Choosing

Xia Nan was somewhat surprised by the craftsman's reaction in front of him.

Given how "battle-worn" his leather armor looked, let alone buying it back at a discount, not even a roadside General Store would have spared it a glance.

He had assumed it could only be disposed of as scrap, yet it had actually fetched a price at Rock Hammer, a place renowned for high-end quality goods.

Naturally, he could not refuse.

He immediately took it off and handed it to Barn.

Come to think of it, the leather armor had lived up to its steep price of 10 gold.

When facing the Petrification Lizard's charge, it had been breached and smashed apart on the spot, but there was no doubt that it had helped Xia Nan absorb a considerable amount of damage.

If his former self had been greedy for bargains and bought some shoddily made cheap armor instead—

He probably would not have lasted until the Half-Elf and the others arrived. The Petrification Lizard would have rammed him to death outright.

Three Silver Coins went into his pocket.

Barn Steel Beard's reddish-brown Braided Hair swayed against his chest as he grinned and put away the leather armor behind the counter.

A flash of iron-gray cold light passed through the corner of his eye.

He could not help looking up at the Beheading Longsword on Xia Nan's back and asked tentatively, "How is that sword...?"

Xia Nan did not conceal anything and answered frankly, "It's very good. It's sharp, Sturdy, and durable—much better than the weapon I used before."

As he spoke, he also watched the other man's expression, hinting as subtly as possible without exposing his Golden Finger, "I don't know if it's because Gray Steel was mixed into it, but I even feel that this sword is tougher than other weapons."

"If you still remember the details of the forging process, you might be able to develop a fine product from it."

At that, Barn's deep, hearty laughter rang through the Blacksmith Shop once more.

His fan-sized hand slapped Xia Nan hard on the shoulder.

"Ha ha ha, you're too polite! But you should still be careful. Don't let this weapon put you at a disadvantage in battle."

Clearly, he had not understood the implication in Xia Nan's words.

"Our Blacksmith Shop only makes quality goods! Equipment with uncertain quality details like this can't possibly be mass-produced."

"Besides, even if I really did happen to forge a fairly decent piece." Barn's eyes went slightly unfocused, as though recalling the scene when he had forged the Beheading Longsword. "That would only be an unexpected, low-probability event. It can't be replicated."

With things having reached this point, Xia Nan could not say much more.

He nodded.

Then he drew the [Green Pine] Wooden Sword from his back and handed it over.

"I need you to custom-make a scabbard for me. Price isn't an issue."

Barn accepted it with both hands and examined the blade, yet he did not ask why Xia Nan wanted a custom scabbard specifically for a Wooden Sword.

He merely turned it over as he muttered to himself, "Hmm... blackish-brown wood, but its toughness doesn't seem like that of ordinary wood. Iron Oak from Ivelius? Or Sparrow Willow by Emerald Velvet Lake? No, that can't be right. The color shouldn't be this dark..."

As he spoke, he took out measuring tools from a storage cabinet behind the counter and asked without looking up, "Any specific requirements?"

Xia Nan considered it carefully for a moment.

"Make it durable. The color shouldn't be too conspicuous, and the design can be simple and understated."

As a tool for storing weapons, a scabbard might not seem particularly important in battle.

Yet for an adventurer, a suitable scabbard was extremely important.

Aside from its widely recognized functions of protecting the blade and preventing rust and moisture, it could also affect an adventurer's drawing speed to a certain extent, as well as help maintain their balance during daily activities and combat.

Xia Nan had heard a few drunkards boasting in the tavern that wealthy high-level Professionals would even spend huge sums to hire specialized Spellcasters to enchant their scabbards, granting them effects such as automatic maintenance and faster drawing speeds.

Of course, that was still far too distant for him right now. There was no need to think about it.

Barn came from a Dwarf Clan, and his craftsmanship ranked among the best in all of River Valley Town.

In just over ten minutes, he had finished taking all the measurements.

He handed the Wooden Sword back to Xia Nan and said in a deep voice, "The blade's style is a little unusual, but a scabbard alone won't be difficult to make."

"I plan to use Rock Carbon Steel. Its color is similar to the blade's, so it won't stand out too much. It also has decent moisture resistance, making it suitable for a weapon made from this kind of wood."

"You can come pick it up in three days. Labor and materials included... you know, custom work costs a little more."

"10 gold."

"Deal."

Xia Nan nodded.

It cost the same as his previous leather armor, and it was a necessary expense.

Saving money in this regard was no different from gambling with his own life.

After putting the Wooden Sword back behind him, Xia Nan turned his gaze to the rows of various armor displayed on the Display Rack nearby.

Having finished commissioning the [Green Pine] scabbard, his next task was to buy himself another set of armor.

Feeling the heavy weight of the money pouch at his waist, he made up his mind. He was already prepared to bleed himself dry.

The earlier battle with the Petrification Lizard, along with the extremely high-pressure environment of Thin Mist Forest, had made him deeply realize something.

If he wanted to survive for a long time, safely, as an adventurer through mission after mission—

His Fault Tolerance had to improve!

High attack and low defense might be an option for Professionals with sufficiently high "killing power."

But for low-level adventurers who had not even mastered more than a few basic Combat Skills, excessively sacrificing defensive capability to improve their combat strength was undoubtedly a trap that would greatly increase their odds of death.

Therefore, Xia Nan intended to buy a set of armor that would not noticeably affect his Agility while still offering a certain level of protection.

He had already made that decision before, when he first came to Rock Hammer and bought the 10-gold leather armor.

His gaze passed over the "Light Armor," which was light enough but offered insufficient defense, and moved past the "Heavy Armor," which had formidable defense but limited mobility.

It settled on the middle of the rack.

"Chainmail Shirt," Medium Armor. Metal rings were densely and neatly woven into leather clothing, with a layer of soft, flexible fabric draped over the outside for decoration.

"Scale Armor," Medium Armor. It likewise used leather as a backing, with fish-scale-like metal plates layered over one another. It also came with two leg guards.

Both cost 50 gold.

The former offered stronger protection against slashing attacks, was relatively easy to maintain, and made less noise while moving, but its weight distribution was uneven. It required sufficient muscular strength to support and offered poor defense against blunt-force damage.

The latter had better resistance to piercing attacks and performed well against weapons such as bows and spears. It covered a larger area, but cost more to maintain and was noticeably heavier overall.

Clearly, though the two sets of armor were priced the same, each had its own strengths and weaknesses.

To choose the one better suited to himself, Xia Nan still needed to consider his specific circumstances and make a practical decision.