After Maxing out all Classes

After the soldiers passed by, they didn’t quite know what to make of Robb’s enthusiastic cheering. Some even considered shooting arrows at him but decided against it. After all, the guy was cheering them on, and there’s a saying that one shouldn’t hit a smiling face, so they let it slide.

Robb climbed down from the wall, his brow furrowed. The issue of the “ghost pirates” causing chaos seemed to be escalating, compelling even the authorities to mobilize troops. He hoped that these pirates in this parallel world wouldn’t create as much chaos as the Wokou pirates had in his original world.

Five days later, Robb was still aimlessly waiting for someone to deliver ore to him. Unfortunately, the only visitors he received were those intent on stealing the ore, offering no benefit. Well, that wasn’t entirely true; he had gained a considerable amount of martial arts prestige.

In the initial days, those who tried to ambush him were unaware of his prowess and targeted Shisu instead. However, as days passed, it became evident that Robb was the force to be reckoned with, so he became the primary target. Simply put, attacking Shisu was futile; defeating Robb was the key to obtaining the Xuanyuan Black Iron ore.

The small-fry martial artists no longer dared to make a move on the ore, and the ones showing up now were heavy hitters. Some even introduced themselves before launching an attack, attempting to project an aura of being seasoned warriors, only to end up getting thrashed.

All in all, it was quite boring.

Why wasn’t there anyone with ore coming to seek his help for refining?

As Robb lounged in a wicker chair at the doorway, pondering this, a rabbit-person peddling malt candy walked by, rhythmically hitting a small chisel against a hammer to attract attention.

Elated, Robb eagerly waved him over: “Old man, over here! I’d like to buy some!”

“Old man?” The rabbit-person was taken aback. “I’m only 24.”

Robb replied, “Don’t vendors like you usually look older? I can’t really distinguish the age of rabbit-people, so I just guessed.”

Though awkward, the rabbit-person walked over, sensing a business opportunity. “How much would you like?”

Robb tossed a few dulled throwing darts as payment, and the vendor started chiseling off pieces of malt candy for him.

Street vendors are usually well-informed and love to chit-chat. While working, he said, “I’ve heard that people like you, foreigners, come from across the sea.”

Robb smiled, “That’s right, I’m no exception, I came from across the sea.”

The vendor leaned in closer and whispered, “Then you must know about the ‘ghost pirates.’ Just a word of advice: avoid the coast these days. The pirates are wreaking havoc. Just a few days ago, a large army passed through our very own Hangzhou to subdue them. Have you heard?”

Robb said, “I know… what happened?”

The vendor whispered, “That entire army was annihilated, decimated by the ghost pirates. They’re scattered and fleeing.”

Robb: “…”

The vendor continued, “The coastal cities are in chaos now. Ghost pirates are running rampant everywhere, committing murder and looting. Several county towns have been captured, even Chongming Island is under their control.”

Robb: “…”

The vendor shook his head, “The government troops are so ineffective. I heard a few thousand ghost raiders can chase and fight tens of thousands of soldiers. The troops can’t even beat them ten to one. You must remember, don’t go to the coast.”

After saying all this, the vendor finished chopping the malt sugar and handed Robb two pieces before picking up his load and wobbling away.

Robb: “…”

Shisu came out from the door behind him and stood beside him, “Tsk! Our Big Tang’s government is so useless. A bunch of incompetent officials.”

Robb quietly waited for her to continue. Seeing she had nothing more to say, he glanced at her, “And then?”

Shisu puzzled, “What do you mean ‘and then’?”

Robb said, “I thought you would have some insights after criticizing the government. Turns out you were just ranting?”

Shisu said, “What kind of insights do you think I should offer?”

Robb: “Like how to deal with these ghost pirates, for instance.”

Shisu: “That’s the government’s business, what does it have to do with us folks in the martial world?”

Robb: “Tsk! Back Seaters, ancient version.”

“What’s a back seater?”

“Don’t want to tell you!”

Robb looked up at the lazy clouds in the sky. After a moment, he suddenly shifted from his lazy posture to a sitting one, and said with a touch of seriousness, “Alright, decision made. Let’s go fight the ghost pirates!”

Shisu in shock, “Wait, what’s gotten into you?”

“If all the people in the martial world think like you do, then… we’d be better off executing every last one of them. If martial artists practice their skills only for personal gain and not for saving the nation and the people, what’s the point?”

Just as he finished speaking, he suddenly dashed to a tree across the large house. Behind it was a man who seemed to be spying on Robb and Shisu, likely planning to steal the mysterious metal. He thought he was well-hidden, but Robb was beside him in a flash, patting his shoulder, “Hey buddy, I saw you a long time ago.”

Startled, the man reflexively swiped at Robb, but Robb caught his wrist and effortlessly tossed him to the ground, “Don’t resist. Be a good boy, or else you’ll be dead in a minute.”

The man froze instantly, not daring to move.

Robb asked, “Which sect do you belong to?”

The man obediently replied, “The Sea Salt Sect.”

Robb: “And what’s your position in the sect?”

The man said, “I’m the sect leader!”

“Wow, the leader and you’re this weak?”

“It’s not that I’m weak, you’re just too strong,” said the man, looking both amused and distressed. “I didn’t expect to not even last one round against you. Before coming here, I thought I could at least trade a few hundred moves with you.”

Robb said, “Alright, let’s not dwell on the number of moves for now. Go back and gather all the members of your sect. I want you to follow my orders; we’re going to fight the pirates.”

The man froze, similar to Shisu’s reaction earlier, “Wait, what’s going on here?”

Robb glanced sideways at him, “Do you want to live or die? If you want to die, keep asking questions. If you want to live, do as I say. By the way, you can try running away, but if you fail and I catch you, I’ll cripple your cultivation and throw you into a den of werewolves.”

The man broke out in a sweat. Rabbit people are generally quite afraid of werewolves, so the threat was effective.