Meetup

.

.

.

----------------

/Sometime later in the streets of Orario…/

Upon leaving the Manor, Silver went directly to the West, beyond Babel, towards the workplaces of the Hephaestus' Familia.

"I'm here." Silver said as he looked at the entrance of a shop

'Silver was a bit different from before, his clothes were the same but now, he was carrying a large bag on his back and a thick coin purse on his waist, one that several thieves tried to steal but to no avail.'

'As for the shop… It wasn't special or anything of the like, in fact, if you looked all around, you would see many others like it…'

'The wooden door frame, imprinted with a pair of hammers, the symbol of the Hephaestus Familia, and the glass window, allowing you to see the items inside...'

/Creak…/

'Silver opened the door to the shop, it was empty, likely due to the price of the items, or simply due to the overwhelming competition… Perhaps he was simply too soon as the day had barely even started.'

"I'm going, give me a minute…" Said an old voice coming from deeper within the shop

"..."

'Silver didn't say anything, opting to remain silent and wait…'

'He looked around the shop, checking the products to quench his boredom, all were of high quality, boots, and armor made from unknown materials, some shining in yellow light, others shining in a rainbow light...'

'But armor and such gear didn't suit his style very well... '

'He was a strange kind of Adventurer, that due to his unique set of abilities and resources, could take a hit easier without armor than with one...'

'So he turned his face from those and looked at the weapons...'

"Sigh... So many zeroes..."

But... Since last time I came here, these prices have gone from something completely impossible to something within a workable range...

If I were given enough time, and if I didn't spend any money on anything else, I would be able to afford some of them within a week or two.

Alas... Potions are expensive.

'All of Silver's expenses normally went to alchemical products, and those weren't cheap, especially the ones he got from the Black market.'

'The rest went to settle his debt with Hephaestus and to his daily activities.'

/Step step step…/

"Pretty early to come to my shop, but I'm here if you need anything… Wait, that's a face I recognize… It's you, lad." Said a Dwarf as he carried a box filled with gear

"It is indeed me... It's been a while since we last met, Espínter…" Silver said with a thin smile as he shook the old Dwarf's hand

'This was the same old dwarf that once tried to introduce Silver to Hephaestus, and the very person that led to him joining the Hestia Familia.'

'Silver always meets with him when he goes to visit Hephaestus… But that rarely ever happens in the first place.'

'Well, he rarely ever needed the services of a blacksmith...'

'Besides, he was the most proficient blacksmith he knew off apart from Hephaestus, and he knows very well that he can't employ the services of the latter…'

"I bet you aren't here for some reunion, otherwise you would've visited me earlier… Well, not like that was necessary in the first place." He said as he walked to the counter

'He pulled a box and stepped on it so he could remain on the same level as Silver.'

"So? What is it? I'll tell you right now that even though you're on good terms with lady Hephaestus and the fact that I know you, I won't give you any discounts." He said in a deep tone

"I'm already full of work and it's already a lot for me to not raise the price of my normal commissions for you."

"... I… I didn't even say anything…" Silver said as his eyelids twitched

"I can tell by your look, it's the same many that come to my shop have before asking for me to make them something… And also due to that fat bag on your back, I can hear the items on your back rattling against each other."

"..."

'Silver smiled.'

"You got me."

/Tap!/

'Espinter slapped the counter and said:'

"Here, show me."

'Silver complied…'

'He approached the counter and placed the back there, slowly removing its contents.'

'A pair of boots and gauntlets, plus a series of monster materials…'

'The Dwarf started by checking the items...'

"Is this?... Green Dragon scales?... No, it's a bit different. The thickness is different, the color is darker, and there is a certain sheen to it."

"I can tell, these are stronger scales than the ones usually found in Green Dragons..."

"What sort of creature is this?" Espinter asked confused

'Silver nodded and replied:'

"It's a green Dragon, although as you said... It's much stronger than your regular Green Dragon."

"It's an enhanced species comparable to a Level 5 adventurer… At least in theory."

