Romon, Fafier, and Nick had originally agreed to go adventuring together in three days, but Nick had failed to prepare adequately, so it kept being delayed.
Since they were going adventuring, they had to prepare weapons. The next day, Romon went to the blacksmith's. The town was very small; it took only five minutes to get there.
Before entering the blacksmith's shop, Romon spotted a young man.
"Luo Laike!" He waved.
The bruised and swollen Luo Laike hesitated before slowly coming over. "Romon, you seem to be doing well."
Though he tried to remain calm, his tone and eyes revealed an envy he could not suppress.
Romon merely smiled. In his memories, Luo Laike had also been one of Romon's friends in town. The two looked very much alike—not in appearance, but in their expressions and the treatment they received.
Luo Laike was fifteen, the son of Old Weil, the town blacksmith. He looked thin and frail, with refined but somewhat pale features and dark, deep-set eyes. If he wore better clothes, he would look like someone raised in the city, if not an actual noble.
Clearly, the slender and weak Luo Laike was not suited to being a blacksmith.
The old Romon had not noticed that, but the current Romon could understand many things clearly after sorting through his memories.
Old Weil instinctively disliked this son. It was not only because Luo Laike was nothing but a burden to the family. Old Weil himself was strong, crude, and illiterate, so Luo Laike's refinement, gentleness, and innate elegance particularly offended his eyes. What he could least tolerate was Luo Laike secretly learning to read and his love of books.
It was naked jealousy and hatred. The oppression Old Weil suffered in life was unconsciously vented upon this son.
The old Romon had possessed the same qualities. Because of that, the two had been bullied by people their age in town, those youths eagerly tormenting these two oddities.
But now Romon had become a Druid Apprentice. Even as his friend, Luo Laike could not help feeling envious and depressed.
Romon smiled. "Luo Laike, I saw several introductory magic books in the Temple. If I can work there in the future, I'll borrow them for you. Do you want to read them?"
Luo Laike froze upon hearing that. After hesitating for a moment, he finally said, "Yes!"
Luo Laike had an extraordinarily rare memory. Any book he read once, he could recite fluently. Even among mages, such a gift of intellect would have been considered outstanding.
Exceptional talent brought exceptional traits, and in unsuitable soil, those traits brought only pain and blows.
Luo Laike had read several books. One day, he hoped and dreamed of becoming a noble, with beautiful, highborn young ladies competing to favor him.
Yet compared to reality, that dream only made his pain worse. No matter how great one's talent, without opportunity, it would still be buried in the wilderness, perhaps even withering faster than ordinary flowers and grass.
"Good. Then I'll bring them to you when I return." Romon smiled. "I need to see your father and have him forge a sword. I'll use it while learning swordsmanship from Captain Richard."
Some Druids also trained in martial arts, though it was a secondary course.
Luo Laike agreed and led the way. Before long, they arrived before a shop.
Inside, the clamor of hammering rang out in an unbroken stream.
"Luo Laike, you went out to play again." The moment they reached the door, a slap landed. Luo Laike, whose face was already bruised and swollen, immediately gained five more finger marks. "You useless thing. If only you were half as capable as your older brother."
The one who struck him was Old Weil, who was working hard in the smithy. Already tired from his labor, the sight of his younger son returning stirred up an inexplicable rage, and he slapped him.
Romon sharply noticed that Mi Song, the sturdy eldest son working with his head down and almost a mold-cast copy of Old Weil, revealed a satisfied smile.
After a moment, the old blacksmith noticed Romon and immediately showed a smile. "Ah, little Romon. Come in and have a seat."
Romon scratched his head, and memories of this old blacksmith slapping this body in the past immediately surfaced.
But now the old blacksmith's face was full of enthusiasm, even carrying a hint of flattery.
"Uncle Weil, I want to learn some martial skills from Captain Richard, so I need an iron sword forged. Well, these are the dimensions. He said that if I wanted to learn swordsmanship from him, I had to have one made. The ones in the Temple armory aren't suitable for me." Romon said with a smile.
Druids truly were unsuited to metal armor, since it weakened their connection to nature. But weapons? By the gods, materials that were not metal yet equaled or surpassed metal in hardness were rare magical items. Few ordinary Druids could possess them. If Druids could not carry metal weapons, they might as well hang themselves.
Go into battle carrying wooden sticks?
There was no such joke in the world. Fortunately, Druids in this world were not like that.
"Ah, it was Captain Richard's idea? Don't worry, I, Old Weil, will forge it with care. How many days do you need it in?"
"How many days do you think it will take, Uncle Weil?"
"Hmm, this is a rapier, right? It isn't very long either. Let me take a look first."
Romon nodded and handed the drawing to the old blacksmith. It was actually a longsword from his memories of his former world. He had collected famous swords in his previous life, so he was very familiar with their dimensions and construction. After making a few adjustments, compared to the longswords and greatswords of this world, it naturally looked much like a rapier. Then he casually inspected the smithy.
