Goblin Heavy Dependence

Chapter 193 Corrosion-Tone Steel, Plate Chain Composite Armor
"Ding."

The fingertips gently tapped the surface of the bone armor on the thigh, producing a crisp sound that was smoother than metal.

Xia Nan stood still, his outward expression showing little emotion, but inwardly he felt extremely satisfied with this first enchanted piece of equipment that he had obtained through "legitimate means"—using gold coins and materials to customize it at the blacksmith's shop.

Although it's not cheap, it boasts excellent defensive capabilities, and the accompanying affixes are quite useful. Furthermore, it doesn't overlap with the positioning of other equipment on your character, so there's no need to replace it.

These 500 gold coins are definitely worth it.

Before him, he was informed of the extra effects of the leg guards and thanked Xia Nan quite solemnly.

Barn, whose physique was as massive as a small mountain of flesh, squatted on the ground without a care for his image.

He carefully examined the details of the leg armor, as if trying to discern with his naked eye the reason for the additional changes in the equipment.

His extensive forging experience, combined with the inherited knowledge from the dwarven "Steelbeard" clan, seemed to have actually given him a clue.

With Xia Nan's clear and detailed description, countless possible variations flashed through his mind.

After closing time, you can try them one by one on the cutting board in the back room.

"By the way, you've already been to the second floor of the association, right?"

As if remembering something, Barn shifted his gaze from the leg guards to Xia Nan, whose aura had become more solid, and asked.

"Yes." Xia Nan nodded. "I came from over there."

For professionals in River Valley, the second floor of the association is almost a must-visit place, and there's nothing to hide.

"There are many good materials that can be exchanged on the second floor of the Adventurers' Guild."

Barn stood up and used his thick, radish-like fingers to untangle the two tangled braids.

"For example, some special metals, or materials from rare monsters."

"If you ever need equipment in the future, such as armor or magical trinkets, and you can't find suitable items on the market..."

He glanced at Xia Nan's thin shirt, and his expression became somewhat subtle again.

"Cough cough."

"If you trust me, you can place an order at 'Rockhammer'. I will provide a list of the materials you need, and you can just redeem them accordingly."

"After all, many of the materials in the association are very expensive outside, and some are even impossible to buy."

"It's very convenient to redeem with points."

"I have many customers who change their materials on the second floor and then come back to me to make equipment."

Xia Nan naturally trusted the middle-aged, burly man in front of him who claimed to have dwarf blood.

Given his personality, it's like when he first arrived in the world, he had his first sumptuous dinner at the White Tit, and thereafter he ate all his meals there.

Unless there was some misunderstanding between them, or the equipment they bought had some abnormal quality problem, he would have gotten used to making purchases at the "Rockhammer" blacksmith shop.

There's no such thing as trustworthy or untrustworthy.

No words were spoken.

He simply smiled and pointed to the two longswords on his back, then waved the arm shield on his left forearm at Barn.

The decapitation sword was the first weapon he bought at the Rockhammer shop, and the scabbard for the wooden sword [Green Pine] was also custom-made by the shop owner.

Needless to say, the snake scale arm shield was something the two of them had discussed for a long time about what kind of equipment to make with that snake scale.

Almost all of his equipment came from "Rockhammer," which is enough to show his trust in the other party.

Clearly, Barn understood what Xia Nan was trying to say.

As a blacksmith, the fact that his work was recognized by the users made this man, who had always upheld the dwarven forging tradition, burst into hearty laughter.

They said they would give Xia Nan two more sets of maintenance tools suitable for bone equipment as a gift.

In the midst of their conversation, he suddenly sighed again.

A look of regret appeared on his face.

"It's a pity that the material of the bone club doesn't match the snake scale on your arm shield. They can't be made together."

"Otherwise, with the defensive strength of the scales, combined with bones, we should be able to make a piece of equipment of very good quality."

At the beginning, after Xia Nan killed the Redmane Bear Goblin in the promotion battle, he originally wanted to use its weapon, the bone club, as a supplementary material for the snake scales to upgrade the temporary arm shield in his hand.

However, after Barn tested them, he found that the two materials were not suitable and that forcibly combining them would only produce negative effects, which led to the current leg armor.

"It's alright, this kind of opportunity will come sooner or later, just let nature take its course."

Xia Nan didn't have any particular thoughts about this. He waved his hand and simply followed the topic by asking another question.

