126 Meetup
Here it is, a bit late, but that was due to me working on some other things.
I'll go back to that now, bye!
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/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.'
'The Hephaestus Familia had shops all across the city, including one a few minutes away from the Hearth Manor, but he was looking for a specific place...'
"I'm here." Silver said as he looked at the entrance of a shop
'On his way out of the Manor, Silver grabbed a large bag it was stuffed, full of things...'
'And of course, a thick coin purse on his waist, one that several thieves tried to steal but to no avail.'
'He couldn't walk around without one after all.'
'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 same wood, the same style...'
'But on the wooden frame of the door, imprinted with a pair of hammers, was the symbol of the Hephaestus Familia.'
'Beyond the glass window, you could see all sorts of items... All very pricy of course.'
/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 hits and recover almost immediately without the need of potions, something most adventurers wouldn't even dream off...'
'So he turned his face from those and looked at the weapons...'
"Sigh... So many zeroes..." He said in a low tone
But... Since the last time I came here, these prices have gone from something completely ludicrous 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, and I need them to train, otherwise...
I would be out of steam in half an hour of high-intensity fighting, perhaps even faster.
(Alas... That's what she said)
'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…/
'Someone soon reacted to his presence...'
"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....'
'He was the most proficient blacksmith he knew off apart from Hephaestus, and since 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... Close enough.'
"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."
"..."
"You coin pouch also seems heavy, you came here prepared boyo." He said as he scratched his chin
'Silver smiled.'
"You got me."
/Tap!/
'Espinter slapped the counter and said:'
"Here, show me, we'll talk about the rest later."
'Silver complied…'
'He approached the counter and placed the bag 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."
/Clink!/
'He flicked the scale, causing it to produce a clear sound.'
"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, it wasn't much different from the traditional Green Dragon."
Not that I've ever seen one...
A monster Level is always hard to determine. So it's mostly an approximation...
'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... Makes me remember the skin of a Minotaur... Very rough to the point it hurts passing my hand through it."
"The Goliath?"
"..."
'Silver was impressed, this old Dwarf knew what he was working with.'
"And I can even tell by looking at it that it was made by an amateur 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."
"You've got me intrigued kid, spill it out, what is this made of?"
'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…"
Not its skin, nor the teeth... That's what it normally leaves behind.
Albeit rarely, it can leave behind multiple parts of its body... But I never saw something so... Complete.
'He looked at the scales and leather and said:'
"I imagine you want me to improve these boots by putting everything together?"
"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..."
"1 Milion, 815K Valis per Boot, and 1 Milion, 785K Valis per Glove, for a total of 7 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 9 Million, I wouldn't be surprised if it went beyond 10 Million."
Even though I supplied the Items, these materials are still enough to make Level 5 gear…
Things around this Level tend to go on average above 10 Million Valis, some top Level 5 adventurers can have a monthly expense surpassing 100 Million Valis...
Some of their weapons are even public knowledge, things that are tied to their names and identities... Masterworks that is often the image of a Familia as well.
For example, the pair of Kukri knives Tione uses costs close to 60 Million to make, while Tiona's greatsword costs over 100 Million to make.
And that's... Extremely pricy, yet, even so, nothing that a few days working in the Lower and below floors can do... Of course, only for the most capable of First Class adventurers.
The reason why it's so expensive is that 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.
Of course, the price can go up or down depending on how much of the materials you give the blacksmith, but even so, materials also have a price.
"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 ever touched a hammer…"
Perhaps one of these days, when things calm down a little, I'll go back to blacksmithing.
I still have my projects stashed away somewhere in my storage.
"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…
But that feels really awkward when it's directed to me... Come on, the last thing I've been doing is neglecting my training.
'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?" Silver said with a small smile
'Espinter grunted, displeased.'
"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
So what's the point of all these objects laying around?
Better not ask, I can feel this would take a while...
"And tiring, but m'job is m'job, and I'm satisfied with it."
'Silver smiled and said his farewells, leaving the shop with a small smile.'
"One problem dealt with… It only cost me a quarter of everything I have."
Not counting what I borrowed from Ishtar... Anyway...
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 for this old man?" Said the man that just entered
"Ahh! You're rather early this time, I didn't expect you to ever be this early... How is it? Were you thrown out?"
'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...'
"No... I was not..."
"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...'
"But you know... I can't make you one since you have a contract with Captain Tsubaki." Espinter said seriously
"I went to her already, she should be making a new one already, the problem is..."
'But Espinter cut him and said:'
"Let me guess, she's too occupied making Magic Swords and doesn't have the time to fix the rest?"
"It's like you said, she even went a step further and decided to make an entirely new set for me... She truly has no consideration for this old man's wallet." The other Dwarf said as he shook his head
"That's just like her alright." Espinter said with a nod
"Alright, since she allowed it, send it to me and I'll have it fixed, it should do as a spare until she's done with her work."
"You saved me this time, can't work without armor..."
…
/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..." Loki said as she swatted the air
"Finn went to welcome someone from the Poseidon Familia that just arrived in Orario from Melen, business talk, the boring stuff."
"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… Lo..."
"SHUT UP AND HURRY UP ALREADY!" Bete barked, annoyed as he opened up the door and closed it
/Thud!/
"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…
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Notes
N1
This guy appeared very early, around chapter... 14? And a few other times whenever Silver visited Hephaestus.
That was probably... Around chap 30 to 45?
Extra note, although Espinter isn't shown in the story, it's a character that I made.
I thought it would be normal for the Hephaestus Familia to have old smiths and not simply Tsubaki as a Master Smith since Hephaestus has been in the mortal plane for a few decades, I think even more than Loki.
Since I had no use for him, I decided to make him a retired Master Smith.
He isn't super strong, probably only around Level 3 or 4, but as he stated at the start of the series, he was simply working in the shop as a form of retirement, only recently has he decided to come back to work in a more serious way.
Considering Garth's age, I think it would've been interesting if he had been contracted with him in a time Tsubaki was too young or incapable of being Gareth's smith.
Probably a story of a decade ago.
