The first products made from Silvron entered his view underneath the iron armaments. He didn’t recognize them initially but quickly noticed a few major differences between the iron and silvron armaments.
They appeared similar but silvron was more milky. It wasn’t a big difference, but that was mostly owed to the refinement method used to produce silvron ingots. Bert wasn’t proficient at producing silvron just yet, and that was clearly notable.
The milky tone will intensify as his work improves. That’s fine. He is already doing a great job with the Average Quality goods. There are only a few silvron armaments at Low Quality and not a single piece of Trash Quality. His experience with iron armaments must have helped him.
Percy hoped Bert’s quality would improve in the following months, but he wasn’t in a rush. If anything, Percy was hoping for Bert to focus on his foundation because his standard with iron armaments was already great. As long as Bert’s proficiency with silvron and other similar materials improved to a higher level, they would earn a fortune. After all, the Iron Artifacts were already highly profitable. If all of Bert’s products would generate as much profit, Percy would be over the moon.
“Oh?” Percy had been rummaging through the bag of armaments, handing Louis and Sabrina the goods to bring to the storage where he could Ego-enhance them when he noticed an anomaly.
[Silvron Forging Hammer – Average Quality (+) – 956 Prosperity]
Bert didn’t forge many silvron armaments because the ore was still expensive compared to iron, and he didn’t want to purchase too much silvron as long as he couldn’t produce anything better than average armaments, but the forging hammer was his little masterpiece. It stuck out among the other armaments.
Bert gasped when he saw Percy with the forging hammer, “How did this end up in the bag?”
His eyes traveled to Percy, a wave of guilt flickering in his eyes.
“I had to start my experiments with something, so…I made a forging hammer when I realized the refined hammer wasn’t good enough to produce something decent. My first iron hammer shattered because I had to apply too much strength to it when I tried working with silvron and some other high-quality material. Even the refined iron hammers aren’t good enough to properly work on silvron and the like.”
Percy snickered, “You don’t have to explain anything to me. It’s totally fine.”
That's interesting though. Bert didn't know that the forging hammer was in the bag, yet the Ego considers it my property. Is that because the materials used to forge the hammer were paid with my gold? Or is it because everything Bert forges belongs to me according to the contract? It could also be both.
He patted Bert’s back since he was too small to reach the hulking giant’s shoulders and kept smiling at the forging hammer.
“You should have come to me when the first iron hammer broke. I would have reimbursed you. Or even better, you should have come to me to ask for a better forging hammer the moment you realized it would be too difficult to work on silvron and other materials with an ordinary iron hammer.”
Bert didn’t know what to respond to that. He recalled Percy telling him to come to him if he ever needed something but didn’t dare to do so.
“I was already wondering why you didn’t come to ask for more money. It has been a while since you started experimenting. How much money do you have left?”
Bert’s lips parted, but they shut tightly a moment later.
“I take that as a I don’t have any money left,” Percy mumbled, retrieving a pouch with five gold coins from his spatial ring. He then removed the lesser spatial ring and handed everything to Bert, “The lesser spatial ring should fit on your pinky. Or you can wear it as a necklace. Either way should be fine.”
This time, Bert couldn’t remain silent. He had to say something and stop Percy. His boss was too generous for his own good. What if someone betrayed him and ran away with so many coins?
However, before Bert could say anything, Percy lifted his hand. He stared intently at Bert and shook his head.
“There is no need for you to carry bags of armaments through the capital. Use the spatial ring, or I will feel bad whenever I see you carrying everything to my shop.”
Percy chuckled as Bert’s expression distorted. The hulking blacksmith wasn’t sure what to think and how to feel at this point.
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“I will work even harder, boss!!” Bert declared and received another pat on his back from Percy.
“As long as you don’t overwork, that’s fine.” He retrieved a few more gold coins from his pouch and did something many Egos and nobles would have advised him against. But Percy didn’t care. His employees would find out about his Ego sooner or later either way. There was no need to hide it.
He used [Consume] on the gold coins and then used it again, this time on Prosperity.
[Four Gold Coins have been consumed. 44,000 Prosperity has been added.]