A monster Level is always hard to determine...

'The Dwarf then looked at the boots and gloves and asked:'

"What about these?"

'He grabbed the boots and said:'

"I can't determine where this leather came from... And I can even tell by looking at it that it was made by an Amature given these stitches and rough metal work..."

"Hm... Aside from that, the origin of these materials puzzles me, it doesn't seem to be Iron or Steel... It's not every time I don't recognize the origin of a metal from the get-go."

'Silver smiled.'

"Those? Those were dropped by the Goliath when I killed it some time ago."

"... Wh-What?"

'Espinter looked at Silver in disbelief before grabbing one of the boots in a hurry.'

"Are you telling me this was... By a monster?"

'He checked the boot sole and...'

/CLANG!/

'He looked at it for a few moments before slamming the sole of the boot on the counter, causing it to tremble, but not break.'

"Interesting… I heard about Monster Rexes leaving behind interesting loot, but this is by far the most Unique I've seen in my career…"

'He looked at the scales and leather and said:'

"I imagine you want me to improve these boots?"

"Yes."

"If possible, I want you to change the leather on the boots and gloves from this one..."

"You can keep the size, there's no need to alter it, but perhaps adding a belt to tie them up may be a good idea... But if it's not possible, I'm okay with it."

"Hum…" Espinter said as he scratched his head

"I don't think it's impossible, my fear is damaging this item's unique properties, but from what I've seen, at least for the boots, this effect is connected with its sole."

"I'll have to experiment with the gloves for a little while longer… Still, I'll try to at least sharpen this metal due to how rough it looks... It's pissing me off."

'Silver nodded.'

"In that case, how much?"

"..."

'The Dwarf remained silent for a good minute before replying:'

"It's not entirely a simple job, I'll be pretty much making an entirely new boot and gloves for you, but in the end, I'll add the metal parts in order to carry on the special property... If everything goes as planned of course."

"For a new set of boots and gloves..."

"315K Valis per Boot, and 285K Valis per Glove, for a total of 1 Million, 200K Valis, I'll even add in and make you something from the remaining leather and scales you brought me for free."

'Silver was pleasantly surprised.'

"Rather cheap, I expected more, around 2 Million, I wouldn't be surprised if it went beyond 2 Million."

Even though I supplied the Items, these materials are still enough to make Level 5 gear…

And that's pricey, people that can work with those materials aren't easy to come by... Especially when it comes from a senior blacksmith of the Hephaestus Familia.

"Heh, I know, consider it a special case since it's a unique item and it won't be boring to work with, besides, treat it as me being intrigued by it."

'He stopped and looked at Silver with a serious expression.'

"However, there is a chance of failure or damage of the Item's intrinsic effect, so be wary of that… That is why I decreased the price."

"If you're okay with that, then I'll start working on it as soon as I finish setting up the shop, you can pay me later."

'Silver nodded immediately, for him, those were already outdated, he barely ever used them if at all, he was planning on giving them to someone else long ago since he felt it was a bore to sell them.'

'And when he thought about improving them, he just had to do it…'

"As for how long…"

'But Silver interrupted him and said:'

"It's okay, there's no need for that, just contact me later and I'll come to fetch them whenever you're done."

"... Sigh."

"I was going to say 1-2 weeks, perhaps 3 since leather work takes some time, but fine, once I'm done I'll send you a damn letter." Espinter said with a smile

'He then looked at Silver and asked:'

"So? Anything else? It's been a while since we talked about blacksmithing."

'Silver felt a bit awkward…'

"Since I left my hometown, I barely even touched a hammer…"

"Bah! It's always the same, young people focus more on raising their stats instead of improving their 'uniqueness'!" The Dwarf said with an annoyed gaze

"..."

He isn't wrong, adventurers do tend to focus too much on raising their stats rather than what really matters, their unique abilities and techniques.

