Chapter 18 - How much does a blacksmith's pride cost?
Dozens and dozens of objects with shapes they had never seen were stacked in boxes and on shelves that reached several meters above their heads. Vehicles ranged from what was a heavy-looking motorcycle to an unmistakable tank with a lot of pipes, and even several sets of armor resembling those they had seen some people wearing in the city. There was even half of an enormous mechanical leg, half-built, reaching from the floor to the ceiling.
Most of those present remained extremely surprised by such a spectacle and didn't move; however, Kazue immediately ran inside without hesitation, showcasing the extroverted personality that characterized her in the eyes of her companions.
"No way! These are combat armor! Or, well, 'Steam Armor' from what I can see."
The girl exclaimed, using her own '[Analyze]' skill to obtain the actual name and brief description, while the short stout man approached, laughing heartily.
"Despite your terrible manners, it seems you have a good eye for quality."
He said proudly, giving strong pats to one of the plates of the imposing armors, causing a dry metallic sound that demonstrated their toughness.
"One of my best creations in recent years, the BX5-class Steam Armor, has nothing to envy from the Armada's 'Iron Knights'. You can even take an electromagnetic shot from one of those ridiculous arcane cannons and live to tell the tale. Additionally, its system of pulleys and steam valves ensures that your physical abilities are elevated tenfold. It's even possible to add attachments and additional weaponry thanks to its compatibility with all my inventions"
"Great! Cool! How much for one!?"
Kazue asked eagerly after hearing all the explanations about the armor, which made her feel more than ever like she was inside one of the fantasy stories she loved so much.
"These beauties are normally not sold individually and are usually sent directly to the front lines. But, since you seem to appreciate fine engineering, I can offer it to you at a bargain price of 5000 Iron Shillings"
The price echoed in the ears of the entire group, even the young girl froze upon hearing it, her smile still on her face. Adam, on the other hand, sighed in resignation, realizing that after everything he had seen and considering the purported capabilities, it was understandable that almost everything in that warehouse was beyond the reach of their combined pockets. Especially when all they had been given to "prepare" were a measly twenty coins.
"Haha, I think I misheard, for a moment I thought you said five thousand coins for the armor."
“That’s exactly what I said.”
Rook gradually began to lose patience after hearing the girl's comment, as if she offended him by suggesting that his work was worth less than five thousand Iron Shillings, even though no one there remotely had that amount.
Not knowing what to do about it and feeling quite upset by what had happened, Kazue decided to try negotiating, though the truth was she could barely gather her thoughts at that moment.
"B-b-but that's t-too much, I don't have that much money on me. Maybe you want to reconsider the price? Or how a-about I pay you in installments? Haha."
That was the last straw, and the man simply scoffed at her, completely changing his attitude to one of arrogance and disappointment.
“And to think I believed you were a group of rich kids from a neighboring nation who had come to join the war for some stupid reason, judging by that huge bag of money. But if you don't even have something as insignificant as five thousand coins... This is a waste of time. Over there I have some second-hand goods, each of you can pick something from there for the whole bag you have, and let's forget this happened.”
“But… but.”
Kazue was speechless; it seemed there was nothing she could do to change his mind. She was about to turn, defeated, toward the pile of semi-destroyed objects in the corner when someone walked past her and stood beside her. It was Nikolai, who had a rather grim look on his face that changed to a smile in less than a second.
"You're absolutely right, this is nothing but a waste of time. We thought we could buy something with our more than five hundred coins, but it seems that the creations of the great engineer Rook Bladebender are beyond our budget."
“What?”
The man seemed surprised and puzzled by what the young man said, but he didn't stop and continued.
"Let's go. I'm sure we can find things within our budget and just as good at another workshop. On the way here, I saw another workshop with a different logo. Maybe we'll find something there."
That was a lie; they hadn't passed by any other workshop on their way to this place. However, Rook had no way of knowing that, so he assumed the worst.
"Hey, stop! Nothing you find in those Arcanotinker fellas' workshops can hold a candle to any of our creations!"
"Is that so? I suppose you might be right. Then we'll go ask another engineer from the guild if they can sell us something, since the great Rook Bladebender tried to sell us combat armor that was beyond our means. Surely, they will have something more affordable."
The back-and-forth between the engineer and Nikolai didn't stop, leaving everyone confused. It wasn't until Rook's final words that they finally understood what was happening.
