Ever since the incident with the jar, Wen Wen had become extremely wary of mysterious summons.
He certainly didn't want to end up like a dried husk, clutched by a ceramic jar dug out of a cesspit.
Being sucked into a clean jar might be barely acceptable, but a shit jar was an absolute no-go!
However, this voice was appearing more and more frequently. If he ignored it, it could potentially lead to a major crisis, so Wen Wen felt it was necessary to investigate personally.
What was the person's objective? Were they benevolent or malevolent towards Wen Wen? Did they want Wen Wen's help or did they want to devour him? Wen Wen didn't even know if the entity was a living being.
Rather than relying on the church's meager holy water, it would be better to acquire some useful items that could save his life in critical moments.
Therefore, Wen Wen sought out Red Beard to retrieve something he had commissioned Red Beard to create.
Given Red Beard's crafting speed, it should be ready for delivery by now.
Red Beard's cell glowed with a fiery red light, surrounded by a faint mist, with occasional streams of water spraying into the cell for cooling.
His cell was quite a distance from other disaster-level monsters. The reason was that next to Red Beard's cell was a tormentor whose incessant pounding could drive even a strong-willed monster to neurosis.
Red Beard was currently at a crucial stage of crafting a longsword for sale in the containment shop. Wen Wen didn't interrupt him and waited outside the cell.
After all, if Red Beard was disturbed and the crafting failed, it would be Wen Wen's own loss.
After Red Beard finished, Wen Wen picked up the half-finished product to trim his nails. After a few attempts, he tossed it aside, as the blade was not as sharp as the nail clippers Red Beard had crafted for him.
"This is still a half-finished product..." Red Beard picked up the longsword with a pained expression.
Wen Wen ignored Red Beard's distress and directly asked, "Is what I wanted ready?"
Red Beard nodded, wiped the sweat from his brow, and took a black and white mask from the shelf.
"This is what you wanted."
Wen Wen took the mask and saw that it was white on the left and black on the right, with no eyes or nostrils, looking extremely peculiar.
Red Beard excitedly told Wen Wen, "I've given this mask a makeover according to your request."
"It originally had the ability to see through filth, and that ability is still retained. Additionally, I've added the ability to hide one's aura."
"Also, the mask originally displayed various patterns based on the wearer's mood. I've slightly degraded this ability, so now the mask only displays irregular black and white patches based on the wearer's mood."
"Finally, once this mask is worn on your face, only you can remove it at will. Otherwise, unless your entire face is cut off, this mask cannot be removed."
Wen Wen recalled that when Yan Xiu was unconscious, he had wanted to secretly remove the mask to see his face, but he couldn't remove it no matter how hard he tried.
Then, Wen Wen carefully ran his fingers over the mask's material and tapped it with his fingers to listen to the sound.
This action couldn't truly reveal the mask's quality to Wen Wen, but it at least made him appear professional.
It was like how some people always touch and prod things when buying clothes or shoes...
This mask was, of course, the one Yan Xiu had worn before. To shed his past identity, he had abandoned this mask and placed it on his corpse. Wen Wen had secretly made some arrangements to steal the mask.
Of course, this was with Yan Xiu's permission.
Wen Wen was satisfied with the mask, but he needed something else even more.
After putting the mask away, Wen Wen asked, "The mask is alright. Are the nails I wanted ready?"
Upon hearing the word "nails," Red Beard's body trembled, and then he began to passionately explain to Wen Wen:
"Where did you get those things? The materials are incredibly rare, yet they were made into the shape of nails. It's such a waste! If only those nails were given to me..."
As he spoke, Red Beard spat out a mouthful of blood, clearly injured by his distress.
All the blood stained his fiery red beard, making it even redder.
However, Wen Wen was completely unfazed by Red Beard's spitting blood.
This was just how Red Beard was; he would spit blood when he saw super-powered items that wasted materials.
Originally, his beard was the same color as his sparse hair. After being stained by too much blood, it turned this way...
But if Wen Wen let Red Beard continue complaining, he didn't know how long it would take. So, Wen Wen exuded the aura of a disaster狱监 (yù jiān - prison warden), intimidating Red Beard.
"Enough. Save your complaints for later. For now, show me some results."
With a pout, Red Beard rummaged through a corner and pulled out a very simple and slightly oddly shaped spear.
"The material grade of this item is very high, and it was likely crafted by a figure of unimaginable power. Therefore, I've only managed to modify one so far, and this is the extent of what I can do."
Wen Wen glanced at the spear briefly and then puckered his lips in disdain.
It looked like Red Beard had merely covered the original nail with a layer of metal.
Noticing Wen Wen's displeasure, Red Beard puffed up his cheeks and said defensively:
"Don't underestimate my modifications. Others might not be able to achieve this."
"This nail possesses the ability to change size at will, and the metal I've covered it with can also change size along with the nail..."
Wen Wen eagerly asked, "And then?"
Red Beard shrugged, "And then nothing. But this is not something ordinary people can do..."
"Pah!"
Wen Wen rolled his eyes and spat, casually swinging the unremarkable spear.
Despite his outwardly dismissive words, Wen Wen did not underestimate this spear at all.
The seven long nails, along with the wooden cross, were enough to seal the Cicada Ancestor, who possessed the strength of a Spirit Realm God.
Even if no one controlled these seven long nails, and they were simply allowed to fall onto the sea's surface, the water in a vast area would become as hard as steel!
Although Red Beard's modifications were minimal, the nail itself was incredibly powerful!
If Wen Wen could openly use the nails without being targeted by the Glory Church, he wouldn't have needed to modify them.
However, in a real fight, the true effectiveness of these nails would only be known through actual combat.
Wen Wen was reasonably satisfied with Red Beard's work, so he promised Red Beard some benefits upon leaving.
These included, but were not limited to, finding an assistant for Red Beard, expanding his activity space, and finding some rare materials so he could craft a better hammer.
Upon hearing Wen Wen's empty promises, Red Beard became incredibly excited, and his hammering of the longsword became even more vigorous.
Having obtained what he wanted, Wen Wen felt a surge of confidence. He then called back Tao Qingqing and the three little ones. He was now heading to the Qingji Plateau.
Wen Wen was determined to find out who kept chattering in his ear.