The Military Camp (Part One)

Romon, Fafier, and Nick had originally agreed to go adventuring together in three days, but Nick had failed to plan ahead, so the matter kept getting delayed.

Since they were going adventuring, they had to prepare weapons. The next day, Romon went to the blacksmith's. The town was actually very small; he arrived after five minutes of walking.

Before entering the blacksmith's shop, Romon's gaze swept over a youth.

"Luo Laike!" He waved.

Luo Laike, his face bruised and swollen, hesitated before slowly approaching. "Romon, you look pretty good."

Though he tried hard to remain calm, his tone and eyes revealed jealousy he could not suppress.

Romon merely smiled without speaking. In his memories, Luo Laike had once counted as one of Romon's friends in town. The two looked very alike—not in appearance, but in expression and in how they were treated.

Fifteen-year-old Luo Laike was the son of Old Weil, the town blacksmith. He looked slight and frail, with delicate, somewhat pale features and dark, deep-set eyes. If he wore finer clothes, he might not look like a noble, but he would at least seem like someone raised in a city.

The thin and weak Luo Laike was clearly ill-suited to the blacksmith's trade.

The old Romon had not noticed it, but after sorting through his memories, the current Romon could clearly understand many things.

Old Weil instinctively despised this son of his. It was not merely because Luo Laike was nothing but a burden to the family. It was also because Weil himself was strong, coarse, and illiterate, so Luo Laike's handsome looks, gentle nature, and inborn elegance that seemed to rise from his bones were especially intolerable in his eyes. What he could tolerate least was Luo Laike's love of secretly learning to read and studying books.

This was naked jealousy and hatred. The oppression he suffered in life was unconsciously vented upon this son.

The former Romon had possessed the same traits. Thus, the two had both been bullied by people their age in town, while those youths eagerly persecuted these two oddities.

But now Romon had become a Druid Apprentice. Even as his friend, Luo Laike could not help feeling jealous and dejected.

Romon smiled. "Luo Laike, I saw several beginner's books on magic at 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 this. After hesitating for a moment, he said, "Yes!"

Luo Laike possessed an exceptionally rare memory. Any book he read once, he could recite fluently. Such intellectual talent would have been outstanding even among mages.

Extraordinary talent brought with it something special, but when that special quality fell upon unsuitable soil, it brought only pain and blows.

Luo Laike had read several books. One day, he imagined, he would become a noble, and those beautiful, highborn young ladies would compete to favor him.

But compared to reality, that dream only brought greater pain. No matter how great one's talent, without an opportunity, it would still be buried in the wilderness. It might even wither faster than ordinary flowers and grass.

"All right, 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 to learn swordsmanship from Captain Richard."

Druids also learned some martial skills, though they were secondary studies.

Luo Laike agreed and led the way. Before long, they arrived at the entrance to a shop.

Inside, the deafening clanging of metal rang out in an unbroken stream.

"Luo Laike, you went out playing again." The moment they reached the door, a slap landed. Five finger marks immediately appeared on Luo Laike's already bruised and swollen face. "You useless thing! If only you were half as good as your older brother."

The one who had struck him was Old Weil, who was hard at work in the blacksmith's shop. Already exhausted from his labor, the sight of his younger son returning stirred up a nameless rage, and he lashed out with a slap.

Romon keenly noticed that Mi Song, the elder son who was also bent over his work and looked almost as though he had been cast from the same mold as Old Weil, revealed a satisfied smile.

After waiting a moment, the old blacksmith finally noticed Romon and immediately showed a smile. "Ah, little Romon! Come in and have a seat."

Romon rubbed his head, instantly recalling from his old memories how this old blacksmith had once slapped this body.

But now, Old Weil's face was full of warmth, even carrying a trace of fawning.

"Uncle Weil, I want to learn some martial skills from Captain Richard, so I need a steel sword forged. Mm, these are the dimensions and the design. He said that if I wanted to learn the sword from him, I had to have one made. The ones in the temple armory don't suit me." Romon spoke with a smile.

Druids truly were not suited to metal armor, because metal armor could weaken a Druid's sensitivity to nature. But weapons? Gods above, things that were not metal yet matched metal—or were even harder—were rare magical items. Few ordinary Druids could possess them. If Druids could not wield metal weapons, they might as well hang themselves directly.

Going to war with wooden sticks?

There was no such joke in the world, and fortunately the Druids of this world were not like that.

"Ah, it was Captain Richard's idea? Don't worry. I, Old Weil, will definitely forge it with care. How many days do you need it in?"

"Uncle Weil, how many days do you think it will take?"

"Mm, this is a rapier, right? The dimensions aren't long either. Let me take a look first."

Romon nodded and handed the blueprint to the old blacksmith. It was actually a longsword from the memories of his original world. In his previous life, he had collected famous swords, so he was quite 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 began to inspect the blacksmith's shop.

