Chapter 68: Chapter 64: Spoils Recovery
The saying that a Dwarf’s voice is like a broken gong was no exaggeration at all.
Lin Mo’s head swam from the shout, and his ears were ringing as if they’d gone deaf.
"Calm down, Edgar, or the old lady from the general store next door is going to come over and reason with you with a broom."
Hearing this, Edgar tugged at his beard and managed to calm himself down.
"Didn’t you take a quest to hunt Slimes? How did you get mixed up with Minotaurs?"
The power levels of those two Demons were worlds apart, and they had absolutely no connection to each other.
"That was the previous quest. I finished that one a long time ago. I took a second quest afterward and just happened to run into them..."
Lin Mo didn’t explain in detail, nor did he mention the Secret Realm. "Just tell me, how much is this stuff worth?"
But Edgar clearly wasn’t going to let it go. After all, this was just too astonishing.
"You really took down two Minotaurs?"
Lin Mo didn’t say much, simply pulling two pairs of massive horns from his backpack.
Edgar took the horns, stroking them carefully. Seeing the fresh, still-wet bloodstains, he couldn’t help but draw in a sharp breath.
Based on his intuition and his respect for Lin Mo’s judgment, Edgar had always felt the young human Adventurer had decent potential. But he had only imagined that Lin Mo might become a Professional within a few years, with a future chance of maybe reaching the Silver Level—nothing more.
But now, it seemed things weren’t so simple.
"You’ve already advanced?"
If he wasn’t a Professional, he would have had no chance of fighting back against a Minotaur, let alone killing one.
Lin Mo nodded. "During this last quest."
A Professional under the age of twenty in a remote town like this, who had just advanced and already achieved such a stunning result...
Edgar took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, taking a long moment to digest this shocking fact.
"From now on, any equipment you buy from my shop gets free repairs!"
He knew he had to up the ante. If he could seize this opportunity, he might really be able to open a Blacksmith Shop in the Royal City someday!
"That’s great."
Lin Mo chuckled. The cost of repairing equipment was no small sum. According to what Uncle Bain had mentioned before, the routine maintenance for his current set of gear cost at least 2 Silver Coins after every quest. If there was damage, the price was even higher—especially for Iron Armor. The most he had ever paid was a whole 1 Gold Coin!
With that, Lin Mo directly took off his Leather Armor and handed it over with his Wolf Bone Sword. "In that case, how about you help me with some repairs right now?"
The Wolf Bone Sword was fine, with only minor scratches, but the Leather Armor made from Black Swamp Crocodile Hide had some real damage.
Speaking of which, its Defense Power was truly Excellent. When it had been struck by the claw of an adult Cursed Cat Demon, the wound had been less than three centimeters deep; the Leather Armor had blocked the vast majority of the damage.
Otherwise, that blow might not have pierced him clean through, but it would have at least gotten intimately acquainted with his bones.
Edgar took the Leather Armor and inspected the damaged area. "What Demon caused this damage?"
With his discerning eye, he could naturally tell that this was unlikely to be the work of a Minotaur.
"Oh, I also ran into an adult Cursed Cat Demon. Almost forgot..."
Lin Mo rummaged through his backpack and pulled out the Cat Demon’s claws and teeth.
With the precedent set by the two large Minotaur horns, Edgar’s reaction wasn’t as extreme, but his beard still bristled and his eyes went wide. "Just how deep into Loran Forest did you go?"
He was starting to regret his earlier words. Repairing this piece of Leather Armor would cost at least 1 Gold Coin. If this kid was going to be this rough on his gear every time...
’Ah well, it’s not without its benefits.’
Edgar set the Wolf Bone Sword and Leather Armor aside. "Leave this stuff with me and pick it up tomorrow. Now, let’s talk about buying these materials."
He pointed to the two large axes. "The material of these two axes is decent, but at the end of the day, it’s just Ordinary iron. How about 11 Gold Coins for both?"
’That’s about right.’
Lin Mo estimated that Edgar was definitely making a profit at this price, but that was normal. He was a businessman, not running a charity. Besides, the price met his own expectations. It was a win-win.
"Alright."
"As for these two pairs of horns... they’re excellent material for making Crossbows. I can give you 34 Gold Coins for them. The claws and fangs of an adult Cursed Cat Demon are suitable for daggers and short swords, valued at around 12 Gold Coins. All told, including those two axes, the total comes to 57 Gold Coins. I can buy the whole lot from you for 60 Gold Coins, on one condition: from now on, if you get any more suitable materials, you bring them to me first. How does that sound?"
"No problem."
Lin Mo nodded readily. He had to admit, Edgar was different from the classic image of a Dwarf like Old Riel. He didn’t just bury his head in his forge; he also had a very sharp mind for business.
Edgar paid the money promptly and then hurried Lin Mo out the door.
As a Dwarf, now that he had such fine materials in hand, he was naturally itching to start forging.
A Dwarf’s forging skill doesn’t just appear out of thin air. While talent is certainly a very important factor, continuous, diligent practice is also the only path to becoming a Master Blacksmith.
And the more precious and High Tier the materials, the more significant the improvement in one’s forging skill.
The main reason Dwarves earn money is to buy better materials, forge better weapons, build their reputation, and hone their skills.
But for a newcomer like him, especially in a small place like Roland Town with its limited number of Professionals, good materials were hard to come by even if you had the money. That’s why Edgar was willing to pay a little extra in exchange for the first right to buy Lin Mo’s materials.
"Heh heh, my beauties, here I come!"
The young Dwarf picked up his hammer, his eyes glinting with excitement.
...
After leaving Edgar’s Blacksmith Shop, Lin Mo walked straight ahead, turning at the second fork in the road onto Harvest Street, the place where Adventurers bought their supplies.
Even when they weren’t out on adventures, people still needed to buy things for daily life, so Harvest Street was still bustling with pedestrians, even in the afternoon.
Lin Mo had been here many times, so he knew the way well and went directly to the end of the street.
It was a small house built of red brick and tile, its walls covered in an attractive plaster. The door plaque was made of fine pearwood, and on it, the words ’Julian’s Alchemy Workshop’ were neatly carved in an elegant script.
As you drew near, you were immediately hit by the scent of money.
In contrast to the bustle of Harvest Street, this storefront was utterly deserted. The reason was simple: most people couldn’t afford a single thing sold here...
