Learning Fees

"Ahahahaha, of course! The customer is king, and you're a hero, no less! Feel free to browse any of the equipment in my shop!"

The shopkeeper raised his eyebrows, his face wreathed in smiles.

After all, what other adventurer could be as generous as a hero?

Most other adventurers simply bought a set of equipment they could use at their current level, then kept patching it up. They would only consider upgrading after their strength had improved significantly. But heroes...

Heh, to develop their equipment and improve their strength, they would buy more equipment and materials to feed their legendary weapons. That meant big orders! Chuan Wenwu might even buy out his entire stock!

The shopkeeper was grinning so hard his face nearly split. He looked even happier than when Chuan Wenwu had said he wanted to "protect the world."

Chuan Wenwu took him at his word and started testing the shop's weapons: swords, spears, bows, axes, halberds... He tried every type of weapon in the shop, but the Shield of the Hero showed no reaction.

Then he tried the armor-leather armor, chain mail, plate armor... Still no reaction.

As he tried more and more equipment, Chuan Wenwu grew increasingly disappointed, and the smile on the shopkeeper's face gradually faded.

Finally, he turned his attention to the shields in the shop and muttered to himself, So apart from special materials and items, this Shield of the Hero can only absorb shield-type equipment?

He brought the Shield of the Hero close to an iron-banded wooden shield. The dark green gem embedded in its face immediately gave off a faint glow, signaling that it could "eat this."

"How much is this shield? I'll take it," Chuan Wenwu said at once.

"Coming right up! That'll be just twenty silver coins." The shopkeeper quoted a very low price, cheaper even than an iron sword.

That was because the materials used to make this shield were cheap to begin with-the body seemed to be made from some fairly hard wood, with a band of iron around the edge to hold it together.

Money and merchandise changed hands. Once Chuan Wenwu had the wooden shield, he immediately tried to have the Shield of the Hero absorb it. A beam of green light shot from the gem and enveloped the wooden shield.

The light soon faded, but the wooden shield had not disappeared.

Surprise flashed in Chuan Wenwu's eyes. He had received a notification, and a new shield form had successfully unlocked in the Book of Weapons-

Iron-Banded Wooden Square Shield Form copied successfully!

[Iron-Banded Wooden Square Shield]

[Equipment bonus: Defense +1]

With a thought from Chuan Wenwu, the Shield of the Hero on his arm instantly took on the appearance of the iron-banded wooden shield. It was almost identical to the one in the shop, except for the gem in its center.

"Uh... So when it unlocks other shield forms, it doesn't 'absorb' them, it 'copies' them?" Somewhat surprised, Chuan Wenwu looked at the shopkeeper, who stared blankly back at him.

The next instant, both of them seemed to realize something and immediately sprang into action-

Chuan Wenwu hurriedly brought the Shield of the Hero toward the other shields in the shop, trying to copy them one by one. Meanwhile, the shopkeeper lunged forward with an aggrieved look and wrapped his arms around Chuan Wenwu's leg, wailing in an attempt to stop him:

"No! Young man! This is completely unethical! You're blatantly freeloading! You can't do this! You're stealing the shields from my equipment shop before I've even sold them! This is outrageous!"

"Hey, hey! What do you mean, freeloading? What do you mean, stealing? All the equipment in your shop is still perfectly fine. I haven't damaged anything. I'm just taking a good look! If you wanted to sell them, or could sell them, you'd have sold them already, wouldn't you?"

"Don't play dumb! You know exactly what I mean! These pieces are all my blood, sweat, and tears, the fruits of my ingenuity and labor! If you copy them and take them away without giving me anything in return, wouldn't that make me utterly pitiful?" the shopkeeper continued pleading.

"Even so, I haven't actually caused you any losses, have I? All I did was take a slightly more in-depth look at your work and let my shield learn from it. You can't expect me to buy every last one, can you? I have no use for that many shields!"

"Wait, just wait! You said 'learn,' didn't you? Then you should at least pay me some learning fees! Otherwise, I'll never accept what you're doing!"

After an enthusiastic and heated discussion, Chuan Wenwu and the weapon shop's owner finally reached an agreement.

Chuan Wenwu was welcome to copy and learn from the shields in the shop, but he had to pay the shopkeeper a certain "learning" fee to compensate him for losing the Shield Hero, who should have been an exceptionally valuable customer.

He also had to pay for the shields he had just swept through the shop copying.

With great reluctance, Chuan Wenwu took out two hundred silver coins and handed them over. The shopkeeper immediately accepted them with a beaming smile and magnanimously forgave Chuan Wenwu's earlier unethical behavior.

Hahahaha! I gave up nothing and earned two hundred silver coins for free! What a windfall! This deal was absolutely worth it! Heroes really are the best customers!

Such were the shopkeeper's thoughts.

"Young man, you really know how to take things in stride. You just got treated badly at the Royal Palace, and you can still haggle with me here. You've got some thick skin," the shopkeeper teased as he counted the money.

Chuan Wenwu was taking stock of the dozens of new shields in the Book of Weapons, forcing himself to believe he hadn't lost out. Hearing the shopkeeper's teasing, he smiled and replied, "Well, you can't let the fire in your heart die out. I've always kept the lesson of 'seriousness, liveliness, vigilance, and unity' firmly in mind."

"That sounds very nice, though I can't say I really understand it." The shopkeeper returned to the counter, took out a handkerchief, and wiped his hands. Looking at Chuan Wenwu, he said, "But whatever the case, the road ahead may be a difficult one. Going it alone will be rough."

Chuan Wenwu pointed at Bruce beside his feet and smiled. "What are you talking about? I'm not alone. I've got Bruce!"

"Ha! That's true." Realization dawned on the shopkeeper. "I almost forgot. According to the legends, the Shield Hero has always had a good relationship with Demi-Humans. With Bruce by your side, I suppose you won't be lonely."

"Of course not. I trust Bruce completely!"

"Woof, woof, woof!"

Chuan Wenwu crouched down affectionately and hugged Bruce around the neck. Relaxed, he rubbed Bruce's head, smoothed his fur, and gave his muzzle a squeeze. Bruce happily washed his face with his tongue.

The warm, lively interaction between the man and his dog brought a smile to the shopkeeper's face as well.

But just then, Chuan Wenwu suddenly let out a surprised "Huh?" His arm had accidentally brushed against Bruce's back, and the gem on the Shield of the Hero had lit up again!