Chimaera's Conquest: The Legend Of The Devourer
Chapter 180: The Cursed Blacksmith (1)

Chapter 180: The Cursed Blacksmith (1)

Adrian got busy early in the morning. Three hours of sleep were enough for him. Besides, since there were no staff there, he had to do the cooking.

After all, Adrian couldn’t ask the girls to cook as a host, and he knew anything George would cook would be poison, so he didn’t bother asking him.

The room was soon filled with a tempting aroma as Adrian worked his magic. Just then, the door opened, and Seraphina and Amelia entered, their noses twitching at the delicious scent flowing through the air.

"Mmm, something smells amazing," Seraphina remarked, her eyes lighting up.

"Indeed..." Amelia commented.

The two had planned to cook the food for everyone, but it seemed Adrian had beat them to it.

"Good morning, ladies," Adrian turned to greet them with a warm smile, wiping his hands on a dish towel. "Have a seat. The food will be ready in just a few minutes."

As Seraphina and Amelia took their places at the table, Seraphina glanced over to where George sat. His mouth was full of food, and he savoured each bite as if it were the last.

"You seem to be enjoying the food," Seraphina chuckled.

"Mmm-hmm, it’s delicious," George nodded enthusiastically, his cheeks bulging as he struggled to speak.

Adrian rolled his eyes at George’s antics before returning to the stove. The next moment, he was putting the finishing touches on the meal. Once everything was ready, he began to plate the food and served the girls whose mouths were watering.

[The entity, Sin of Sloth, wipes her mouth, hoping to taste the dish.]

’I’ll cook for you some other time.’

[The entity, Sin of Sloth, warns the User not to back down from his commitment.]

[The entity, Sin of Sloth, sponsors five stat points to the User and says it’s the reservation amount.]

Adrian shrugged and got back to work. But before that, he pointed at the boxes on the table, telling the girls to have their pick. Curious, Seraphina and Amelia exchanged glances before opening boxes; inside, they found phones.

They were no strangers to it since the Nexarians had their own version of the device. However, Seraphina couldn’t hold back and commented that the phones looked primitive compared to what they were used to.

George threw up as soon as he heard it. The phones in their hands were the latest models yet to be released to the public.

As far as he knew, less than a hundred hunters had the same model, and even then, it was the first model that could operate inside the dungeon, where most modern tech wouldn’t work.

"I agree," Adrian said. But Earth only received new materials and ores six years ago, so it would obviously take time for them to catch up to Nexarian standards."

"Hm... I suppose you’re right," Seraphina commented, pocketing the device.

"I’m surprised you managed to snag prototype hunter gear, especially since you’re not even a hunter yet," George said, reaching for more food, only to have Adrian smacked his hands away.

"We have the DRA to thank for that," Adrian replied. "They seemed to be quite interested in us. After all, Officer James was here with the phones when I asked him about the hunter evaluation."

"Tsk, typical DRA behaviour," George clicked his tongue, getting serious momentarily. "They probably want to get in your good books after what happened at the hospital."

"Yeah, that’s what I thought," Adrian nodded. But hey! I’m not complaining. I had to get phones for everyone either way, so they helped me save some money. He also gave me this."

Adrian tossed a card at George, which read, "Weapons manufacturer Shinon Flintlock. Wait... the S-Grade blacksmith?"

"How do I know who he is?" Adrian shrugged, setting up plates for A’Mila and Sophia as they walked in. "James said Shinon owes him some favours. He’ll make the weapons I want if I say James sent me."

"As if," George scoffed. "Shinon doesn’t roll like that. I may not know everything, but he only crafts weapons for folks who earn his respect. He’s the type to turn away even S-rank Hunters if he doesn’t dig their vibe."

"All the more reason to visit him then," Adrian replied, taking off his apron. "In the meantime, George, get my accounts back up. I’d need the money, and give me your car keys."

"Oh, hell no!" George jumped up. You won’t be taking my car until you clear the test and get your license back. I’ll call a cab for you."

"Tsk, stingy bastard."

***

Since Miami had been the hive for dungeon breakouts, it was only natural for businesses based on such scenarios to thrive. Shinon Flintlock was the same.

Adrian did some research and found that the Flintlock family had a history of working in the arms industry. Shinon was the first to take advantage of the dungeon breakouts to craft new weapons using monster materials.

’He looks to be doing quite well for himself despite being 20,’ Adrian thought as he got out of the cab in front of the mansion.

Now that Adrian thought about it, Shinon would have been fourteen at the time of the first outbreak. It seemed unbelievable that someone so young could have been behind the creation of one of the leading economic sectors in the world.

Adrian was about to enter when two Hulk lookalikes stopped him at the gate.

"What business do you have here?" one of them asked, blocking the path.

Adrian took out the card and showed it to them. The guard nodded, returned the card to Adrian and slammed the door shut. Baffled, Adrian knocked on the door again, but there was no response.

’What the hell?’

Adrian checked the address, thinking he was at the wrong place, but that wasn’t the case. After waiting for a few minutes, Adrian turned to leave, only to have an elderly man walk out and greet him.

"How... may I help you?" The man asked, his voice quivering.

"Uh, I was looking for Shinon Flintlock," Adrian replied.

"You’re looking at him..."