"So, for this scale I have, if I really want to upgrade it into a magical equipment, what type of auxiliary material would be most suitable?"

"Give me a few examples so I can have some reference when I go out to do missions."

Hearing him say that, Barn's vast knowledge left him with almost no time to pause and think, and a long list of names came out of his mouth.

"Deep-sea molten crystals, tree iron unique to the Nanger region, snow vine platinum, and smoked rock from near a volcano that is over a thousand years old..."

"There are too many that can be matched, but they are relatively rare in River Valley Town, or rather in Panyun Province. When they do appear on the market, they are all bought up by high-level professionals, and very few end up in my hands."

"You can also keep an eye out on the second floor. If you see something on the redemption list that you're unsure about, write it down and ask me. You might just find it."

Xia Nan knew absolutely nothing about these special materials. He simply nodded to indicate that he would remember them, thinking that he would go up to the second floor again after finishing everything today to see if there were any suitable materials.

Just now, I only briefly toured the place with Jasmine, listened to her general explanation of the functions of each room on the second floor, and glanced at the quest board, but didn't check the exchange list in detail, so...

Wait!
Xia Nan's expression suddenly froze. The time was too short, and the fragments of memory that had not yet been drawn into the depths of his mind surfaced before him with a flash of inspiration.

"This is the quest wall on the second floor of the association... In addition to gold coins, quest rewards usually include points, and you can adjust the ratio as you like... Some quests may have other rewards as well, if you want..."

His gaze drifted towards the task bar, accompanied by Jasmine's clear, crisp voice explaining.

[Mission ID]: E-20279
[Type]: Survey
【award】:
30-300金/1-10积分/200g骸蚀纹钢
[Task Summary]:
According to adventurers, there are suspected signs of beastmen activity in the eastern part of the Misty Forest, near its interior.

Interested adventurers are welcome to investigate. Upon verification, the association will award a quest reward based on the completeness and accuracy of the information obtained.

(For teams of four or more only)

[Time Limit]: 180 days

……

"Wave-patterned steel..."

Muttering to himself, Xia Nan suddenly snapped back to reality.

He called out to Barn, who was heading to the back room to get his free gift, and asked:

"Does the Corrosion Steel match the scale on my body?"

Upon hearing this, Barn was stunned for a moment before realizing what he meant and nodded several times.

"Of course!"

"This metal is usually found in ancient battlefield ruins or iron ore layers that have been eroded by the power of the undead."

"Its density is much higher than that of ordinary steel, but its ductility and malleability are far superior to others, and its defensive strength is equally outstanding."

"As long as the ominous smell caused by the humic acid from years of erosion in the ground can be removed, that's not a problem for me; it's a very good material."

"This material is used when making some high-grade equipment. I have some forging experience before."

Barn’s words carried the confidence characteristic of a seasoned blacksmith.

“If you can actually get your hands on 150 grams of Corrosion Steel, no, just 120 grams, I can completely upgrade the arm shield you have.”

"Its quality and strength might... no, it's definitely higher than [Bone-Binding Iron Legs]."

Upon hearing this, Xia Nan's heart stirred.

Leg armor is already a green-grade item with three stats; if it were of a higher grade, then...

Blue gear, even purple gear!? But the [Serpent Scale Arm Shield], even in its current "temporary" transitional state, already possesses two overpowered attributes: "Highly Resilient" and "+300% Corrosion Damage Resistance," simply based on the defensive performance and characteristics of serpent scales themselves.

If we were to use it as the main material to create a proper magical equipment.

Without a doubt, Xia Nan's actual combat strength will experience an explosive and significant increase.

This task seems to be absolutely necessary.

I've already made up my mind.

Of course, some necessary preparations are essential before officially accepting a commission and venturing out on an adventure.

Just like now.

I can't possibly go out to work wearing just this shirt.

He needs to buy a suitable set of armor.

As for this, Barn had already made a recommendation when Xia Nanfang had just arrived at the Rockhammer Blacksmith Shop.

……

【Plate Chain Composite Armor (Maranweave Steel)】

Type: Armor

Level: Common (White)
effect:

+5% Fire Resistance

+3% Slash Damage Resistance

+3% piercing damage resistance

Introduction:

The plate chain composite armor made of Marant steel, with its excellent material and superb forging process, gives it good defensive performance.

