"Hah!? Are you crazy, lady?!" - Blacksmith #1
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"No way. I'm not touching that." - Blacksmith #3
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"Hehehehe~. If you become my woman for the night, I will-(*sound of broken ribs and skull*)-!!!" - (Shitty) Blacksmith #6
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"I don't wanna be cursed!! Keep that thing away from me!!" - Blacksmith #16
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"Hmm...sorry, lady. This is impossible for me." - Blacksmith #29
"...Just how many blacksmiths are there in one village?" - Garami
After spending the entire day with no results, I finally reached the point where I couldn't stop myself from asking the 2nd question that had been nagging me all day. The old blacksmith fortunately had a favorable answer to that one.
"That's well, can't you see the wall-like rock a little away from the oasis?" - Blacksmith #29
"I see it. So what?" - Garami
"That is famed as the 'Dragon's Spine'. Legends have it that a giant gem-covered dragon died in this desert many millennia ago, leaving behind only its backbone peeking up while the rest of it sank into the desert sands, as well as the pool of water that is the center of this oasis." - Blacksmith #29
"...A former resident of Loitan?" - Garami
Our current location should be north-northeast of the Sekarot Desert, making us relatively close to the Kingdom of Dragons that live in the mountain-filled northeastern region of the Invidia continent. A dragon getting lost and dying in the desert...seems unlikely. I mean, a dragon with a spine THIS big wouldn't die from something as paltry as dehydration!! Then again, that blasted ball of death (aka the sun) is a horrifying foe...
"Oh, it's just something the mayor came up with. A new town needs some tourist traps." - Blacksmith #29
...I hate myself for believing that shit for even a second.
"What is true is that you can find a lot of ores inside the Spine. Over half of the town's income comes from mining and processing said metals." - Blacksmith #29
"...Ah, now I get it. The rest of this 'town' is settled inside the Spine." - Garami
The settlement around the oasis is barely big enough to be classified as a village, so I wondered why everyone was so obstinate about calling it a "town". The old blacksmith nodded to my question, confirming my hypothesis.
"Pretty much. This town consists of 60% miners, 30% craftspeople, and the rest are everyone else." - Blacksmith #29
"Which means around half would normally use their time be inside the Spine mining metal. Then what about the craftsmen? Everyone I've asked said they couldn't fix this thing," I said while gesturing to Iron's yet-to-be-repaired shield.
"No wonder there, lady. That thing seems to be a magic weapon, or in this case, a magic shield. One made through rare necromancy to boot. Fixing it is too much asking a bunch of drop-offs like the ones living in this town, myself included." - Blacksmith #29
"Drop-offs?" - Garami
"Yeah. Why else would most people seek their luck in the desert rather than trying to join one of the bigger smithies in Loitan north of here, or even try their luck in Velantas in the east? Both locations are way more friendly to smiths, as those regions are richer in materials we can use than the Sekarot Desert that we are in now." - Blacksmith #29
Ah, that explains the large number of smiths with bad attitudes, like that 6th guy I met. Those guys made up more than half the smiths I visited, then again, they might be changing for the better now as they've learned an important life lesson, with several broken bones as the price.
"I can't speak for Loitan, but Velantas has many great mining spots. Damn, then there's nothing we can do..." - Garami
I grumbled while looking at the Geist Guardian. Seeing that, the old blacksmith looked like he had an eureka moment.
"Hmm, this is a long shot, but that guy might be able to help you, but..." - Blacksmith #29
"Whaaat? If you got something to say, then spit it." - Garami
"Hmm... There's one weird guy who's living on the town's outskirts. He was forced to use this old and hopeless smithy that was abandoned there, as his works tend to be...explosive." - Blacksmith #29
"Explosive? Just what kind of blacksmith is this guy supposed to be? A bomb-smith?" - Garami
"Erh, not sure if that's a real occupation, but according to that guy's own words...he wishes to create 'legends'. His words, not mine." - Blacksmith #29
......Legends, he says...
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After thanking the old blacksmith for his time, I went to the town's "outskirts" to look for this legend-maker. The smithy wasn't too hard to find, as the "outskirts" refers to a set of buildings built along the Spine's wall, a small distance away from the town. It's called the "outskirts" because living here is the farthest place if you want to go to both the mines in the Spine or the oasis and the palm tree forest for food and water.
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In this case, living here turned out to be a stroke of luck for the infamous terrorist blacksmith. The rumored crystal doggo hadn't bothered messing up the buildings out there, only focusing its rampage around the oasis before venturing into the forest.
Now that I think about it, why did that crystal jackal attack the town? Maybe it was in dire need of fruits? Or it had been away for a while and didn't find it funny having its favorite water hole overpopulated by men?
Then again, discovering giant monsters' reason for destruction ain't my work. Today I'm going to get this haunted shield fixed or turn into a ghost myself trying!
The smithy was old, probably way older than the other buildings around the oasis (or better said, their remains). Old enough that it had started to fall apart. Some lousy repairs had been done to make the house stand, but it is not pleasant to the eye. Whoever accepted this place must have no sense of business. No adventurer would want to leave behind their tool of trade in a place this dilapidated. Then again, I'm here...
*Creaaaaak*...
A nasty sound came from the old door as I opened it to enter the workshop. Several weapons were placed on decoration in rows, but comparing them to Armveil's shop in Velantas would be an insult to the latter. Then again, while the shop itself is a mess, the weapons seem to be of good quality...HOLY MOLLY!!! Is that-!?
"Hey, this place ain't accepting window-shopers or beggars. Leave if you're not going to buy anything." - ???
A loud and rude voice coming from the back of the workshop stopped my geeking in its tracks. The shop owner and smith have graced me with his appearance. And he is...
