Bai Xuan's mouth couldn't help but twitch.
Fifty gold coins! His entire net worth added up to just over eight gold coins.
And this was just a blank; the cost of subsequent enchantment would likely be astronomical.
He had previously felt that the road to saving enough money to forge a weapon would be long, but only now did he truly realize just how deep of a chasm that length represented.
His face remained expressionless as he simply hung the sword back in its place, nodded, and said nothing.
Mora took in his subtle reaction, though she didn't show any emotion herself, assuming he either found it too expensive or simply didn't like it.
She raised her hand and pointed to the wall opposite Bai Xuan. “Think that one isn't enough? There, hanging on that wall, is one of the best pieces I have.”
Bai Xuan followed the direction of her finger.
A battleaxe hung on the wall.
No, calling it a “battleaxe” was an understatement for its size.
The handle was thick and long, a deep, heavy black; he estimated that if it stood upright, it would reach his chest.
The most terrifying part was the axe head—it was double-edged, and each blade was exaggeratedly wide and thick. The combined surface area of the blades was probably half the size of a door.
It hung silently on the wall like a sleeping metallic beast. Just looking at it gave off a sense of overbearing, brutal pressure.
Bai Xuan's eyes twitched slightly.
This size... is it meant for humans?
He imagined himself carrying this thing down a forest path or through a dungeon corridor; he'd probably have trouble even turning around, let alone swinging it in battle.
No wonder Mora said it had been hanging on the wall for a long time.
What kind of normal human adventurer would buy this? Someone with too much money to burn, or someone who just wanted a workout?
He focused his mind and looked at it.
【Rock-Crushing Mountain】
【Quality: Excellent】
【Materials: Forged primarily with Dwarven Smelted Gold and Mountain Copper, with Black Iron as a base and a small amount of Thunder Iron mixed in.】
【Trait: Thunder Vein Resonance (The purple lightning swirling around the axe head forms a faint circuit that continuously stimulates the wielder's bio-electric signals, increasing their strength and endurance simultaneously for a short duration.)】
The panel information confirmed the extraordinary nature of this giant axe.
Excellent quality, a combination of materials that sounded expensive and rare, and that “Thunder Vein Resonance” trait was essentially a continuously active enhancement spell.
It was a good item, undoubtedly a good item.
But it was also undoubtedly... impractical.
At least for the vast majority of people.
“It's called ‘Rock-Crushing Mountain.’”
Mora's voice carried unabashed pride, mixed with a hint of faint regret. “The materials are the best I could scrape together. Just getting that bit of Thunder Iron took a massive amount of effort.”
“You've seen the trait; it's a genuine weapon of war. Unfortunately,” she clicked her tongue, “it's been hanging there for over a year. Hardly anyone even asks the price. They all complain it's too big and too heavy.”
Bai Xuan withdrew his gaze and commented flatly, “A masterpiece of craftsmanship, a joke of the market.”
The words were blunt, even a bit harsh, but they struck right at the heart of Mora's lingering frustration.
Mora was momentarily choked up. She glared at him but didn't argue, only muttering, “Two hundred gold coins. No haggling.”
Two hundred... Bai Xuan thought to himself.
Splendid. The price was as staggering as its size.
Bai Xuan stopped looking at the axe and changed the subject. “A master who can forge such a work and a warrior like Mr. Barend should have been a perfect pair.”
He paused, then asked as if in passing, “What exactly... happened between you two?”
The expression on Mora's face dimmed.
She remained silent for a moment and walked back behind the counter without answering immediately.
Just as Bai Xuan thought she was unwilling to say more, she suddenly reached out and pulled out the small iron hammer from under the counter—the one that had scared Barend away earlier.
The hammer was very ordinary; the wooden handle was worn smooth, and the head showed fine signs of use.
Mora's thick-knuckled hand stroked the handle. Her gaze dropped, and her voice grew heavy.
“He left it behind when he went. He said it was a prize he won from an old artisan the year he finished his apprenticeship—the first hammer forged entirely according to his own will.”
Her thumb scraped over a shallow mark on the hammer head.
“He said, ‘Keep it for me. When I've explored enough, or if I mess up, I'll come back and you can return it to me.’”
Mora looked up at Bai Xuan, a slightly bitter curve pulling at the corner of her mouth.
“You see, even a hammer knows its place is by the forge. But the man? He didn't even look back, only cared about burrowing into that invisible, pitch-black underground.”
She didn't go into detail about their argument, but those few words, combined with the small hammer, made the outline of a story—one person wanting stability, the other longing for the horizon—perfectly clear.
“A tool cherished and left behind by its owner, waiting for a return.”
Bai Xuan looked at the small hammer, his voice steady. “That itself might be part of the answer.”
Mora's shoulders relaxed slightly.
She took a deep breath and placed the small hammer back on the counter within easy reach with a soft thud.
“...Let's not talk about that.”
She waved her hand. “What kind of weapon do you actually want?”
As the topic returned to the matter at hand, Bai Xuan focused his mind.
“I want to forge a weapon. One that... needs to balance two different requirements.”
“Let's hear it.” Mora crossed her arms and leaned back against the counter, returning to her professional state of scrutinizing a client.
“Actually, I am a Healer.”
Bai Xuan first declared his surface identity. “My weapon needs to be able to efficiently guide mana to cast healing spells.”
He paused. “But at the same time, it must be sturdy and reliable enough to be used for close-quarters combat when necessary.”
“Don't be fooled by my appearance; I'm actually quite strong, and I know a few self-defense techniques.”
Then Bai Xuan emphasized his requirements again. “Simply put, it needs to be both an excellent magic staff and a heavy war staff capable of fighting enemies.”
After listening, Mora's thick eyebrows practically knitted together.
She dropped her arms and stared intently at Bai Xuan. “Kid, do you realize what you're asking for? A Healer wanting to fight in close quarters? Even the Church's battle priests carry maces.”
“But a magic staff is a magic staff, and a war staff is a war staff! Mana conduction requires resonance and channeling; the structure is extremely precise and often lightweight or even fragile.”
“Combat requires sturdiness and stability. The structure should be simple and tough—ideally solid! You want to knead them together like dough into a single piece?”
“It's like trying to let ice and fire flow through the same pipe without letting them extinguish each other!”
Her skepticism was intense and professional.
Bai Xuan waited for her to finish before responding calmly, “That is why I don't just need a skilled artisan, but a master of forging who dares to challenge common sense and find possibility within the impossible.”
He added a bit of weight to his tone. “Barend said you are a blacksmith who loves a challenge. And the materials I've brought might provide some... answers.”
“Materials?”
Mora scoffed, but the skepticism in her eyes didn't diminish; instead, it gained a hint of scrutiny. “Talk is cheap. Let me see them.”
“Let's get one thing straight: ordinary steel, mithril, or even some fancy magic crystals won't solve that whimsical problem of yours.”
Rate on N.U.
