19. Mei Jinhua

Appearing in Initium, Xu Lei immediately began his journey. He glanced at the piece of paper given to him by Bertram, quickly scanning through the instructions. The first point was to arrive in a village called Zhuge, which had a bamboo forest nearby with a river running through both the woods and the settlement. It was something he noticed by checking the place on the map.

As he walked, after turning everything off, he thought about what he needed to do to prepare for his journey. 'First, I need to check the prices in the district of workers and make sure what to prioritize,' he thought. 'Then I need to get some equipment. I have over a hundred gold pieces, so I should get a proper knife for hunting, and maybe even some simple armor.'

But upon entering the city center, the rich architecture distracted him once again. Three players crossed his path, completely ignoring the newbie. One was a knight in dark armor, with a massive sword on his back with a jagged, saw-like edge. The other was clearly a mage, holding a simple cane with a crystal mounted on top of it, and a large blue pointy hat. The last one had vibrant purple and blue clothes, with a lute on his back and a rapier by his belt.

Xu Lei felt a stab of envy pierce his heart as he looked at them for a moment. 'I will be like them. Even better,' he promised himself, then continued his march, soon entering the district of workers.

Behind the gate, the architecture changed drastically. He could no longer see all of the fancy and grandiose stuff. Instead, simple, functional buildings took over. Some were shops, which could be recognized by their more attractive appearance and signs displaying what one could buy there. Usually, just a neatly cut plank of wood with something painted on it was mounted to the wall or hung above the entrance. Most, though, were clearly some kind of workshops. The blacksmiths had open parts where they could be observed at work, while others preferred a more private approach.

Previously, Xu Lei didn't examine much of the place, as he ended up rushing to one of the first stores he could find, to get a sword. Fit was due to him feeling short on time because of the alarm, but now he had more room to explore. As he wandered, he asked some leatherworkers if they would be interested in buying hides and eventually stumbled upon a small forge near the city wall that caught his attention.

Unlike the other forges, this one was partially emerged in the ground, built of red bricks with a blue roof made of painted tiles. A sign sticking out of the ground, next to the place, had an anvil with a hammer above it painted on the surface. Intrigued, Xu Lei knocked politely on the door, but there was no response. The clang of metal coming from inside meant that somebody was inside. Despite feeling it was rude to just barge in, he decided to open the door.

The handle gave in easily, allowing him to pull the heavy door open, which gave plenty of resistance. It was thick, made from layers of wood mixed with layers of metal.

Gasping and groaning, he created an entrance big enough for himself and slid inside, noticing the bright and clean workshop. The two furnaces in the room emitted a glow that replaced the sun, and the crystals drifting in the air illuminated everything underneath them even more.

One of the furnaces was an open bathtub made of concrete, filled with red coals, and the air above it constantly shifted. Two bellows were located at the bottom of the furnace, which could be used by stepping on them. The second furnace was more familiar-looking, closed with only a small entrance to the inside, filled with raging flames. The bellows connected to this furnace were placed on an elevation, which meant one could only use them with their hands.

Xu Lei noticed a set of three anvils close to the furnaces, each one slightly different in shape. It was there that he spotted her - an incredible-looking person. She had porcelain-white skin with crazy orange and red hair, immediately bringing fire to mind. The thick waves of curls were directed over her shoulders to a leather bag slightly below her impressive chest, which was additionally protected by a thick blacksmith's apron.

She was dressed in surprisingly little for her profession. He noticed a slightly dirty white work shirt, with short sleeves, revealing her lean arms; a pair of black leather pants tightly hugging her impressive figure, and thick gloves. As she pounded a red-hot piece of metal with a hammer, she didn't even notice the arrival of the customer.

The man glared at her for a moment, but realizing it was rude, he averted his gaze and took in the rest of the workshop. He immediately noticed a dark metal staircase poking out of a hole in the ground, away from the working space. The workshop also had three tables, two of which were filled with different tools, while the third was mostly empty, and clearly used for various projects. A piece of leather and a handful of studs lay on the table, along with a simple device to poke holes in sturdy materials.

"H-hello!" Xu Lei started the conversation, breaking the blacksmith's concentration.

She froze, then glanced at him, and a massive smile spread across her pale face, with two big, red eyes. She put away her tools, removed her gloves, and spoke, her voice beaming, "How can I help you, customer?!"

Xu Lei was surprised by how loud she was and took a moment to respond. "I was looking for some equipment. I'm going on a little journey and have some concerns about my safety, so I'm looking for a sturdy piece of armor."

The blacksmith's smile faltered for a moment, and she asked, "What's your budget?!"

"I have a little over a hundred gold coins to spend," Xu Lei answered, struggling to formulate his thoughts as the blacksmith stood in front of him, distracting him with her impressive figure.

The corners of her mouth twitched up and down before the blacksmith spoke again: "And you came to my workshop? I'm an artisan crafter. My goods are not cheap."

She paused for a moment before continuing, "But you know what? There is something about you... I can't tell what, but there is something. It's so weird... Anyway, I can sell you a leather jacket. It's an old scrap one, which I made a long time ago when I wasn't as good as I am now. It should be decent, definitely on par, if not better than anything you could get in other places in the city. By the way… I'm Mei Jinhua."

As she shrugged her shoulders, Xu Lei couldn't help but notice her massive breasts on the verge of popping out of her sweat-drenched shirt, revealing the outline of her dark lingerie. He had to muster every bit of willpower to maintain eye contact with her, even though they were still in his peripheral vision. Taunting him.

Xu Lei nodded, as he struggled to process his thoughts, giving her a signal he was interested. This was enough for Mei Jinhua to walk away, soon disappearing down the staircase. He couldn't help but gaze at her stunning figure as she was making her way. Her hips swayed hypnotically with each step. He shook his head, trying to clear his mind and refocus on his mission.

Only moments later, Mei Jinhua returned with a thick and sturdy leather jacket, which she put on the mostly empty table. Xu Lei approached cautiously, afraid of losing his mind again in her presence. He inspected the jacket, and a window popped up in front of him displaying its stats:

[Mei Jinhua's leather jacket; Defense 15; Resistance 5; Quality: Neglected; Price: 100gc]

"It's everything I could hope for," he said, reaching for his coin pouch to pay for the item. After a quick calculation, he placed a pile of hundred gold pieces on the table beside the jacket.

"Thank you, Mister Customer!" Mei Jinhua exclaimed, revealing her sharp fangs with a smile.

"It's Xu Lei. Please, call me Xu Lei," he replied, feeling an awkward smile forming on his lips.

"Again, I'm Mei Jinhua," she said, extending her hand for a shake.

As their skin touched, Xu Lei felt a tingling sensation in his belly. He quickly withdrew his hand, allowing Mei Jinhua to gather the gold coins from the table, completely ignoring his awkward reaction.

"If this is all, then I'm gonna head back to work," she said, making her way to the staircase.

"Yes, that would be all. Thank you," Xu Lei replied, bowing slightly.

As Mei Jinhua disappeared down the stairs, Xu Lei put on the leather jacket, grateful for its additional protection, and left the workshop.