Axel left the vicinity and headed towards Smith Street. The signposts along the way proved to be quite helpful, and before long, Axel found himself standing on the right street.

Both sides of the street were packed with shops, and lines snaked out the door onto the sidewalk. Despite their identical exteriors, each shop was distinguishable by its unique logo and name, proudly displayed on wooden plaques above the windows.

It was fairly obvious which one was the Blue Rose shop since the name was written in bold, golden letters across the beige-colored wood.

The only deterrent Axel encountered was that the line was ridiculously long. He hoped he could just knock off getting new gear as quickly as possible and then continue on his way, but the sheer number of people ahead of him was disheartening.

Axel, put off by the line, chose to continue down the road. Silently hoping to find another shop that did not boast such a daunting queue.

Since the majority of the shops were owned by the Order of the Horn, in Axel’s mind, the majority of the shops were not worth his patronage. Axel continued down the street until he spotted one owned by the Plundering Pulverizers.

That was probably where Bernhardt got his red fur armor, Axel thought.

Unfortunately, the shop, like all the other shops, enjoyed an equally long line. Not giving up hope, Axel pressed on and after passing a few more establishments, he eventually stumbled upon an open area. It was a massive workshop space. Dozens of forges and benches could be seen, various smiths pounding on anvils or working the bellows.

It seemed like the area was for independent smiths, not affiliated with any established guilds or the Order. Axel walked through the area observing the various craftsmen at work. It was actually rather inspiring to witness them perform their craft, though Axel couldn't quite comprehend the sheer amount of concentration, sweat, and determination poured into creating every piece of gear.

Other eager customers mingled about, engaging in haggling sessions and purchasing their gear. The lively atmosphere was filled with the sounds of clanging metal, the shouts of the smiths, and the chatter of people negotiating prices, creating a bustling melody that echoed throughout the area.

Axel slowly moved through the bustling workshops and wandered towards one of the less crowded stalls at the far end. It was a quaint little stall, featuring a single workbench with multiple drawers underneath to store whatever crafting ingredients that might be needed. A single wooden board lined the back of the stall and proudly displayed an array of tools in various shapes and sizes. In the corner, a small forge burned in the corner, smoke billowing from its chimney, while the orange glow of charcoal illuminated the space.

There sat a woman hunched over her work, deftly forming and shaping a pair of boots from pieces of leather. She was of medium buildher blue hair tied back into a ponytail. She wore a purple leather apron that covered a grimy white shirt and part of her brown trousers. Wrapped around her waist, a black belt held an assortment of tools.

Without looking up, she said, "There's a list of equipment with prices up on the board beside you. Catcalling or anything adjacent will be an extra charge."

Axel nodded, unsure what to say, and shifted closer to the board to peruse its contents.

750 coins for an Air Fox Armor Set? And 500 if I supply the materials myself? Then 800 for a Pig O' Battle Armor Set and 550 if I supply it too? Why's it so expensive?

"Do you have any cheaper armor here?" Axel asked.

"Birthday suit's free, but I wouldn't recommend it" — she looked up — "and with what you're wearing, you're practically in one."

"Excuse me?" Axel was taken aback.

"Look, I'm an independent smith and these are the prices we solo artisans need to help with rent for this space. So, if you want cheap armor, don't come to me. If you do, however, want quality gear from a skilled crafter, I'd be happy to serve."

"Thanks, but it seems a bit too expensive for my budget," said Axel, just about to leave.

The woman smiled. "Have you ever heard the phrase time is money?"

"Yea? But what has that got to do with anything?" asked Axel.

"Simple. You go to a guild-associated shop and you can get some cheap stuff, but what you lose out on is time. You've seen the lines, in fact, it's those lines that pretty much drove you here isn't it?"

Axel just nodded.

"So imagine how much time you waste just to pinch a few coins. You waste time queueing up, then you have to waste time waiting for your order to be completed, and then you waste even more time queueing up again to collect the order. But, if you buy from me I can pretty much get your order out by the next day. Two days tops," she said, as she folded her arm.

"And how long does an order from a guild shop take?"

"Last I heard somewhere between five and seven days, but don't take it from me, ask about if you need some more convincing."

“And how much cheaper are their gear, compared to yours?” asked Axel.

“About one or two hundred coins cheaper, but remember about all the time you waste just to save a couple of coins.”

Axel considered her words. Money could be easily earned, but not time. Plus if all goes well he could probably earn back the cost in a day or two. The tussle this morning already scored him 280 [Gold Coins], and with new gear, it should make the process easier.

"So you buying or what?" the woman said, as she went back to crafting the boot.

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

"Still thinking, but what's the difference between the Air Fox Armor and Pig O' Battle Armor."

"Other than the cost and materials? The Air Fox Armor Set provides slightly less defense in exchange for being lighter, the Pig O' Battle Armor Set is a bit heavier but offers more defense."

"Which one would you recommend?"

"Depends on the person and style of fighting. Obviously, if you're not using your legs very much, then go for the Pig O' Battle set. If you rely on your speed or plan to run a lot, then I'd suggest the Air Fox set."

"The materials for the Pig O' Battle set are their hides, right?" Axel asked.

"A full set needs 30 [Pink Pig Hides], and I only do full sets. No a la carte here," she said.

"And it'll be ready by tomorrow?"