It's the reason why someone who has learned martial arts their entire life can defeat a Level 2 or even Level 3 adventurer even without Falna…

Although for the later case... Only in some very specific scenarios…

'Espinter turned around and said:'

"I'll say it again kiddo, you have a knack for this, I can feel it, you were born with the talent to make things."

"If the opportunity ever comes, it's never too late to try and wield the hammer…"

"But for now, get out of my shop! I need to finish setting it up for the customers!"

"Really? Do you even have customers?"

"I have! You'd be surprised how many adventurers are willing to invest money to save themselves while looking good in the process!"

"Besides, most of my customers are people like you, who come not to buy, but to request me to do something."

"Must be rather profitable." Silver said with a nod

"And tiring, but  m'job is m'job, and I'm satisfied with it."

'Silver smiled and said his farewells.'

"One problem dealt with…"

What now?

...

/Not long after Silver left.../

/Ding ding ding.../

"I'm going, just wait a minute." Espinter said as he walked to the front of the shop again

"It's me, my friend, do you have some time?" Said the man that just entered

"Ahh! You're rather early today, I didn't expect you to be this early..."

'He finally arrived at the front room of his shop, seeing who it was...'

'It was another Dwarf just like him, very muscular and with a magnificent beard...'

"So? What did you break this time? Your Axe? Or will you finally wield a hammer like I always told you to?"

"... I lost my helmet..." The Dwarf said slightly embarrassed

"BUWAHAHAHAHA!"

"I know..."

'One dwarf laughed the other one looked at the ground embarrassed...'

…

/At the same time further North…/

"Enough talking!"

"Alright! Is everyone ready?!" Loki exclaimed as she got up from her seat

"We're just visiting him, there's no need for this fuss…" Tione said, yawning

"You can stay if you don't want to go." Tiona replied as she stretched her arms, her hair still wet from her most recent bath

"Humph, I am whenever Captain is…" She said as she looked around, trying to find Finn'

'However, strangely enough, none of the Top Executives were present in this room, only Ais and her group.'

"Oh yeah, speaking of him, where's Finn?" Tiona asked as she relaxed on the couch

"He? Occupied as always..."

"Finn went to welcome someone from the Posaidon Familia that just arrived in Orario from Melen, business talk."

"Revi is at the Guild reviewing some of our commissions and contracts… Pretty much the basic preparation for our next Expedition in a few weeks…"

I pity her... But who else but her? If everything is left to Finn then he'll collapse like what happened all those years ago...

And if we leave it to Gareth... Forget that I said that.

"While Gareth went to the Hephaestus Familia to make a new helmet since he lost his other one… You already know how."

What's the number? How many times did he lose his helmet during an expedition?...

Sigh, this is what he gets for not having a strap.

"He's also there to do basic maintenance on his gear… They'll come to us as soon as they're done." Loki replied with a thin smile

"Ha? I can understand Gareth and Riveira… But just who needs the Captain to be present to be welcomed like that?" Tione said surprised

Well... It's not like it's the first time, Captain will always welcome Princess and Kings on behalf of Orario... But now of all times?

We weren't even informed of that...

'Loki seemed annoyed as well as she replied:'

"Ahh… Forget about it… It's nothing important anyway."

"You're just making us more curious..." Tiona said as she got up from the couch

"Let's just go already, hurry up, who cares what he's doing, he'll be back soon anyway." Bete told in an aggressive tone

'Loki smiled in a mischievous way.'

"You're one to talk, you didn't care at all where we were going, but when I said we were visiting that boy you got all excited… Could it be…"

"SHUT UP AND HURRY UP ALREADY!" Bete barked as he opened the door and closed it

"Tsk, he isn't honest at all." Loki said as she turned around

"Let's go before he gets angrier and ends up doing something stupid again."

'Everyone nodded.'

"... Ais?" Tiona asked as she turned around, seeing the pensive Ais

"Hm? Oh, I'm going." She said as she got up from her chair, adjusting the scarf on her neck as she passed through the door…

…

.

.

.

Notes