Chapter 226 Armor Repair and Advice on Handling the [Tide-Surge Lure Pole]

Rockhammer Smithy.

Shop owner Barn stood behind the counter, staring at the black-haired young man before him.

This middle-aged man, who claimed dwarven heritage, stood six feet nine inches tall with a build even bulkier than a typical Bugbear.

Right now, his expression was rather strange.

It wasn't his usual shock at the alarming rate Xia Nan ruined armor, nor was it doubt about the quality of his own forging.

Instead, it was a complex look that seemed to say, "This is how it should be," and, "It's finally here."

Crafted from Iris Patterned Steel, the Plate-Chain Composite Armor boasted far greater defense and durability than ordinary equipment.

Thanks to Barn's exceptional forging skills and the material's outstanding properties, the armor even possessed slight "Slashing," "Piercing," and "Fire" resistances.

During his month and a half with the Sea Thorn Squad, despite seeing many battles, it had remained in fairly good condition, and Xia Nan's rather clumsy maintenance skills had even improved.

He had visited the smithy a few times over this period and naturally chatted with Barn.

Yet whenever they discussed the Plate-Chain Composite Armor, the blacksmith always seemed to be holding something back.

It wasn't until now, when Xia Nan returned to the Rockhammer Smithy wearing a nearly shredded armor with deep claw marks gouged into the chest, that Barn finally revealed a strange sense of relief.

It was somewhat similar to the expression Xia Nan had worn when Veris—whom he had secretly suspected for so long—finally made her move against him.

"How is it? Can it be fixed?"

Xia Nan took off the Plate-Chain Composite Armor and handed it over.

"If it's going to severely impact the defense, forget it. I'll just buy a new set."

Looking visibly relieved, Barn gripped the armor's iron pauldrons with both hands, carefully examining the damage on the chest plate.

After a moment's thought, he slowly spoke:

"The damage is mainly concentrated on the chest; the rest of it is in pretty good shape."

"I just need to replace the front chest plate. It's no trouble, and you don't need a whole new set."

"The shop happens to have some Iris Patterned Steel in stock, so there's no need to worry about the defense dropping."

Hearing this, Xia Nan breathed an inward sigh of relief.

With the heavy burden of Lycanthropy weighing on his shoulders, his current financial situation truly wouldn't allow him to scrape together several hundred gold for new gear.

If it could be repaired, that was naturally for the best.

"About how many days will it take to fix? And as for the repair cost..."

"Five days should be plenty." Since they were old acquaintances, Barn didn't waste any breath. He placed the armor under the counter and said straightforwardly without looking up, "The cost of the steel plus a bit for labor... I'll charge you 45 gold. Just pay me when it's done and ready for pickup."

Xia Nan nodded slightly.

Forty-five gold was an expensive outlay for the vast majority of ordinary adventurers in town.

But considering this set of Plate-Chain Composite Armor had originally cost 365 gold, spending an eighth of that price for a major overhaul was perfectly acceptable.

Perhaps the anticipated 500-gold expense for the spell scroll had made him a bit sensitive about his finances lately.

The coins he had just acquired from the Verdant Crucible were already leaving his hands before they could even warm his pockets, and he couldn't help but feel a twinge of heartache.

As for the five-day repair time, Xia Nan had already planned to rest up in town for a while after the mission. He also had to wait for the investigation quest to be settled and for the results of the Association commission he'd just posted to recruit a Spellcaster.

He had no immediate combat needs, so the wait didn't matter.

"What about your leg armor? Any repairs needed there?" Barn's gaze swept over the [Bone-Bound Iron Greaves] on Xia Nan's legs.

"No, they're sturdy." Xia Nan shook his head. "Even though they look like bone, their defense is much stronger than ordinary metal."

"Magic Equipment really isn't that easy to destroy," Barn gently stroked his carefully braided beard. "But if it ever does sustain severe damage, it's far harder to repair than ordinary gear. And even if it's fixed, there's no guarantee it'll retain its original effects."

Xia Nan made a mental note to pay more attention to this in the future, so as not to add unnecessary expenses to his already tight budget.

Then again, it was basically impossible to constantly watch over his gear during the intense, single-minded focus of a battle.

And if his greaves or armor ever did take severe damage, it meant they had absorbed a blow that would have otherwise injured his body.

If he let his physical body take the hit just to save on repair costs, it would be completely backward.

Shaking his head imperceptibly to clear his thoughts, Xia Nan pulled Veris's two daggers from his backpack and placed them on the counter.

