Goblin Heavy Dependence

Chapter 225 Armor Repair and Suggestions for Handling [Tidal Drawbar]

Rock Hammer Blacksmith Shop.

The shop owner, Barn, stood behind the counter, staring at the black-haired youth in front of him.

This middle-aged man, who claimed to have dwarven blood, was six feet nine inches tall and had a physique even more robust and muscular than the average goblin.

The expression on his face looked somewhat strange at that moment.

It wasn't the surprise at Xia Nan's extremely high scrap rate that I had in the past, nor was it a doubt about the quality of the equipment I had forged.

Rather, it was a complex expression of "This is how it should be," or "It's finally here."

The plate chainmail armor made of "Maran steel" offers far superior defense and durability compared to ordinary equipment.

Thanks to Barn's exceptional forging skills and the outstanding properties of the materials themselves, the equipment even possesses slight resistance to "slashing", "piercing" and "fire".

During the month and a half that the Seathorn Squad spent there, despite experiencing many battles, they remained in remarkably good condition, allowing Xia Nan's not-so-skilled skincare techniques to improve.

During this time, he visited the blacksmith's shop several times and naturally had some exchanges with Barn.

Whenever the other person talks about the plate chainmail armor they are wearing, they always seem to have something to say but then stop.

Now, as Xia Nan returns to Rockhammer Blacksmith Shop once again, wearing his armor, which bears deep claw marks on the chest and is almost torn apart.

Barn finally revealed a strange sense of relief.

It was somewhat similar to the expression on his face when Veris, who had been secretly suspected by Xia Nan, finally took action against him.

"How is it? Can it be fixed?"

Xia Nan took off his plate chainmail and handed it to the other person.

"If it will seriously affect the defensive performance, then forget it, I'll just replace it with a new one."

With a relaxed expression, Barn gripped the shoulder guards of his armor with both hands, his gaze carefully examining the damaged area on the surface of the iron plate on his chest.

After a moment's thought, he slowly opened his mouth again:
"The damage is mainly concentrated in the chest area, while the other areas are in good condition."

"All you need to do is replace the plate armor on your chest. It's not a big deal, and you don't need to get a new one."

"The shop happens to have some Marantz steel in stock, so there's no need to worry about a decrease in its defensive performance."

Upon hearing this, Xia Nan breathed a sigh of relief.

With the mountain of "beastification syndrome" weighing on his shoulders, and given his current economic situation, he simply couldn't scrape together a few hundred more gold coins to purchase equipment.

If it can be repaired, that would be the best.

"It will probably take a few days to fix, and there are also repair costs..."

“Five days should be enough.” Since they were all old acquaintances, Barn didn’t waste any words. He put the armor under the counter, didn’t look up, and said directly, “The cost of the steel plus some labor fees… I’ll charge you 45 gold. Just give it to me when you finish repairing and deliver the goods.”

Xia Nan nodded slightly.

For most ordinary adventurers in the town, 45 gold is a considerable expense.

However, considering that the original price of his plate chainmail armor was as high as 365 gold, a major overhaul would cost one-eighth of the original price in gold, which was acceptable.

Perhaps it's because of the anticipated expense of 500 gold for a magic scroll that he's become somewhat sensitive to gold coins.

The gold coins I just got from the "Green Grass Cauldron" had barely warmed my hands before they were gone again, and I couldn't help but feel a little heartbroken.

As for the five-day repair time mentioned by the other party, I had planned to recuperate in the town for a while after the mission was completed, and at the same time, I had to wait for the settlement of the investigation mission and the association commission that he had just issued to recruit spellcasters.

There's no need for combat, so it doesn't really matter.

"What about the leg armor? Is there anything that needs repairing?" Barn's gaze swept over Xia Nan's [Bone-Binding Iron Greaves].

“No, it’s very sturdy.” Xia Nan shook his head. “Although it looks like it’s made of bone, its defensive capabilities are much stronger than those of ordinary metals.”

“Magical equipment is indeed not so easily damaged.” Barn gently stroked his carefully braided beard. “But if it is seriously damaged, it is much more difficult to repair than ordinary equipment. Even if it is repaired, it is not certain whether it will still have the original equipment effect.”

Xia Nan made a mental note of this, intending to pay more attention to this aspect in the future, so as not to add any further expenses to her already meager life.

But upon reflection, it becomes clear that in the heat of intense battle, it's nearly impossible to maintain constant awareness of one's equipment.

