Goblin Heavy Dependence

Chapter 296 Yangli Iron Plating Powder

Upon returning to River Valley Town, Xia Nan's most important first task...

Naturally, one should go to the White Tit Tavern and have a bowl of fragrant, steaming hot cream of mushroom soup.

As the sweet and creamy broth, infused with the delicate aroma of chopped mushrooms, lingers on the tongue and travels down the throat, warmth spreads throughout the body.

Xia Nan finally felt the reality that the mission was over.

He didn't waste much time; after sitting in the tavern for only about twenty minutes, he got up again and headed to the town's various general stores and herbal shops to process the spoils and materials he had collected during this short trip.

The most precious petrified glands, derived from the back of the lizard's head, are reserved for "Rockhammer" Barn to be used for reforging the decapitation sword; naturally, they cannot be sold for money.

Thanks to Xia Nan's swift and decisive actions in dealing with the petrified lizard, its heart and stomach were removed without suffering any additional damage that could affect their value.

I originally intended to sell it to the association, since I had just checked a few days ago when I left town and found that the association was in dire need of this type of material and was offering a very high buyback price.

However, to their surprise, after carefully comparing prices from multiple shops, they found that the prices offered by the town's merchants were much higher than those offered by the association.

Since it's all about selling anyway, and the association won't provide any extra points to redeem, Xia Nan, after comparing prices from different vendors, naturally chose the one offering the highest price.

Ultimately, the petrified lizard's heart and stomach were sold together to Ms. Edwina of the "Grass Cauldron".

This plump, gentle lady with long curly hair was generous with her gold coins for the materials urgently needed in the shop.

After only a slight touch on the frameless glasses on the bridge of his nose, and judging that the material was intact and of excellent quality, he generously offered the highest price in the entire town:

525 gold!
You should know that when I customized the [Bone-Binding Iron Greaves] leg armor at Rockhammer, I only spent about this much money, excluding the main materials.

Without a doubt, this was a tremendous boost to his nearly depleted savings.

Xia Nan is not good at bargaining, but his excellent perception allows him to keenly detect the other party's hidden emotional fluctuations, thus judging whether he has been deceived or ripped off.

Since he had some prior knowledge of the prices of the relevant materials and had compared prices from various shops, he didn't haggle much with the other party during the transaction, and the whole process went very smoothly.

This put Ms. Edwina in a very good mood.

Seeing that he was still carrying two large bags of petrified lizard bones, he simply waved his hand and took them all for him.

The offer was equally fair.

Even though Xia Nan didn't carry many bones, and even with Adeline's assistance, he only brought back a few complete large bones that were relatively hard and of high quality.

They still offered a buyback price of 58 gold.

It's equivalent to a whole bottle of treatment medicine.

525+58.

In total, this mission yielded Xia Nan a reward of 583 gold coins from the loot materials.

If we could bring back a whole petrified lizard, it could fetch nearly four figures.

This made Xia Nan even more eager for the legendary spatial storage items.

I wonder when I'll be able to own such a piece of equipment.

It doesn't need to be too big; just enough to hold a few cubic meters of stuff would be very convenient for him.

The fact that the materials from the petrified lizard could fetch such a high price far exceeded Xia Nan's expectations.

But at the same time, he knew perfectly well that this was not the norm.

Just like monsters of the same challenge level, their actual combat abilities may differ due to various factors.

Not all creatures with a challenge level of "3" have materials that can be sold for this many gold coins.

The reason why materials related to the petrified lizard are so expensive is that 90% of the reason is its special ability of "petrifying gaze".

It is related to the glands in the back of the brain, the heart, the stomach, and even the bones.

Even if you brought over a owl bear, sliced ​​it up, and sold it as sashimi, you wouldn't make this much money.

On the other hand, it is also because petrified lizards are mostly found in high mountain areas or dark underground regions.

It is quite rare to find such an area around a misty forest.

Naturally, the price of the corresponding materials also rose due to their scarcity, much higher than that of materials of the same level.

That's how Xia Nan got this good deal.

If we switch to Yanying City or Qiancui Peak, even halving the current price would be an exaggeration.

It's worth mentioning that he had researched the relevant information before the mission and knew that the petrified lizard did not contain toxins and was an edible monster.

On the way back, Xia Nan took advantage of the time when they set up camp that night to try roasting a few pieces of lizard meat.

