Goblin Heavy Dependence

Chapter 297 Huge Sum of Money, Report, Price Inquiry
Anodized iron powder is the official name used worldwide for this special substance.

Among the many dwarf clans with ancient traditions, it also has another, even older and more awe-inspiring name—

"Fragments of the blazing sun".

Its origin, of course, lies in its exceptionally dazzling and radiant appearance.

In its normal state, anodized iron plating powder is an extremely fine powder with a faint luster, presenting an overall deep dark gold color, like a frozen twilight.

When subjected to violent impact, or stimulated by high temperature or magic, each particle in the powder will instantly burst forth with a brilliant golden-white light as intense as the midday sun.

Each time the forging hammer fell, it was as if it had struck a miniature sun, filling the room with blinding sunlight.

Yangli iron plating powder is not a naturally formed mineral, but is refined from a raw ore called "Yangli stone" through an ancient and complicated ritual.

Yangli stone typically forms only in extreme zones where elemental planes and material boundaries intersect, such as the lava core of a dangerous volcano, a vast magma pool deep underground, or an inextinguishable crater formed by an ancient meteorite impact...

This type of mineral, with its natural corona-like golden veins on the surface, is extremely rare on the market due to its extreme formation conditions.

To extract Yangli iron plating powder from it, a complex and rigorous magical ritual, akin to an arcane experiment, is required.

A high-ranking dwarven blacksmith, skilled in forging fire-elemental artifacts, offered his devout faith to the god of craftsmen and minerals at midday, when the sun was at its fiercest, atop a towering rock peak closest to the heavens and without any obstruction. Within a pre-arranged, expensive magic circle, he chanted ancient incantations, guiding the pure sunlight to strike the Sunstone, causing it to "photolytically dissolve" and melt away impurities, leaving behind an essence known as "Sun Shards."

This is the most basic and simplest process after countless years of optimization.

In ancient times, it might even have been necessary to perform a human sacrifice and blood burial.

Fortunately, the quantity that can be produced at one time is relatively large. Although it is rare, it is not so rare that it would cause a bloodbath if it were to circulate even slightly.

It is very rare on the market, but it does not completely disappear.

It's just extremely expensive; a bottle the size of a thumb is enough to bankrupt a seasoned professional.

As for the specific effects...

If its price is considered outrageous, being many times higher than that of gold of the same quality, it could also be a consumer trap created by merchants and nobles.

The fact that even the ancient dwarf clans, who are traditionally pragmatic and uphold the fine traditions of their ancestors, are willing to spend a great deal of time and manpower to set up "fancy" magic arrays for refining is enough to prove its value.

During forging, just a tiny pinch is sprinkled on it, and it can be perfectly integrated into the base metal, greatly eliminating minor imperfections inside the material, reducing the number of stress concentration points in the finished product, and giving it hardness and wear resistance close to the material's theoretical limit.

At the same time, the unique properties of anodized iron powder, which resemble the essence of the sun, can help the metal absorb excess energy and enhance its toughness when subjected to huge impacts.

It distributes heat evenly between the metal surface and the interior, preventing softening due to localized overheating. It is an excellent heat channel, especially suitable for forging equipment and weapons enchanted with fire, ice, or lightning attributes, efficiently conducting energy generated by magic.

All I can say is that Barn does have ideas.

Gray steel and [molten ash silver ingot], both belonging to the fire element metal materials, plus petrochemical condensate with a certain neutralizing effect.

Anodized iron powder is indeed the most suitable auxiliary material at present.

And there really was a small bottle of it in the blacksmith's shop.

Xia Nan also happened to be there.

Of course, it's impossible to use that many.

After repeated discussions with Barn, they finally determined the most suitable weight needed to reforge the decapitation sword:

9 grams.

It looks like quite a lot, about the weight of a quail egg.

However, considering the metal density of the anodic iron plating powder, it appears pitifully low on a visual level.

It wasn't even enough to fill a teaspoon.

To put it bluntly, the cream of mushroom soup probably contains even more pepper by comparison.

As for the price…

On the market, the average transaction price for one gram of cationic iron plating powder is 275 gold.

Of course, there is a premium.

The extreme rarity of this material, coupled with its exceptional efficacy in the forging process, makes it a highly sought-after commodity every time it enters the market.

They are mostly sold at auctions, with very few having a fixed price.

In response, Barn rounded down the price for Xia Nan:
270 gold/gram.