"Depends... you've got the coin for it?"

Axel gave off a sheepish smile. "I have enough hides for it but I'm a bit short on coin"

"Tch, figures." She shook her head. "Ok then, here's the deal. You give me the hides and I'll start work on it, but if you want it, you gotta pay up. The armor will be done by tomorrow."

"Sounds good, but how do I know you just won't run off with my materials?"

"Because that's pretty much a death sentence in this community. Word spreads fast here, and that kind of bad rep will stick. I'm not about to disgrace myself like that, if not I would have wasted all of my efforts coming into this place. Plus, I'm pretty sure they'll put a bounty on my head or something like that."

"I was just hoping for a receipt or something."

"That works too." she shrugged.

The smith pushed herself away from her workbench and pulled out a roll of paper from one of the drawers. With a swift hand, she ripped out a thin section, then scribbled onto it before handing it to Axel.

"Your proof, now can you hand me the materials? And once you get the money can you please come straight here so I can finalize the payment? I'm a busy lady, don't have time to wait."

Axel reached into his [Inventory] and retrieved the 30 [Pink Pig Hides]. Carefully stacking them into a neat pile, he slid them across the counter towards her.

She picked up one of the hides and examined it closely, running her fingers over the material to feel its texture.

"These'll do fine. Remember it's 550 [Gold Coins]."

"Got it," Axel responded confidently before turning to walk away.

"Aren't you going to browse for a weapon too?" she called out.

Axel paused mid-step. "I kinda sorta forgot about that part, but I'm pretty much broke after paying for this."

"It's ok, do a little browsing first. We can work out the payment later," said the smith, before she continued crafting.

Axel examined the items on the board for a second time. It wasn't just armor listed here. There were various weapons available like daggers, spears, axes, clubs, swords, and more. He was hoping for something to replace the [Wooden Training Sword] he was forced to use. Something with a little bit more 'oomph' to it, and not just a glorified wooden stick. Instead, all the weapons listed were made from either something called [Stone Infused Wood] or [Wood Infused Stone].

"Excuse me, but don't you have any swords made out of, um, stronger stuff?" asked Axel.

"Meaning?" She arched an eyebrow.

"You know, like Iron. Not stone or wood."

"Ha! I wish I was working with those materials. But no, right now this is the best you'll get in this town unless you join the Order of the Horn or you're stupid rich."

"If it's not rude to ask, why not?"

"You know all those fancy iron armor that the knights wear? All of that iron has been imported from higher-ranked areas. You can't really mine for iron anymore apparently —"

Axel shuddered a little, his pulse quickened and his breath became shallower.

Relax Axel, relax. I've done it before so I can get through this. I've done it before so I can get through this, Axel mentally repeated to himself.

"Hey, hey!" she snapped her fingers. "You listening or what?"

Axel flinched as the voice brought him back. "Huh, what, um, yea. Sorry, I was, um… Too entranced by your face." Axel flashed the biggest grin he could muster, showing off his teeth.

"Flattery won't get you anywhere, but it will make your bill higher if you keep it up."

"Oh, uh, sorry. Um, what were you saying?"

"Basically I don't have access to iron right now, neither do you. The best thing we've got is [Stone Infused Wood] or [Wood Infused Stone]. The latter is the better one in case you're confused."

"And is it good? I mean it's wood and stone combined together, how good can that possibly be?"

"Imagine bone, but worse."

"That's... bad."

"Yup! Still beats those pieces of wood they gave you when you first came in. After a while, the only good those do is make nice firewood." She pointed at the forge in the corner where a bunch of wooden weapons mingled with the pieces of charcoal.

"Still can't afford it though. I don't have the materials and I definitely don't have the coin for it."

"I know, but you probably have some other materials you've gathered. Bring them out and we might be able to work something out."

Axel brought out whatever materials he had gathered on the way here, laying them out on the workbench.

"Alright let's see what you’ve got..."

The smith sifted through the pile of materials, inspecting each one carefully, feeling the texture between her fingers.

"So about 31 [Featherlight Pelts] and 3 [Pink Pig Hides], should be enough for a [Wood Infused Stone Sword]."

"Oh, that's great, but only one sword?"

"Yup! Problem?"

"Actually, I'm more of a two-sword guy as of late."

"Two swords? Hmmm...." She scratched her chin. "Tell you what I'll consider what you've got here as payment for crafting the weapon, but I'll need you to gather the materials for the two swords. You know where to get [Wood Infused Stone]?"

Axel shook his head and shrugged his shoulders.

The blacksmith girl rolled her eyes at him. "Go back to the area with the Crystal Deer, when you reach the crystal you'll want to make a right turn and keep heading straight. When you hit the cave you're there. It's a so-called hidden zone" — she performed air quotes — " so I won't spoil you on the monster, it'll be more fun that way."

"Um, thanks? I guess? But, what's a Crystal Deer?"

"Ughh, really? You know? Antlers that look like flowing water? Blinds people before kicking them?"

"Oh! Those! I fought one but it ran away after attacking me once."

"Cool story. Anyway, just make sure to bring back 30 [Wood Infused Stone] or [Stone Infused Wood] whichever you want your sword to be made out of. Armor should be done by tomorrow so remember to bring enough coins too."

"Got it." Axel gave a thumbs-up before walking away.