Castle of Black Iron

"Even if Milton doesn't dare to harm us, will we continue to stay here like this?" The Cyclops asked with a complaint, "I don't think that we should come to this motherf*cking place. Do you know how much is Milton's rent in that inn per day? It's said that it's cheap there. All the money that I accumulated for so many years couldn't afford me to live here for 2 years! Those foreign people who could live in Xuanyuan Hill are all nouveau riche from those subcontinents. The number of imperial households and dignitaries here is even greater than that of prostitutes near the railway station of Blackhot City. We're still in the periphery of Xuanyuan Hill. It's said that more dignitaries were living in the emperor's imperial city. Additionally, although Milton always held his head high, he dared not breath smoothly in Gold and Power Market. It seems that they could grow gold coins in the farm. They spent tens of millions of gold coins by hand. God knows how heavy those gold coins weigh if they're piled up. You know, in Blackhot City..."

"Stop, let's not mention Blackhot City anymore!" Zerom interrupted the Cyclops, "If you always mention a remote city in a subcontinent, others would treat us as yokels who have not seen the world..."

"Yokel? So what? I feel Blackhot City is good, at least better than here!" The Cyclops muttered, "Didn't Zhang Tie live in Blackhot City? His first job was even introduced by me..."

"That's Zhang Tie. He's the No. 1 human knight who killed a heavenly demon knight as a shadow knight. Do you think that we could compare with him? We can't even imagine about his current social status. If not him, who knows Blackhot City in Waii Subcontinent?"

"Therefore, Blackhot City is not bad, at least a powerful knight comes from Blackhot City!" The Cyclops said stubbornly.

"If you feel that Blackhot City is better than here then that's because you're poor. When you're as rich as those nouveau riche in subcontinents, you would feel here better too. Before coming here, do you know how Humans Pharmacists Union look like? Can you imagine that so many human elites and senior professionals are in one building here? Can you see so many knights? Can you see so many imperial households, dignitaries and beauties of all human races on one street? Can you imagine about so many rarities? Can you imagine how a country or throne is traded in a market?" Zerom explained with full of emotions as if he was in a dream, "I feel we're in the paradise, the paradise of the rich. We have to be rich. This time, at least we know how real people in authorrity and dignitaries live. By comparison, those capitals in Western Continent are just barren lands of barbarians..."

"Do you think that Zhang Tie would still treat us as his friends if he were here?" The Cyclops asked Zerom hesitantly.

"I think you know him better than me. When in Wild Wolf Valley, you gifted him that secret book Immortal Iron-blood Fist. Sometimes, you have much greater intuition than me on judging people. At least I've not imagined that Zhang Tie could be a knight and reach such a high level. What do you think?"

"I feel...I feel he shouldn't be that merciless, at least based on his performance in the past!" The Cyclops became much more cautious speaking of Zhang Tie as he lowered his tone, "However, I failed to see through him when I saw him last time. After so many years, I'm afraid that he doesn't feel like meeting us at all given his current social status..."

"At least we might have a chance to meet him, right?" Zerom remained optimistic as he continued, "We didn't come here in vain if there's a minor chance for us to meet him. Because it's a chance for us to improve our fate. Additionally, we could save a lot of people. Doesn't it worth a try even if it's a minor chance? You know that those important ones in our eyes might not be important in his eyes anymore. However, those unimportant ones in our eyes might still be very important in his heart. Additionally, we don't want to bring him trouble or make him embarrassed; instead, we only want to cooperate with him. It's beneficial to both parties. As long as he nod, you and me would not worry about the rest of our lives anymore. It's nothing shameful. We're looking for an anchor at most..."

"Well, you're right. But we only know that he's receiving medical treatment in the emperor's imperial city now. We could never access to that place. Even Milton couldn't make it. Neither does Zhang Tie know that we're here. Would we stay here all the way?"

"If we couldn't contact him in the next 2 months, we will go to his bounty territory to wait for him to come back. It would be much easier for us to meet him in his private territory!" Zerom put it straightforwardly.

"What if Milton leaves?"

"Let him go then!" Zerom said in a nonchalant look, "You've seen Fiery-Oil airplanes, Fiery-Oil buses and Fiery-Oil yachts on water these days, how do you feel about Fiery Oil?"

"To be honest, I don't believe that Fiery Oil is produced by straws in the farm. It only existed before the Catastrophe. It's said that Fiery Oil could be also be used in powerful weapons in the Western Theater Operations!"

