Chapter 30 - Chapter 30: Chapter 27 The Living Treasured Sword i (1/2)
Chapter 30: Chapter 27 The Living Treasured Sword i
Translator: 549690339
Qin Niu wanted to buy a blade, one that could chop wood, hunt, and kill enemies—all in one.
He entered a shop with the most extensive selection of blade weapons.
The shop assistant, with bare and robust upper arms, was muscular all over, especially his pectorals, which were particularly strong.
“Looking to buy a weapon?”
“Do you have blades of this style forged from Hundred-Tempering Fine Steel?”
Qin Niu pointed at a Thick-Backed Chopping Knife.
The blade was of medium length, appropriately wide and narrow, with a slight curve to the belly of the knife, suited for both chopping and slicing — exactly the type of weapon he wanted.
“Are you sure you want the Thick-Backed Chopping Knife made from Hundred-Tempering Fine Steel? It won’t be cheap. The price of Hundred-Tempering Fine Steel is almost three times that of silver now; a knife this size will cost at least a hundred taels of silver.”
The assistant sized up Qin Niu twice, suspecting that this country boy had no idea how expensive Hundred-Tempering Fine Steel was.
“That is indeed too expensive for me to afford. The books say that good steel should be used on the blade. What if 1 ask for an iron blade with a layer of Hundred-Tempering Fine Steel sandwiched in the middle for the cutting edge?”
Qin Niu liked to read in his spare time, and his intellect and wisdom truly were exceptional.
In the face of insufficient funds, he proposed a scientifically rational cost-saving plan.
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This… I am merely an apprentice, please wait a moment.”
The assistant turned to look towards the inner forging room.
In the dim light, one could see the forge glowing red hot as a man around fifty tirelessly hammered at a weapon.
“Master, this customer wants to buy a special kind of blade.”
After a while, the old man emerged from inside.
The old man was not particularly tall, but he appeared exceedingly sturdy and muscular.
His completely bare upper body showcased muscles as hard as ironstone.
“Young brother, what kind of blade would you like to buy?”
The old man’s voice was somewhat hoarse, like a broken gong.
“I’d like to buy a Thick-Backed Chopping Knife of this style, but since I don’t have enough silver money, 1 would like to ask you to forge it with fine iron and sandwich a layer of Hundred-Tempering Fine Steel in the middle to enhance the knife’s sharpness and durability.”
Qin Niu seemed quite professional.
“No problem. The knife will weigh about three jins, with about three liang of laminated steel. The price of fine iron is one tael per jin, which comes to three liang of silver for three jins. Hundred-Tempering Fine Steel costs three times that of silver, making three liang equal to nine taels. My labor charge is five fen of silver.”
The old man provided a rough estimate of the cost.
A labor charge of five fen was not cheap, but most skilled blacksmiths demanded this rate.
Top blacksmith masters could command even more astronomical fees.
Moreover, don’t think that the weapon store made only five fen of hard-earned money. They could refine fine iron and Hundred-Tempering Fine Steel themselves, and the profit margin on those was usually where the real money was.
“I don’t have enough silver! Do you think the price could be reduced any further?”
Qin Niu had not expected buying a weapon to be so costly.
It was only because he had sold the bear skin for a good price that he even dared to consider purchasing a Hundred-Tempering Fine Steel weapon. Otherwise, a fine iron weapon would have been a very good weapon for him already.
According to the old man’s calculation, it would cost at least twelve taels and five fen of silver.
He was short by two taels and five fen.
And he wanted to save one tael of silver to buy a low-grade Contract Charm.
“What’s the most you can offer?”
The old man asked him.
“Eight taels.”
Qin Niu stated a price that made the old man nearly jump.
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No, no, that’s too low, it doesn’t even cover the cost,” the old man shook his head repeatedly.
These ironworkers were stubborn by nature, not particularly adept at haggling.
“If that’s the case, never mind.”
Qin Niu turned and walked towards the exit of the store.
“Come back!”
The old man called out to him again.
“If you can only offer eight taels of silver, then we’ll use one liang less of the laminated steel. I’ll take a loss on the labor charge.”
“I’ll add one more tael, to make it nine taels, without skimping on material. In the future, if I need any weapon that you can forge, I’ll come to you.”
Qin Niu bargained with surprising adeptness, quite unlike his silent and foolish demeanor back in the village.
“That’s… too little, add a bit more. My apprentice and 1 won’t even make enough for our meals,” the old man’s eyes already showed compromise, but he was making a last effort to earn a bit more.
“Take it as looking after me this once! Next time, 1 won’t haggle and let you earn more. Once 1 have money, I’ll definitely want to switch to a better weapon.”
Qin Niu tempted the old man with future prospects.
After a battle within himself, the old man might have figured out that, after costs, he could still make a tiny profit.