Chapter 494 - 493: Unfinished Armor

The hall was completely empty, with nothing but a few Teleportation Arrays drawn on the floor.

A moment later, a middle-aged man in a white robe entered the hall. He walked straight up to Colin and asked, "Excuse me, are you the ones who need a Teleportation Array?"

"That's us." Colin nodded.

"Alright, let's make this quick. I've been a bit busy lately," the Mage said. He then hurriedly found an empty spot, drew an Array with his materials, and the group, along with Big Hoof Treasure, quickly stepped inside.

As the Spell was chanted, a familiar, dazed sensation washed over him.

A few seconds later, the Teleportation Hall of Horn Castle appeared before their eyes.

As usual, Kase was squatting on the ground, clutching his head. The guy was getting Teleport-sick again.

Upon seeing Colin and his party, a Guard in the Teleportation Hall immediately asked, "Who are you?"

"Colin's Foreigner Squad."

The Guard nodded slightly. "The Weston Clan sent word that you would be teleporting. Welcome back to Thousand Masts City."

"Thank you."

After bidding the Guard farewell, Colin led the others to Edwin's office. He opened the door and looked inside, finding it empty except for Morel, who was busy at work.

The man's brow was furrowed, as if he were enduring some form of torture.

Colin knocked twice on the open door. "Hey, Morel, where's Edwin?"

"Edwin? He's on a break," Morel said without looking up. "The Yule Festival is coming up, isn't it? The Master of the Black Tower has us working in shifts so we can take time off. This is our idea of a holiday."

"Well, just remember to tell him we're back. We completed the mission Albert assigned to us," Colin said.

Morel quickly asked, "Do you want to help me sort through these documents?"

"I'm illiterate," Kase said, suddenly looking rather smug.

Colin sighed. "How much is the pay?"

"What pay?" Morel said, astonished. "Aren't you willing to do a small favor for a friend?"

"Alright, let's take a few days off. We'll worry about adventuring after the Yule Festival," Colin said, leading the others out of the office. "I'm going to go check on Donkexes in a bit."

"I'll go with you," Ale chimed in.

Orelia looked back at the office and said hesitantly, "It looked like Mr. Morel still had something to say."

"It probably wasn't anything important," Colin said dismissively.

The group emerged onto the main street of Thousand Masts City.

The city was now completely covered in a thick blanket of white snow, and the public carriages by the roadside had all been converted into sleighs.

It was only then that Colin suddenly registered just how long they had been away.

When he first left, he had invested all his money into his Armor. Now, after this trip and tallying up all the various quests, he once again had savings worth one thousand Gold Coins in his pocket.

On top of that, he had learned a new spell and could cast one additional Tier Four Magic.

It had taken a long time, but the returns were quite good.

The party returned to their apartment, stowed their luggage, and settled Big Hoof Treasure in the courtyard stable.

Afterward, Kase and Orelia stayed behind at the apartment to rest, while Colin and Ale headed for the Dwarves' sewers.

The moment they walked into Donkexes's apothecary shop, the old Dwarf immediately leaped out from behind the counter.

He excitedly shouted at Colin, "You're finally back! Come on, get a good look at your Armor."

With that, Donkexes grabbed Colin's arm and pulled him deeper into the sewer. A short while later, they arrived at a small room next to Langgrin's little blacksmith forge.

Inside this small room stood a glass container.

The container was filled with a transparent solution, in which a suit of Half-plate Armor was silently suspended.

The Half-plate Armor was Gothic in style. Its Helmet was a standard Charell Helmet, complete with a Throat Protector. The Chest Guard consisted of two plates connected by a leather strap at the chest, along with several thin cords for securing it to the Armed Clothing.

The body of the Armor was covered in vertical ridges and fluting. These vertical ridges were white and appeared to be made from the bones of a White Dragon.

Additionally, some decorations had been added to the Shoulder Guards, Helmet, and Leg Guards. For example, the Shoulder Guards had white, claw-shaped protrusions, while the Helmet featured a bony neck frill and spines similar to those on a White Dragon's head, making it resemble a shrunken, oddly proportioned White Dragon skull.

"This Armor is gorgeous," Colin said with genuine admiration.

He scrutinized the Armor for a moment. 'Probably because it's not finished, I can't see its specific effects yet.'

Ale blinked as she looked at the Armor, then glanced at Colin's expression, but ultimately said nothing.

Noticing her subtle reaction, Colin cleared his throat twice.

"This is our masterpiece! Not every blacksmith and alchemist could create something like this under these conditions," Donkexes said, holding his head high. "By the way, are you sure you want to use that Primary Artery?"

"If it's possible," Colin said.

The Dwarf was referring to an idea Colin had proposed.

The Primary Artery of a Dragon Species could be used to create a Magic Item that simulated dragon breath. Colin's idea was to install this Magic Item into the Chest Armor, allowing him to control the Armor to spew draconic fire—of course, its power couldn't possibly compare to the breath of a True Dragon.

Donkexes sniffed. "To be honest, we Dwarves have had this idea before, but there are some safety hazards. If an attack were to penetrate your Armor… the consequences would be severe."

"If an enemy's attack can pierce straight through my Chest Armor, I don't think my fate would be much better even without the Primary Artery," Colin replied, then asked, "How is the work on Orelia's and the others' equipment coming along?"

"We've already procured the other materials. Just bring the gear over and we'll handle it," Donkexes said with a smile.

"That's perfect," Colin said. "Regarding the job of escorting you to the Undercity, we'd like to set out after the Yule Festival. That should be acceptable, right?"

Donkexes thought for a moment, then nodded. "That's fine. We still need to put the finishing touches on the materials. How about we start on the third day after the Yule Festival?"

"Deal. By the way, I've saved up another thousand Gold Coins. That can be the budget for crafting a Long Sword," Colin said. "The Weston Clan told us they can provide a source for the materials, so you can contact them when the time comes."

"What? How do you earn money so fast?" Donkexes frowned. "Fine, I understand."

Just then, Colin suddenly remembered how eagerly Orelia was looking forward to the Yule Festival.

'Festivals are more fun with more people, after all.'

Colin then asked, "So, are you free during the Yule Festival? Why don't we all get together at the Black Heart Tavern in the city?"

"Dwarves don't have a Yule Festival. We only have Forging Day," Donkexes's beard twitched. "But I can ask around. I should tell you upfront, though, it will likely only be me and Langgrin. Durkin is always busy and has no interest in such gatherings."