Equipment Discussion

"How can someone who encounters elite monsters every day be short on cash?" Zhang Ruofeng replied coldly. Kalisejiang was momentarily speechless; the black-haired man before him had pinpointed his weakness, leaving him no choice but to accept the price Zhang Ruofeng offered.

"I knew I should have just left you lot..." Hearing Kalisejiang's muttered complaint, Zhang Ruofeng shot him a sharp, displeased look. Kalisejiang immediately changed his tune: "Ahaha, I'm the kind of person who could be called the greatest saint in history without it being an exaggeration. How could I ever leave you behind? My conscience would be tormented day and night." Watching his smarmy demeanor, Zhang Ruofeng was left utterly speechless. He simply leaned down to inspect the gear Kalisejiang had laid out on a cloth. Most of the prices were cheaper than those of other makers, which left Zhang Ruofeng feeling suspicious.

"Hey, Kali... Jiang, is it? Why is your gear so much cheaper than everyone else's?" Zhang Ruofeng asked, voicing his confusion. Kalisejiang's work appeared flawless on the surface; Zhang Ruofeng looked over the scattered daggers, longswords, leather armor, and bracers on the ground, yet he couldn't find a single defect.

"Well, it's a long story," Kalisejiang wore a pained expression for a brief moment. "In short, there's nothing wrong with the gear itself, but people just don't like what I make. My equipment tends to attract bad luck. Also, if you're not used to it, just call me Jiang. I'm 19 this year; you're probably older than me, right?"

"Fine, I'll call you Jiang then." Zhang Ruofeng agreed casually. As someone who grew up in a normal domestic town, he found it quite awkward to address people by such long, multi-character names in conversation.

"But you should be fine, right? After all, even a low-level Familia member like me knows your Main God—Flower Blooming on a Midsummer Night, isn't it?" Zhang Ruofeng realized that Jiang was the type who never read the room and spoke his mind, which was likely why he was so irritating. Though Zhang Ruofeng didn't have much of an aversion to the name, which sounded like a curse, it seemed Xin Mu actually quite liked it. "Everyone in your Familia has excellent potential, so this armor of mine, which they claim attracts monsters more easily, shouldn't be a problem for you."

"It has that kind of effect?" Zhang Ruofeng asked curiously. The descriptions of equipment in this world were usually very sparse. Take leather armor, for instance; he had never seen any leather armor with special effects. At most, they were thicker, reinforced with iron plates in key areas, or lined with fur. While high-level craftsmen could produce gear with noticeable differences in durability and weight, no one had ever seen equipment with attached skills or magic.

"No, it's not a magic sword." Zhang Ruofeng had heard of the magic swords Jiang mentioned. They were high-level weapons crafted by a rare few artisans with that specific talent. Calling them weapons wasn't quite accurate, as they weren't meant for clashing with monsters; instead, they utilized sealed magic to inflict damage and would shatter after a few uses. Strictly speaking, they were consumables. "You've seen it, my magic. When I went to the Dungeon with people from my Familia, three of my four companions were killed by monsters. They were all drawn by my magic, even though I never actually used it." Jiang shrugged helplessly. Zhang Ruofeng understood; although the guy hadn't explained it, his skills and magic were clearly not simple. Few people in this world knew each other's skills as well as he and Xin Mu did. Besides, even Zhang Ruofeng wasn't 100% confident in his own "Boiling Dragon Blood." How could others not worry about the risks of teaming up with Jiang? After all, the number of adventurers who died every year was staggering, and it was only natural for low-level adventurers to be even more terrified.

"Then I'll take these two cowhide chest pieces and this pair of hard cowhide bracers." Zhang Ruofeng checked the price and handed 2,000 Faris to Jiang.

"You, you, you..." Even with Kalisejiang's personality, his face turned ugly. "Even if you bought the materials and I made them for free, that's about the price it would cost."

"Exactly. Didn't I pay for the materials?" Zhang Ruofeng kept a poker face, acting as if his actions were the most natural thing in the world, beyond any reproach. "I didn't actually offer you only 50% of the price, so I've already been quite generous to you."

"Fine, fine, fine." Jiang had no rebuttal and could only slump into his chair. Still, considering his shop hadn't sold anything in a long time, selling these items wasn't bad—he didn't wear them himself anyway.

"By the way, since you're a craftsman, could you take a look at my gear? You've seen it—that red gauntlet. I have some questions." Seeing that Jiang had accepted the situation, Zhang Ruofeng quietly tucked away the 1,000 Faris he had been prepared to pull out and continued chatting with Kalisejiang. "Also, can you craft gauntlets? Something similar in style to mine would be fine. I've seen some shops selling them, but most are just crude copper."

"Even if you wanted iron gauntlets, it would take me four days to get the mold, forge the raw materials, and finish the edges," he said. Although he was a standout among the low-level adventurers in his Familia, his innate "taunt" ability and the rumors about him causing his companions' deaths made his life in the Familia difficult. If not for an older Level 2 member looking out for him, he would have struggled to even set up this stall.

"No problem." Zhang Ruofeng found the estimate acceptable. After all, adding in the set of eight Refined Iron Dagger he and Xin Mu had already set their sights on, the total came to 5,500 Faris. For Zhang Ruofeng and Xin Mu, who currently had over 20,000 Faris, securing this essential gear was the top priority.

"Then I'll leave it to you. How should I contact you?" Zhang Ruofeng asked. He watched as Jiang mysteriously handed him an iron tag. "I thought this would be a business card for clients once I became famous, but unfortunately, I can only give it to a poor, low-level adventurer like you... Ouch!" Before he could finish, Jiang was struck on the head by a flick from Zhang Ruofeng.

"Sigh, I'll leave it to you then." Zhang Ruofeng felt that talking to this clown would shave years off his life.