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The next day. I show up at the Adventurers’ Guild in the morning.
As usual, I try to check the bulletin board, but I can’t get close to it because there is an even bigger crowd than usual around it.
I asked a familiar adventurer who was standing nearby.
“What’s going on?” (Rook)
“Apparently, the number of recruits at the mine has been reduced, and those who were left out are flooding in here.” (Adventurer)
“A reduction in the number of recruits? Is that possible?” (Rook)
“I know… I’ve never heard of it either.” (Adventurer)
What’s going on?
I went to the reception desk and asked while checking for recovery request.
“What’s going on?” (Rook)
“We don’t have a complete picture of what’s going on. However, it seems certain that the number of openings for miners is decreasing.” (Sarah)
“I see…” (Rook)
Is the guild not aware of the situation? No, even if they understand it, isn’t it just talking to an adventurer properly? It would be a different story if this was information about monsters.
To put it the other way, the cause of the problem is not something that the Adventurer’s Guild would pry into–in other words, it might not be related to monsters.
Perhaps the Adventurer’s Guild is nothing more than an intermediary between adventurers and clients. I get the impression that even if they actively disclose information to adventurers that seems to be useful for adventurers’ activities, such as information about nearby monsters and information about the surrounding area, they do not actively disclose content that may be related to the town’s politics and commerce.
This also seems to vary from region to region and guild master to guild master, and it also seems to depend on the situation.
Anyway, I don’t think I can do anything more here.
“Mr. Rook, we would like to request you to investigate the abandoned mine again. Is that alright?” (Sarah)
“Ah, yes. I’m going.” (Rook)
Deciding to accept the investigation request, I left the Adventurers’ Guild and walked toward the town wall.
But before going to the investigation request, I wanted to see the blacksmith shop that Mr. Nick had introduced to me.
Looking at a handmade simple map, I took a side street from the main street, went on for a while, and found the store at the end of the street after turning off the road.
The sound of swinging hammers is leaking from inside the store.
“Excuse me.” (Rook)
When I opened the door and looked inside, I saw a counter in front of it, where a young male employee was resting his elbows on the counter and slumped down.
Apparently, the store is separated from the blacksmith area, and the sound of the hammers seems to be coming from behind the door behind the young man.
Looking around, he saw a variety of weapons and armor displayed on one wall.
“Excuse me. Can I have a moment? Hey!” (Rook)
“Hmm… Huh?” (Clerk)
“Can I see the weapons in the store?” (Rook)
“Oh… yeah, please do as you like.” (Clerk)
After confirming with the shopkeeper, I look at the armory in the store.
There are swords, spears, maces, armors, etc., various kinds of armors are placed in the store. But most of them are made of iron or copper, and there seem to be no mithril or other expensive items.
I picked up one of the spears and lightly shook it.
“This is nice.” (Rook)
It fits comfortably in my hand and the weight balance is not bad.
It’s about time I got a bladed weapon that I can use as my main weapon. A spear seemed to be the best fit for my talent that I saw in the white place, and a spear seems like a good choice. I bought this Mithril Alloy Cudgel because the environment in Aluppo was one where blunt weapons were effective, but there must be many situations where it is difficult to use only blunt weapons. The Rock Tortoise I fought before, if I had a good spear, I might have been able to force the spear into its retracted head and limbs, or perhaps he might have been able to cut that shell in two with the spear! Even if it is difficult… I think there are a few more things that could be done.
But it is difficult to attack with a steel spear because it is necessary to avoid animal bones and other hard objects because of nicks and distortions. It would never work against the shell of a Rock Tortoise.
Then I would prefer a weapon made of better materials, and there are bones of the Dragon Zombie that I defeated in Aluppo’s dungeon inside the [Holy Dimension], but…
“It’s still kind of dangerous here, right?” (Rook)
It will probably soon become known that a Dragon Zombie appeared in Aluppo’s dungeon. Someone must have brought back the rest of the materials I collected, and I don’t know how they were used or sold, but if Dragon Zombie materials appeared in a route other than theirs, there’s a high chance that I’ll be noticed. In particular, there is a high possibility that information will be passed on to neighboring countries that have a lot of people coming and going and have deep economic ties with Aluppo. I would have to go a little farther to use dragon zombie materials because I am too afraid to use them.
“It can’t be helped.” (Rook)
I put the spear back and grab another spear.
There are several types of spears in the display, from short ones to long ones, from straight ones to two or three-pronged ones, and even a halberd type that looks like an axe.
I find the straight type easier to use. It may be because the wooden spear I used to practice with at home was straight.
However, I looked at various exhibits, and there were some good shapes, but none of them were made of the kind of good material that I was looking for.
