Chapter 123 - City Tour (2/2)
After walking for a long time, they came to a forge. From outside, you could hear the metallic noise of the hammer being beaten. Arriving at the counter at the entrance, they heard a harsh voice address them, ”Are you here to sell or buy?”
The owner of the harsh voice was a middle-aged man surrounded by various papers. Since Hei, Lian, and Ho Yeon-Hong looked very young, he didn't give them much attention, turning to them as if he wanted to send them away as soon as possible.
Ho Yeon-Hong appeared irritated by this attitude and cleared her throat as she pulled out a medallion, ”These are important guests of Captain Ho Ri-Na. Have some respect when you speak to them. ”
Hearing the name Ho Ri-Na and noting the medallion with the emblem of the General Pirate engraved on it, the blacksmith in charge of the customers turned white. He was so white that he looked more like a ghost than a person.
”I apologize for my behavior. It won't happen again.” The blacksmith immediately bowed, cursing his bad habit of treating customers roughly. Ho Yeon-Hong seemed satisfied with these apologies and didn't pile on further.
”I came here to sell some materials. I have something that might interest you.” Hei intervened by letting out part of the baleen that he had obtained from the whale, ”It comes from a second-level spirit beast. There are still traces of spirit power, so there is no need for a proof of authenticity.”
At the words 'second-level beast', the blacksmith's face blanched even more while even Ho Yeon-Hong was surprised.
”I thought you hadn't been able to recover the whale's body.”
”And in fact, it isn't the body of the whale. It is only a small part that I managed to tear after various efforts. It's the only thing I could take.”
As Hei explained the situation to Ho Yeon-Hong, the blacksmith began to examine the baleen. The baleen was a rather rare material and was highly sought after due to its elasticity. In addition to various everyday objects, it was also usable for the creation of whips and bows.
”Incredible. It really belongs to a second-level spirit beast. Insane. I would like to ask you how you got hold of it, but I guess it's a pretty long story, isn't it?”
”Yes, let's just say I was forced to hunt whales. As for the value, how about an exchange? I need various rare metals and other things. You can take the baleen value out of the total price, and I will pay the rest with spirit stones, is it okay?” Hei proposed that he didn't want to waste too much time bargaining with the blacksmith.
”Yes, sure. Then take a look and tell me what you need.” The blacksmith looked happy as he could sell extra stuff and buy such a rare material.
”Hei, what about the unlimited credit-?” Ho Yeon-Hong was about to ask before being interrupted by Hei.
”Thank your sister for me, but I prefer to pay for myself. Rather than unlimited credit, tell her that a second-level spirit core is more than welcome. I guess she has some in her personal collection, right?” He smiled as he examined the various metals on display, leaving Ho Yeon-Hong with a surprised face.
Eventually, Hei purchased a large amount of various metals for Ye so that she could cultivate the Law of Metal. For Xing, however, he bought a large number of Dream Boxes. The Dream Boxes were nothing more than boxes with an illusory formation engraved, mainly used as traps. Hei intended to use them on Xing so that she could train her Law of Illusions.
After the tour in the forge, Hei asked Ho Yeon-Hong to guide him to an alchemist shop. The Flower Sect and the other sects had left Hei and Lian with pills to use to advance to the second rank. However, although the creator of these pills was better than Hei as an alchemist at the time, the materials used weren't comparable to the whale's body. So Hei planned to use now the pills they were supposed to use for their rank advancement. In that way, they could quickly reach the peak of the seventh stage spirit apprentice. Subsequently, he would create pills for him and Lian with the whale's remains for their advancement as well as for his little sisters.
'The Bowhead Whale is an aquatic creature. Therefore its spirit core contains properties of the Law of Water. However, since it wasn't a divine beast, the Law of Water wasn't engraved on the whale's body. With a few filtering cycles, I should be able to eliminate the properties of the Law of Water inside its carcass. And by adding reagents of other elements, I should be able to create personalized pills for everyone.' Hei meditated to himself, examining the resources available in the shop.
After carefully choosing every material that could be useful to him, Hei paid for everything with spirit stones, placing his purchases in his space rings and Lian's.
By his side, Ho Yeon-Hong looked in amazement at the amount of money Hei owned. 'Now I understand why he didn't want the unlimited credit. I thought he was saying, so to say, but he has a terrifying financial amount.'
”Well, I think there isn't anything else that I need urgently for the moment. Ho Yeon-Hong, thank you for accompanying us. But it is time to say goodbye. With the decisive battle incoming, I would like to take advantage of every possible moment to cultivate. Please tell your sister about my request, though.” Hei turned to Ho Yeon-Hong, dismissing her as they had no other places to visit.
”Yes, it's fine. I'll let her know.” Ho Yeon-Hong replied absently. She was still quite surprised by Hei's financial strength, and it wasn't as if what he had said was wrong. Therefore, Hei and Lian greeted her as they returned to their room in the tavern.