Chapter 1-34 : Blacksmith Walter (part 1)
It’s been two days since I made a contract with Levy.
I logged into the game right after I got home from the university. My plan for today is to order a swimsuit at Lynette’s.
As soon as I spawned in Erst Town, I headed straight to her shop. By the way, I didn’t want to stand out, so I put Levy in the summoning stone for now.
「Lynette-san, yahoo~」(Alice)
「Nyahoo, Alice-chan…」(Lynette)
She waved her hand at me from behind the counter when I entered her shop, but she looked tired as always.
「Seems like you have been quite busy lately. Business going well?」(Alice)
「Too well-nya… Other players had found the best area to farm silkworms near the port town-nya.」(Lynette)
「Wait… Is it…」(Alice)
「Yeah, your and Ruka-chan’s hunting ground-nya.」(Lynette)
Ruka and I usually hunt spider-type monsters in the forest near the port town in the south. It seems to be the best spot to collect fiber materials, and many players other than us seem to have discovered it.
I heard Ruka had started to make money by hunting spider monsters and selling fiber materials she collected to Lynette recently. I hope she’s not upset about this.
「Anyway, because of that, I’ve received an overwhelming number of orders-nya. Mostly fiber armor-nya.」(Lynette)
「I see. That’s why you’re busy. But you could have turned down some people if it was too much for you, right?」(Alice)
「No way I could turn down money-nya!」(Lynette)
「Uhh…Right…」(Alice)
She loves money so much that she prefers to spend her time making money rather than resting.
I hope she won’t go overboard.
「So? How can I help you today-nya? Don’t tell me you found new material…」(Lynette)
「Oh? How did you know?」(Alice)
「Geh, so my hunch was true, huh? How could you keep finding new materials-nya?」(Lynette)
「I don’t know. I’m just lucky, I guess.」(Alice)
「*Sigh*… So? What do you have today-nya?」(Lynette)
「Behold!」(Alice)
I took out the Squidspider’s Thread, which I got from Mr. Squidspider, from my【Storage】and put it on the counter.
Lynette then picked it up and appraised it.
「Hmm, I see, I see… It’s elastic and durable underwater. I’ve never seen fiber material like this before-nya. You’re probably the first person who obtained it-nya.」(Lynette)
「You think so?」(Alice)
「I’m sure-nya. Where did you get it-nya?」(Lynette)
「Umm…」(Alice)
To be honest, I want to keep it a secret. I might cause trouble for the squidspiders if I reveal their location to other players. People would start hunting them.
「Well, you don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to-nya.」(Lynette)
「I’m sorry, Lynette-san. It’s not that I don’t trust you.」(Alice)
「No, I get it. You made a wise decision. You should keep it a secret. Sorry for asking-nya. Anyway, let’s get back to business. What do you want me to do with this super rare material-nya?」(Lynette)
That’s Lynette for you. She’s quick to understand the situation.
「I want you to make a swimsuit for me.」(Alice)
「Nya!? Swimsuit!?」(Lynette)
「Yeah, but…」(Alice)
After she gave me a weird reaction, she stuck her body forward and observed me from head to toe while muttering to herself.
「Hoo~ I see~ Hmm~ Nya nyaa~」(Lynette)
「Umm… Lynette-san?」(Alice)
「Ha…! I’m sorry. I got lost in thought-nya. Did you say something-nya?」(Lynette)
「I want to order a swimsuit, but you’re busy, right? I can come back another time when you’re not busy.」(Alice)
「No, no, no! I mean, yeah, I’m busy, but Alice-chan, you’re my friend, and I always have time for my friends-nya!」(Lynette)
「Are you sure?」(Alice)
「Of course-nya!」(Lynette)
She looked tired a moment ago, but now she looks so excited for some reason.
Does she want to make a swimsuit that badly?
「How much will it cost?」(Alice)
「Hold on a sec. I’ve never made a swimsuit before-nya.」(Lynette)
After replying to me, she started moving her hand, opening her game UI and checking something.
