Urbus's blacksmith street is short, but the sound of hammers echoes from one end to the other.
Lin Yuan found the first shop with a hammer hanging on the wall, where an NPC was sitting. After hearing his request, the shopkeeper only gave him a price list for a standard longsword. The second shop was even faster; as soon as Lin Yuan mentioned wanting to adjust the hilt, the shopkeeper quoted the number of enhancement attempts and the success rate.
"None of these are what I want." He walked out of the store.
Kirito followed behind, saying, "The system shop templates are limited. We'll have to find stalls run by other players."
"Are there already people here who know how to use swords?"
"Some people start practicing production skills from the very first floor." Kirito stopped at the street corner and saw a small stall with a simple anvil. "Like over there."
The stall owner, a young man with his sleeves rolled up to his elbows, was returning a newly repaired short sword to a customer. The customer took the sword, glanced at it in his inventory, showed no smile but also didn't argue, paid, and left.
The stall owner watched the customers walk away before noticing someone standing in front of him.
"Repair or upgrade?" he asked.
"Let's forge a new one," Kirito said.
"Now?"
Let's discuss the terms first.
The stall owner announced his name: " Nezha. Materials and labor costs will be calculated separately. Which type of sword do you want?"
Lin Yuan took off the black short sword and placed it next to the anvil. "Longer than this, and the blade should be thicker. The hilt should fit my hand."
Nezha looked at the short sword, then at Lin Yuan: "Do you want a one-handed sword or a two-handed sword?"
"One-handed. Can be switched to two-handed grip if necessary."
That's not a standard one-handed sword.
"That's why I didn't go to the standard store."
Kirito pursed his lips. Nezha wasn't angry; he reached out and picked up the short sword, his fingertips pausing at the two notches on the blade.
"This is the weapon from the first level? What have you used it to cut?"
"A longer knife."
Nezha looked up. News of last night's boss battle had already reached Urbus, and the story of the Nameless Swordsman at the end was getting more and more exaggerated in each version. He didn't ask any further questions, only saying, "Show me first."
Lin Yuan gripped his sword and made a simple straight slash. He didn't speed up, nor did he use the strength he had when fighting a boss; between the strike and the retraction, the short blade remained as steady as if it were hanging on a straight line.
Nezha crouched down and examined his wrists and shoulders.
"You want a sword with a higher attack power."
I don't buy swords to look at the numbers.
"I knew it." Nezha handed the short sword back to him. "You can try to lengthen the blade, but don't place the center of gravity in the shop's standard position. Your finishing move is too fast, and the hilt is too light, so you'll be tilted by your own force."
Kirito looked at Lin Yuan. Just moments ago, the two of them were looking for a blacksmith willing to listen to their requests, but now Nezha had only seen the sword once and had already pinpointed the problem with the existing weapons.
"Can you do it?" Lin Yuan asked.
"I can try. But let me make it clear first, my forging skills aren't very high yet." Nezha didn't give a definitive answer. "What you want is the feel of the finished product, not a guaranteed attribute. I can forge it to your size, but I can't guarantee what quality the system will assign it."
"I don't need attributes."
Nezha paused for a moment, his gaze involuntarily falling on Kirito. Most players would complain about insufficient stats, but this person seemed not to even bother opening the stats panel.
Kirito chimed in at the opportune moment. "The order will be under my name. I'll pay him, and he'll be responsible for testing the sword."
"You guys aren't teammates?"
"No." They both answered almost simultaneously.
Nezha looked at this and then at that, wisely refraining from asking further questions. He took out a piece of thick rope from his toolbox and had Lin Yuan grip it in his usual way, noting the width of his palm and the distance between his hands when switching grips.
"What about the materials?" Kirito asked.
"I have some ordinary iron ingots here. If you want the sword to last longer on the second floor, it would be best to find another piece of hard iron ore from the stone gully."
Lin Yuan looked at him. "Where?"
"There's a rocky gully to the west. Rock oxen guard the vein; it won't be easy to dig. Come back tomorrow; I'll make a rough draft based on these dimensions first."
Kirito opened the transaction window and paid the deposit. Nezha's gaze remained fixed on the window, unaware that Lin Yuan hadn't touched it at all.
"I'll pay you back," Lin Yuan said after leaving the stall.
"Let's get the ore first," Kirito said. "I need to Take Over it before I can put it in my inventory and hand it over as materials."
I will bring it back.
I didn't say I wanted to go with you.
"I didn't invite you either."
Kirito laughed out loud this time. At the other end of the street, a cloaked swordswoman was walking towards him, holding a piece of paper with a route drawn on it. When she saw Lin Yuan, she slowed her pace slightly and then handed the paper to Kirito.
"I've found out about the road to the west," she said.
Lin Yuan didn't ask where they were going next, he only remembered the location of Shigou. He would go and get the ore that Nezha wanted himself; he would also return the deposit that Kirito had paid himself.
When he comes again tomorrow, he will only need a sword.
A sword forged according to this hand.