78 77. Blacksmith.txt (2/2)

'No, you'd better have it. I can't, but the blacksmith at Hoosier's might have a hope.

Haha. ......

It's not that I'm not attached to this sword.

I could have had it turned into a material, but it seems to be a great waste in Alibers-san's eyes.

''The other interesting thing is this magic stone. As I recall, it's the 'Crescent Pectolazuli'. If I sell this, I can live for three years playing with it, are you sure?''

What, so much?

I'm gobsmacked by the price, which is much higher than I imagined.

One of my purposes is to pay for Maria's treatment. That goal is solved simply by selling this magic stone.

'But I guarantee you can make something good with it. We can coat the sword and make it sturdy. As far as I'm concerned, I'd rather make it into a ring or a necklace, a magic item that makes use of this magic stone.

It's more of a matter of needing a sturdy weapon than a magic item: ......

I know the feeling when I see the devastation. I'd be more inclined to make weapons too, so that helps. ...... Well then, I'll leave you with a broken weapon and a reasonable magic stone.

Come in.

After that, Alibers-san and I recorded the weapons and magic stones to be traded and decided on a date for delivery.

When I expressed my wish for a sturdy weapon, if possible, as soon as possible, Alibers-san thought about it for a bit and came up with a plan to deal with it.

The ideal way to speed up the job is to increase the number of people on hand, so the quality won't drop. That way the quality won't drop. If you invite a blacksmith you know from the city, the work will inevitably go faster. But then it would be quite pricey, wouldn't it?''

'No, it's cheaper than destroying several weapons. Please, as soon as you can.

Okay. Then this is how you'll pay for it: ......?　I'll turn the leftover magic stones into gold at the exchange station. The master is going to be busy.

Thank you.

Then we'll get Master and Snow's weapons ready at once. Here's the contract. You'll get the price and details from Snow here. He looks like that, but he knows his stuff. If the price is unreasonable, feel free to come and complain about it.

'Snow is ......?　I understand.

I turn my attention to Snow, who is sprawled out in the corner of the room.

I was going to ask the sub-master, Palinkron or Rail-san, about such things, but it seems that Snow can handle it.

'And here's the most important part of the story: ......

What's the big deal?

'Yeah. The most important part of building a weapon is still to be determined.

I thought I had most of the story, but apparently I haven't decided on just what makes me say it's the most important thing in the eyes of my day job as a blacksmith.

''Oh, what the hell is that?''

It's ...... design!

'Ha, ha ....... Is it design?

'Oh!　Looks are what counts, decorations are what matters most!　More than a performance, it's a beauty!　If the sword is beautiful, the master's magnificent swordplay will look great!

No, this guy: .......

I thought he was a serious person, but the quintessential ”Epic Seeker” resident blacksmith.

He didn't have a good thought process.

''It's a weapon that holds your life in its hands, right?　Focus on the workmanship rather than the looks.

That's why I put my life in your hands!　At the moment when you spill your life, in the midst of fresh blood, if the sword you carry is not cool, you won't be able to die even if you die!　Because a hero's death should be beautiful, you know!

No, I need a weapon to keep me from dying. I'm not thinking about dying.

That's not right, Master!　What you do while you're alive is important, but how you die is even more important!

'It's more important while you're alive. I don't care what it looks like, just make it a strong one.

That's bloody bullshit!　Having a good-looking swordsman use a good-looking sword is what I live for!

'Master orders. Make it sturdy.

'Haha. I'm sorry, but that's not going to work in 'Epic Seeker'. Violating orders is an everyday occurrence here!

He even gave orders that were not in line with his s*xuality, but Mr. Alibers continues to disobey.

I really don't want to have to deal with ”Epic Seeker” because there are only freaks in .......

'Huh ....... Then we'll pretend this story never happened .......

Oh, that would be very embarrassing!　I could be working with the master's sword!

Then do your work diligently. It's a pain in the ass to go to a distant workshop instead of one that's close at hand.

Mmm. ....... It can't be helped. How about making something sturdy first and then elaborating on the decorations later on ......?

'If it's only a little heavier, we'll compromise on this one too. But I won't pay for that decoration.

It's no use. We'll pay our own way in there.

'Self-financing is ....... Do you have the option of giving up ......?

No.

Don't you have ......?

Mr. Alibers spread out a thick sheet of paper on the processing table and began to draw a drawing of the finished product with a quill pen.

I'm going to ask you right now if you have any requests. For my part, I'm thinking of making a simple straight sword with a white background. This will be strong and durable. I'm going to be the first to say that I'm not going to be the only one. --What do you think?

I look at the painted sword and am taken aback by its stunning form.

'You're just obsessed with it ....... I'm just saying that the color of the letters is more blue than blue for my taste, because it's more refreshing. It's just that my preference is for the color of the letters to be blue rather than blue, because it gives a more refreshing feel.

'Master likes a clean design, doesn't he? Okay, I'll consider it.

The other thing is uniformity and elegance. Unbalanced swords are difficult to use, so please make them symmetrical.

'Hmmm, I prefer the asymmetry: ....... It can't be helped, let's make up for it with decorations.

Dreaming of the sword that would be completed, Alibers-san and I bumped into each other's interests.

Apparently, Alibers-san has caught me and I'm getting excited about it too. I can see for myself that my game loving nature, which is at its core, is coming to the surface.

Thus, Alibers and I got into a long, heated debate about weapons, and before I knew it, the sun had gone down.

We said goodbye to each other with very good smiles on our faces, having said all the things we had to say.

Then, Master,” he said, ”it's been a long time since I've had a big job. Well then, master, I'll give it my best shot as it's my first big job in a long time.

Yes, thank you. --Snow, we're done. Let's go.

He grabbed Snow by the scruff of her neck as she lay in the corner.

She had fallen completely sound asleep due to a long story that didn't interest her.

Responding to Alibers' small smile with a wry smile, I dragged Snow out of the workshop.

With this, the labyrinth exploration attack from the 20th level onwards, which would begin tomorrow, should be easier.

Honestly, today's exploration is just for fun. It's not an exaggeration to say that the real work will come after the 20th layer.

After leaving the workshop, me and Snow go into town.

We shop and stop at the church to prepare for the real work of exploring the labyrinth.

My level is now 15, and as usual, I swing my bonus points to magic. As the opportunity to use 《Dimension》 increased, I couldn't think of any other option to improve my accuracy.

I returned to Maria's waiting room while checking my magic power with 《Dimension》, not knowing how much it had been strengthened.