A One-Gold-Coin Deal

"Sean, I remember you said before that your uncle Peyton was a mercenary?"

"Yeah."

Sean looked at the metal ingot that had snapped at the edge of the anvil. He helplessly tossed aside his hammer, raised his head, and answered.

"He used to travel around near Black Fir Forest with a few others, making a living by hunting magical beasts for money. They lived pretty well."

Hunting magical beasts?

Roland's eyes lit up at those words.

According to the information he possessed, magical beast activity within the Golden Valley Kingdom had grown increasingly rampant in recent years.

Because local lords lacked sufficient troops, they had no choice but to recruit people from the populace to suppress them.

The generous rewards drew countless adventurers and mercenaries, but very few ever returned alive to claim them.

Yet Sean's uncle had managed to make a living hunting magical beasts. His combat ability was obvious.

With that thought, Roland looked hopefully at his best friend.

"Then did you learn any combat techniques from your uncle?"

"Me?"

Sean gave a bitter smile and shook his head.

"I wanted to, but my father never approved of Uncle Peyton's way of life. So he left home when I was still young."

"If it weren't for some unexpected changes this time, I probably would never have met this uncle of mine in my whole life."

Perhaps recalling the endless arguments at home, the tall youth unconsciously hunched his back.

"I see."

Just as Roland began to feel disappointed, Sean spoke again.

"What is it, buddy? Do you want to learn how to use weapons?"

"Yeah."

Roland nodded lightly.

"I heard that not only Black Fir Forest, but even the neighboring Dawn Territory has seen quite a few traces of magical beasts. That's why I want to learn some self-defense skills, so I won't be completely unable to fight back when I run into danger."

"Mm."

Sean grunted in acknowledgment, then nodded in agreement.

"You're right, buddy. How about this? Next month is Heavenly Father's birthday celebration. Around this time every year, Baron invites the nearby nobles to hold a banquet, and he definitely won't allow commoners like us to stay at the manor."

"Why don't you come home with me for a few days then? We can ask Uncle Peyton to teach us some combat techniques!"

"Really? Thank you so much, Sean!"

Hearing this, Roland excitedly punched Sean in the chest, but quickly calmed down afterward.

Although they had never met, he understood the nature of mercenaries and adventurers who spent their lives walking the line between Life and Death.

Such people always put profit first. Without benefits, they would never lift a finger.

Peyton might be willing to teach Sean, his own nephew, but he might not do the same for an outsider with no blood relation.

But learning new skills and improving his strength could not wait. He had no time to wait until Sean became skilled enough to teach him.

Just in case, I should think of a way to get closer to him.

With that in mind, Roland placed the metal ingot on the anvil back into the furnace to reheat it and asked, "By the way, Sean, is there anything your uncle likes?"

"Well..."

Though he did not understand why Roland was asking, Sean thought for a moment before answering.

"Uncle Peyton probably likes weapons? He recently wanted to borrow some money from my father to buy a new weapon. But as you know, a decent iron sword costs a fortune. That's why they're always arguing."

"Weapons? That should be easy enough."

Thinking of his newly acquired Blacksmith Apprentice class, Roland felt somewhat relieved.

Although his forging skills were still inferior to those of a real blacksmith, there was still some time before the celebration.

With the [Humble Apprentice] trait's boost, if he worked hard on grinding his Forging Skill over the next few days, he should be able to forge a passable weapon by then.

At that thought, Roland touched the dozen or so copper coins remaining in his pocket.

This should be enough to buy a small metal ingot to forge a dagger. Even if Sean's uncle doesn't like daggers, I can sell it for money and find other ways to learn combat skills.

I just don't know whether Mister Hawk will allow me to use the forging tools privately and take any weapons I make out of the manor.

I'll test the waters with Mister Hawk in a few days.

Having made up his mind, Roland clamped the heated metal ingot back onto the anvil and continued explaining forging techniques.

Under his patient guidance, Sean finally managed to forge a barely acceptable rough blank by sunset.

Clang!

As the bell rang, Sean eagerly pulled Roland toward the dining hall, where they collected their food.

Compared to lunch, dinner was a little more substantial. There was an extra palm-sized fish and a small bowl of fish soup.

However, limited by the cooking skill, the fish had a slightly foul odor. As for the soup, it was watery and bland, without the slightest hint of freshness.

But Roland did not mind at all.

Given his current circumstances, getting a filling meal was already good enough, especially when it was free.

Just as he broke the black bread and small fish into the fish soup, preparing to eat heartily in the style of soaked flatbread, a somewhat heavy set of footsteps sounded beside him.

Looking up, he saw Marco slowly approaching, surrounded by several people.

Seeing this, Sean hurriedly stuffed the last piece of black bread into his mouth. Then he gripped the wooden tray holding their food in reverse and stepped in front of Roland.

"Don't be so nervous."

Marco smiled faintly. His gaze passed over the tall Sean before settling on Roland.

"Your name is Roland, right? I think you know who I am."

"Of course."

Roland stood up and patted Sean, whose body had gone tense. Then he narrowed his eyes slightly.

"Mister Marco? May I ask what you want with me?"

Hearing the respect in Roland's words, Marco nodded with satisfaction.

"I don't like wasting words."

He raised one finger and spoke slowly.

"You leave the manor willingly and give up the assessment three months from now. In return, I'll pay you one gold coin. What do you say?"

"One gold coin!"

Before Roland could speak, Sean cried out in shock.

In the Golden Valley Kingdom, a family of three only spent three to five silver coins in a year.

At an exchange rate of one to one hundred, a single gold coin was enough to support an ordinary family for decades!

His father's work as a butcher was already considered quite profitable among the trades commoners could enter.

Yet even so, he had never seen or touched a real gold coin.

Seeing Sean's shocked expression, Marco's smile deepened, and a trace of disdain flashed through his eyes.

But in the next instant, the smile on his face suddenly froze.

Unlike Sean's loss of composure,

after hearing his offer, Roland merely frowned without showing any emotion and slowly shook his head.

"One gold coin?"

"I'm afraid I must refuse, Mister Marco."