"No, wait! You can't go to the others and tell them... Wait, you slimy snake, did you know all along?"
At that moment, the once innocent and friendly smile of the young man took on a sharper edge, revealing anything but kindness.
"Not exactly, but it wasn't hard to figure out either. You were foolish enough to show you didn't want anyone else here by letting us in, and you couldn't take your eyes off the coin bag the whole time... Let me guess, you never intended to sell us anything. You just wanted to dazzle us before offering us junk in exchange for everything we had, because we certainly look like country bumpkins."
Upon hearing those words, the once proud engineer furrowed his brow in concern, an act not unnoticed by Nikolai.
"Furthermore, I can even tell you're desperate for money by the way you reacted when we mentioned going elsewhere—easy money slipping away, right? That's why you dug yourself deeper by offering something that's forbidden to sell and now you don't want anyone to find out, isn't it? But of course, why would anyone believe nobodies like us over the 9th-best engineer in the entire guild? Huh? HUH? It's not the first time you've done this."
Rook was sweating profusely, his mouth dry, unable to find words to respond.
"We have your filthy reputation in our hands, so here's the deal: we'll buy what we need at a fair price that won't attract attention. That way, you can keep the money without anyone finding out. What do you say?"
“Ho-how?...”
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Neither the man nor anyone present could believe what had just happened. Even Adam, who prided himself on being perceptive with great analytical power, was stunned by the way Nikolai had connected the dots.
"Let's just say I can recognize fellow cowards, liars, and thieves when I see them. So, do we have a deal?"
He concluded, extending his hand and keeping that mocking smile on his face, to which Rook had no choice but to accept after a few moments of reflection. After all, the wretch was right; not only did he have heavy debts to pay, but his reputation was also hanging by a thread. Being exposed again would lead to his expulsion from the guild.
“Deal…”
The two shook hands, gripping firmly but without any change in their expressions.
"Whatever, pick something that catches your eye, and I'll give you a fair price, but forget about anything with a red tag or any of the vehicles. Those are accounted for and are going to be sent directly to the front; not a single one can be missing."
The man growled as he turned around and sat on a small stool nearby, feeling defeated. At the same time, the situation finally made sense to the entire team, leaving everyone surprised and even excited about what the deal meant. Especially Kazue, who didn't hesitate to approach Nikolai with a beaming smile, thanking him while shaking his hand and arm enthusiastically.
"Thank you, thank you, Niko! I don't know what we would have done without your help. Choose anything you want, it's on me!"
"Ouch! Let go of me, you brute! Besides, I don't understand a single word you're saying, but you can be sure that I'll be cashing in on this favor."
The young man suddenly complained, annoyed and starting to rub his affected hand. It wasn't because the girl was particularly strong, but because, despite trying to hide it, his fingers were still very sore from Rook's handshake.
After this, the next few minutes passed quickly, with everyone present examining the various objects in the warehouse. Kazue lamented that the armor and many items that caught her eye were marked with red tags. Nevertheless, Mr. Sebastian was the first to find something that truly caught his attention. He didn't have any specific skills to better examine the devices, so he had been browsing what he could alongside Adam, who offered to summarize the description of anything that caught his interest as clearly as possible so he could understand it better.
For the moment, he hadn't seen anything that inclined him to want to examine it, mostly because the warehouse seemed to be filled with various types and sizes of weapons, something the man didn't seem inclined to use. However, after a while of searching without success, his eyes landed on an adjacent lot—the objects of second-hand and obsolete items that were originally offered to them for sale.
“Oh? What is this?”
He asked then, catching Adam's attention and showing him what he had just picked up. In his hands was a small mechanical bird, similar but smaller in size compared to the one they had seen owned by the recruitment office supervisor; if that one resembled a parrot, this one looked more like a parakeet.
“Please, wait a minute, Mr. Sebastian, let me see”
Focusing his gaze and examining every visible part of the small construct, he took enough time and analysis for the information window with what he wanted to know to finally appear.
⌠Small Aviatrix (Broken) - Rank F⌡ ⌠Additional Information⌡ ⌠A tiny steam machine resembling a sparrow: its brass-plated wings flutter with intricate gears and pistons, powered by a compact steam engine. Due to its condition, it is far from having the functionalities of an original Aviatrix⌡ ⌠Cursed Vision Knowledge⌡ ⌠It doesn’t work, many engineers have classified it as irreparable⌡ ⌠Hint: It lacks a “soul”⌡
"It seems to be a machine called Aviatrix, but it's broken and doesn't seem repairable. I'm sorry."