As for the taste…

It can only be described as having a texture similar to chicken, but with very little fat and moisture. When you bite into it, it's even drier than the firmest chicken breast. Without proper seasoning, it's almost no different from chewing tree bark.

However, it's also possible that his approach was flawed, since the book he had previously researched mentioned that in a remote area of ​​the southern continent, there was a specialty dish made from the meat of petrified lizards.

If I have the chance to pass by in the future, I can try it.

Walking along the bustling streets of River Valley Town, Xia Nan pondered these thoughts.

Before they knew it, they had arrived at the very familiar "Rock Hammer" blacksmith shop.

The crisp sound of a forging hammer striking an anvil filled his ears. He tightened his backpack behind him and stepped through the gate.

……

Barn, the dwarf with a reddish-brown braid, recognized Xia Nan the moment he saw his face.

The gaze immediately shifted to the plate chainmail armor he was wearing on his upper body.

With an indescribable look in his eyes, he checked it several times.

Only after decades of forging experience determined that the armor had no obvious damage did they visibly breathe a sigh of relief.

"Why did you return from this mission so early? Did you encounter any unexpected situations along the way?"

He casually picked up a piece of burlap from under the counter, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and asked with a relaxed expression.

"I was lucky; I ran into the lizard as soon as I arrived at the target area." Xia Nan shook his head slightly and took out a small wooden box from his backpack. "This is a gland I took from the back of its head. See if you can use it."

He took it with both hands, and Barn's expression immediately became focused.

Gently place the box on the counter and carefully open it.

He didn't touch it with his hands, but instead used his eyes, which were narrowed due to intense concentration, to carefully observe the small, palm-sized petrified gland in the box. Its edges were grayish-white, and its body was dark purple.

After a moment, he closed the lid again and slowly nodded, saying:

"The integrity is very good, and the quality can be described as excellent. Based on the amount of condensate in the glands of this level, it is definitely enough for recasting."

"Don't worry, just hand the things over to me."

"If I mess it up, I won't take a single penny; I'll give you the whole thing as compensation."

With the final piece of the puzzle for reforging the decapitation sword complete, Barn appeared very confident.

Xia Nan simply waved his hand, indicating that the other party should just do what was planned and not feel too much pressure. He trusted this excellent blacksmith who had worked with him many times before.

"Speaking of which, there's something else I need to discuss with you and confirm."

As if remembering something, Barn beckoned to Xia Nan and led him to the inner room behind the shop.

He pulled out the drawing that was laid out on top of the thick, solid wood table and unfolded it in front of Xia Nan. What came into view was a forging drawing that was not colored, but simply outlined with intricate lines, with dense supplementary notes filling the blank spaces beside it.

It was clearly modified many times, with visible traces of alteration on the surface of the drawing.

However, it is still possible to tell that this should be a long sword.

A heavy sword with a completely different design from the decapitation sword, longer and more slender.

With so many precious materials consumed, the forging of enchanted equipment cannot be accomplished overnight.

Before the forging process can even begin, it requires repeated discussions.

From the approximate grade of the finished product to the length and weight of the blade, and even the texture of the handle surface, Barn would carefully communicate and confirm each item with Xia Nan.

Now, according to the information Xia Nan has obtained.

This will be a longsword tailored to his fighting style, combining sharpness with suitability for his highly mobile combat.

The specific enchantment details are yet to be determined, but in all aspects it will definitely be stronger than the Decapitation Sword.

Regarding the grade, he had subtly inquired with Barn. The other party might not have a concept of "white equipment" or "green equipment," but clearly indicated that it was at least on par with [Netherscale Guardian].

That would be at least a "rare" level blue item, and if you're lucky, it might even go up to purple "rare".

"So... is there a problem with the forging process?"

Seeing that Barn had specially led him into the inner room, looking very serious and solemn.

Xia Nan's face showed no obvious change in expression, but his heart tightened involuntarily, and he asked.

"No, no, no, although I haven't officially started the process yet, I've already studied the compatibility of the various materials and the control of the heat during forging. There won't be any problems in this regard."

Seeing that Xia Nan might have misunderstood him, Barn quickly added.

Then he pointed to the blueprints and explained them in detail to the black-haired youth in front of him:

"The main materials for this longsword have been determined: gray steel from Flame Forging Peak and a special silver ingot in molten form that you provided."

"Then add the petrified lizard's glandular fluid as a blending agent, and use that wooden staff as a handle."

