Turning toward the voice, Lynn saw Betty, whom he hadn't seen in several days, standing before him.
Today, she wasn't wearing her usual mage robes. Instead, she wore a fluffy, flowing gown.
A wide petticoat supported layers of lace skirts, completely concealing her lovely figure.
It stripped away some of her usual playful demeanor, adding a touch of a noble lady's elegance.
Lynn scanned her from head to toe, staring until Betty felt a bit self-conscious. She half-hid her face behind a folding fan, her eyes peeking at him from over the edge.
“Does it look good?”
Lynn didn't hide his thoughts and nodded in open agreement.
He considered them friends.
If a friend dressed up in a fresh outfit, there was nothing wrong with taking a few extra looks.
Delighted by the compliment, Betty snapped her folding fan shut with a light tap, revealing the smile she had been hiding.
Lynn asked out of curiosity, “Why are you dressed like this? What brings you to the association shop?”
At this, the smile on Betty's face faded slightly.
“I have to visit the royal capital in a few days to attend a banquet. Since I'm about to form my Mage class, my family has invited many guests to celebrate.”
“I came to the association shop to buy some materials for Mind-Refreshing Potions. After all, there are plenty of monster resources around town, some of which can't even be found in big cities. Besides, buying them here is cheaper.”
Lynn nodded.
Betty was indeed a noble, and from the looks of it, her status within her family seemed quite high.
He asked curiously, “Does it take a long time to travel to the royal capital and back?”
Having grown up as a country boy in this life, he didn't even know where the royal capital was.
The furthest place he knew of was Whiteport, over a hundred kilometers to the east.
Betty chuckled at his innocent question.
“It doesn't take long at all. There are teleportation circles between the major cities of the kingdom. I just need to head east to Whiteport, and I can teleport straight to the capital.”
“Oh.”
Lynn didn't ask about the cost of using a teleportation circle.
Given that a single First-Circle spell scroll in the association shop cost nearly ten gold coins,
he didn't even want to imagine how much it would cost to activate a high-circle spell like a teleportation circle.
Since Betty had official business, Lynn didn't want to keep her chatting.
“I'll see you around, then.”
Betty nodded. Instead of leaving immediately, she stared at Lynn's retreating figure for a moment.
Only after Lynn had been out of sight for a while did she snap out of it and turn to walk into the shop.
The clerk hurried over again.
“Miss Fleure.”
Betty looked behind the clerk. “Did you give him that book?”
The clerk smiled. “It has already been sold to Mr. Lynn. But Miss Betty, are you sure Mr. Lynn can learn from it? That was written by a rogue mage, after all.”
Betty hesitated. “He should... be able to, right?”
Clearly, she lacked confidence herself.
But Betty felt that the only book she could get into Lynn's hands without raising his suspicion was that one.
If she had packaged a few Zero-Circle spellbooks and sold them to him for just two gold coins, Lynn would definitely have grown suspicious.
The little clerk asked curiously, “But why didn't you give it to him yourself? It's usually better to let the other person know when you're giving them a gift like this, right?”
After handing her purse to the clerk, Betty lightly tapped the girl on the head.
“Ow~”
The clerk cried out softly, feigning pain.
“Mind your own business.”
...
Wingen Town, Blackstone Street.
Inside a somewhat secluded blacksmith shop.
As soon as Lynn stepped into the shop, a wave of heat washed over him, making his face burn.
Unlike the Mages' Association shop, which was simply decorated yet elegant, this place was cluttered.
Tools, raw billets, and discarded projects were piled in the corners of the floor.
The shop's furnishings were simple but not crude, fully equipped with iron furnaces, bellows, and other tools.
The dark room was covered in thick layers of soot from the smoke, with only the bright red flames dancing in the forge illuminating the space.
Several bare-chested blacksmiths wearing aprons took turns hammering red-hot iron, while a white-haired elderly man stood nearby, guiding their techniques in a low voice.
Seeing a customer arrive, the apprentice blacksmiths remained silent, continuing to forge their own work.