"There's also these. I need you to appraise them."

Aside from repairing his armor, having Barn handle the few pieces of gear he'd obtained during the mission was his other main reason for coming to the Rockhammer Smithy.

Demonstrating his outstanding professional expertise, Barn grabbed the hilts, held the daggers in his hands, and lightly weighed them.

Having handled countless weapons across an incredibly broad range of fields, this burly blacksmith—renowned throughout Rivervale Town—relied on his immensely rich forging experience and the inherited knowledge of an ancient dwarven clan to make a precise judgment on the two Short Daggers using nothing but his naked eye and a basic feel:

"Dark in color, dense in texture, with an unusually smooth surface and faint patterns. These are the standard characteristics of metal produced in the Underdark within Cloudclimb Province."

"The edge is straight and sharp, the angles are precise and consistent, and the hardness is evenly distributed. Hmm, very pragmatic."

"These should be high-quality standard-issue weapons mass-produced by an excellent artisan from the Underdark—products pursuing maximum efficiency at minimal cost."

His rough thumb, calloused by the forge fire and molten iron, ran along the blade's surface as he looked on with complete focus.

"Although there are some traces of negative energy erosion, the overall maintenance isn't bad. They can be put on the shelves for sale with just a minor touch-up."

"All in all, they are two ordinary weapons of above-average quality."

"How much do you want for them? Give me a price." Barn looked up at Xia Nan.

"Uh... just give me a quote. If it's reasonable, I'll sell them straight to you."

Xia Nan didn't know the market rate for this gear to begin with. Furthermore, since the daggers were second-hand, their buyback price at a smithy would come with a steep discount—an unspoken rule also recorded in the [Adventure Manual].

Having worked with Barn for a long time and even custom-ordered a piece of Magic Equipment from his shop, Xia Nan knew his character and chose to hand over the initiative.

"Since we know each other, I'll be blunt. After buying these two Short Daggers from you, between the initial cost and the repair and maintenance fees... I definitely need to turn a profit."

"How about thirty-five gold for the both of them?"

"Forty?" Xia Nan offered a slight counter.

"Thirty-seven. That's my limit."

"Deal."

The daggers were merely plain equipment with no special effect modifiers, and their forging craftsmanship and quality didn't even match some of the Fine goods on Rockhammer's shelves. Xia Nan was already very satisfied to sell them for nearly forty gold after the buyback depreciation.

Pocketing the coin pouch, he reached behind himself right in front of Barn and grabbed the coarse-cloth-wrapped stone spear.

Removing the disguise, he placed it onto the counter with both hands.

Almost the instant Xia Nan pulled the coarse cloth away and exposed the spearhead to the air, Barn's eyes visibly lit up, and his face displayed deep astonishment.

"Magic Equipment?" he asked, his thick, gruff voice lowering unconsciously.

Seeing Xia Nan nod, Barn proactively stepped out from behind the counter and shut the shop's front door.

Then he led Xia Nan into the back room.

Only after receiving the young man's permission did he cup the stone spear with both hands and examine it carefully.

That cautious posture formed a stark contrast with his muscular, bulky physique.

"Has it been appraised? Do you know its specific effects?"

Xia Nan hesitated slightly, but after a moment of thought, he decided not to deliberately hide any information and relayed the [Tide-Surge Lure Pole]'s detailed system attributes to him.

The very fact that he had brought the stone spear to the smithy meant he was intending to sell it.

If he tried to pull a fast one by deliberately hiding its usage restrictions and only highlighting its special effects, there was no telling if Barn—who had always been exceptionally serious about equipment and possessed outstanding expertise—would spot the discrepancy or insist on testing the item. Even disregarding that, based on their familiar relationship and Xia Nan's own character, he would never stoop to such despicable behavior.

Besides, barring any accidents, he was definitely going to work closely with Barn in the future, whether for armor repairs or the Snake-Scale Arm Shield.

There was no need to sour their relationship over a single white-grade item.

And even if they couldn't reach a deal in the end, Barn's experience as a smithy owner meant he could surely offer some advice on pricing and sales channels.

"I see... that really is a bit troublesome."

After hearing the harsh condition that the stone spear needed to continuously stab a whale-like creature for a long period to activate its effect, Barn didn't show the slightest hint of disdain.

Instead, he stroked his beard and fell into deep thought.

"But it is still an enchanted item with a clear effect, so it won't be subject to the usual loot depreciation."