Adding up the nine grams, the total is 2430 gold.

In addition, there are auxiliary supplies needed during the forging process, including labor costs, and other miscellaneous expenses added up.

Barn gave him a slightly lower price and helped remove the extra numbers at the end of the order.

The total cost of reforging the decapitation sword came to a round number:
——3000 gold.

Yes, it's foreseeable that the green-skinned goblins in the Misty Forest are in for a big surprise.

Even though Xia Nan was already prepared when Barn explained the production process and effects of Yangli iron plating powder, when he heard this number come out of the other party's mouth with his own ears...

My heart still trembled.

In terms of calculation, I would have to kill more than 8,000 goblins to earn that much money.

Even if it's one head per second, it would still take more than two hours to chop them down.

If converted to the equivalent of white tit's cream of mushroom soup, it would be enough for me to drink three meals a day for over forty years.

In the end, Xia Nan didn't even dare to think about it anymore.

He just comforted himself with things like, "Money is meant to be spent," "Three thousand gold coins is a bit expensive, but I can earn it back quickly once I get the new weapon," and "I'll just kill a few more goblins."

...It hurts.

好在得益于之前几个任务的收益，与“石化蜥蜴”所做出的贡献，让夏南现在的身家达到了1435金9银7铜（存款852金+石化蜥蜴战利品素材583金）。

Once I complete the petrified lizard hunting quest from the association, and convert all the points into gold coins (not considering the points), I should be able to earn another 1000 gold coins.

Adding the two together, they are only a little over 500 gold coins short of the 3000 gold coins needed for reforging.

You don't need to take out a loan. Just grit your teeth and do a few more tasks. If you're lucky, you can save up in two or three months.

It's barely within an acceptable range.

After all, they were long-time clients. Barn and Xia Nan had cooperated many times and had established a deep level of trust between them.

Even though Xia Nan openly admitted that his financial resources were limited and that it might take some time to raise the money.

Barn readily accepted only 1000 gold coins as a deposit and began forging.

They said they would pay the balance after the finished product was ready.

If money is really tight, they might even agree to let Xia Nan delay payment for a while.

Xia Nan wasn't the type to like owing others anything, and seeing that Barn had made such a gesture, she had even less intention of owing anyone anything.

He stayed at the blacksmith's shop to discuss some details about reforging the longsword before taking his leave and heading straight to the Adventurers' Guild.

There are mainly three things.

First, I completed the hunting quest for the petrified lizard and received the 1,000 gold coins.
Second, he reported his discoveries in the forest about what appeared to be a demon/devil;
Third, find a few suitable bounty missions that pay quickly and work hard to earn money!

"...Mr. Xia Nan, we have received your task report and will check it for you as soon as possible."

"Your mission reward will be credited to your account no later than three days later."

On the second floor of the association building, in a small conference room.

The receptionist, "Jasmine," with her smooth, short blonde hair and pretty face, smiled and leaned slightly forward to report to Xia Nan, who was sitting across the table.

"Also, let me confirm with you again."

"Are you sure you want to exchange all your points for gold coins? After all, the exchange between points and gold coins is one-way; once you exchange them for gold coins, you can't exchange them back for points."

"confirm."

Xia Nan nodded slightly, her face expressionless.

But he couldn't help but mutter complaints to himself.

Points are certainly useful; they can be exchanged at the association's counter for various materials and classified information that are not available on the market.

But given my current financial situation, I naturally can't consider all that.

In order to make earning money a little easier later and avoid ending up in debt, I should convert all the task rewards into cash.

"Okay, Mr. Xia Nan, we will handle it for you as soon as possible."

Jasmine nodded repeatedly, her attitude friendly and not offensive.

"By the way, I made a discovery during this mission, and I might need to report it to the association."

Seeing that the entrusted matters were almost handled, Xia Nan took a sip of the tea that the other party had specially prepared for him and slowly spoke.

"You say."

As soon as she finished speaking, Jasmine's expression turned serious. She sat up straight and adopted a serious listening posture.

Having prepared his words beforehand, omitting some details that might reveal personal information, Xia Nan told the other party about the traces he had found in the petrified lizard's nest.

Unexpectedly, Jasmine's reaction seemed to be even stronger than he had anticipated.

Even his facial expressions seemed to be slipping out of control; the professional smile was gone, and his brows were slightly furrowed.

