Chương 18: Hagglers and Crafters

"¡Orion! El hombre del momento!" El Verdugo boomed, spreading his arms wide as if greeting an old friend. His accent was thick but had a certain warmth to it.

"I hear you have something... interesante for me." I cut to the chase as I showed him the axe in the trade window.

"A level 15 Rare battle-axe with a Weapon Skill. Perfect for someone like you." His eyes lit up, and he stepped closer, his grin widening as he took in the weapon. He quickly calmed himself, though, and coughed to hide his surprise.

"This... this is a beautiful piece, amigo. What are you asking for it?" I knew what was coming. The gentleman had not yet seen a weapon comparable to this in Godsrealm, and he was ready to haggle for it hard.

"Ten gold coins," I said flatly, watching his reaction. I didn't think anyone had gathered ten gold coins in a day, but maybe a group of five could pool their wealth together if they really wanted. The smile faltered, just for a moment, before he let out a loud laugh.

"Ten? No, no, no. Too much, amigo. For you, I offer... four gold coins." I raised an eyebrow, my voice steady.

"Four? For a rare weapon at level 15? You've got to be kidding me. This is possibly the best weapon in Carpa as of now." One of his crew, a wiry rogue, stepped forward.

"Four is fair," he said with a smirk.

"No players can even use it yet. You'll sit on it for days if we don't take it off your hands."

"Then why are you here if it's such a bad deal?" I shot back, my gaze unwavering. El Verdugo held up a hand, silencing his friend.

"Relax, Mano Roja. Let's be civil, eh?" He turned back to me, his tone softening.

"Look, Orion. Five gold coins and fifty silver. It's good money, and you get to walk away richer without the hassle of finding another buyer." I crossed my arms, pretending to consider it. Five and a half gold was less than I wanted, but part of me wanted to take the deal. With that much money, I could gear up and I wouldn't have to worry about my equipment for quite some time. Still, I wanted to push my luck a bit more.

"Seven gold coins," I said finally, meeting his gaze.

"And don't lowball me again." El Verdugo paused for a long moment, his eyes meeting mine with careful consideration. Then he laughed, clapping me on the shoulder with a heavy hand.

"Trato hecho, amigo. Seven it is." The transaction was quick; the trade window glowed green as we both accepted the deal. The Battleaxe of Ur'ka disappeared from my inventory, replaced by seven gleaming gold coins. I tucked them away, nodding as El Verdugo admired his new weapon in his inventory.

"This will spill much blood," he said.

"Los Asesinos will remember this favor, Orion."

"Just remember who sold it to you when it saves your life," I said with a grin. I knew from the very beginning of our interaction that El Verdugo was a trustworthy guy. Sure, he would do anything to get a better price, and he looked intimidating, but once he gave his word, there was no going back. As he and his crew walked away, their voices fading into the noise of the marketplace, I couldn't help but feel a small sense of satisfaction. I was hoping I'd run into them once again when we reach level 15.

This man will stir up some trouble with his newly found weapon, and I'm ready to see it, I thought. My next business was contacting the Carpa Crafter Group. I sent a message to Danzaburou, as instructed in the forum thread. Orion: Hey, I would like you to make some equipment for me, if it's okay. I have plenty of materials and coins to spend. The answer came shortly after. Danzaburou: That's what I like to hear! What kind of equipment we talkin' about?

Orion: Mostly medium armor, but I would also like a bow and arrows as well. Danzaburou: Great! We can get started as soon as you'd like. I will be the one making the medium armor, and our carpenter, Kev, will prepare the bow and arrows for you. Meet us at the leatherworking tent at the festival whenever you're ready. Orion: Heading there right now! As I closed the message menu, I was already walking towards the festive grounds, and soon after I'd arrived, two players came up to me.

"You're Orion, aren't you?" one of them asked.

"I'm Danzaburou, and this is Kev. Let's see what we're working with, shall we?" Danzaburou was a short, bald man in his late twenties, maybe early thirties, with a tattoo around his left eye. Kev was his polar opposite: teen-aged, tall, with piercing blue eyes, midnight black hair and a never dying smile. I laid out all of my materials on the crafting table. To say Danzaburou and Kev were amazed was an understatement.

"This is great!" Danzaburou said.

"A perfect Duskwolf Alpha hide?! I have seen nothing even remotely close to this!" After a second of thinking, he continued.

"I don't think I have a recipe that could use this yet, but don't worry! I have my sources as an established craftsman," he winked before disappearing into the crowd.

"What kind of bow and arrow would you like?" Kev asked.

"Level 10 and the best you can make," I answered.

"Also, do you think these alpha claws or fangs could be used for them?" Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.

"Definitely! I have a couple of good recipes for them that allow for additional materials, so I'll get the best result for you!"

"I have no wood for them, however," I added. My current inventory was filled with materials from the Dusken beasts I had farmed the last couple of levels, but I had nothing else in terms of crafting materials.

"That's not a problem. I already have access to refined cedar, which is the best possible wood type at this stage of the game. I will get them for you." Danza returned shortly after.

"Good news! I got my hands on a recipe that will be perfect for you, Orion! Let me see your inventory once again, please?" I laid out everything I had. Rough Lakeside Boar Hide x32 Lakeside Boar Hide x18 Lakeside Boar Fangs x40 Rough Duskhound Hide x28 Duskhound Hide x22 Duskhound Fangs x36 Duskwolf Hide x18 Duskwolf Claws x30 Duskwolf Fangs x16 Perfect Duskwolf Alpha Hide x1 Duskwolf Alpha Claws x2 Duskwolf Alpha Fangs x1"Good, good! So what kind of armor would you want?" I hesitated.