Remarks:

"Good armor is like an old horse: calm and composed. When hit by an arrow, it will paw off the ground a couple of times, but it will still carry you to the battlefield the next day."

—The Broken Warrior, the Shield Wall, and the "Veteran" Adema
……

This is a cold, hard armor made of metal plates and chains.

The thick iron plate, with its sharp lines and gleaming cold light, extends from the collarbone to the upper abdomen. The edges are double-fixed with rivets and buckles, and the honeycomb-like iron rings fill the remaining gaps, making a crisp sound when they rub and collide.

Unlike traditional heavy plate armor, this set of armor, like the chainmail shirt Xia Nan wore before, does not cover the whole body, but only the upper body.

Furthermore, the main body is also composed of relatively lightweight metal rings.

However, the chest, back, and both shoulders were covered with a thick layer of iron plates.

While maintaining overall flexibility, it significantly enhances the protection capabilities for critical areas.

Perhaps it's because Barn's aesthetic sense is similar to Xia Nan's.

This plate and chainmail armor, forged by him personally, also perfectly suited Xia Nan's taste in terms of overall style.

On the one hand, the entire set has no superfluous decorations, and while it is not flashy, it seems to have come down from the battlefield, giving people a simple, serious and practical feeling.

On the other hand, the combination and collision of metals, the ingenious combination of slats and buckles, and the overall smooth lines give it a unique aesthetic appeal.

The material of the Marant steel gives the armor a darker color, a matte, frosted gray-black.

Even under the blazing sunlight outside, it only reflects a blurry and faint glimmer on its surface.

"He's really handsome."

Xia Nan secretly praised him in his heart.

With Barn's help, he put on the armor.

Upon closer inspection, the overall weight is heavier than the previous combination of chainmail and light leather armor.

However, it is far less heavy than heavy plate armor.

It's entirely within his tolerance range, and with his current physical condition, he won't be affected in either combat or daily activities.

Even though the armor is heavier than before, thanks to its excellent weight distribution design, its overall flexibility has been significantly improved.

The only drawback is that, due to the composite structure of the armor itself, it is no longer possible to wear multiple pieces of equipment together as before.

"How's the defensive performance?" Xia Nan asked Barn, feeling the solid texture on his skin. "Which is better, leather armor with chainmail over it?"

"Of course, it's what you're wearing right now."

Barn answered confidently.

"Whether it's the slats or the buckles, they are all made of Maran steel, without any moisture, and their defensive strength is much higher than that of ordinary armor."

"I had to pull some strings to get this batch of steel from Newam. It was sold out in just a few days. If I had contacted them later, I might not have been able to buy even this one piece of material."

That makes it very simple.

It boasts enhanced defensive capabilities, greater flexibility, a more aesthetically pleasing appearance, and even several additional attributes on its attribute panel.

It is leading in all aspects.

For Xia Nan, the only thing left to consider regarding whether or not to buy this piece of armor is—

"how much is it?"

"The original price was 365 gold. We agreed before that all purchases today would be 30% off, and we'll round it down to the nearest cent."

"255 gold, this armor is yours."

Xia Nan felt a little dizzy.

After all, his net worth, including his bank savings, is only a little over 500 gold coins.

Just one piece of equipment costs half the price...

No, no!
Money can be earned again anytime. It's only a little over two hundred gold. Since I'm a lone wolf, I don't need to share the money with anyone else. I can earn it back in just a few missions.

You only have one life.

If spending a little money can increase your survival rate by 20% or 30%, it's totally worth it!

Xia Nan is never stingy when it comes to investing in himself.

"That's it."

Xia Nan's fingers trembled almost imperceptibly, but her expression remained unchanged as she calmly replied.

"Don't worry, you should know the quality of our 'Rock Hammer'."

“Absolutely excellent value for money.”

As the business opened, a warm smile appeared on Barn's face.

"I'll give you another six months of free maintenance. Once your mission is over, come straight to me..."

He paused suddenly, as if he had thought of something, halfway through his sentence.

The way he looked at Xia Nan was somewhat subtle.

"This time, the free maintenance... I guess I'll be able to use it, right?"

Xia Nan couldn't guarantee that either.

He simply patted the iron plate in front of his chest, feeling the hardness in his palm and the muffled thud that followed.

"Maybe?"

(End of this chapter)