If one's leg armor or body armor is ever severely damaged, it means that it has taken the damage for the body that should have been the one to suffer the attack.

If we sacrifice our physical health to save on equipment repair costs, then we're putting the cart before the horse.

With a barely perceptible shake of his head to clear his mind, Xia Nan took out the two daggers belonging to Veris from his backpack and placed them on the counter.

"And this, I'd like you to give me an estimate."

Besides repairing his armor, another important reason he came to the Rockhammer blacksmith shop was to have Barn deal with some of the equipment he had acquired during the quest.

With outstanding professional skills, Barn gripped the dagger by the handle, held it in his hand, and weighed it lightly.

Having handled countless weapons and possessing an incredibly wide range of forging experience, coupled with the knowledge passed down from an ancient dwarven clan, this burly blacksmith enjoys a renowned reputation in River Valley.

With just his naked eyes and basic physical senses, he made a precise judgment about the two short daggers:

"The color is dark, the texture is dense, the surface is exceptionally smooth and the texture is light, which are the standard characteristics of metals produced in the dark areas of Panyun Province."

"The blade is straight and sharp, the angles are precise and consistent, and the hardness is evenly distributed. Hmm, pragmatism."

"It must be a high-quality, standardized weapon mass-produced by a skilled craftsman from the Underdark, a product of pursuing maximum efficiency at the lowest cost."

Barn's rough fingertips traced the blade under the heat of the furnace and the molten iron, his expression focused.

"Although there are some signs of negative energy erosion, the overall condition is quite good, and it can be put on the market for sale after a little repair."

"Overall, they are two ordinary pieces of equipment of above-average quality."

"How much do you want to sell it for? Name your price." Barn looked up at Xia Nan in front of him.

"Uh... just name your price, and if it's right, I'll sell it to you directly."

Xia Nan was unaware of the market value of these equipment items, and because the dagger was secondhand, the buyback price at the blacksmith's shop would be significantly discounted—a rule also recorded in the Adventurer's Handbook.

Having worked with Barn for a long time, and having even ordered a piece of magical equipment from his shop, he knew Barn's character well and chose to hand over the initiative to him.

“We’re all acquaintances, so I’ll be frank. After I take these two daggers back from you, I’ll definitely make a profit on the cost of repairs and maintenance.”

"How about thirty-five gold coins in total?"

"Forty gold coins?" Xia Nan bargained slightly.

"Thirty-seven gold pieces, that's the most."

"make a deal."

The dagger itself was just a plain piece of equipment without any special effects. Its forging craftsmanship and quality were even inferior to some of the finer items on the rock hammer shelf. After being recycled and discounted, it could still be sold for nearly forty gold, which Xia Nan was already very satisfied with.

He put away the money bag containing gold coins, and in front of Barn, he took the stone spear wrapped in coarse cloth that was tied behind his back into his hand.

After removing the disguise, place it on the table with both hands.

Almost the instant Xia Nan tore off the coarse cloth, revealing the spearhead to the air.

It was clear that Barn's eyes lit up and his face showed great surprise.

"Magic equipment?" He asked, his deep voice unconsciously lowering. Seeing Xia Nan nod, he stepped out from behind the counter and closed the shop door.

Then he led Xia Nan into the inner room.

Only after obtaining the other party's consent did he hold the stone spear in both hands and examine it carefully.

His cautious demeanor contrasted sharply with his muscular, robust physique.

"Has it been tested? Do you know its specific effects?"

Xia Nan hesitated for a moment, but after thinking it over, he decided not to deliberately hide the information and told the other party the detailed attributes of the [Tidal Surge Rod] on the panel.

The fact that he took the stone spear to the blacksmith's shop already indicated that he intended to sell it.

If someone tries to cheat or be cunning, they might deliberately conceal the limitations of the equipment and only point out its special effects.

Leaving aside whether Barn, who is always extremely serious about equipment and has outstanding professional skills, would notice anything strange about it, or whether he would test the equipment's effects.

Given their familiar relationship and Xia Nan's own character, he would not have committed such a despicable act.

Moreover, barring any unforeseen circumstances, he will undoubtedly continue to cooperate deeply with Barn, including on equipment repair and the Serpent Scale Arm Shield.

There's no need to antagonize the other party over this one piece of white-quality equipment.

Even if a deal with Barn is not ultimately reached, Barn's experience as a blacksmith shop owner should be able to offer some advice on pricing and sales channels.

"I see... That does cause some trouble."