The boy said, lamenting that the first thing they had found was something that didn't work.
"Don't worry, this is what I want. Its parts are mixed randomly, I think it will be a good experience to put them in order while I wait for you to finish."
Understanding his companion's thoughts, Adam accompanied him to where the short man was to inquire about the price of the broken mechanical bird, but to their surprise, he just started laughing.
"Hahaha, are you sure you want that? Look, I'll be honest. That's just junk that a group of buccaneers found among the belongings of a cargo ship. I haven't been able to get it working either, even though everything is in place and its power source is functioning normally. It just doesn't even react. Now we use it to pass the time by rearranging its parts to make funny shapes."
Clearly, it was junk. However, Sebastian just looked at the lifeless mechanical bird in his hands and smiled kindly.
“That may be so, but I like it. It reminds me of Falk, a pet bird I had in my childhood.”
Rook simply snorted at that response, not understanding what Sebastian could see in that piece of junk. But the image of a man older than him looking at something so simple with such nostalgia made him relent.
"Look, I'll tell you what. If you manage to put it back together, I'll give it to you free of charge. It's no use to us here anyway... Go over there, there are some tweezers and a magnifying glass on that desk."
“Thank you very much.”
With that said, Adam accompanied him to the table they had pointed out and left him to concentrate on his work, wishing him the best before turning around and returning to where the others were. They were still rummaging through the items, seemingly taking their time to find something they wanted to buy. However, the excited shout from the girl surprised them all.
“Here! Finally! Adam, come here quick!”
Kazue was energetically jumping with excitement, holding something in both hands as she called out to her companion, since she knew he needed to provide any additional information he could about that object.
“Here, here! Can you look at this please?”
Without explaining much more, she showed him what she had been holding: nothing less than a bronze-colored metal gauntlet with an unusual amount of cables and gears on its palm.
⌠Steamgear Knuckle - Rank E⌡ ⌠Additional Information⌡ ⌠A gauntlet crafted from polished brass and adorned with intricate cogwheel patterns. When connected to an energy core, it channels and intensifies the stored energy, producing crackling arcs of residual energy along its surface.⌡ ⌠Cursed Vision Knowledge⌡ ⌠Warning: Constant movement of the gauntlet through the air can generate static electricity, potentially overloading its core⌡ ⌠Hidden: It can be adapted to foster multiple kinds of power sources⌡
Adam read everything his eyes revealed about the object, and despite a rather concerning warning that could prove dangerous, a spark of realization struck him just as it had his companion.
“The Thunder Energy Battery!”
They said in unison, recalling that Kazue had an item that not only emitted electrical energy when activated but could also be recharged if given the same energy — a perfect combination. Without wasting any more time, the girl ran to Rook and slammed the gauntlet forcefully onto a table in one swift motion.
“How much for this one?”
Looking at what they had placed in front of him, the man laughed again.
"Alright, this gauntlet is part of a set, but we only make this part here so there's no issue with you taking one. I'll let it go for just two hundred Iron Shillings. However, you'll need a core for it to work, and we don't do those here; those runic things are the Arcanotinker's business."
“Oh don’t worry, I’ll take it!”
She exclaimed excitedly, rushing to fetch her large bag of coins and tallying up all she needed.
“Alright, do as you wish, but don't say I didn't warn you.”
"Don't worry, I'll make it work because I have this!"
Kazue said after finishing her calculations, placing all the money on the table and producing a small device she had been keeping—the battery she purchased from the system store before entering this story. The man collected the coins and stared at the small object.
“That seems to be just a module. Of course, it can be added to the gauntlet, but how will it benefit you? Modules only serve to enhance the gauntlet steam compressión function”
However, before the girl could respond, a sharp, high-pitched squeal echoed throughout the place—a sound very much like a mechanical bird chirping with a distinctive mechanical gurgle.
*CLINK CHIRP CLANK*
Confused, everyone present could only watch as a strange and small bird with a glowing blue incandescence flew over their heads, leaving a residual trail of the same color behind it. It didn't stop until it had circled the area a few times before finally returning and perching in Sebastian's hands, who was just as bewildered as the others.