Chapter 31: Silver-Forged Fine Steel Breastplate

Chapter 31: Chapter 31: Silver-Forged Fine Steel Breastplate

"It’s not quite what Pip imagined," the little guy muttered.

Lorin nodded. Glancing at Mayor Nathan walking ahead of them, he whispered, "I thought he’d talk our ears off with a bunch of nonsense."

"Gentlemen, it’s not polite to talk about someone behind their back," Nathan said with a smile. He fished a key from his pocket and unlocked the door in front of them. "We’re here."

"Haha... sorry about that," Lorin laughed awkwardly.

Nathan signaled the guards to light the torches before turning back to the two of them with a grin. "I’ll just take it as a compliment.

"Come on in and take a look. To a ’Formal’ rank Professional, the items in here could all be considered treasures.

"You may each choose one to take with you, as a token of the town’s gratitude."

The two exchanged a look and walked in expectantly.

The room before them hadn’t changed much since Lorin’s last visit. Numerous weapons and pieces of armor were displayed on racks, along with a few items stored in wooden boxes.

Nathan casually pulled a One-Handed Sword from the wall. With a crisp SHING, he drew it from its scabbard and began a fluent introduction:

"A One-Handed Sword forged from Gray Steel, featuring Dwarf craftsmanship. Its durability is far superior to an Ordinary Iron Sword, making it perfect for both slashing and thrusting.

"Catch."

He sheathed the sword and tossed it to Lorin.

Lorin caught the sword and examined it from top to bottom. It looked increasingly familiar until he spotted the mark of Balin Anvil on the hilt.

It was the exact same type of sword Soron had!

He knew it was mass-produced after all. Twitching his lips, he placed the sword back on the wall.

"Not to your liking? Then how about this Fine Steel Broadsword? This is the work of Olek Forger, the best blacksmith in the Royal Capital. Surely this catches your eye?" Nathan patted a two-handed sword on the wall.

Lorin looked up.

It was a product of the Forging Fire Workshop, of Ordinary Quality, without a single Equipment Effect. This was supposedly the craftsmanship of the Royal Capital’s best blacksmith?

He figured it was just a mass-produced piece made by an apprentice.

It wasn’t that he looked down on mass-produced goods.

Well, actually, he did. If he had come across these weapons right after crossing over into this world, his eyes would have lit up and he would have accepted them gladly.

But right now, he had five Fine tier pieces of equipment on him, three of which were even Magic Items. These Ordinary Quality items simply couldn’t catch his eye.

After pondering for a moment, Lorin decided that aside from higher-tier gear, what he lacked the most right now was a decent set of armor.

Considering the enemies he was currently facing, that Wild Boar Hide Half Armor just wasn’t cutting it anymore. Its defense was merely better than nothing, and it was incredibly uncomfortable to wear.

Thus, he turned his gaze toward the armor hanging on the wall.

"Heh, a cautious young man. No wonder you managed to defeat those two monsters," Nathan chuckled, leaning against the wall and saying no more.

Lorin skipped over the armor hanging at the bottom, which was obviously of Ordinary Quality, and looked straight at the piece hanging at the very top.

It was a chest armor gleaming with a silvery-white metallic luster, forged as a single piece. The front was engraved with a fish-scale pattern, each scale overlapping the next, extending all the way from the collarbone down to the hem.

The inside was lined with a layer of deerskin, stitched with meticulous care, and seemed to have been treated for breathability. It looked quite comfortable.

Nathan followed his gaze, paused for a moment, and then said with a wry smile, "Good eye! Out of everything here, you just had to pick my favorite collectible. This breastplate is forged from Fine Steel and Mithril; its defense is no weaker than typical Magic Armor."

"Is this one off-limits?" Lorin raised an eyebrow.

Nathan waved a hand, signaling a guard to step forward and take it down. "My reputation is worth far more than any Mithril," he smiled.

Lorin took the breastplate from the guard and gently ran his fingers over the fish-scale pattern on its surface, growing fonder of it by the second.

[Silver-Forged Fine Steel Breastplate]

Type: Medium Armor

Quality: Fine (Green)

Durability: 118/120

Weight: 5.34kg

Equipment Effect:

[Mithril Resonance]: When the wearer takes damage from Magic Flames, cold, or lightning, the armor provides minor Magic Resistance.

[Tenacity]: Highly resistant to deformation.

[Force Discharge]: Reduces direct damage to the chest from blunt force or piercing attacks.

Note:

"When I say I added Mithril, I added Mithril! What do you mean you want to check the composition? Are you questioning a noble Elf?!"

— Silver Moon City Morning Star Workshop / Ailareel Morningstar

...

The weight of this breastplate was hardly any heavier than his Wild Boar Hide Armor, but the level of protection was on a completely different tier.

Furthermore, it had the noble Magic Resistance Attributes!

Even if it was only a tiny bit...

Lorin suspected that the Elf artisan had merely sprinkled a pinch of Mithril into the Fine Steel, but even a breastplate cast entirely from Fine Steel was already an excellent piece of armor.

After all, casting armor required far more metal than a weapon. For a large piece like a chest armor, it was perfectly normal for it to cost ten times more than a weapon made of the exact same material. Ordinary Adventurers simply didn’t have the coin to buy proper armor like this.

Fully satisfied, he accepted the breastplate. He then turned to look at Pip with curiosity and asked, "Haven’t found what you want yet? Do you need me to help you take a look?"

Hearing this, Nathan’s eyelid twitched. He rubbed his temples, forcing himself to remain calm.

"Pip is a little conflicted," the little guy said. He stood in front of two weapons, momentarily unsure of which to choose.

One was a Long-Handled Warhammer, his usual weapon of choice, featuring a square hammerhead engraved with Dwarf runes.

The other was a crescent-shaped Long-Handled Axe, its blade gleaming with a cold, vicious light.

"Why do you like long-handled weapons so much?" Lorin asked curiously.

The Halfling shot him a resentful look and said slowly, "Pip is already short enough. If I use a short-handled weapon..."

"Pfft—"

Lorin imagined him jumping up just to hammer someone in the knee and couldn’t hold back a laugh.

"Then why not choose the Long-Handled Warhammer? Isn’t that what you’re using right now?" he asked again.

Pip hesitated before answering, "Yes, but don’t you think using an axe would make me look a bit more like a Barbarian?"

"Is that so..." Lorin prompted. "Do you just want to look like a Barbarian?"

Those words left Pip frozen in place.

After a long while, the hesitation in his eyes gradually faded, replaced by unwavering determination.

"You’re right, Lorin. Thank you," the little guy murmured as he took down the warhammer.

"What an impressive display of friendship. It seems two of my collectibles have found fitting owners; I’m truly happy for them," Nathan applauded at the perfect moment.

Lorin thanked him with genuine sincerity, "Thank you for your generosity, Mr. Nathan."

Although he hadn’t looked closely at the warhammer Pip took, Lorin trusted his judgment. It was safe to say they had cost the mayor a pretty penny this time.

"Just doing my part. Now that you’ve chosen your items, I’ll have my guards see you out." Nathan stretched and smiled. "I must excuse myself now. There is a lady waiting for me, and I wouldn’t want to keep her waiting."

He winked at Lorin.