Recycling

In this world where war was the main theme, no one could set out on an adventure without a good set of equipment.

Blacksmith's shop.

A burly man swung his hammer with a clang, clang, clang, forging a bar of iron.

Li Wei stood to one side and watched for a long while. Only after the hammering stopped and the blacksmith took a break did he walk in and greet him.

"Hello."

"Hello. What can I do for you, customer?"

"Do you sell weapons? Or armor?"

The blacksmith raised his head and glanced at Li Wei.

"May I ask who you are?"

"An adventurer."

"So you're not from our town?"

Li Wei nodded.

"No. Leave."

The blacksmith shook his head.

Li Wei hurriedly said, "Wait, I won't shortchange you. Name your price."

The blacksmith turned back helplessly and said seriously, "No amount will do. Bree's weapons and armor are only sold to Bree people, and even Bree people can't just buy them whenever they want."

"Adventurer sir, if you insist on getting something for self-defense, I suggest you try the farm next door. Maybe they'll sell you a hoe."

Li Wei froze for a moment, then suddenly understood.

Right. This wasn't a game world where he could walk into any general store and buy a full set of equipment.

In this era, things like weapons and armor were strategic reserves. How could they be casually sold?

Especially to some supposedly adventurer with an unknown background.

"Then can you sell me some iron? Just a little. I need it for research."

The blacksmith hesitated before asking, "How much do you need?"

Li Wei gestured with his hands.

"No."

The blacksmith shook his head.

Li Wei's expression darkened.

If he had metal ores, he could synthesize equipment himself.

But while ore in games could be found by digging a hole straight down and going deep enough—where he might even stumble into a mine and strike it rich in one go—in reality, ore wasn't everywhere.

"Hey, sir, I heard that. You want to buy those things?"

Li Wei and the blacksmith both turned around. A bearded man with messy hair suddenly stood up and smiled at Li Wei.

Apparently, he had been squatting there in hiding for quite a while.

"And you are?"

"Get lost, you stinking scrap collector! Stay away from my shop!"

Before Li Wei could finish asking, the blacksmith slammed his hammer onto the anvil and threw him out.

Yet despite being called a stinking scrap collector, the man did not get angry. Instead, he smiled and said, "All right, all right, my friend. I was merely passing through and happened to find someone whose needs you cannot meet, but I may be able to..."

The blacksmith cut him off. "Stop sweet-talking in my shop. I'm warning you, you'd better behave yourself and not break Bree's laws."

"Of course, of course not, my friend. I've always been very mindful of local rules!" the man replied glibly.

"Three seconds. Get out of my sight." The blacksmith showed no mercy.

"Three..."

"Two..."

The blacksmith grabbed his hammer and rose to his feet.

"Fine, fine, I'm leaving, I'm leaving. No need to get so worked up."

The man immediately backed away several steps, glancing at Li Wei several times.

Li Wei looked at the man, then at the blacksmith, and chose to leave with him.

The blacksmith watched him for a long time before finally shouting from afar, "I advise you to be careful, Adventurer sir."

Li Wei nodded from a distance in response.

Only after they reached a place with few people did Li Wei ask the man beside him, "What should I call you?"

"I'm Scrap Merchant William. Just call me William, sir."

Scrap Merchant?

That was certainly a novel term.

"What do you do?"

William shrugged. "Well, according to the local merchants, we're trashy traveling peddlers who steal their business. We sell everything, buy everything, and can be found everywhere."

We?

Before Li Wei could think further, William continued, "I don't deny that I collect scrap, but who's to say my scrap doesn't contain something you need?"

"You know what I need?"

"Of course. Weapons and armor for self-defense, right?"

Li Wei nodded.

"Please follow me, sir." William confidently led Li Wei toward a secluded place.

Li Wei was somewhat suspicious, but that confident air did not seem fake, so he followed anyway.

Bree was not large, but all sorts of people were gathered there.

Perhaps he really could find what he needed.

Before long, Li Wei was led to a remote corner of town.

Unlike the common sights on the main streets, this small district gave off an old, eerie feeling. The eaves and walls on both sides were covered in cobwebs and vines, as though no one ever cleaned them.

The houses showed obvious signs of use, so people probably lived there.

Creak.

The door of one house opened slightly, and a scruffy, unkempt burly man stepped out. He first glanced at the Scrap Merchant, then fixed his gaze on Li Wei, not looking away until they reached the end of the street.

Click.

The door shut tightly.

"This is what you called weapons and armor?" Li Wei frowned deeply as he stared at William.

"Do you think I'm easy to talk to? Or do you think I'm easy to fool?"

Li Wei pointed at the heap of broken swords, armor, and other junk in the courtyard, so rusty that their original forms were nearly unrecognizable. Irritated, he said, "This is the stuff you wanted to show me?"

Traveling merchant... Not a local resident. He wondered whether killing him would reduce his reputation.

William felt a chill run down his back and hurriedly explained, "Look, Adventurer sir, I'm a law-abiding merchant. Whether in Bree or any other kingdom or region, weapons and armor are controlled goods. Anyone who dares sell them privately will be in serious trouble!"

"It already took a great deal of effort for me to obtain these. And I can guarantee that I'm the only one in this area with the connections to collect this stuff. You won't be able to buy them from anyone else."

As William spoke, he drew a Decayed Longsword and waved it before Li Wei's eyes. "Look, this sword has a few flaws, but it can still barely be used for self-defense. And once an enemy cut by this sword bleeds, they definitely won't live for more than a few days!"

Flaws?

Li Wei took the Decayed Longsword. The instant he touched it, its attributes appeared.

Decayed Longsword · Attack +1

"..."

Li Wei tried swinging it once, and a chunk immediately flaked off.

He instantly understood the quality of the sword.

If he actually used it to cut someone, the sword would probably break first.

A stick picked up from the roadside would be more useful than this thing.

Li Wei swept his gaze over the courtyard and guessed that everything here was of the same quality.

No wonder Bree turned a blind eye to this place.

Was there even any need to bother?

Tsk.

With a disdainful click of his tongue, Li Wei casually prepared to toss the junk sword aside.

However, a system notification that suddenly appeared in the next moment made him stop cold.

New synthesis entry unlocked

Anti-Smelter (new)

"Description: Higher utilization rate."

Input [Decayed Longsword] — Estimated Output: 50%-80% raw materials

?!

The junk in his hand suddenly became valuable.