"Moran couldn't possibly be placing his hopes on Krantuman. He was probably just a smokescreen meant to deceive others. Krantuman was unwilling to be a puppet either, so he deliberately leaked the news and arranged for the dragonman to remain in his camp while we attacked. He was likely hoping we would both suffer losses so he could seize an opportunity to rise again. Unfortunately for him, he didn't expect the dragonman to die without causing much of a disruption.
"There must still be powerful Moran forces nearby. Now that they've discovered their plan was exposed, they may very well tear off all pretenses and attack directly. There isn't much time. We must send Daisy back to Sinterland immediately. Warren, gather trusted men at once to escort Daisy."
"No, sir. I want to stay and fight alongside you. Besides, there are some suitable people I'd like to recommend to you."
"The mercenaries who killed the dragonman? Very well. Bring them to me tomorrow. I'll test them with the Mind's Eye Crystal. And we can't tell them the truth directly; we'll need to conceal it. Go back and rest first, Warren. Tend to your wounds. A hard battle is coming soon."
The next morning, Ronan woke well-rested when one of his subordinates called for him. According to yesterday's plan, he was to first head to the church to collect the mission reward, then find a blacksmith to repair his damaged armor. After all, equipment damaged by recruited soldiers could be repaired directly through the system by spending money, but Ronan's own equipment could not.
But the moment he came downstairs, Ronan saw a blond, blue-eyed man in a white robe sitting at the table closest to the stairs. When he saw Ronan come down, he even raised his wine cup in greeting. It was Knight Warren. Ronan raised an eyebrow, wondering what he was doing here, but he did not slow his steps. After telling his subordinates to look for a blacksmith in town once they finished breakfast, he sat down across from Knight Warren.
"Captain Warren, hello."
"You're Ronan, right? I've been waiting for you for a while. This is your reward for yesterday's mission. It also includes an additional reward for killing the dragonman."
As he spoke, he took a money pouch from his robe and placed it on the table. Judging by its size, there was quite a bit inside. After accepting it, Ronan asked:
"Lord Warren, you came so early to wait for me. You can't have come just to deliver money, can you? I don't think I'm important enough for that."
"Haha, I also wanted to thank you for helping us kill that dragonman yesterday. Otherwise, who knows how much trouble it would have caused. Also, after hearing of your deeds, Bishop wishes to meet you. He will hold a victory banquet at the church at noon today. Don't be late!"
Warren winked at Ronan, tipped back his head to drain the cup, then walked out of the tavern.
Ronan sat there for a moment, then chuckled, shook his head, and walked over to his subordinates to eat breakfast. The tavern's breakfast that day was meat pies, milk, and some sausages. Once he had finished, Ronan had several subordinates carry the chest containing his armor and set out.
After asking around town repeatedly, Ronan and his group finally found the town's only blacksmith shop. It was quite large, since all the weapons, equipment, and farming tools in town came from here. Upon entering, they first saw a space of around forty square meters, with samples of various weapons and armor hanging on all four walls. Directly opposite the entrance was a small table, behind which a young boy was dozing off.
Ronan walked up to the table and tapped on it. The boy jolted upright, just like Ronan had when he was caught sleeping in class by a teacher in his previous life. Only after seeing who stood before him did he let out a sigh of relief.
"Hello, customer. I thought my dad had come to check up on me. We handle all sorts of business here: weapons, armor, farming tools, and everyday metal goods. If you want to buy weapons, the ones hanging around the walls are samples. We have plenty in stock and can deliver them directly. Of course, you can also leave blueprints for custom weapons, but our blacksmith will need to inspect them first to determine whether they can be made, and you'll need to pay a deposit. What service do you need?"
Ronan smiled and said:
"I used to be most afraid of getting caught when I was slacking off, too. I'd like to repair my equipment. It's all here. Sorry for the trouble—please take a look and tell me how long it will take and how much it will cost." As he spoke, Ronan had his men open the chest, revealing the Guardian Armor and Dianfu Katana inside.
The boy came out from behind the table, crouched down, and inspected the damaged portions before saying:
"The damaged area isn't large, and this blade only needs its edge repaired. Come back around noon tomorrow to pick them up. Repairing this kind of armor is rather expensive. It'll be two gold coins in total, and you'll need to pay one gold coin as a deposit first."
"Alright, I'll come collect it tomorrow." Ronan took out one gold coin and handed it to the boy. Ronan could be considered wealthy now. Aside from the mission reward, the money pouch Knight Warren had given him that morning contained another thirty gold coins. Ronan could not help but sigh at how rich Ravenwood Town truly was.
Ronan also bought a set of metal light armor here, intending to wear it day to day. The Guardian Armor was simply too heavy and inconvenient to put on, and Ronan could not wear it every time he went out on a mission. This set of light armor was lined with soft fur leather and reinforced with a layer of iron plates on the outside.
It was comfortable to wear and not heavy. The helmet was a round-topped nasal helmet, and Ronan also put on the large-mouth mask that came with the Wisteria Wood Armor. The shoulders had only a layer of padded iron over them, which did not hinder arm movement. Thick iron bracers covered his forearms and could be used for blocking when necessary. Two iron plates covered his chest and back, connected by chains. At his waist was a belt with anti-stab plates, while his lower body was protected by a soft leather skirt reinforced with iron and metal boots with greaves.
This armor protected the vital areas well, but left the joints unarmored to avoid hindering mobility. Wearing it, Ronan could once again use the Great Serpent's combat techniques flexibly. However, without iron gauntlets, some greatsword techniques were no longer usable.
This set of armor cost Ronan a full five gold coins. Only because he was flush with money now could he bear it; back when he had first arrived in Ravenwood Town, he would have agonized over the expense for quite some time.
At noon, Ronan changed into a well-fitted outfit made from fine cloth and prepared to attend the victory banquet hosted by Bishop. He did not bring any subordinates and went alone.
After entering the church and passing through the long prayer hall, he entered the center of the church through a side door. Under a nun's guidance, he then passed through a winding complex of buildings that resembled a maze before finally arriving at the hall Bishop used to receive guests.
It was different from what Ronan had expected. He had thought Bishop would invite the leaders of other mercenary groups besides him, but that was not the case. At the long table in the center of the hall sat only Knight Warren and those Shadow Garrison Knights. At the head of the table sat a blue-haired, blue-eyed elf with delicate features?
Before you continue