"So you guess it might be a demon from the abyss, or a devil from some level of the Nine Hells of Bato?"

“I feel there’s a high probability.” Xia Nan nodded slightly, giving the basis for his guess: “I encountered a Thorn Demon before, so I’m somewhat sensitive to its aura.”

"The remnants deep within the petrified lizard's lair have a very distinct sulfurous, acrid odor, causing even the magical particles in the air to become restless, and clear traces of negative energy can also be detected."

"In my memory, the only beings with similar characteristics are those evil spirits outside the material world."

Jasmine took Xia Nan's report very seriously.

He carefully recorded his findings and analysis in a document, and after finishing, he checked it several times before carefully closing the document and putting it aside.

"Please rest assured, I will report your findings to the higher-ups in full."

Seeing the blonde girl across the table so solemn, Xia Nan couldn't help but feel curious and tentatively asked:

"If I may disclose... what kind of confirmation measures do you plan to take?"

"of course can!"

A smile returned to her fair face as Jasmine responded warmly.

Compared to other organizations on the continent, such as various religious sects, brotherhoods, and societies, the Adventurers' Guild maintains a completely neutral stance.

Rather than an organization, it's more like a platform that serves adventurers.

Of course, there are core members who consider everything from the association's perspective, and they also possess corresponding armed forces.

However, in most cases, interaction with the outside world is mainly through the distribution of tasks.

"As is customary, we will set up timed investigation missions based on the intelligence and location you provide, and assign them to professional adventurer teams that have relevant experience, have cooperated many times, and have a solid relationship with you."

"Then, after confirming the specific situation based on the information obtained from their personal investigation, they will take further measures."

Gently stroking the earring beneath her short blonde hair, Jasmine focused intently as she explained things to Xia Nan.

"As you know, although our River Valley Town is remote and located on the border of the kingdom, it is the only major adventure town near the Misty Forest and bears a very important responsibility."

“We need to pay more attention to these kinds of evil spirits that exist outside the material world, like the ones you mentioned.”

If it were a demon, that would be fine. It is inherently chaotic and has no concept of good or evil. It only seeks to satisfy its own bloodlust. Perhaps when it first descends, it will cause great damage to the surrounding area.

However, the commotion it generates can quickly be detected by adventurers in the nearby area, who can then launch a targeted attack.

If it's a "devil" from the Nine Hells of Bathor, or even one of its nobles... then things will get a bit complicated.

After all, for these highly intelligent beings who are adept at using sweet talk to bewitch intelligent beings and tricking souls with hidden clauses in contracts, concealing their existence is an extremely simple matter.

Just like goblins, when you see a green-skinned goblin in a corner of the forest, it's very likely that the entire forest has already been filled with those dirty and ugly goblins.

When the traces left by a demon are discovered, it's possible that its secretly brewing plans have already come to an end without anyone noticing.

"Thank you again for reminding us, this is very important to us!"

Standing up, Jasmine bowed sincerely to Xia Nan in thanks.

"It's nothing, just something I did on the spur of the moment."

He waved his hand, indicating that it didn't have to come to that.

Xia Nan subconsciously thought to himself, "Isn't there some tangible reward? Even a few gold coins would be nice."

"Well, nothing else particularly noteworthy."

"Did you bring the mission booklet? I'll pick a few suitable ones to take on before heading back."

“I brought it with me!” Jasmine nodded repeatedly, deftly pulling out a thick stack of booklets from the documents on the table.

A feeling of admiration welled up in my heart.

No wonder he has already achieved a professional level at such a young age; Mr. Xia Nan is truly hardworking!

If it were me, having earned 1000 gold coins all at once, I would definitely rest in town for a few days before considering what to do next. I would never work as hard as the other person.

There's a reason why others can make a name for themselves in the town, while I'm just a lowly receptionist in the association.

A subtle ripple stirred within her, and Jasmine quietly watched Xia Nan flip through the mission manual.

Seeing that the other party had finished dealing with the important matters, and having a chance to speak, he said in a soft voice:
"Mr. Xia Nan, there is one more thing."

"The equipment you consigned with the association has received inquiries from adventurers these past few days. Would it be convenient for you to meet with them at some point to discuss the specific details?"

Oh?
The fishermen are here?
Xia Nan's heart stirred, and she looked up at Jasmine across from her.

"Which one, the stone spear?"

“It’s a flail, sir.”

(End of this chapter)