The only piece of armor I was missing was leg armor. Ideally, I would have liked to use the alpha's hide for a breastplate, as chest pieces had the most effect on defense. However, my current one was my best piece of equipment, and I feared the upgrade would be marginal at best.

"I would like to get some leg armor made from the Perfect Duskwolf Alpha Hide and the Duskwolf Hides. The rest should be enough for boots, a cloak, bracers and a hood. Also use all of the claws and fangs for them if you can use additional materials." Danzaburou nodded.

"It will be quite expensive, but you look like someone who could afford it." I smiled.

"I will pay whatever it takes." Both of them looked like people who knew their craft, so I wasn't too worried. They sidestepped a bit to talk about the working process and fees, and after a while, they came closer to me.

"So, Orion," Danzaburou sighed.

"Are you ready for the dirty finances?"

"Don't worry, I'm not someone to get scared easily," I laughed.

"Bring it on!"

"The recipe for the leg armor costs 80 silver coins. The materials you don't have, such as leather strips, wood types, iron, and other miscellaneous items, will cost 1 gold and 20 silver coins," the two of them exchanged glances.

"The work for the boots, cloak, hood, and bracers is 20 silver each, adding up to 80 silver coins. The work for the bow and the arrow is 30 silver per piece, and the work for the leg armor is 50 silver coins." His expression was worrying, as if he thought I was going to flip the table on him.

"Adding all of this comes up to 3 gold and 90 silver coins." They waited in silence, afraid of my answer. This was money that few, if any, had access to at this stage of the game if they were playing solo like me.

"Make it 4 gold then. When can I expect the items?" I asked. They were so surprised they couldn't answer my question without stuttering.

"W... we... we'll be ready in two hours!" Danzaburou said finally.

"Alright," I said, handing him the four gold coins.

"Shoot me a message once ready."

"Yes, sir!" To be fair, I was a bit relieved. Sure, four gold was a massive amount of money, but I just made seven twenty minutes ago, and I already had more than one gold on me even before that. Right now I still had 4 gold and 10 silver coins left. I didn't want to venture out into the wilderness for these 2 hours, so I made my way to the village tavern. As it was still early in the morning, only a few people were inside.

A bard was playing a tranquil, ambient tune while the few patrons were drinking and eating, or just taking a break from the festival's loud celebrations. I sat down at a table and ordered a root beer and a honey cake from the barmaid. I got my order in no time. As I was sitting there, listening to the soothing music, enjoying my drink and the sweet taste of the cake, I felt surrounded by an unusual calmness.

Ever since I started playing Godsrealm, I have been focusing on getting richer, stronger, and more insightful about this world. Even when I was out there enjoying the festival, I was still trying to stir the waters for my own benefit. Now, however, all I did was enjoy some quality me-time. I haven't done this in forever. At least not since my parents died. I quickly dismissed these thoughts.

I tried focusing on something else, and I realized I was subconsciously listening to the two men talking about something strange at the table next to me. One was a grizzled old man with a weathered face and a thick beard; the other, a younger farmer with dirt-streaked hands. They leaned close as they spoke, their words laced with unease.

"You saw it?" the older man asked, his tone cautious. The younger man leaned in, his eyes darting toward the barkeep to make sure no one was listening.

"I swear on me mother's grave. It wasn't natural."

"What exactly did you see?" The younger man hesitated, lowering his voice even further. I had to strain to catch the words.

"It was in the woods, past the northern ridge. A shadow, big as a barn, moving through the trees. But it didn't make a sound, not even a twig snapping." The older man's brow furrowed.

"Could've been a bear."

"Bears don't glow," the younger man said sharply, his voice trembling.

"There was this faint, bluish light, like it was coming from inside it. And the air felt... warm. Like summer suddenly came alive all around me." I sipped my beer, pretending not to listen, though my mind raced. A glowing creature in the woods? That didn't sound like anything I'd encountered yet, but it was definitely worth investigating.

"What did you do?" the older man asked, his voice hushed.

"I ran," The younger man admitted, his knuckles turned white as he gripped his tankard.

"Didn't stop until I hit the village."

"Smart," the older man said with a grunt.

"Whatever it was, it's not our problem. Let the adventurers handle it."

"That's the thing," The younger man said, glancing nervously over his shoulder.

"When I reported it to the Association, they acted as if I were crazy."

"Maybe you are crazy?" the older man coughed.

"You know, even I started to believe that," the young farmer admitted.

"But then I noticed the other officials glancing around, whispering nervously behind my back. I think they know something; they just don't want to cause panic."

"Whatever it is about, I'm not going near the northern forest," The elder said.

"And neither should you."

"Don't worry, I'm not stepping into those damned woods once again. Not even if they force me." I took some mental notes regarding their discussion. If there was something in the woods that only came out at night, something that even the Adventurer's Association was wary of, it should definitely be a topic of interest for players.

I wasn't sure if there was anyone else aware of this as of now, or whether it was even more than just a rumor, but one thing I knew for sure: paying a visit to the Northern Ridge was put on my to-do list. When I finished my drink, I still had about an hour left until my items were completed.

I could have gone and honed my crafting skills in the meantime, but ever since I found out about the crafter group's existence I felt like making more money to pay them was just straight up a better time investment than spending hours at the various crafting stations.