Previously, Lin Mo and Larry had taken down a total of twelve goblins in Roland Forest. Among them, five had already been submitted to the Adventurers' Association as proof of qualification, so he still had seven goblins left in his possession. When those seven goblin ears were neatly lined up on the table in front of him, the staff present couldn’t help but be astonished. Even a small adventurer team of three or four people might not be able to kill seven goblins in a single outing. One person, seven goblins, and with no visible wounds on him at all... He inwardly felt relieved that he had quickly changed his attitude earlier and hadn’t offended this young adventurer who was very likely quite powerful.

“Please wait a moment...” The staff said while examining the seven ears carefully. After confirming there were no issues, he opened the cabinet next to his left foot, took out seven silver coins, and handed them to Lin Mo. “This is your reward. Thank you for your contribution to Roland Town.” His attitude was noticeably more respectful than before, but the young adventurer didn’t seem to have any intention of leaving after pocketing the silver coins.

“Is there anything else...” The staff’s words suddenly stopped as his eyes widened, staring at the item Lin Mo took out from his bag. “Shh—” Lin Mo raised a finger to his lips. The staff immediately understood, nodded, calmed his breathing, and quickly accepted the clearly much larger goblin ear from him. As a public official responsible for this area, he had seen many monster trophies before. There was no doubt this was an ear from a mutated goblin!

He slowly exhaled a breath of stale air, looking at Lin Mo with shock and seriousness. Mutated goblins were monsters that even officially employed professionals couldn’t guarantee to kill without injury. He counted out forty silver coins from the cabinet and placed them into a cloth bag, handing it to Lin Mo. “This is your bounty. Please keep it safe.”

Lin Mo opened the bag to glance inside. With his peripheral vision, he looked at the staff, whose expression showed nothing unusual—there was probably no foul play. So, he nodded, took the bag, and turned to leave. After rounding the corner, he detoured into a small alley, opened the bag, and counted the silver coins.

“Quite valuable...” The bounty of one mutated goblin was equivalent to forty normal goblins! Now, his total assets amounted to 1 gold, 51 silver, and 88 copper coins. This was already a fortune for an ordinary civilian, but in the world of adventurers, it might not be that much.

Leaning against the wall, Lin Mo took out the “Roland Town Map and Strategy Guide” and began flipping through it.

“Blacksmith Shops and Weapon Maintenance” ........17-21

For adventurers, a sturdy and reliable weapon could greatly improve combat capability and safety, ensuring they wouldn’t fall into crisis because their weapon failed in dangerous situations. If you are wealthy and lack no money, the Association’s shop with guaranteed quality would be your best choice. Head to the second floor of the Association, where the saleswoman will enthusiastically introduce you to weapon types and prices. Weapons purchased from the Association usually have no quality issues and come with after-sales guarantees—such as one free comprehensive weapon maintenance per month and subsequent polishing and refurbishment at 30% off.

However, if your funds are limited, it’s better to go to No. 21 Copper Hammer Street. The young dwarf blacksmith Edgar is very willing to sell his carefully forged weapons at lower prices in hopes of building a good reputation among adventurers. Of course, Edgar is still young, so his craftsmanship can sometimes be unstable—there are both nearly flawless high-quality products and some flashy but defective goods. You’ll need to distinguish them yourself.

If you want something more reliable, you can also choose No. 25 Copper Hammer Street nearby. The 150-year-old Old Rail is an experienced veteran blacksmith. His prices are slightly higher than Edgar’s, but his weapons won’t surprise you with brilliance, yet in most cases, they won’t disappoint you either.

...

The guide’s content was very detailed, carefully introducing the strengths and weaknesses of the five blacksmith shops in town. After careful comparison, Lin Mo finally focused on the first two.

He first went to Old Rail’s blacksmith shop. As described in the guide, Old Rail was a white-bearded little old man about 1.2 meters tall, with a rugged face and sturdy build—a very typical dwarf appearance.