After hearing from Xia Nan that the stone spear required a prolonged stab to a whale-like creature to be effective, Barn showed no sign of disdain.

Instead, he stroked his beard and began to think seriously.

"However, enchanted equipment with clear effects will not be affected by the loot discount."

"If you can actually sell them, it should be enough for you to buy two sets of armor."

"Although I don't know what you're thinking, I can offer you a few solutions if needed."

Xia Nan was naturally eager to hear the details.

"First, send it to the Adventurers' Guild."

For magical equipment with special attributes, the association has a special recycling service that can be exchanged for gold coins and a certain amount of limited points.

Of course, the price won't be too high; it'll be about average.

"Alternatively, you can place your stone spear on consignment with the association and wait for someone in need to contact you to purchase it."

If someone actively seeks to buy, there is definitely room for negotiation on the price, but the waiting time will be relatively long.

It's common for enchanted equipment with no special features to remain untouched in the guild list for two or three years.

Meanwhile, if the transaction is successful, the association will charge a percentage of the transaction price as a commission, which is an additional expense.

"The second solution is to hand it over to a third-party auction house and put it on the market for interested customers to bid on."

Undoubtedly, this approach allows sellers to reap the greatest profits from magical equipment with outstanding effects.

Of course, compared to associations, these third-party auction houses certainly differ in terms of security and stability.

Without thorough investigation, it's not entirely impossible for unreliable small organizations to simply abscond with the equipment or reveal the seller's identity to unscrupulous individuals.

"Then, there's the last option."

"Sell the equipment in a blacksmith shop like mine."

Similar to the association, you can choose to sell directly or keep it on consignment at the blacksmith's shop.

However, due to the size of the blacksmith shop itself and the nature of individual operation, it also suffers from the instability of auction houses. Potential buyers are only consumers in the blacksmith shop, and the number and exposure are far less than those of the association.

Of course, the prices and fees are definitely more affordable compared to the association.

“Let’s put it that way.” Barn’s gaze swept over the wave-like engravings on the surface of the [Tidal Lure Rod], his attitude sincere.

"If you urgently need money, you can sell this equipment to me. The price will definitely be 10% to 20% higher than if you sell it back to the association. As for its safety, as long as you trust me, there won't be any problems."

"If you're not in a rush to monetize your equipment, I strongly suggest you put this stone spear on consignment at the Adventurers' Guild."

"Although its usage conditions are somewhat tricky, its effects are very unique. Some adventurers who live by the sea or have special professional needs may be interested in it."

"If you find the right buyer, you might be able to sell it for a price you can't imagine."

Barn was telling the truth.

He had no intention of using his and Xia Nan's identities to acquire the magical equipment cheaply.

Instead, he offered several useful suggestions from Xia Nan's perspective, based on practical considerations.

As for the reason... it's actually the same as the reason Xia Nan didn't hide the attributes of the stone spear earlier.

Personality plays a part, but another reason is that maintaining good relationships is essential for future gains.

After all, Xia Nan's equipment was mostly bought from his shop. As the requirements for equipment and the level of consumption gradually increased, the degree of damage also reflected the increase in the intensity of the battle.

It is worthwhile for him to maintain a close friendship with Xia Nan, and even to engage in some investment activities.

Barn's exceptionally practical advice gave Xia Nan pause for thought.

Do I need money?
That is indeed lacking.

Is the shortage so severe that it necessitates using the [Tidal Surge Lure] to liquidate at a discount?

That's not the case either.

The scattered loot from this mission, combined with my savings, was enough to cover the cost of a "Remove Curse" spell scroll and the repair costs for my plate and chainmail armor.

After eliminating the hidden dangers on his body, whether he was clearing out goblin lairs or doing other tasks, his strength allowed him to make money quickly.

With his lone wolf efficiency, he could earn back several hundred gold coins in just a few months.

There's no need to waste the remaining value of the [Tidal Surge Lure Rod] for such a small amount of money. Keep it on consignment with the association; you might be able to make a big profit later.

After some thought, Xia Nan had already made up her mind.

"Thank you so much for your suggestion. I really didn't know there were so many ways to handle this."

Barn didn't care at all when he learned that Xia Nan planned to send the stone spear to the association for consignment.

They even gave him a piece of cotton cloth to wrap the stone spear and helped him pack it up.

"Oh right, besides these two, there's also this..."

In front of Barn, Xia Nan rummaged through his backpack for a while.

He handed the broken yew staff, which came from Mint, to the other person.

"Ok?"

(End of this chapter)