Chapter 212: Chapter 211: Brand New Equipment
[Centurion Standard Breastplate/Ordinary Magic Armor]
[Defense: 5]
[Weight Reduction Enchantment: Reduces weight by one-half.]
After the Dwarves repaired it, the main Enchantment on this Chest Armor was for weight reduction.
However, according to them, there were other Enchantments that could no longer be repaired due to its age.
As a result, the Chest Armor weighed only a dozen pounds or so. Its weight was somewhere between Leather Armor and a Chain Armor Shirt, and it was much lighter than his previous Plate Armor.
Although this Enchantment didn’t increase its Defense, Colin still chose to keep it.
Now that he was in the south, wearing more Armor wouldn’t hinder his movement as much, so the Dwarves helped Colin reconfigure his set of Armor.
First, Colin picked up the long-sleeved, front-fastening Armed Clothing from his bed and put it on, meticulously buttoning it up one button at a time.
Compared to Ordinary Cotton Armor, this Armed Clothing had some extra straps.
Next, Colin picked up a pair of Chain Armor Arm Guards.
This pair of Chain Armor Arm Guards covered only the area from his shoulders to his wrists and was fastened to the Armed Clothing with straps, providing specialized protection.
After that, he put on the Bronze Muscle Breastplate.
Finally, Colin took out the Plated Armor Wrist Guards and Leather Boots he had bought from the Dwarves.
These two items were simply Leather Armor Wrist Guards and Leather Boots with metal plates riveted onto them to enhance their Defense—the reverse of how his Plate Armor was constructed.
After putting on this whole set, Colin’s Defense reached six points.
Compared to when he only wore the Plate Armor, his current protection was clearly more comprehensive.
Moreover, a professional Armed Clothing was a necessity if he ever wanted to upgrade to high-end Armor like Half-plate Armor. It was the only way to properly secure the armor pieces for a complete Defense, so buying it now would save him trouble later.
After putting on his gear and glancing down at himself, Colin sighed.
’Chain Armor, Cotton Armor, and a cast Bronze Chest Armor... This getup is just bizarre. There probably aren’t many Adventurers in the world who parade around town in Magic Armor from several millennia ago.’
Because he needed to get used to his Armor, Colin usually went out fully armed.
Wearing this set of gear, he was the most conspicuous person on the street wherever he went.
Colin picked up the Cloak he had bought a few days ago, draped it over his shoulders, and fastened it with a Brooch.
He had been forced to buy the Cloak to avoid being stared at on the street.
This set of equipment had cost him thirty Gold Coins in total, plus his previous Plate Armor.
That pretty much used up all the pay he’d earned from teaching.
’I’ve spent a bit too much money recently. Between Learning Magic and replacing my gear, the two hundred-plus Gold Coins I’d saved are now down to just one hundred fifty-four Gold Coins and some spare change.’
’But this investment was definitely necessary.’
’After all, with better gear, I’ll definitely be able to earn money faster than before.’
’That’s what I tell myself, but it really hurt to cut up that gold bar and spend it...’
As these thoughts ran through his mind, Colin equipped his Dagger, backpack, Spellbook, and other items. Once he was fully geared up, he shouldered his pack and went downstairs.
He walked to the door of the second-floor room.
Before he could even knock, Ale opened the door and came out.
The Half-Elf was wearing a light green robe and had her hair in a high ponytail. A large backpack was slung over her shoulders, making her look much more capable than usual.
"We’ll grab breakfast first, then meet them at the Black Heart Tavern," Colin said. "I asked Bob a few days ago. There’s a caravan that can give us a ride."
"Okay. Are we getting wraps again? I thought they were pretty good."
The two of them chatted as they walked outside.
Soon, they arrived at the same wrap shop as before. After being teased a bit by the owner, they left with their wraps and headed for the main road between the Dock District and the Trade District, walking toward the slums outside the northern gate of Thousand Masts City.
It hadn’t snowed for the past few days, so the road was quite clean.
As they walked, a cold wind blew, and Colin felt a bit chilly even while wearing the [Winter Wolf Necklace]. Fortunately, he had a hot wrap in his hand to warm his fingers.
The main street was still bustling with pedestrians walking to and fro.
Looking at the slums beyond the city gate at the end of the road, Colin had an indescribable feeling—he was now heading to the slums, not waking up in them.
They had only taken a few steps when Ale looked at the streetscape and exclaimed, "Wow, the king here must be really amazing."
’This girl’s in high spirits today,’ Colin thought wryly. ’Her very first sentence is a bombshell.’
Sure enough, a citizen on the roadside looked over.
He called out to them, "King? Dictators aren’t welcome in this land, good lady."
"Sorry about that, friend," Colin replied.
"It’s a small thing. From your accent, you sound like a local. You should teach the good lady a thing or two."
After saying his piece, the citizen walked away.
"Did I say something wrong again today?" Ale asked, tilting her head.
"A little. The citizens here really dislike words like ’king’ and ’dictator.’"
Colin spoke before she could ask why: "A long time ago, Thousand Masts City was a city of the Ancient Empire, abandoned due to a war with the Elves. This land was occupied by creatures like the Barbarian Race, Orcs, and Hobgoblins.
"Afterward, Adventurers eager for Gold Coins, illegitimate children of nobles wanting land, farmers who could no longer survive... in short, many people came here looking to claim their own territory, and this just happened to be a ready-to-use port."
Ale asked curiously, "Are Holy Tear City and Mokewick the same?"
"More or less."
Colin continued, "Back then, humanity’s Power wasn’t yet strong enough to expand its territory while under siege from monsters. Everyone was forced to hole up here, and so the city grew larger and larger.
"Only after the monsters were driven out could villages, fields, pastures, and other such settlements take root in the surrounding area, and with them came nobles who owned fiefs."
"That doesn’t sound very different from other kingdoms," Ale muttered under her breath.
At some point, she had finished her wrap and was now holding a small notebook, sketching something inside.
"The difference is huge."
Colin said, "Think about it. Other kingdoms are formed when individual villages and towns develop and eventually unite. But Thousand Masts City expanded outward from this single city, so the surrounding cities and towns are, in fact, all part of it.
"This made the city the center of the entire faction. All nobles must have a foothold within the city, or else they can’t protect their own lands from the other, united nobles.
"With so many nobles gathered together, no single power could force everyone to submit. So, to mediate conflicts, Thousand Masts City adopted an oligarchy. The nobles established the Council of Masked Lords and, together with a public City Lord, they decide the city’s policies."
"I know about that part," she said.