“Look at whatever weapon you want,” Old Rail said, clearly uninterested in doing business. At his age, he had earned enough money; forging and running a shop had become a hobby, and the youthful drive was long gone. But just as the guide said, the weapons he produced were of quite good and stable quality, though the prices were not so attractive.

Lin Mo’s eyes were drawn to a bright silver one-handed sword, about four feet long, with a very sharp blade gleaming cold light. It was in a completely different league from the shabby sword he currently had wrapped in cloth on his back. But just a glance at the price made him give up immediately. 3 gold 70 silver. Even if he sold everything, he couldn’t afford it.

Anything cheaper? Lin Mo continued looking further. The weapons that caught his eye were at least 1 gold 20 silver in price. Although barely affordable, spending this much would almost drain his savings, leaving no money for anything else. He shook his head and reluctantly gave up. If Old Rail’s shop was like this, the weapon shop on the Association’s second floor must be even more expensive. No wonder only the rich could afford to buy there.

Lin Mo reluctantly put down the sword and turned to leave. Old Rail remained leaning on his own forged chair, a paper-rolled tobacco leaf clenched in his mouth, never looking up once at Lin Mo. For him, customers who just came to browse numbered at least a hundred per day, so he was used to it.

Stepping out of Old Rail’s shop, not far away next door, a young and sturdy dwarf stood at his shop’s entrance, holding a weapon and calling out to customers. Unlike the quiet Old Rail’s shop, many adventurers surrounded this place. He patiently answered every inquiry, seeming to have endless energy.

Lin Mo strolled over slowly. Before he even entered, the enthusiastic shop owner waved to him, “Hello, traveler! How can I help you?”

“I’m just looking...” Lin Mo waved his hand, not used to such overly proactive service.

“Sure, take your time.”

Inside the shop, the shelves displayed rows of weapons, clearly more than Old Rail’s store. Groups of adventurers carefully examined the weapons; some were entire small teams.

“Evan, you’ve been using that sword for almost two years now, right? You made good money on the last mission. Why not consider getting a new one?”

The young man named Evan scratched his head and looked at his sword, which already had several notches, hesitating. “I think I’ll pass. Although it looks a bit worn, it’s still handy to use. Besides, I don’t have enough money to buy a good weapon. I’ll save up more...” He then turned to a short-haired girl in a bright green outfit beside him. “Miriam, do you like any of these weapons? If you don’t have enough, I can lend you some money.”

The girl named Miriam carefully examined the shelves in front of her, which displayed three rows of wooden bows of varying quality. Due to different materials, the prices varied greatly. The top row consisted of bows made from sturdy ironthorn wood, jet black and glossy, very beautiful, but priced at a hefty 5 gold coins! The middle row were white oak bows, completely white, also sturdy and durable, priced at 1 gold 80 silver. The bottom row were ordinary mulberry wood bows, the most common, priced at only 90 silver.

Miriam had been using a mulberry wood bow before. During the last mission, she was caught close by a goblin and tried to block its attack with the bow, which broke after a few hits. If Evan hadn’t rescued her in time, the next thing to break would probably have been her bones. Because of that traumatic experience, Miriam didn’t want to buy another ordinary mulberry wood bow. But the ironthorn bows on the top shelf were too expensive. 5 gold coins was simply out of reach for a Black Iron rank adventurer. The white oak bows in the middle were priced at 1 gold 80 silver, barely affordable.

She took out her coin pouch and counted the money, then looked at Evan. “Can you lend me 80 silver?”

“Of course!” Evan handed over the pouch without hesitation.

The team leader, a middle-aged knight named Bern, shook his head helplessly but wasn’t surprised. Everyone, including Miriam, could see Evan’s intentions clearly—one willing to give, one willing to take. Bern didn’t say anything.

Young people...

Lin Mo withdrew his gaze and looked at the weapons in front of him. Compared to Old Rail’s shop, the young dwarf’s forge indeed had some price advantage. The cheapest sword was only 40 silver, but such swords weren’t much better than Lin Mo’s broken one, so he didn’t consider them. The somewhat decent ones were priced around 1 gold, about 20 silver cheaper than Old Rail’s.

