Inside the City Lord's Mansion, the City Lord sat beneath a quiet pavilion, calmly sipping a cup of spirit tea.
The gentle fragrance of the tea drifted through the air, mixing with the faint scent of blooming flowers nearby.
Seated opposite him was an old man with a long white beard.
The old man held a delicate porcelain cup between two fingers, his gaze lowered as if lost in deep thought.
For a while, neither of them spoke.
Silence lingered in the pavilion.
Then, after a moment, the old man finally broke it.
"The craftsmanship of these artifacts is unlike anything I've ever seen before," he said slowly.
His voice was laced with shock and disbelief.
With decades of experience and countless years of traveling across various regions, he had encountered numerous rare treasures, mysterious techniques, and powerful artifacts.
Over time, very few things had been able to surprise him.
Yet now, in this seemingly ordinary city, he had experienced one shock after another.