"Therefore, as long as Zhang Tie nods, we will be able to find new partners with his license. If we're authorized to produce Fiery Oil, are you still afraid of lacking partners? I'm afraid that people would come to us by then..."

After hearing their dialogue, Zhang Tie knew the target of Zerom and Captain Kerlin.

Zhang Tie's reputation had been spread over the Western Continent along with his marvelous Fiery Oil. After hearing Zhang Tie's news, Zerom and Captain Kerlin came to Taixia Country, aiming to contact him.

Zhang Tie had not heard about Milton. Now that Milton was someone that Zerom and Captain Kerlin acquainted with on the Western Continent, he must be insignificant for Zhang Tie.

Zhang Tie exclaimed about his amazing fate by meeting these two people in Xuanyuan Hill.

Last time Zhang Tie saw Zerom and Captain Kerlin in his first rotating chakra ceremony in Yiyang City, Huaiyuan Prefecture, Waii Subcontinent. Zerom and Captain Kerlin attended that ceremony as the backbones of Thor's Mercenary Regiment under the affiliation of Armes, an empire of mercenaries. Since then, Zhang Tie didn't see them anymore. Later on, he heard that the two people evacuated from Waii Subcontinent to Western Continent with the other backbones of Thor's Mercenary Regiment.

It had soon been 11 years since the 895th year of Black Iron Calendar when Zhang Tie saw them last time. Plus the 60 years that he stayed in the tower of time, it had been 71 years since Zhang Tie saw them last time.

Zhang Tie wasn't the only one who had heard the dialogue between Zerom and Captain Kerlin, even Bai Suxian and Yan Feiqing had heard it. The two women had almost guessed the relationship between Zhang Tie and the two strangers.

Zhang Tie made a hand gesture to the two women before he picked himself up and left his private room. After coming to the outside of the folding screen of the private room of Zerom and Captain Kerlin, Zhang Tie let out a sigh of relief slightly before entering it calmly.

"Captain Kerlin, Mr. Zerom, long time no see..." Zhang Tie watched the two people sitting in front of a table with a smile the moment he entered the room.

After hearing the familiar voice, the two people turned around at the same time as if they saw a ghost.

It had been 11 years since they met last time. Captain Kerlin's and Zerom's looks had changed to a certain degree. However, Zhang Tie's face remained unchanged.

In the same black eyeshade, Captain Kerlin looked like a vicious pirate with some more wrinkles on his face. Zerom had some more grey hair. Both of them looked a bit elder and more experienced. It seemed that they didn't live smoothly on the Western Continent over these years in troubled times...

Zerom and Captain Kerlin almost sprung up at the same time. Due to a big belly, Captain Kerlin almost knocked over the table...

"You...you...you..." Captain Kerlin stammered as he pointed at Zhang Tie.

Not just Captain Kerlin, even Zerom who used to be able and crafty didn't believe in Zhang Tie's sudden appearance.

"What's the color of Shrek's hair..." Zerom asked a strange question immediately.

Zhang Tie replied with a smile, "Of course, it's brown. Oh, how are Jordan and Professor Simon?"

Zhang Tie acquainted with Jordan and Professor Simon in Heavens Cold City in Waii Subcontinent. They were also backbones of Thor's Mercenary Regiment. As Zhang Tie violated the rule by leading Zerom, Captain Kerlin, Jordan and Professor Simon to Heavens Cold City for first-hand raw materials of demonized puppets, he was punished by the clan elder.

"This is real!" Zerom became thrilled at once after confirming Zhang Tie's identity. He wanted to embrace Zhang Tie; however, he slightly hesitated.

Noticing that the two people were a bit hesitant, Zhang Tie strode forward and gave a bearhug to the two people as he slapped their backs forcefully, saying, "It's so nice that you're alive; it's so nice that you're alive..."

When he embraced them, Zhang Tie had an indescribable complex feeling, watching the familiar aging faces.

Zhang Tie would never forget that Zerom and Captain Kerlin had saved him in Wild Wolf Valley.

"Ahh, how come sand gets in my eyes..."

The Cyclops' only eye turned wet in Zhang Tie's passionate arms. After Zhang Tie separated from him, Captain Kerlin hurriedly wiped off his tears as he made an excuse bashfully.

Zerom's eyes turned a bit red. With such a warm embrace, Zerom knew that Zhang Tie was still the same one in Heavens Cold City...

...