I talked to the store clerk.
“Do you have any spears made of mithril or something like that?” (Rook)
“There are no mithril spears in stock. The expensive weapons are too wasteful unless they are tailored to the user’s needs. Do you want to order one?” (Clerk)
“Yes… that’s right. Please.” (Rook)
“Wait a minute.” (Clerk)
The clerk opened the door behind him and from there shouted, “Master! Order!”
A middle-aged man appears from the back.
“Order? What do you want?” (Owner)
“I want a spear.” (Rook)
“What material? What kind of spear do you want?” (Owner)
I was asked that question, and after a few moments of pondering, I answered,
“A spear that can pierce Rock Tortoises!” (Rook)
“Don’t be absurd! Even a spear made of Orichalcum can’t pierce such a thing. If you want to do that, you have to do something with your own skill.” (Owner)
“Eh? Even with Orichalcum, it’s impossible?”
“No, I’ve never even touched Orichalcum. No matter how much Orichalcum I pick up, it’s just metal after all, right? If it were made into a spear, it would be hard and sharp, but that alone would be enough to pierce Rock Tortoise. You know?” (Owner)
Hmmm… Somehow, I had an image that a weapon made from a fantasy material could somehow cut rocks or iron like tofu, but is it wrong?
“Well, if it’s an attribute arms or a magic arms, or if an artifact, there’s probably a weapon that can penetrate Rock Tortoise. I’m not an expert though.” (Owner)
In the end, I guess I have no choice but to look for artifacts.
Yeah? Hey, wait a minute.
“Well, you said earlier that I should do something with my own skills, but is there anyone who can actually penetrate a Rock Tortoise?” (Rook)
“Oh… they exist. I’ve heard stories of great adventurers smashing through the earth and knight commanders of some country smashing through steel gates. I bet a person like them could cut a Rock Tortoise in half.” (Owner)
“You’ve never seen one in person?” (Rook)
“Oy, hey, I’m just a blacksmith here who holds a hammer. Of course, I’ve also smithed weapons for those people, but I’ve never seen them swing a sword for real.” (Owner)
Well, that’s true. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone seriously wield a weapon in a store like this.
However, what I have come to realize is that even in this world, it is abnormal for ordinary people who do not engage in combat to use physical weapons to pierce a Rock Tortoise or slash through a steel gate. But some great people have the ability to do such things. I don’t know if it is simply a matter of raising their STR by raising their level, or if they have a special weapon like an artifact, or if there is something else.
I saw a glimpse of Gordo, an A-rank adventurer, in a real fight, and I saw him smash through iron armor.
“So, what do you want to be made?” (Owner)
“Please make one for me! A spear that is durable and has good magic power conductivity.” (Rook)
For now, I want a spear. A sturdy spear with a good cutting ability. If the spear is made of iron, it will break when it hits a bone, it will not be good enough when fighting strong monsters.
“The length is like this, and the tip is like this.” (Rook)
“I see, then the spearhead—” (Owner)
I gave my ideal image of a spear to my master, and after receiving feedback from him, I revised my image.
When the general shape of the spear had been decided, the master began to talk about something else.
“By the way, that staff you’re holding, can I see it?” (Owner)
“This?” (Rook)
I handed over the Mithril Alloy Cudgel in my hand to the owner, and he slowly checked it.
“They’ve making something interesting. It’s a mix of iron with mithril… and other metals to make it lighter and stronger. Wasn’t this made by Aluppo?” (Owner)
“You found out?” (Rook)
“Mithril is highly effective against the undead, and striking weapons are also suited for the undead. But if you try to use mithril in a weapon that requires this amount of metal, it will be very expensive. Normally, such weapons would not be made. The only place I can think of is Aluppo, where there was an undead dungeon.” (Owner)
“I see.” (Rook)
The mithril is very rare, and when you make it into a staff, you need a lot more than a sword or a spear, so it’s a luxurious way to use it.
“How much did this cost?” (Owner)
“I believe it was 100 gold coins.” (Rook)
“Oh, come on, that’s too cheap. …that’s a loss.” (Owner)
“Ah, I think it was unsold for so long, so they gave me a discount.” (Rook)
“You’re lucky…” (Owner)
The owner gave me back the Mithril Alloy Cudgel.
“When will the spear be ready?” (Rook)
“‘Well… I haven’t had any work the last few days, so I’m not busy, and it should be ready in a few days, depending on the shape.” (Owner)
“I’ll come back in a few days to see how it goes. This is the deposit of 30 gold coins. The other seventy will follow when it’s finished.” (Rook)
“Yeah, I’ll make something good.” (Ownerr)
“I’m looking forward to it.” (Rook)
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