"A Lizardman?" - Garami
Red scales and a long tail betrayed the man's species. The Lizardman was dressed in a leather apron and a toolbelt, probably just finished a new work of his. His scales were deep red, and if I know my Lizardman trivia right, that means he's heavily specialized in the Heat category for attributes. And his temper seems to match.
"-!? Hey, lady! How did you..., oh. A magic item..." - Lizardman Smith
And now a lightbulb appeared over my head as I realized. I'm using my blindfold now, as the sun was too damn nasty and I didn't have any sunglasses on me. No wonder he thought I was a beggar...
"HEY!" - Garami
"Er, sorry. I got the wrong idea. Ehm, what can I do for you today, ma'am?" - Lizardman Smith
"Fixing this shield and some better attitude," I requested while also showing him my adventurer card. The one that's saying I'm a silver-ranked member of the Adventurers' Union AND a freaking Guild Master of her very own Guild.
"Hgh-!! Yes, ma'am! Right away, ma'am! Where do you want me to send it, ma'am!?" - Lizardman Smith
...I should show this card more often if it makes the slackers snap together this efficiently. Maybe I should consider taking that gold-rank promotion?
Regardless, I handed over the Geist Guardian to the Lizardman. Three seconds later, or at least three blinks from the smith, and he said...
"Eh, sorry. No dice, ma'am." - Lizardman Smith
30 strikes and I'm out!! OF PATIENCE!!
"Iiik! I mean, sorry, ma'am! This shield's as good as dead! Whoever made this junk crafted it by using a sealing stone with an artificial ghost inside as the shield's core, and it has been perfectly split in half. Trying to replace the stone would be more difficult than making a whole new shield." - Lizardman Smith
"......You got all that just from looking at it for a few seconds?" - Garami
"Well, sure. Using sealing stones with magical beings inside is a common method for crafting magic items, even if the result is horribly inefficient. Using elemental-enhanced materials gives a much better result." - Lizardman Smith
"Okay... But [Identification] didn't say anything like that." - Garami
"You mean one of those common appraisal skills? Ma'am, in our business, if you can't find the fault of a weapon just with your eyes and brain, you're just a has-been." - Lizardman Smith
Ugh... A stray bullet... Right into my poor, frail heart...
"I could try to mend the shield together, but without the stone, it would just be a sloppy plate of metal. I'd suggest you rather replace it with something better than this broken piece of scrap metal." - Lizardman Smith
Iron's shield was such in bad shape... Next time I see Armveil, I'll hang up by his beard from the top of his shop for half a day as punishment for pushing something this bad onto us.
But at this rate, we can't do anything but get Iron a whole new shield. I could probably use a combination of alchemy and necromancy to create a new sealing stone with an "artificial ghost" inside. Heck, all the undead I summon are artificial in the first place when you think about it. How hard could it be?
The problem is that the Lizardman saying that items using sealing stones are bad in general. It's for the better to have a professional order-made the new shield instead.
"Fine, fine, I see your point. What do you have of shields to offer?" I asked, deciding that I could give the Lizardman the honor of being the first weapons vendor we visit in the shield treasure hunt. He seems to know what he's doing anyway.
"Hmm, not many. My expertise is toward creating traditional weapons, not defensive armaments." - Lizardman Smith
True, I thought while looking at the masterpiece resting on the workshop's wall. This guy has an exceptional taste when it comes to weaponry.
"But I could give it a try. Besides, I doubt any of the other blacksmiths in town have managed to piece back together their forges to the point where they can perform metallurgy of a level required to make a solid shield. Especially if you want another tower shield like this one." - Lizardman Smith
The Geist Guardian is as big as Iron is tall, being capable of hiding the undead knight completely behind its cover. You need a large forge if you want to smelt and form enough metal to create a similar shield.
"Fine, but I want both a high-quality product and a reasonable discount. Since it's not your specialty." - Garami
"The first demand is one that I promise all my customers that I'll fulfill. But the latter... Forget the discount. You can have the shield for free." - Lizardman Smith
"Riiiiight. What's the catch." - Garami
"I don't have enough materials for a tower shield. Therefore, I need to get into the mines and dig after some ores. Listen, in addition to the spots where the miners can work, we smiths are also granted small pieces of the Spine to dig ores from, a saving grace for poor blacksmiths such as myself. However...I've been recently incapable of accessing my digging spot." - Lizardman Smith
"Monsters?" - Garami
"Hmm, I'd say not. It's more precise calling it 'obstacles'. Listen, it's not dangerous, but it's too big of a job for me to leave my shop for several days just to mine more ores. And my finances can't afford to buy from the miners or the other smiths. Help me remove the blockades to my digging spot, then I'll make the best tower shield this town has ever seen, for free. That, I can promise you." - Lizardman Smith
Tempting. Sure, the task might be more difficult than it seems, but when has that ever stopped me?
"Before I agree to your deal, I'll want to examine these 'obstacles' first." - Garami
"That sounds like a deal to me. Shall we meet again tomorrow morning?" asked the Lizardman while glancing out his window. True, the sun's starting to set. Looking through the whole oasis-part of the town for a blacksmith took the whole day.
"Let's meet at this shop then. Er..." - Garami
"Right, I never got to introducing myself," said the Lizardman, before reaching out for a handshake. "Flint. Flint Solrah. A humble blacksmith from Loitan who's trying to make a name for himself. Just call me Flint, if that's fine with you."
"And I'm Garami. The Guild Master of the Nightmare Voyagers, Garami. But you can skip the title," I replied jokingly before accepting the scaley paw. Yet again, the caves are calling for me. Huh, it must be fate at this point.