Kaijin's Work

"True."

Rimuru replied with an approving look.

Before long, Mo Li and Rimuru arrived at the entrance of a weapon shop.

"Ari, this shop looks pretty good."

Rimuru suggested as she looked at the shop before them.

Mo Li looked at the shop as well and somewhat agreed.

"Then let's go inside and have a look around."

Upon entering, they saw a female dwarf with a rather short build. Though she looked small, her body was packed with muscles without appearing bulky, giving her a powerfully sturdy impression.

"What can I get for you two?"

The female dwarf froze for a moment when she saw Rimuru and Mo Li, then quickly recovered and asked enthusiastically. After so many years in business, this was the first time she had encountered such a bizarre pair: a Slime and a monster that was either a dragon or a snake. Still, customers were customers, and she had to treat them well.

"It's nothing. We're just looking around."

Rimuru explained to the shop assistant.

"All right. If you have any questions, feel free to call me."

The female dwarf replied, then turned and headed into the back room.

"Ari, see anything you like?"

Rimuru suddenly asked Mo Li.

"Let's take a look."

Mo Li answered casually.

Just then, Rimuru spotted a longsword radiating colorful light.

"Ari, look. This one is pretty good."

Rimuru jumped down from Mo Li's arms, took the sword from its rack, and called out to him.

Mo Li walked over, looked at the glowing longsword, and scratched it with his dragon claw. There was not even the slightest mark.

"It is pretty good."

Mo Li could not help praising it. His claws were sharp enough to tear apart even boulders with ease. Though he had not used much strength, the fact that he had left no mark at all was enough to prove how superb the swordsmith's skill had been. To be honest, Mo Li had originally intended to look for Kaijin, but this swordsmith seemed impressive as well.

At that moment, the female dwarf emerged from the back room. Seeing the longsword Rimuru and Mo Li were examining, she gave a soft laugh.

"You two really have a good eye. You picked out the finest longsword in our shop at a glance."

"May I ask who forged this sword?"

Holding the longsword, Rimuru asked the female dwarf.

"This sword? This sword is the work of Master Kaijin, the finest forging master in our Dwarf Kingdom! Master Kaijin is famous throughout the Dwarf Kingdom. The weapons he forges are among the very best of all weapons."

As she spoke, the female dwarf's eyes filled with admiration. It was obvious that she regarded Kaijin as her idol.

"Who did you say? What was the name?"

Mo Li was surprised when he heard that name. It could not possibly be such a coincidence, could it? They had only wandered around casually and had already found their target's location. Could they really be this lucky? Mo Li almost could not believe it.

"Master Kaijin. Why, sir, have you met Master Kaijin before?"

The female dwarf repeated the name, then voiced her question.

"Ari, you know him?"

Rimuru asked curiously as well.

"No, I don't. The name just sounds familiar."

Mo Li quickly replied.

"Besides, whether I know him or not, others might not know, but wouldn't you?"

Mo Li teased Rimuru.

"True."

Rimuru chuckled.

"Since it was made by Master Kaijin, how much does this sword cost?"

Mo Li asked the shop assistant as he stroked the blade.

"Sir, this sword is not cheap. It is the treasure of our shop and also Master Kaijin's work, so it costs seven hundred gold coins. But since you two are new customers, I can let you have it for six hundred and fifty gold coins."

The female shop assistant answered. There was nothing she could do about the price; even the cost had been close to four hundred gold coins, not to mention the forging fee. The total cost of the sword had reached five hundred gold coins, so there was not much profit to be made. If it had not been too expensive for anyone to buy, she would never have lowered the price.

The sword's raw material was extremely rare Magic Ore. In the entire Dwarf Kingdom, there were only a few smiths capable of forging weapons from Magic Ore. But because this sword was of such a high grade, they had been unable to find a suitable buyer for it. Otherwise, it would not have been sitting here for so long.

Magic Ore was an exceedingly rare material even across the entire continent. Usually, only the weapons of powerful people were forged from Magic Ore.

"We don't have any gold coins. Can we trade this for it?"

The sword's quality was simply excellent. Having finally found something that suited her taste, Rimuru did not want to let it go. Even if she did not use it herself after buying it, she could give it to one of her subordinates. It would not go to waste, anyway.

As she spoke, Rimuru spat out a huge chunk of ore glowing purple.

"Th-This, could this be...?"

The instant she saw the ore, the female dwarf was completely stunned. Though she did not possess any Magic Ore herself, she knew what it looked like. Was this not the rare mineral, Magic Ore? And such a huge chunk of it, too! Could she be dreaming?

"That's right. It's Magic Ore. We don't have any gold coins, so can we exchange goods instead?"

Mo Li stepped forward and asked.

"Yes, yes, of course."

The female dwarf immediately beamed from ear to ear. This was Magic Ore, after all—a rare mineral she had only seen a few times in her life. How could she possibly refuse?

"Then this ore is yours, and we'll take the sword."

After Rimuru swallowed the sword, she jumped into Mo Li's arms, preparing to leave with him.

"Please wait, customers." At that moment, the female dwarf suddenly called out to Mo Li and Rimuru.

"Is there anything else?"

Mo Li turned around and asked in confusion.

"Customers, this piece of Magic Ore is far too large. Its value greatly exceeds that of this sword, so I cannot take all of it. I can take one-third, and you may take the rest back."

The female dwarf explained to Rimuru and Mo Li.

"There's no need. You can have the rest as a gift."

Rimuru said generously.

"No, no, I can't overcharge you. Especially not with something as valuable as Magic Ore."

The female dwarf said anxiously.

Rimuru wanted to refuse again, but suddenly felt something tugging at her. When she turned around, she saw Mo Li. She was about to ask what he was doing, but once she saw the shape of his mouth, she immediately understood.

"All right, then I'll take it back."

As she spoke, Rimuru swallowed the remaining two-thirds of the Magic Ore back into her stomach pouch.