As soon as Alvin stepped into Flame Country, he felt a sense of déjà vu; it was no different from Black Anvil Country.
On both sides of the street, shops lined up, but instead of the firearms sold in Black Anvil Country, they offered various swords and blades, with double-edged swords being the most common.
After all, in West Blue, most people who practice swordsmanship prefer double-edged swords.
On the streets, pedestrians carrying swords and blades came and went, exuding a unique martial arts atmosphere.
Vulcan Ignatius, the legendary swordsmith, had two direct descendants: one named Emberhardt, full of new ideas and eager for reform; the other was Rex, who insisted on the high-end sword forging route.
Currently, if anyone could inherit Ignatius's superb sword-forging techniques, it would only be these two brothers.
And the person Alvin was looking for on this trip was precisely Rex.
Just as he was thinking, Alvin's steps suddenly halted.
"Is that… West Seas Ultimate Evil, Red Hawk Alvin!?" a voice filled with surprise and tremor suddenly rang out.
"It… it really is him…" another voice immediately echoed.
"Why would someone like him come to Flame Country?" someone in the crowd wondered aloud.
The surrounding discussions gradually grew louder, with glances constantly darting towards Alvin. In their eyes, there was a mix of apprehension and curiosity, all wanting to get a good look at this legendary figure.
Alvin raised an eyebrow, sighing inwardly: Sure enough, in this world, snipers are still a niche, while swordsmen are the top trend everyone admires.
He enjoyed the complex gazes from those around him, hands in his pockets, head held high, chest out, walking with a swagger even more arrogant than Nezha, slowly making his way towards the bar.
To find Rex in Flame Country, a bar was a good place to gather information; there might be the intelligence he needed hidden within.
As soon as he entered the bar, the clamor assailed him.
Drinkers clinked glasses, and after drinking, they lost their sober inhibitions. Laughter and playful shouts intertwined. Here, it seemed any topic could be discussed, and no secret could be kept.
Alvin walked straight to the bar counter and called out to the Bar Owner who was mixing drinks: "Bar Owner, a glass of rum…"
The Bar Owner didn't even lift his head, skillfully mixing a drink, and replied: "Alright, customer, please wait a moment."
Alvin wasn't in a hurry either. He sat at the bar and quietly listened to the lively chatter around him, soaking in the unique atmosphere of the bar.
After the Bar Owner handed the prepared drink to the previous customer, he turned back to the bar counter and looked at Alvin: "Customer, what flavor… rum… would you like…?"
Before he could finish his sentence, the Bar Owner's voice abruptly stopped, and his entire body seemed to be under a paralysis spell, his face instantly turning pale.
He widened his eyes, staring intently at Alvin, then as if disbelieving his own eyes, he repeatedly turned back to look at the wanted posters on the wall several times.
Finally, he confirmed that he hadn't mistaken the person; standing before him was truly West Seas Ultimate Evil - Red Hawk Alvin, who had become famous in West Blue these past two days!
"Are there many flavors of rum?" Alvin looked curiously at the Bar Owner, completely oblivious to the other's strange reaction.
"Re… Red Hawk… Lord Alvin, why have you come to Flame Country…?" The Bar Owner regained his composure, forcing a stiff smile, and asked tremblingly.
"Of course, I want to find a good sword. But never mind that for now, first give me a drink, and then some delicious food…" Alvin wasn't surprised by the Bar Owner's reaction. With his growing fame, he had to get used to such responses from others.
But unexpectedly, the Bar Owner's expression became very troubled: "Lord Red Hawk, delicious food is no problem, but… if I remember correctly, you're not yet of age, so you can't drink alcohol…"
"Damn it! Bar Owner, you're even managing that?" Alvin was instantly triggered by those words.
How could he, a person with a bounty of 110 million Berries, not be allowed to drink? And to be refused and lectured by a Bar Owner, no less?
Although the Bar Owner was scared, he gritted his teeth and replied firmly: "Lord Red Hawk, this is a matter of principle. Minors cannot drink alcohol!"
Alvin was frustrated by the Bar Owner's rigid insistence. "Then… just give me a glass of juice, and hurry up with the food! Don't worry, I'm eating beef now!" Alvin was helpless and ultimately didn't make things difficult for the Bar Owner.
However, he thought to himself, he really wanted to grow up quickly. Once he was an adult, he could do many things that minors couldn't, like drinking alcohol…
"Alright, alright, Lord Red Hawk, please wait a moment!" The Bar Owner, relieved that Alvin agreed, nodded repeatedly and quickly brought Alvin a glass of juice, then rushed to the back kitchen to have someone prepare food.
Soon after, the Bar Owner came over with the food.
Alvin looked at the array of dishes, all made from beef, and his mouth couldn't help but twitch.
He regretted mentioning eating beef just now. Now, it was all beef dishes.
Any other food now would have dozens of times more protein than beef!
But he didn't say anything; he could only blame himself for speaking too quickly.
During the meal, Alvin chatted with the Bar Owner for a bit, incidentally inquiring about Rex.
As expected, the most well-informed places were always bars.
After some conversation, Alvin got the information he wanted.
It turned out that Rex was currently living in poverty due to a lack of resources.
But to forge a peerless sword, he went to the south side of Flame Island every day to search for resources.
Sometimes, to obtain rare ores, he even ventured into the underground world at great risk.
Over hundreds of years, the rare ores erupting from Flame Island have become increasingly scarce, making it more difficult to obtain ores from the mountain's south side.
Therefore, the people of Flame Island turned their attention to the underground magma world.
Underground, rare ores were relatively more abundant, but danger also followed closely.
To acquire rare ores, several countries on Flame Island lost many lives each year because of it.
Especially Flame Country, forging swords required a large amount of rare ores, and success was not guaranteed, which was also the reason Emberhardt advocated for reform.
However, none of this concerned Alvin. His most important task now was to find Rex.
In his opinion, only Rex could help him forge a satisfactory sword.
————
After getting the information he wanted, Alvin ate a bit faster. After eating and drinking his fill, Alvin patted his stomach contentedly and left the bar.
After Alvin left, the Bar Owner immediately reported about Alvin.
After Alvin arrived in Flame Country and was recognized on the street, his whereabouts were no longer a secret.
But Alvin's purpose for coming here was to find Rex to forge a good sword, and he absolutely had to report this information!
...
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