Percy cast a glance at the silvron forging hammer and nodded subtly when he saw a familiar runic enchantment. It hadn’t been too long since he read about useful enchantments for Blacksmiths, but he didn’t expect to create an Artifact like that this soon.
[Silvron Forging Hammer’s Durability, Mana Conductivity, and Mana Veins have been enhanced. 30,000 Prosperity has been consumed.
[[Echo] is overflowing with Prosperity. [Echo] will be interwoven into the essence of the Silvron Forging Hammer.]
Percy studied his employees’ expressions in glee as his Ego engraved [Echo] onto the silvron forging hammer.
“This enchantment will act like an echo, just like its name suggests. When triggered, it will release an echo of the force you apply when you hit something with the forging hammer. You might have a hard time using it precisely at first, but once you learn how to control the enchantment, you will have a much easier time at forging.”
Bert didn’t listen properly. He couldn’t because he was having a hard time comprehending what had unfolded before him.
“Did you just engrave a runic enchantment on my forging hammer?” Bert asked after more than ten seconds of utter silence.
“Yep. [Echo], to be precise,” Percy answered calmly, “But my Ego required the power it acquires from three gold coins to do so.”
Bert paled at that, but Percy waved his hand off, only to feel someone tug his sleeve. Sabrina was beside him, staring at him with wide eyes.
“Do you have an Ego? An Ego that can transform money into power?”
Percy’s lips parted, but he didn’t answer right away.
She is not wrong. In my case, money is power. Not only in my case because there are way too many people whose fortune means power, but it’s different in my case.
“You could say so,” Percy answered with a smile.
Sabrina’s eyes twinkled, “That’s cool.”
Percy chuckled and nodded.
“Yes, it is.”
***
After a few more questions, Bert left feeling even more guilty for accepting the spatial ring, several gold coins, and the forging hammer, which had cost a small fortune to engrave with a suitable runic enchantment.
Percy wasn’t too worried about Bert running away. Instead, the blacksmith’s guilt worried him more. He wasn’t a saint who gifted everything he had to others. Bert was one of his investments, probably the most valuable at that. Of course, he would heavily invest into Bert to push him further. Almost his entire fortune was earned through Bert’s goods after they’ve been Ego-enhanced.
Louis and Sabrina asked a few more questions, but it was already late, and they’d worked a lot throughout the day. They went to sleep soon after their curiosity had been satiated.
Percy, on the other hand, was still busy. He organized the new products in the storage room and made a list of all products in the shop. He’d already started with such a list, but it hadn’t been detailed before. Percy changed that now that he had some experience with the customers and their purchase habits. He knew which runic enchantments were in higher demand and what kind of Iron Artifacts weren’t sold at all.
Percy updated the list using that knowledge and noted potential runic enchantments that he considered the most suitable to the specific armaments. After that, he went through his sales and calculated how much money he’d invested and how much he earned in the last two weeks.
I’ve already earned back my investments and started making decent profits, even if we exclude the rings and Tiagro Sword purchased from another shop.
Before Bert arrived with more goods, Percy had only five Iron Artifacts left. Even the Tiagro Sword with [Mana Slash] had been bought. Not a single potion was left other than the love potions which Percy hadn’t displayed to sell
The profits from the Iron Artifacts is at exactly 753 silver, the potions earned…129 silver and some copper change, the Yvelton Ring with [Energy Shield] profited roughly five gold coins and the [Enhanced Senses] ring earned a profit of 142 silver. That’s great, but the Tiagro Sword earned the most. After all deductions, it netted me a profit of 15 gold coins. I expected Adventurers would hesitate a little longer before buying the Tiagro Sword, but I was mistaken about that.
The Adventurer who had purchased the Tiagro Sword Artifact had been interested. He had been among the first wealthier Elite Gifted to enter his shop. Still, he waited several days, testing the Tiagro Sword’s [Mana Slash] every day until he was certain the Tiagro Sword and enchantment weren’t depreciating in quality to purchase it.
I hope he’ll return soon. Now that I have silvron armaments, I need wealthier Gifted in the Dragon Lair!
Percy smiled from one ear to the other. All of his earlier investments had already been paid back in less than two weeks. That was better than expected, but Percy was just getting started. He had yet to stretch out his feelers and expand.
It might take a little longer before the expansion starts, but Percy is excited about the future.