But...

[Beginner Sword]

Weapon Type: One-handed sword

Grade: Common (White)

Attributes: Durability -20%, Sturdiness -10%

Description: An ordinary one-handed sword. Due to the young blacksmith’s lack of patience and immature skills, it may not be very sturdy or durable.

Compared to Old Rail’s stable quality products, the young dwarf blacksmith Edgar still lacked some skill.

Lin Mo averted his gaze and looked at the top row. Compared to the middle row, the swords on the top were noticeably shinier. Not only the blades, but even the materials used for the hilts were different. The guard parts were carved with patterns symbolizing Edgar’s forge, clearly the owner’s pride.

Just based on this sword’s craftsmanship, it was no less than Old Rail’s finest products. But the price tag made Lin Mo hesitate not at all and quickly looked away. 3 gold 20 silver—he couldn’t afford it even if he sold everything.

Finally, he fixed his gaze on the swords in the middle row. Lin Mo carefully examined them one by one. To outsiders and even to Edgar himself, these swords didn’t look much different, but to Lin Mo, the differences were obvious.

“This one’s not bad...”

Eventually, Lin Mo settled on the sixth sword in this row. Durability +30%, Sturdiness +10%. It was the highest quality sword in this batch and the only one surpassing Old Rail’s workmanship. The price of 95 silver was acceptable; even if he bought it, he wouldn’t have to worry about lacking money for other supplies.

Just as Lin Mo was about to pick up the sword and try to bargain, a rough-looking half-orc adventurer suddenly walked in. “Boss, do you buy old weapons here?” He slapped a sword on the counter as he spoke. “This was picked up during my last adventure in a goblin nest. How much do you think it’s worth?”

Edgar didn’t mind the half-orc’s rough tone. He picked up the sword, examined it carefully, ran his hand along the blade, and shook his head. “The sword doesn’t look bad, but the craftsmanship is poor, the material is average, and it looks like it’s been used for a long time. If you want to sell it, I can only offer 50 silver.”

“Fifty silver is fifty silver!” The half-orc’s eyes lit up. He was glad to get some money; the price exceeded his expectations.

“Wait a moment...” Just as Edgar was about to pay, Lin Mo approached and said to the half-orc, “Since you’re selling it anyway, how about selling it to me? I’ll also offer 50 silver.” Then he turned to the young dwarf, “Boss, you don’t mind, do you?”

“No problem.” Edgar generously waved his hand. “Honestly, I don’t really want to take it. Refurbishing old weapons is troublesome. It’s better to forge a new one myself. If you want it, it’s yours.”

Lin Mo counted out fifty silver coins and handed them to the half-orc adventurer. “Thanks.” The half-orc happily took the money and left. Lin Mo picked up the sword and expressionlessly left the forge.

After walking a short distance and turning into a less crowded alley, he couldn’t help but take out the sword, eyes gleaming.

[Slightly Flawed Cleaving Sword]

Weapon Type: One-handed sword

Grade: Common (White)

Attributes: Durability -30%, Sturdiness -20%, Sharpness +10%

Hidden Attribute: Cleaving skill damage +5%

Without a doubt, Lin Mo had found a major bargain! The sword’s material was indeed average, as Edgar said, and the workmanship was not great. It overly pursued sharpness at the cost of durability and sturdiness. The dwarves’ eye for weapons was really precise. But the hidden attribute of the sword was not something visible on the surface!

Especially for low-quality weapons with less obvious enhancements, normally, you’d have to use it extensively and compare it to other weapons to notice. But Lin Mo was different; he had a system, and at a glance, he could see the hidden attribute of the weapon.

Although the sword had issues with durability and sturdiness, if used only temporarily, those problems didn’t matter. Instead, the 10% increase in sharpness made monster slaying easier. Plus, the percentage bonus to cleaving skills perfectly matched Lin Mo’s traits. At 50 silver, buying such a weapon was unquestionably a huge win.