Chapter 2-1 : Apprentice-Made Equipment (part 2)
As I looked around the shop, I noticed that some weapons had abstract-looking patterns engraved on their handles.
When I grabbed one of them and looked closely at its engraving, the clerk who also seemed to be the owner of the shop approached me and explained.
「Did you notice it? The weapons that have those engravings are the weapons made by blacksmith apprentices.」(clerk)
「I see. So apprentices made these.」(Kako)
「Yup. See the weapons in those barrels? They’re all made by apprentices. I also put some on those shelves.」(clerk)
The clerk pointed at the barrels and the shelves on the edge of the room.
Now that he mentions it, I notice all the weapons in the barrels have the engravings.
「So, these weird-looking patterns are some kind of mark indicating that the weapons are made by apprentices. I see.」(Kako)
「Correct.」(clerk)
「Umm… If you could tell which ones were made by apprentices, wouldn’t you avoid buying them? Their quality is not as good as the ones made by professionals, right?」(Kako)
「That’s right, but they are much cheaper. Well, if you’re a high-ranked adventurer who has a lot of money, of course, you should avoid buying them, but if you’re a beginner, I would recommend you buy them. Although they’re made by apprentices, their quality is not that bad. As a beginner adventurer, you can use them to clear easy quests until you save up enough money to buy the ones made by professionals.」(clerk)
「I see. That makes sense. Surely there are people who prefer to buy the cheaper ones.」(Kako)
「Right? Apprentices can earn money if their weapons sell, so they put all their heart into making them.」(clerk)
Not only can you gain experience from practicing but you can also make money out of it. That’s not bad.
「Well, as a matter of course, not all apprentices are fast learners. Some of them are really not good at blacksmithing and can only produce poor-quality weapons. The weapons they made are extremely cheap, but I wouldn’t recommend you buy them to fight monsters. It’s not worth risking your life just to save a few gold coins. If you want to fight monsters, especially the high-ranked ones, you should use the high-quality weapons made by professionals.」(clerk)
I know how terrifying it is to be attacked by monsters, so I totally agree with him.
「By the way, did you notice that the patterns engraved in these weapons are different from each other?」(clerk)
「Ah, now that you mention it.」(Kako)
「Every apprentice has their own pattern. This way, you can tell which one has the best talent.」(clerk)
「So, it’s like some kind of competition?」(Kako)
「Yeah, you can say that. People who usually buy apprentices-made weapons will test them first. If they found the weapon they bought was poorly made, they wouldn’t buy another weapon with the same engraving, but if it was of good quality, they would keep buying the weapons with the same engraving.」(clerk)
「I see.」(Kako)
That’s good for customers.
If you accidentally buy a poor-quality weapon made by a bad blacksmith apprentice, you won’t have to worry about buying another one made by the same person.
Well, it doesn’t matter for the people who can appraise items like me since we can easily tell if they’re poorly made or not.
「Apprentices whose weapons sold the most will most likely become great blacksmiths in the future. Because of that, they will be given preferential treatment and the right to make a contract with a shop while they’re still young.」(clerk)
So that’s how the competition works.
Now I’m interested in buying these apprentice-made weapons.
「Alright. I think I’ll buy some of these weapons.」(Kako)
「That’s great! Would you like me to help you choose?」(clerk)
「No, it’s alright. I want to choose myself.」(Kako)
「Understood. Please take your time.」(clerk)
After saying that, the clerk returned to the counter, leaving me and Nyat alone.
「Hmm~ I wonder which ones I’ll buy~」(Kako)
「Buying for another experiment-nya?」(Nyat)
「Yup~」(Kako)
Nyat sighed and shook his head when I replied to him. I wonder why.
Is he worrying about something?
Anyway, since I might use them, I think I will buy some daggers. I can only use daggers after all.
I approached the barrels filled with weapons lined by the wall and looked for daggers.
There were so many daggers with different shapes and sizes.
「Hoo~ They have so many selections! I think I’m gonna take this one, this one, this oneー Um, Nyat, can you help me hold them?」(Kako)
「This is too many-nya.」(Nyat)
「Yeah, but don’t worry. I have money.」(Kako)
「That’s not what I mean-nya.」(Nyat)
After choosing the goods randomly, Nyat and I went to the counter.
「I’d like to buy these, please.」(Kako)
「Hold on… All of them…?」(clerk)
The clerk was surprised when Nyat and I lined all the weapons on the counter.
「Yup. They’re cheap, right?」(Kako)
「They are, but… Do you even need this many? ーAh, never mind. I shouldn’t ask what would you do with them. Please wait while I’m counting.」(clerk)
The clerk took the goods one by one and started counting.
While he was doing that, my gaze fixated on a dagger lying in a wooden box next to the counter.
「Hm? This dagger…」(Kako)
I took it and looked at it closely.
It looks normal. Nothing special about it, but it piqued my interest for some reason.
I wonder what this strange feeling is…
「Oh? Do you like it?」(clerk)
「Umm… I don’t know. It somehow got my attention.」(Kako)
「I see. Young lady, let me tell you. That kind of feeling is important.」(clerk)
「What do you mean?」(Kako)
「When people are looking for weapons, they sometimes come across the one that makes them think, “This is the one!”」(clerk)
Ah, I think I understand what he means.
「Alright. I’ll buy this one too.」(Kako)
「Thank you very much!」(clerk)
I bought quite a lot of weapons, but I can reduce their number and improve their quality with my Synthesis Skill later.
Oh, right! I need to buy one more thing!
「Sir, would you sell me some iron as well?」(Kako)
I have only synthesized finished products such as armor, shields, and daggers, but I haven’t synthesized any raw materials like iron, so I want to try it.
「I’m sorry, Young Lady, but that’s not possible.」(clerk)
「You don’t sell it here?」(Kako)
「No, I normally sell iron, but this is not the right time to sell it. I don’t have enough stock to sell to customers right now because all the blacksmiths in this village are looking for it.」(clerk)
Hmm… I wonder if they have to make something that requires a lot of iron…
「I see. That’s too bad. Well then, I’ll just take these weapons then. Thank you.」(Kako)
「Thank you for your patronage, Young Lady.」(clerk)
After paying for the goods, Nyat and I left the shop.
I like how that clerk calls me ‘Young Lady’ instead of ‘Little Lady’. I’m giving this shop a five-star rating just for that.
Anyway, we should look for an inn.
This is a small village but adventurers often come to visit, so they should have an inn, right?
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