「Hmm… I see. I need to level up my【Blacksmithing】skill a bit, but it won’t be a problem. I think I can do it-nya.」(Lynette)
「That’s great.」(Alice)
「As for the cost, I’ll need a lot of animal skins, cotton, and linen, so… How about this much-nya?」(Lynette)
She raised all ten of her fingers and asked me.
「Teー Ten thousand!?」(Alice)
「Nyup.」(Lynette)
As usual, her offered price is expensive, but I still have some money from completing quests from the guild and selling tons of monster meat to the butcher yesterday.
「Uhh… Alright then.」(Alice)
「That’s Alice-chan for you! It’s so much easier doing business with you than Rin-chan nya!」(Lynette)
Ah, Rin always bargains too much after all.
「Oh, right. If you want to add an enhancement material, it will cost a bit more-nya.」(Lynette)
「No, I think it’s good as it is for now.」(Alice)
Enhancement materials are materials that can be added to armor.
A piece of armor only has defense power and a stat bonus by default, but with an enhancement material, you can give the armor a unique ability such as damage reduction, or similar other buffs.
「Roger-nya. Then, I’ll take the down payment. It’s half the price as usual-nya.」(Lynette)
「Alright.」(Alice)
「By the way, Alice-chan, you have ordered armor from me a few times, but I notice your weapon hasn’t changed-nya.」(Lynette)
「Yeah, I’ve been using this wakizashi since the beginning.」(Alice)
As I answered her question, I handed her 5000G as the down payment. She looked surprised by my answer.
「Geh. So it’s a beginner’s weapon, huh? Alice-chan, I suggest you buy a new weapon-nya. A beginner’s weapon won’t help you much against powerful monsters-nya.」(Lynette)
Now that she mentions it.
I’ve been relying on this wakizashi from the start, but recently, I feel like it’s too weak for me.
「Hmm… You’re right. Do you know where I can find a new weapon?」(Alice)
「I recommend you order a weapon from Walter-nya.」(Lynette)
「Walter… san?」(Alice)
「Yeah. He’s one of the top weapon-specialized blacksmiths in the game right now-nya. I heard he opened a shop in Ijard Town-nya.」(Lynette)
「Do you know his address? Ijard is a big town.」(Alice)
「I don’t know, but you can ask people there. They will tell you. Most people in that town know him-nya.」(Lynette)
「Is he famous?」(Alice)
「Of course, he is. He’s a skilled blacksmith who can make any weapon customers want-nya. You can visit me if you want new armor, but he’s the person you should visit if you need a weapon-nya.」(Lynette)
「I see. Thank you for the information. I think I’ll visit him now.」(Alice)
「Wait, before you see him, there’s something you should remember-nya.」(Lynette)
「Hm?」(Alice)
「There’s something you should say to him after he finishes your weapon-nya.」(Lynette)
「Like… “Thank you”?」(Alice)
「Haha! Yeah, that too, but, how should I put it… He’s a strange person-nya. After he hands you your new weapon, he will explain that weapon to you, and after that, you should say, “It’s perfect, Walter!”」(Lynette)
「Uhh, I’ll keep that in mind, but… what does it mean?」(Alice)
「I’m not really sure, but it seems like he pretends to be a character from anime or something-nya. 」(Lynette)
「Ah, I see. So he’s that kind of person, huh?」(Alice)
*/TL : I’ve added this explanation in ch 1-21. It’s an iconic line from Hellsing when the main character, Alucard, received a handgun called “The Jackal” from his butler named Walter.
「Well, you don’t necessarily have to say that, but if you say it, he will give you a discount.」(Lynette)
「I see. Alright. Thank you, Lynette-san. I’m going then.」(Alice)
「Roger-nya~ I’ll message you when your swimsuit is finished-nya~」(Lynette)
「Un.」(Alice)
I waved at Lynette and left her shop.
Alright. Let’s see this weird blacksmith in Ijard.
While wondering what kind of person I would meet, I headed to the portal.
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