Chapter 228: Daniel.
There was no one in the room, but Lee was positive someone, a man, just talked to him. And it wasn’t like Qin Yujian who knew how to produce sound without her being present. There was a person around, and apparently a knowledgeable one.
"Who are you?" Lee probed, but there was no answer.
This wasn’t his first time in jail, and even though he hadn’t done anything wrong this time, he had mixed in criminal circles enough to know about the concept of a plant. It was unlikely the mighty elemental lords were using such trivial attempt to get information from him – the plausible scenario was that the other person, the one who just spoke considered him being a plant.
Judging by the context of what the man said, he was likely an artificer, and contrary to Lee – a real one. Lee would’ve loved to converse with him, but the best thing he could do for now was to say nothing.
He inspected his room, or rather – workshop, verified the bars in the window and the hatch weren’t easily removable, and sat down to meditate. He was in a pickle without an obvious way out, and his guess was that he had nine months of time, maybe a year at most.
It would be the reasonable time for him to fake-forge the artifacts he had on him, the four swords and the trousers. Afterwards his inability to craft artifacts would come to light.
He sorted the swords, and chose the shabbiest one he was going to fake-forge first. If Lee was honest with himself, Flaresteel, the worst of the weapons he had, was an incredible two and a half feet long sword, designated for a fire element cultivator.
It was unlikely anyone below elemental lord’s level could afford it, much less wield it, but Lee somehow had to pretend he was capable of crafting it. He had no other choice but to take his chances, and for now decided to follow Bastil’s advice, and not cause any trouble.
After calming his mind, the next morning Lee began to work on the list of the necessary materials. Almost as if guessing Lee’s actions, the man who spoke to him yesterday, spoke again.
He said, "Artifacts are really hard to make. They require a lot, a lot of materials. And the time it takes ... Remember! The sooner you finish your work, the sooner you can start on the next one! Work hard! Don’t let the others down!"
Lee was startled by the voice, but even though this time he guessed the direction it was coming from, the contents mattered much more. The person, while maintaining plausible deniability, was trying to tell him to ask for extra materials and remind that he had to take his time while crafting.