Though he had seen it countless times before, this was the first time he examined it through the mature eyes of a customer. After looking for several minutes, although he was far from an expert in weapons and forging, he had still appraised and collected many famous swords and sabers. He had to admit that whether they were farming tools or weapons, they were not merely flashy ornaments, but practical implements.

Leaving aside the farming tools, even with only his eye for appraisal, he could tell that the finished sword displayed in the shop was absolutely not decorative. Its tough yet flexible blade and sharp edge that carried a chill both proved that it was indeed a killing weapon.

Of course, Romon also knew clearly that this longsword would not be a masterpiece, much less a magical weapon. But for him now, a weapon of this grade was already quite good.

After studying the blueprint, the old blacksmith said in surprise, "This sword is very good. Could Captain Richard have drawn it for you?"

This time, Romon only smiled and said nothing more.

Yet that very attitude made the old blacksmith even more suspicious. He did not know Romon's current status, so he became even more cautious and attentive. "No problem. Three days. Uncle Weil will forge it for you in three days."

"How much will it cost?"

Hearing that, Old Weil thought for a moment. Somewhat hesitant, he then smiled and said, "It's nothing. Thirty silver coins will do."

That was indeed a discounted price, nearly cost price with only a slight profit. Romon smiled and agreed immediately, though he would pay when he collected the sword. Old Weil had no objection to that; he knew Romon had only just become a Druid and had no money now.

Romon did not leave immediately. A large furnace stood in the middle of the room. After thinking for a moment, he said, "I also need a small knife for handling prey, for rough work like skinning."

As he spoke, Romon looked around and asked, "Uncle Weil, do you need firewood?"

After pausing briefly, he corrected his wording. "I mean, do you buy wood from outside for the fires you need to keep burning?"

"Mm, how about this small knife? Three silver coins and it's yours." Hearing this, Blacksmith Weil rummaged out several finished products, casually picked one up, and recommended it.

"As for firewood, my sons usually gather it," he said. "But sometimes what they gather isn't enough, so I buy it from outside too. One silver coin for ten bundles of firewood!"

Romon examined the knife. It was iron and fairly sharp. He paid at once and accepted it.

But the price of firewood made him frown. There seemed to be little profit in it. Romon felt that if he used his spatial storage to transport firewood from the forest, he could still make some gains. After all, ordinary people's strength had limits, while with spatial storage, he could turn firewood transport into bulk trade. Even if the profit was meager, it would still add up.

But upon further thought, he felt it was meaningless. Anyone with sharp eyes would immediately notice something strange about him, and attracting a series of troubles would be bad. Besides, Romon did not know whether using plants in such a manner would bring some kind of negative consequence. After all, he still wanted very much to become a qualified Druid.

The cost of cutting and transporting wood was low, and so were the returns. But because of Romon's special circumstances, the occupational risk was far too high for him.

Now that Romon was free to move about town, he walked while thinking silently, The most important thing now is to obtain a plot of land first, where I can build a wooden house and cultivate a medicinal field. Though I heard that the lord would grant some things according to custom, I'll have to pay for most of it myself. The most important thing now is to get hold of a sum of money.

When he arrived at the temple, its two masters—ah, servants of the gods—Priest Tennis and Miss Eileen were both waiting for him inside. 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 spoke cheerfully. "I'll tell Father and have him reward you."

"Miss Eileen, it is my honor," Romon said.

"Not bad, Romon. Then, do you have any plans?" Priest Tennis glanced at him and asked.

"Yes, Priest Tennis." Romon answered respectfully, "I would like to study the knowledge of herbs under Apothecary Ansen."

"Mm, managing herbs will be very arduous..." Priest Tennis said somewhat hesitantly.

Though the herb garden lay within the temple grounds, it did not belong entirely to the temple. The proceeds were shared with Ansen, and with another person added in, he naturally was unwilling.

Romon bowed and said, "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 from tomorrow onward, you may come to the temple, study under Ansen, and have the right to read in the temple library." Since there would be no sharing of proceeds, and sensing Miss Eileen's gaze, Priest Tennis hesitated before finally saying this.

"Yes, Priest. Thank you very much." Romon's heart filled with joy as he bowed. "Then I shall take my leave."

"Wait, Romon. You've only just become a Druid, so you must need money. This is my reward for you." Miss Eileen casually took out a small pouch and tossed it to him.

Romon bowed deeply once more, took the pouch, and withdrew.

Once outside, he opened the pouch. Inside were twenty silver coins. This made the money for buying the sword more than enough. Romon remembered that it had taken him two years to save up a single silver coin, yet now he had gained so much money at once. He could not help sighing at the different outcomes brought by different identities and power.

After thinking it over, Romon prepared to head to the town guard's camp. Captain Koirilo had instructed someone to look after him, allowing him to study skills under Captain Richard for free. Such a good opportunity could not be missed. Besides, there was still the money from those five goblin hides.