when "leveling up," its hardness and flexibility were indeed much better, but it was still several levels below the alloy iron rod at his waist...

Well, we can't expect Zhang Lan, starting from scratch, to create modern steel using the remaining technology in his mind. It's already quite good that he was able to produce a material that combines hardness and flexibility, which is much better than pig iron.

Regardless of how much wealth these "inventions" could bring, if weapons forged from these materials were widely available, adventurers' lives would be much better. With their weapons and equipment upgraded several levels, they would be less likely to get injured or lose their lives during adventures, which would be a great thing.