I Just Wanted to Live, but I Somehow Became Better Than the Main Character - Chapter 85: Crafting Hall

“Hello, Senior Brother.” Ye Yong performed a cultivator salute. Who can understand the solitude of being a villain? Everywhere he went, there were either people who knew him or those who didn’t dare to provoke him, leaving no room for any face-slapping events.

The only time such an event happened was when Ye Mao, a spirited young man who thought he was impressive for breaking through to the 6th layer of the Foundation Establishment, came to challenge Ye Yong.

He was currently even reminiscing about it.

“Junior Brother Ye, you are too polite.” He returned the gesture. “Are you here to craft some items at our Crafting Hall?”

“I’m only hoping to get a small item processed.”

“What is it that Junior Brother Ye wants to process?”

“Turning a feather into a pen.”

On Earth, quill pens were generally believed to have been invented by the Romans in the 6th century AD. However, in this world, they have been in use for a long time. After all, the human race has existed for over a million years in this world. As for why there was no modern technology despite the long existence of the human race, Ye Yong has no idea- the answer would simply be the novel’s setting.

“That’s quite easy.” The person smiled shyly. “If Junior Brother Ye trusts me, I can handle the processing.”

“May I know your name, Senior Brother?”

“I am Tie Zi.”

“You are Tie Zi!?” Ye Yong was surprised.

“This…” The other party showed a hint of embarrassment. “I didn’t expect Junior Brother Ye to have heard of my reputation. Sorry for being a joke.”

“No, no, no. Failure is the mother of success. Senior Brother Tie’s ideas are quite good, just lacking time and experience,” Ye Yong had come to the Crafting Hall specifically to find Tie Zi.

Tie Zi was one of the male lead’s long-living friends in the novel. Actually, he was more like a tool character. He helped the male lead create many useful items in the early stages and also helped the male lead repair the broken items he got from his enemies.

As for why Tie Zi felt embarrassed and apologized for being a joke, it was because he had a unique understanding of crafting equipment.

The system of the Six Arts was quite mature, especially in alchemy and crafting, with various rules and frameworks, unlike the more flexible spirit food. It has a somewhat rigid, orthodox feeling.

Tie Zi’s unique understanding was different from the traditional standard. And as a newcomer with only about over ten years of experience, creating equipment in his own way was not easy. However, with the passage of time and the accumulation of experience, Tie Zi eventually succeeded, and he succeeded big time.

Those who had looked down on him in the past regretted it immensely.

Tie Zi transformed into a highly sought-after master craftsman. But only the male lead believed in him when he was a newcomer, so apart from the male lead, everyone had to queue up to ask him to craft items and even then, it would depend on his mood.

“I’m ashamed to receive such praise¹.” Ye Yong’s words that “failure is the mother of success” made Tie Zi feel much better. He also thought that Ye Yong was more polite and approachable compared to other prodigies, as he hadn’t shown any disdain.

Ye Yong carefully observed Tie Zi. His features were quite standard, and he was a bit skinny, unlike the typically muscular hammer-wielding image of a craftsman, just as described in the novel. I should have noticed earlier.

But it wasn’t too late. Ye Yong had not offended him, and he took out the feather: “Then I’ll trouble Senior Brother Tie to process this.”

As luck would have it, other Crafting Hall senior cultivators appeared at this moment, each of them tall and muscular. Compared to them, Tie Zi looked like a toothpick.

“Junior Brother Ye, be careful! Don’t trust such an unreliable person; he doesn’t understand crafting at all.”

“I, I understand.”

“You understand what!? After more than ten years in the Crafting Hall, have you ever successfully crafted a Yellow-grade item?”

Tie Zi’s face turned red, his head held high and fists clenched: “Just give me a bit of time, and I will definitely succeed.”

“How much time? A hundred years? A thousand years?” The other seniors ignored Tie Zi and instead began flattering Ye Yong, boasting, “Whatever you need, Junior Brother Ye, you can just ask us.”

“Although we may not be that great, we can still make yellow-grade rank 5 items.”

“Armor, weapons, iron puppets- each of us has our own specialties.”

After a moment’s thought, Ye Yong handed over the feather: “I just need one feather pen processed, nothing too complicated. A simple fix will do.”

“No problem! It will be done quickly. If Junior Brother Ye doesn’t mind, you can take a look around our Crafting Hall.”

“I will consider it. Please process it first. Let me know how many spirit stones are needed.”

“You don’t need to pay, Junior Brother Ye. Just wait a moment.” The several seniors quickly left, discussing how to make the feather pen better as they walked.

Tie Zi kept his head down the entire time, not speaking.

“I’ll trouble Senior Brother Tie with this,” Ye Yong took out a second feather.

Tie Zi looked up in surprise: “Junior Brother Ye, this is…”

“I just remembered that I needed two feathers processed. Could I trouble Senior Brother Tie with this one?”

“I will not disappoint you, Junior Brother Ye.” Tie Zi’s eyes were a bit red.

Although processing feather pens wasn’t a technical challenge for the Crafting Hall members, Ye Yong’s words and actions showed trust in him. Tie Zi was deeply moved. He took the feathers, said his farewells, and went back to his small room to get busy.

“It’s a pity that Emperor Within New Emperors is a cultivation novel and not a craftsman novel. Otherwise, you’d also be a male lead,” Ye Yong mused as he walked away.

Giving the feather to those seniors was purely to protect Tie Zi. If he insisted on having Tie Zi complete the task, then he wouldn’t be valuing but rather harming him.

Ye Yong still wanted to make a good connection with this future master craftsman. Although he could directly purchase what he needed from the system store, he preferred to get what he could in real life, as his transcend points didn’t come from the wind.

…

The Crafting Hall didn’t have a lot of people and only had about ten more people than the Music and Art Hall. They were all crafting enthusiasts, and apart from the seniors who had appeared earlier, Ye Yong didn’t encounter anyone else. He wandered around near the mountain gate, and soon the seniors returned with the finished item.

“Just as expected, it’s done.” The leading senior even thoughtfully packaged it in a brocade box.

Ye Yong opened it and found that the processed feather was even more vibrant in color, and the special technique made it less prone to eroding compared to the original feather. They had also engraved some patterns on the quill to enhance its aesthetic appeal.

“Thank you, seniors.” Although they said he didn’t need to pay, Ye Yong didn’t want to owe anyone. So he exchanged for some crafting materials from the system store. “These are items I obtained by chance while going out. I have no use for them, so consider them a token of appreciation.”

Naturally, they wanted Ye Yong to owe them a favor, even if it was a small one. But since Ye Yong insisted on giving, they had no choice but to accept.

They were even.

“Other seniors and juniors are busy, so sorry we couldn’t accompany you and show proper hospitality. Would you like us to show you around?”

“Thank you for the offer, but it’s already quite late. I should be leaving now.”

“Alright, if you need anything, you can find us. Although we can’t claim our crafting skills are exceptional, we will definitely not disappoint you.”

Ye Yong nodded, said no more, and turned to leave.

He didn’t linger by the small room in order to avoid causing trouble for Tie Zi and rode his somewhat loved little magic carpet back to Echo Mountain.

After he left, the Crafting Hall immediately became lively, with many female cultivators running over to ask if Ye Yong had custom-ordered something.

The craftsman seniors, who were used to hammering away, had never seen such a scene and were quite excited.

“Junior Brother Ye, from now on, the Crafting Hall will be your second home! Make sure to come home often!”

Translator’s Note:

¹ 惭愧. Means ashamed, but can also be used as “I’m not worthy of such praise/fame”.