I'm not a Witcher anymore.

Back in town, Zig went straight into the weapons shop.

The steel sword had two small nicks on its blade from the last battle, and the short sword wasn't much better off—that's the problem with ordinary iron; its durability is limited, and it has to be sent away to be maintained after each battle.

As for the bow, he's been using the hardwood warbow for a while now and it's time to replace it. The arrows also need to be replenished.

Push open the shop door.

The sounds of metal clashing and the friction of a whetstone reached my ears.

The weapon shop still exudes that unique metallic scent, mixed with the heat of the furnace and the smell of sword oil.

Various weapons were hanging on the wall:

Longswords, short swords, battle axes, warhammers, spears, daggers...

Arrows, crossbow bolts, and armor parts were neatly arranged on the shelves.

A furnace was burning fiercely in the corner, and a burly blacksmith apprentice was hammering away, sparks flying everywhere.

Joel, the weapon shop owner behind the counter, looked up, saw Sieg, and his eyes lit up:

"Welcome, sir. Is there anything I can help you with?"

Zieg placed the steel sword and two short swords on the counter.

"Please repair these three swords for me."

Joel picked up the steel sword, examined it carefully, and then looked at the short sword.

"The nick on the blade isn't very deep; resharpening and quenching it once will restore it to its original condition."

He placed the sharp blade steadily across the sturdy wooden countertop.

"This will probably take about three hours. If you're not in a hurry, you can spend some time in the shop; the items on the walls might catch your eye."

Zieg nodded slightly, turned around, and his boots made a steady, rhythmic sound on the wooden floor covered with fine charcoal dust as he walked straight toward the wall covered with various bows and arrows of different lengths.

A few minutes later, he pointed to one of the yew longbows, which was dark red and emitted a faint scent of resin.

Then, he turned around, met Joel's questioning gaze, and spoke calmly:

"Besides this bow, I also need a thousand long arrows made of tough ash wood and swan feathers, plus two hundred armor-piercing heavy arrows that can penetrate thick armor."

The rhythmic hammering sounds in the blacksmith's shop seemed to freeze for a moment.

Joel's smile gradually froze. He remained leaning forward, picking at his ears with some suspicion, as if to confirm whether he had misheard the numbers.

"One thousand long arrows...two hundred heavy arrows."

Joel repeated it in a low voice, his voice dry and hoarse.

"Sir, what you've ordered is enough to fill a light carriage. In this border town, apart from the lord's armory, no one would make purchases like this. I'll have to use up all my inventory and even have my apprentices work overtime through the night..."

"Price is not a problem, as long as the quality is up to standard." Zig didn't offer any further explanation, but simply took out 20 gold coins and casually placed them on the counter.

The crisp sound of the gold coins clinking together instantly snapped Joel back to reality.

He put 13 of the gold coins into the money box, took out 4 silver coins and placed them on the counter, then pushed them back to Zig along with the remaining 7 gold coins on the counter.

"As you wish, sir." Joel's hesitation vanished, his tone becoming steady. "All the arrows will be ready for you before sunset. I will personally oversee the selection of the bolts for the armor-piercing heavy arrows."

Zig nodded, swept the change into his palm, and put it back into the heavy leather pouch at his waist.

Having done all this, he turned around and prepared to leave, intending to return in a few hours to retrieve his weapon.

The sound of forging continued in the shop.

The blacksmith apprentice was clearly unaware of what had just happened; he simply kept his head down, hammering away at his work, sparks flying in clusters in the dim furnace light.

Joel stood behind the counter, watching Zieg's back, his fingers unconsciously tracing the edge of the counter.

Having been in business for over twenty years, he had seen all sorts of customers. Some were so poor they couldn't afford to eat and would buy on credit, while others were so generous they would casually tip, haggling until they were red in the face, and still others would spend a fortune but still calculate every penny.

But Joel had never seen anyone like this before—saying out those numbers with such a calm expression as if he were just ordering a plate of barbecue.

He thought for a moment.

"Please wait a moment, sir."

Zieg stopped and turned around steadily, his gaze as deep and unfathomable as a lake, quietly waiting for the other to continue.

Joel emerged from behind the counter, walking quickly but deliberately keeping his voice down.

He glanced quickly at the apprentice still swinging his hammer in the corner, making sure the heavy clanging of metal was enough to drown out their whispers.

"Actually... I have an extremely urgent personal matter that I would like to ask for your assistance with."

"I have a shipment that I need to pick up from the Undead Settlement." He hesitated for a moment, "but that trade route... as you probably know, is far from safe."

"Of course, you won't be disappointed with the compensation!" He patted his chest, his tone sincere. "You can rest assured about that. I've been in this business for over twenty years, and I never shortchange my partners."

Zieg didn't speak, but a knowing glint flashed in his eyes.

Although the border town is remote, it is still within the sphere of influence of the kingdom's laws. In the more remote wilderness, in those uncivilized areas that even tax collectors and judges are unwilling to set foot in, there are scattered gray camps on the fringes of civilization.

The "Undead Settlement" is one of the most notorious of them all.

There are no lords, no laws, only the most primitive law of the jungle.

Those gathered there were mostly remnants of society expelled from the mainstream—fugitives on death row, desperate bankrupts, disgraced nobles, and outright outlaws.

There are many theories about the origin of its name. Some say it was once a place of calamity, plagued by the spirits of the dead;

Some jokingly say that the people there are already dead in a social sense; they have lost their names and pasts, and live like walking corpses, which is why they are called immortal.

But regardless of the rumors, they all indicate that it was a lawless place where someone could slit your throat at any moment.

The only reason Joel was willing to venture into that dark place was the extremely high profits.

"There is a high-quality iron mine nearby."

Joel spread out his calloused hands and frankly revealed the truth.

"Because it's not under the kingdom's control, the price of raw ore there is incredibly low. As long as you can transport the ore back to town, even after deducting the cost of hiring adventurers, it's still much more profitable than buying it from Water City."

"I know that bandits and unknown monsters lurk on that road, so I never take the risk myself. But if you are willing to accept this escort contract, I will offer a reward equal to the weight of gold coins."

He straightened up, his tone revealing both a businessman's shrewdness and awe of power:

"A customer who can buy a thousand ash wood long arrows and two hundred armor-piercing heavy arrows without batting an eye must not be afraid of the risks on that road. I believe this is just a well-paid, ordinary commission for you."