Though he had seen it countless times before, this was the first time he examined it with the mature eyes of a customer. After watching for several minutes, although he was no expert in weapons or smithing, he had appraised and collected many famous swords and blades. He had to admit that whether farm tools or weapons, these were not merely flashy ornaments, but practical implements.
Leaving the farm tools aside, his eye for appraisal told him that the finished sword displayed in the shop was definitely not decorative. Its tough, springy blade and its sharp edge carrying a chill all proved that it was truly a weapon made for killing.
Of course, Romon also knew that this longsword was not a masterpiece, much less a magical weapon. But for him at present, a weapon of this quality was already quite good.
After studying the drawing, the old blacksmith said in surprise, "This sword is quite good. Did Captain Richard draw it for you?"
This time, Romon only smiled and said nothing more.
Yet that attitude made the old blacksmith even more suspicious. He did not know Romon's current standing, so he became even more careful and attentive. "No problem. Three days. Uncle Weil will have it forged for you in three days."
"How much will it cost?"
Hearing that, Old Weil thought for a moment, seemingly unable to make up his mind, before smiling. "It's nothing. Thirty silver coins will do."
It truly was a discounted price, almost at cost with only a slight profit. Romon smiled and agreed at once, though he would pay when he came to collect it. Old Weil had no objection; he knew Romon had only just become a Druid and had no money now.
Rather than leaving immediately, Romon looked at the large furnace in the center of the room, thought for a moment, and said, "I also need a small knife for handling prey, for skinning and other rough processing."
As Romon spoke, he looked around and asked, "Uncle Weil, do you need firewood?"
After a brief pause, he revised his wording. "I mean, do you purchase the wood you need for your fires from outside?"
"Hmm, how about this small knife? I'll give it to you for three silver coins." Hearing that, Weil the blacksmith pulled out several finished products and casually selected one to recommend.
"As for firewood, my sons usually gather it," he said. "But sometimes they can't gather enough, so I buy it from outside too. Ten bundles of firewood for one silver coin!"
Romon examined the knife. It was iron and reasonably sharp. He paid at once and took it.
But the price of firewood made him frown. There seemed to be little profit in it. Romon thought he could use his space to transport wood from the forest and earn something. After all, ordinary people's strength had limits, while using his space would let him turn firewood transport into a bulk trade. Even if the profit was thin, it would add up.
But on second thought, he felt it was pointless. Anyone observant would immediately notice something strange about him, and it would be troublesome if that led to a series of problems. Besides, Romon did not know whether using plants that way would bring some sort of negative consequence. After all, he still wanted to become a qualified Druid.
The cost of cutting and transporting wood was low, but so was the profit. Yet because of Romon's special circumstances, the occupational risk was far too high for him.
Now that Romon was free in town, he walked along while silently thinking, The most important thing now is to acquire a plot of land, build a wooden house, and establish an herb field. I heard that, by custom, the lord will grant some things, but most of it must be paid for myself. So the most important thing now is to get a batch of money.
When he arrived at the Temple, its two masters—ah, servants of the gods—Priest Tennis and Miss Eileen were both inside waiting for him. Romon hurriedly bowed to them.
"Oh, Romon, you did very well. I was very pleased to hear that you were promoted to Druid Apprentice." Miss Eileen said happily. "I'll tell Father and have him reward you."
"Miss Eileen, it is my honor," Romon said.
"Good, Romon. Then do you have any plans?" Priest Tennis glanced at him and asked.
"Yes, Priest Tennis." Romon answered respectfully. "I wish to study herbal knowledge under Ansen the herbalist."
"Hmm, tending herbs will be very hard work..." Priest Tennis said hesitantly.
Although the herb garden was within the Temple grounds, it did not wholly belong to the Temple. Its proceeds were shared with Ansen, and with another person added, naturally he was unwilling.
Romon bowed. "Priest Tennis, I am not afraid of hardship. I only wish to study under Mr. Ansen. In the future, I will live outside. Of course, if needed, I would be very willing to serve the goddess and the Church."
"Then starting tomorrow, you may come to the Temple to study under Ansen, and you will have the right to read the Temple library." Since there would be no share of the proceeds involved, Priest Tennis hesitated under Miss Eileen's gaze before finally saying those words.
"Yes, Priest, thank you very much." Romon's heart filled with joy. He bowed and said, "Then I shall take my leave."
"Wait, Romon. You've only just become a Druid, so you must need money. This is my reward to you." Miss Eileen casually took out a small pouch and tossed it to him.
Romon bowed deeply again, took the pouch, and withdrew.
Once outside, he opened the pouch. Inside were twenty silver coins. Now he had more than enough money to buy the sword. Thinking of how Romon had spent two years saving only one silver coin, yet now suddenly possessed so much money, he could not help sighing over the different results brought by different identities and levels of power.
After thinking it over, Romon prepared to head to the town guard's camp. Captain Koirilo had instructed Captain Richard to look after him, allowing him to learn skills from Captain Richard for free. He could not miss such a good opportunity. Besides, there was still the money for five Goblin hides.
!!
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