Barend stopped in front of the door and began to explain. “First, the materials must pique her interest. Second, the weapon's design must present a challenge. And third, the price must satisfy her.”
“She doesn't even bother with the adventurers in town who save up for months just to have a decent sword made.”
Bai Xuan's gaze swept over the runic symbol, and his heart stirred.
This was likely the mark of a specific dwarven artisan clan; a sense of professionalism radiated from it.
Barend took a deep breath. Before reaching out to push the door, he instinctively tidied his messy beard and adjusted the slightly crooked leather strap on his shoulder armor.
His cautious demeanor was a world apart from his earlier boisterousness.
The door hinges gave a heavy creak, and a wave of heat surged out first, carrying a complex scent of metallic grease and some peculiar mineral dust.
Bai Xuan stepped past Barend and entered the shop first. The front half was a display area, and the space was roomier than it appeared from the outside.
Weapon racks and armor stands were arranged in an orderly fashion. Every longsword, battleaxe, breastplate, and helmet was polished to a shine, displayed like silent works of art under the soft light of magical lamps on the walls.
The back half was completely hidden by a thick, dark leather curtain. From behind it came the rhythmic, powerful pulsing of a bellows and the sharp, piercing sound of metal being forged.
“Welcome. Do you need weapons or armor?”
A clear, even somewhat melodious female voice came from behind the counter.
Bai Xuan looked toward the source of the voice.
The counter was made of metal, gleaming with a dull, silver-gray luster.
Behind it, a female dwarf stood on a specially made small step-stool, which allowed her to look an adult human in the eye.
She was about the same height as Barend, with a slightly more slender but still formidable build. The muscle lines on her arms, tucked under a thick leather apron, were firm and smooth.
Her brownish-black hair was pulled into a tight bun at the back of her head. Her facial features were sharp and rugged, and her apron was covered in countless tiny burn holes and scratches from metal shards.
She wore a pair of peculiar fingerless gloves over her thick knuckles.
The sharp contrast between her voice and appearance caused Bai Xuan to blink in surprise.
At that moment, Barend sheepishly shuffled out from behind Bai Xuan.
Mora's gaze landed on Barend's face, and her calm expression instantly soured.
“You dare show your face here?” Her voice remained clear, but the temperature in it plummeted.
Barend puffed out his chest, trying to look righteous, though his tone was noticeably weak.
“I... I brought a friend! He needs a good weapon, a truly good weapon!”
Mora let out a short, cold laugh and stepped out from behind the counter. “I remember it very clearly.”
“A certain rock-head shouted before leaving last time that if he ever stepped foot in here again, he'd be nothing but slag scraped out of the furnace.”
Barend's face turned beet red, and his beard seemed to bristle. “That was just talk! Can you really take what a dwarf says during an argument seriously?! Besides, this is official business! My friend—”
He pointed emphatically at Bai Xuan. “He has good materials! Truly high-quality stuff! I smelled it!”
Mora turned her gaze back to Bai Xuan, scrutinizing him for a moment.
Then she looked back at Barend, her tone brooks no argument. “I've seen the man. Now, you can get out.”
“What?!”
Barend's eyes widened. “No way! I have to help my friend consult, otherwise you might...”
Mora didn't wait for him to finish. Her left hand reached casually under the counter and pulled out a small, ordinary-looking iron hammer.
“Do I need to invite you out?” she asked, her voice calm and steady.
Barend's face changed instantly upon seeing the small hammer. He grumbled something under his breath and instinctively backed up two steps.
Turning to Bai Xuan, he spoke at a rapid-fire pace. “I-I'll wait for you at the alley entrance! Her skill is top-notch, but she's ruthless when it comes to pricing! If she tries to skin you too hard, just call for me! I'll help you...”
Before he could finish, under Mora's increasingly icy stare, he finally swallowed the rest of his sentence.
Then he turned tail and fled, pulling open the heavy door as his stout figure disappeared outside.
The door closed again, sealing out the night wind from the alley.
The shop suddenly became much quieter, save for the continuous sound of the bellows and the forging from behind the leather curtain.
Mora casually placed the small hammer back somewhere under the counter, her composure fully restored.
Bai Xuan had already prepared his words. “Can I take a look at the weapons and gear you have here?”
Mora stood on her little step-stool, her eyes following Bai Xuan's movements.
The earlier anger sparked by Barend seemed to have completely subsided, replaced by the calculating calm an artisan shows when evaluating a potential customer.
“Of course,” she jerked her chin toward the interior of the shop.
“Look as much as you like. Everything is out in the open. You can judge the quality for yourself.”
Bai Xuan nodded and turned toward the nearest weapon rack.
Naturally, the first things he looked at were the swords.
There were seven or eight hanging on the rack, each of a different design.
He reached out and took down a longsword that looked the most appealing to him, featuring simple leaf-scroll ornaments on the crossguard.
The moment the sword was in his hand, it felt slightly heavy, yet lighter than expected.
Almost simultaneously, with a slight thought, information surfaced in his vision.
【Heat Tooth】
【Quality: Fine】
【Materials: Forged primarily with Flame Iron, mixed with a small amount of Black Iron.】
【Trait: Minor Heat Blade (The blade remains slightly warm; it does not rust in the rain and cuts through frozen meat or light armor with less effort.)】
“Good eye.”
Mora's voice came from behind and to his side.
She had stepped down from her stool at some point and stood next to Bai Xuan. She only reached slightly above his waist, but her presence was not weak at all.
She looked at the sword in Bai Xuan's hand, a hint of satisfaction flitting across her face. “As expected of a friend of that rock-head Barend, picking out ‘Heat Tooth’ at a single glance.”
“This is a genuine magic weapon blank. It's made of Flame Iron mined near a volcanic crater, with Black Iron mixed in to reinforce the foundation.”
“It looks bright, feels warm to the touch, and will never rust. Find a reliable enchanter or an alchemist willing to invest the resources, and at the very least, you'll end up with an Enchanted Grade piece.”
Bai Xuan gave it a light swing. The blade cut through the air, trailing a faint current of heat.
He followed up with a question. “A blank? Enchanted Grade? What does that mean?”
Mora glanced at him with some surprise, seemingly not expecting someone with his caster status to be ignorant of such basic terminology.
However, she didn't pry and began to explain. “To put it simply, the world's gear is divided into two types. One relies on forging techniques for performance; those are ordinary equipment.”
“The other requires various ores with magical properties, processed using our ancient dwarven methods or specific forging techniques. The resulting blank already possesses a magical foundation; we call these magic weapon blanks.”
“Only a blank like this can withstand subsequent enchantment inscriptions to become a true magic weapon.”
“The one in your hand is a blank. Enchanted Grade is considered an entry-level but practical tier among magic weapons.”
Bai Xuan understood; this was likely the quality classification for equipment.
He asked seemingly casually, “What's the price for this ‘Heat Tooth’?”
Mora gave her answer bluntly. “Fifty gold coins. No haggling.”
Rate on N.U.