Only the white-haired elderly man looked up, pointing to a corner where the raw billets were kept.
“The stock is in the corner. There are gloves next to it. Be careful not to cut your hands when picking.”
Although he looked like a cranky old man, his words were gentle, even reminding the customer to stay safe.
Lynn hadn't seen this old man when he came to buy gear last time.
This had to be Old Henry.
Lynn glanced at the products in the corner, drawing a few longswords to test their feel, but he wasn't satisfied with any of them.
Having farmed for so many years, he had some experience in judging whether iron tools were good or not.
And swords, without a doubt, tested a blacksmith's craftsmanship more than any other weapon.
In terms of feel, Lynn felt that if he struck these longswords with the shortsword the village chief had given him, they would probably snap in half.
To be honest, these finished products didn't seem any different from those of other blacksmith shops,
let alone comparing them to what the Mages' Association sold.
Just then, the old man wiped his hands with a sweat towel, walked over, and asked, “What's wrong? None of them catch your eye? Who recommended you?”
Lynn put the longsword back.
“Betty recommended this place. She said Old Henry on Blackstone Street has great craftsmanship.”
“Betty...” the old man repeated, taking a moment before remembering who Lynn was talking about.
“Betty Fleure, the young lady of the Fleure family.”
With that, Old Henry turned and walked deeper into the blacksmith shop.
“Come take a look. There might be some gear you like inside.”
Following Old Henry, Lynn discovered that this blacksmith shop had a hidden back room.
Past the outer hall, there was a small room inside the blacksmith shop.
The room was densely packed with various weapons and armor that looked highly textured and well-made.
Lynn stated his needs directly: “I need a shortsword or a dagger. It has to be sharp enough and sturdy enough.”
“What's your budget?”
“Around four gold coins is acceptable.”
Lynn didn't expect to buy a weapon that could rival the Good Village Sword; he only wanted something good enough to last him until he became a class-holder.
Old Henry walked to a corner and pulled out a shortsword.
Although it was kept in a corner, there was no dust on the shortsword. Instead, it gleamed brightly, suggesting it had been meticulously maintained.
As he drew it from its scabbard, the dancing flames of the forge cast a cold gleam across the blade.
Lynn's interest was piqued.
This weapon looked very promising.
He took the shortsword and examined it. The grip was comfortable, but he wasn't sure about its quality.
Old Henry handed him a metal rivet.
Lynn swung the sword at the rivet. After several strikes, the blade remained perfectly intact, without any nicks or dents.
While the rivet hadn't snapped, it bore a deep, distinct gash.
This performance would probably crush any ordinary sword from his previous life, wouldn't it?
It could only be said that, in a world with magic, the quality of steel was beyond anything from his previous life.
Old Henry stared at the shortsword, a look of reminiscence in his eyes. “A Mage lord custom-ordered this. But after it was finished, he found that runes couldn't be engraved on this weapon due to the materials.”
“It wasn't because the material was too poor, though. According to the Mage lord, the material's grade was too high, making it impossible for him to complete the enchantment. In the end, he left the materials for this shortsword with me as payment. I just couldn't bring myself to melt it back down.”
“If you want it, I'll sell it to you for five gold coins.”
Lynn had been listening to the story with great interest, but his face darkened the moment the price was mentioned.
Why did he get the feeling that Old Henry had told such a long story just to inflate the price?
“Four gold coins.”
“No bargaining in this shop.”
Old Henry locked eyes with Lynn.
In the end, the old man was the first to back down, waving his hand.
“Four gold and five silver, and I'll throw in a set of gear maintenance tools.”
Lynn's friendly smile returned instantly, and he handed over the prepared money.
Among them was a silver coin he had received not long ago from pawning his spear.
He wouldn't be needing that spear anymore.
But even after the transaction was complete, Lynn didn't leave.
His gaze landed on another piece of equipment in the corner—a polished set of leather armor.
On it was a blurry mark that Lynn had seen not too long ago,
on the gnolls' equipment.
However, this leather armor was not from the batch that Lynn and his party had sold to the Guild.
Rate on N.U.