"If it really sells, it should fetch enough to buy you two whole sets of armor."

"I don't know what you have in mind, but if you need it, I can offer you a few ways to handle this."

Xia Nan was naturally willing to listen.

"First, you could take it to the Adventurers' Association."

For Magic Equipment with special attributes, the Association had a dedicated buyback service, exchanging them for gold and a limited amount of points.

Of course, the price wouldn't be too high; it would be roughly around the market average.

"Alternatively, you can put the stone spear on consignment at the Association and wait for an interested buyer to contact you."

With someone actively seeking to buy it, there would definitely be room to negotiate the price, but the wait time could be long.

It wasn't uncommon for some lackluster enchanted items to sit on the Association's listings for two or three years without any takers.

At the same time, if the trade succeeded, the Association would take a percentage of the final price as a handling fee, representing an extra expense.

"The second option is to hand it over to a third-party auction house and put it on the market for interested clients to bid on."

Without a doubt, for Magic Equipment with outstanding effects, this method would net the seller the most profit.

Naturally, compared to the Association, these third-party auction houses varied in terms of safety and stability.

If one didn't investigate thoroughly and stumbled upon a shady, small-time operation, it wasn't entirely impossible for them to simply abscond with the gear or leak the seller's identity to interested parties.

"Then, there's the final option."

"Leave the equipment at a smithy like mine to sell."

It was generally the same as the Association; one could choose to sell it directly or leave it on consignment in the shop.

However, due to the limited scale of a smithy and its privately-run nature, it shared the auction house's disadvantage of instability. Potential buyers would also be strictly limited to the shop's customers, offering far less volume and exposure than the Association.

Of course, the price and handling fees would definitely be more favorable than the Association's.

"Let me put it this way," Barn said, his gaze sweeping over the wave-like engravings on the surface of the [Tide-Surge Lure Pole], his tone sincere.

"If you're in a hurry for money, you can sell this item to me. The price will absolutely be ten to twenty percent higher than what the Association would offer you. As for safety, as long as you trust me, there won't be any issues."

"But if you aren't so desperate to liquidate the gear, I strongly suggest you put this stone spear on consignment at the Adventurers' Association."

"Even though its usage conditions are a bit tricky, its effect is incredibly unique. Certain adventurers who live near the sea or have special class requirements might be interested."

"If you run into the right buyer, it might sell for a price you could never imagine."

Barn was telling the complete truth.

He wasn't trying to leverage his relationship with Xia Nan to buy this Magic Equipment on the cheap.

Instead, he approached it practically, offering several highly useful suggestions from Xia Nan's perspective.

As for the reason... it was actually the same reason Xia Nan hadn't hidden the stone spear's attributes.

Part of it came down to their personalities, but the other factor was that maintaining a good relationship would yield greater profits in the future.

After all, Xia Nan bought almost all of his gear from this shop. Barn could plainly see his gradually increasing equipment demands and spending power, as well as the rising severity of gear damage that correlated with more intense battles.

It was worth it for him to maintain a friendly, familiar relationship with Xia Nan, and even to make a few investment-like moves on him.

Barn's exceptionally honest advice got Xia Nan thinking.

Was he short on money?

He definitely was.

But was he so desperate that he needed to liquidate the [Tide-Surge Lure Pole] at a discount?

Not quite.

Between the scattered loot gathered from this mission and his own savings, he could actually scrape together enough for the Remove Curse spell scroll and the repair fee for his Plate-Chain Composite Armor.

Once he cleared the hidden danger lurking in his body, with his strength right where it was, he could quickly earn money whether he went back to clear out the Goblin Lair or took on other missions.

With his efficiency as a lone wolf, he could earn back a few hundred gold in just a couple of months.

There was no need to squander the [Tide-Surge Lure Pole]'s remaining value for a quick buck. Leaving it on consignment at the Association might just land him a massive windfall later.

Amidst his pondering, Xia Nan made his decision.

"Thanks for the advice this time. If you hadn't told me, I really wouldn't have known there were so many ways to handle this."

When Barn learned that Xia Nan planned to send the stone spear to the Association for consignment, he didn't mind at all.

He even gifted him a piece of cotton cloth to wrap the stone spear in and helped him pack it up.

"Oh right, aside from those two, there's also this..."

Right in front of Barn, Xia Nan rummaged through his backpack for a moment.

He pulled out the snapped Yew Staff that belonged to Mint and handed it over.

"Hm?"