"This is something we've already discussed, and it won't change, right?"

Seeing Xia Nan nod, Barn continued speaking.

"The problem mainly lies in the auxiliary materials."

According to "Rockhammer" Barn, considering the special properties of gray steel and molten silver ingots being filled with fire elements, he planned to add some "molten ash" from the dwarven clan as an auxiliary material. This would fully utilize the characteristics of the two metals, infusing the flames into the longsword itself, and the finished product might have a constant additional fire damage effect.

That's certainly a good idea. The other party had also communicated with Xia Nan about their idea, and he agreed.

But a few days ago, after Barn discovered a hunting quest for the "petrified lizard" on the second floor of the association, his thoughts changed.

The mucus from the petrified lizard's glands can perfectly neutralize the elemental conflict between silver ingots and gray steel. It is a fusion of two materials with similar properties that compensate for each other's shortcomings and achieve a "1+1 greater than 2" effect.

In this case, if "molten ash" is used as the main auxiliary material, it will certainly not produce any side effects, and the effect may even be better because of the petrochemical condensate.

But it is no longer the most perfect choice.

"Anodized iron plating powder!"

Barn's excitement was almost overflowing; the inspiration that emerged during the forging process was even more exhilarating than the gold coins in the display case.

“I plan to replace the original ‘molten ash’ with ‘anodized iron plating powder’ as the main auxiliary material during recasting.”

"The specific elemental changes that occur are very complex and difficult to explain in a short time. If you are interested, we can discuss them in detail later."

"In short, if petrochemical condensate can be used as a neutralizer, 'anodic iron plating powder' will become the best auxiliary material for this longsword."

"It can provide the finished product with very good toughness and thermal conductivity, and fully bring out the fire element inside the two materials, gray steel and molten silver ingot. If you are lucky, it is not impossible to upgrade the equipment grade to another level."

Having understood what the other party meant, Xia Nan looked thoughtful and asked:
"Do you have this so-called 'anodic iron plating powder' in stock in your store?"

“Yes!” Barn nodded vigorously, his braid swaying with it. “And plenty.”

As soon as he finished speaking, his expression suddenly shifted from the excitement of gaining inspiration to something somewhat awkward.

"But that's where the problem lies, which is why I specifically asked you to come and discuss this with me."

"The price of cationic iron plating powder... well, it might be a bit high and will exceed the budget we discussed earlier."

really……

Xia Nan felt helpless. He had already guessed this when the other party explained the superior properties of "Yangli Iron Plating Powder".

As I predicted, things are exactly as they are now.

In summary, it's actually quite simple.

Both options use the same main materials, but the auxiliary materials differ.

The first option is to use the "molten ash" that was previously discussed.

The advantage is that it is relatively inexpensive and compatible with the two metals used as the main materials, and the effect is no weaker than before the decision to use petrochemical coagulant.

The downside is that the quality of the finished product will definitely be worse than the latter option.

The second method uses the "cationic iron powder" proposed by Barn.

The advantage is that, under the neutralization of petrochemical condensate, the properties of silver ingots and gray steel can be perfectly utilized, allowing the reforged longsword to obtain better performance and significantly improve its quality.

As for the drawbacks... the only drawback of this kind of thing is that it's "expensive".

Seeing Xia Nan deep in thought, Barn couldn't help but feel a little apologetic.

A blacksmith, a skilled blacksmith from the dwarven clan who considers forging the most important thing in his life.

All his considerations throughout the process were based on how to utilize existing materials to forge a superior piece of equipment of higher quality.

When one is completely immersed in forging, it is easy to overlook some realities and fail to consider issues from the other party's perspective.

"How about we use 'molten ash'? It's a pretty good material too..."

The burly man spoke with a caution that seemed out of place with his appearance.

But before he could finish speaking, Xia Nan interrupted him.

"Use anodic iron powder for plating."

It may be a little expensive, but Xia Nan is usually quite frugal when it comes to money, especially when it comes to his equipment.

What's more, it's a main battle weapon that's destined to be with you day and night, relying on each other in adventures and battles, and even more trustworthy than teammates.

Even if it means emptying his pockets, he has to make the best and most top-notch product in one go.

Even a one percent improvement is worth the money he's willing to pay.

"Quote a price."

Xia Nan raised his head slightly and looked at the tall blacksmith in front of him.

If it's really too expensive...

Then we'll just have to suffer the goblins in the forest.

(End of this chapter)