Chapter 49: Selection

Xia Nan was somewhat surprised by the artisan’s reaction.

Given the “battle-hardened” appearance of the leather armor he wore, let alone trading it in for a partial refund, even a roadside sundries shop wouldn’t spare it a single glance. He had initially assumed it could only be disposed of as scrap metal, never expecting to actually fetch a price for it at “Ironhammer,” an establishment consistently renowned for its high-end, premium quality.

Naturally, there was no reason to refuse. He unbuckled the armor on the spot, stripped it off, and handed it over to Barn.

Come to think of it, this leather armor had truly lived up to its hefty 10-gold price tag. When facing the impact of the basilisk, though its defense had been breached and it was smashed to pieces on the spot, it had undoubtedly helped Xia Nan mitigate a significant amount of damage. If his past self had been penny-wise and pound-foolish, purchasing the kind of crudely manufactured, cheap knockoff, he probably wouldn’t have survived long enough to see the half-elf squad’s arrival—he would have been flattened to death by the basilisk right then and there.

With three silver coins safely tucked into his purse, Barn Steelwhisker grinned, his reddish-brown braided beard swaying against his chest as he stowed the ruined armor behind the counter.

Out of the corner of his eye, a glint of iron-grey cold light flashed past. He couldn’t help but look up, casting a glance at the Beheading Longsword on Xia Nan’s back, and asked probingdomly:

“That sword… how is it faring?”

Regarding this, Xia Nan chose not to beat around the bush, stating candidly: “Extremely excellent. It’s sharp, yet incredibly sturdy and durable—vastly superior to the previous weapon I utilized.”

As he spoke, he observed the other man’s expression, carefully selecting words that would avoid exposing his personal cheat code while subtly dropping a hint:

“I’m not entirely certain if it’s due to the gray steel blended within it, but I distinctly feel this sword is a fraction more resilient than other weapons. If you still happen to recall the specific details during its forging, perhaps you could analyze it and develop a rather remarkable product line.”

Hearing this, Barn’s deep, straightforward laughter once again echoed throughout the blacksmith shop. His fan-like hand clapped heavily onto Xia Nan’s shoulder.

“Hahaha, you’re far too polite! But you must still exercise caution. Do not suffer a setback in combat just because you rely on this weapon.”

He had clearly failed to grasp the deeper implication embedded within Xia Nan’s words.

“Our blacksmith shop only crafts premium goods! Equipment with undetermined quality details like that cannot possibly be mass-produced.”

“Furthermore, even if I truly did accidentally forge a rather decent piece of work,” Barn’s eyes glazed over slightly, as if reminiscing about the scene when he initially forged the Beheading Longsword, “that was merely an unexpected, low-probability anomaly. It cannot be replicated.”

Since the conversation had reached this point, Xia Nan found it awkward to press further. He simply nodded.

Reaching behind his back, he drew the [Pine Verdure] wooden sword and presented it to the smith.

“I require a custom-made scabbard. Price is not an issue.”

Barn accepted it with both hands, his gaze scanning the length of the blade, though he did not question why someone would explicitly commission a custom scabbard for a wooden sword. He merely flipped it over, inspecting it while murmuring to himself:

“Hmm… dark-brown wooden material. The density and toughness don’t resemble ordinary timber. Is it Iron Oak from over by Ivelius? Or perhaps Sparrow Willow from the banks of the Velvet Emerald Lake? No, wait, the coloration shouldn’t be this deep…”

As he muttered, he pulled out measuring tools from a storage cabinet behind the counter, asking without lifting his head:

“Any specific requirements?”

Xia Nan pondered carefully for a brief moment.

“Make it durable, keep the coloration low-key, and a slightly concise, unassuming design will suffice.”

The scabbard itself, as a tool for housing a weapon, might not possess much of a presence during actual combat. However, a suitable scabbard was paramount for an adventurer. Aside from the universally recognized functions of protecting the blade, preventing rust, and resisting moisture, it could also influence an adventurer’s drawing speed to a certain degree, as well as maintain the balance of one’s center of gravity during daily activities and combat.

Xia Nan had overheard a few drunkards bragging in the tavern that high-ranking professionals possessing immense wealth would even spend exorbitant sums to commission professional spellcasters to enchant their scabbards, granting properties like automatic maintenance or accelerated drawing speeds. Of course, such things were still far too distant for the current him; there was no need to overthink it.

Barn hailed from a dwarven clan, and his professional proficiency ranked among the absolute best in the entirety of Riverbend Town. Within roughly ten minutes, he had mapped out all the necessary dimensions.

Handing the wooden sword back to Xia Nan, he said in a deep voice:

“Although the style of the blade is somewhat rare, if it’s merely a scabbard, it isn’t difficult to construct. I intend to utilize Rock Carbon Steel. The color matches the blade reasonably well, so it won’t be flashy. Its inherent moisture resistance is also quite good, making it highly suitable for weapons crafted from this type of wooden material. You can come collect it in three days. As for the labor and material fees… as you know, custom work runs a bit pricier.”

“10 gold.”

“Deal.”

Xia Nan nodded. It was the exact same price bracket as his previous leather armor, and it was a mandatory expenditure. Pinching pennies in this department was equivalent to gambling with his own physical safety.

Sliding the wooden sword back onto his back, Xia Nan’s gaze shifted toward the various suits of armor lined up on the display racks to the side. Now that the custom order for the [Pine Verdure] scabbard was settled, his next step was to purchase a new set of armor for himself.

Feeling the solid, heavy mass of the coin purse at his waist, he steeled his heart, fully prepared to take a massive financial hit.

The prior engagement with the basilisk, combined with the extremely high-pressure environment of the Mist Forest, had hammered a profound realization into him: if he wished to survive mission after mission safely and sustainably in the capacity of an adventurer, his margin for error absolutely had to be increased!

High offense and low defense might be a viable alternative for professionals whose “lethality” was sufficiently devastating. But for a bottom-tier adventurer who hadn’t even mastered more than a few basic combat arts, excessively sacrificing defensive capabilities for the sake of boosting combat output was undoubtedly a trap that would drastically spike one’s probability of dying.

Therefore, Xia Nan intended to acquire a suit of armor that would not severely compromise his personal agility, yet still possessed a baseline level of defensive integrity. Regarding this, he had already reached a decision long before he first arrived at “Ironhammer” to buy that 10-gold leather armor.

His gaze bypassed the “Light Armor” section—which offered ample agility but insufficient protection—and swept past the “Heavy Armor” section—which offered formidable defense but limited mobility.

His eyes settled dead center on the racks.

[Chain Shirt]: Medium armor. Metal rings crafted from iron were densely and neatly interwoven into a leather backing material, covered by a layer of supple cloth on the exterior for decoration.

[Scale Mail]: Medium armor. Similarly utilizing leather as an inner lining, fish-scale-like metal plates overlapped and aligned with one another, paired with a set of greaves.

The price tag for both was an identical 50 gold.

The former offered stronger defensive performance against slashing attacks, and its upkeep and maintenance were relatively straightforward. It produced far less noise during movement, but the weight distribution was uneven, requiring sufficient muscular strength to support, and it performed poorly against blunt force trauma.

The latter, conversely, possessed superior piercing resistance, demonstrating excellent performance against weapons like bows, arrows, and spears. It provided extensive coverage, but the maintenance costs were higher, and its overall weight was noticeably heavier.

Evidently, though the two suits of armor shared the same price, each possessed its own distinct set of advantages and flaws. If Xia Nan wished to select a set that was more uniquely suited to him, he would have to synthesize his specific circumstances and evaluate it from a practical standpoint.

(End of Chapter)