The moment she stepped into this district, a wave of heat washed over her, and the air carried the scents of charcoal and iron filings.
The shops lining both sides of the street displayed all kinds of weapons and armor: curved swords and broadswords, great axes and spears, chainmail and plate armor, helmets and shields. They had almost everything imaginable.
There were no shoddy iron weapons here. The cheapest were steel weapons forged by apprentices.
Because materials were difficult to gather in the World of Shadows, prices were generally higher than on the surface. A steel weapon that sold for 40 silver coins aboveground cost around 80 silver coins here, while a slightly better steel weapon cost 1 gold coin.
Weapons made from repeatedly refined steel cost around 4–6 gold coins. As for the Black Steel weapons Sylutia had heard about, they cost at least 12 gold coins here—more than twice the price on the surface.
Still, the Black Steel weapons here were clearly better than those forged by blacksmiths on the surface. Even at twice the price, they were hardly a bad deal.
A Radiant Gold weapon, according to Agren, cost around 50 gold coins. Usually, only veteran Second Order students could afford one.
Fifty gold coins was an enormous sum for an ordinary student. It would take about three years to save up that much, even with the generous pay the Association offered given the dangers of the Woodland.
An ordinary First Order student, like the First Order Patrol Cavalry, earned only around 10 gold coins a year. After advancing to the Second Order, their pay increased considerably, to 30 gold coins a year. Even so, that stipend was nowhere near enough to cover training and studies, which was why students took up all kinds of side jobs