Deep in an alley behind the Vulcan Red House, the headquarters of the [Hephaestus Familia], a workshop with a chimney spewing hot air was operating in full swing.
“Clang— Clang— Clang—!”
The dull sound of iron-striking penetrated the thick bluestone walls and echoed in the alley.
Seeing the workshop door open, Fati politely raised his hand and knocked on the doorframe, not entering directly.
“Tsubaki, busy?”
“Oh?
Fati?”
A black-haired woman with dark skin, dressed in Far Eastern style clothing and standing only half a head shorter than Fati, heard his voice and put down the impressively heavy forging hammer in her hand.
She rose from beside the scorching furnace, looked at the black-haired youth at the door, grinned, and teased him unceremoniously:
“A rare visitor!
You stingy guy wouldn’t run over here for no reason.
What, did you get ‘educated’ by monsters in the Dungeon?”
Fati was long accustomed to this sarcastic greeting.
“Being stingy isn’t my fault, it’s because I’m poor!” He spread his hands with a calm face, “Otherwise, I wouldn’t have picked up the gear you made for practice using scrap materials back then.
Have some understanding.”
“Tch!” Tsubaki Collbrande put one hand on her hip in annoyance:
“Less lip.
Tell me, what do you want?”
That’s right, the woman in front of Fati was the famous [Cyclops], Tsubaki Collbrande.
Tsubaki Collbrande, Lv.4.
The Captain of the [Hephaestus Familia], she is a half-dwarf born of a Far Eastern human and a continental dwarf.
A woman with black hair, red eyes, and an eye patch over her left eye.
Besides being a top-tier blacksmith in Orario, she also possesses the strength of a second-tier Adventurer.
As far as Fati knew, every work that came from her hands was a masterpiece among masterpieces bearing the Hephaestus signature, easily selling for high prices of tens or even hundreds of millions of Valis.
The two of them meeting was also a coincidence.
At that time, Tsubaki Collbrande was still Lv.3 and was selling off the practice items she had forged using scrap materials at low prices.
By chance, Fati bought one of her works at a bargain price of 49,900.
Later, based on the signature on the equipment, the two became acquaintances through the back-and-forth of repairing and maintaining the gear.
“Don’t even get me started.
I ran into an [abnormal situation] in the Dungeon.
At one point, I practically saw my great-grandmother; I barely escaped with my life.
I really have to thank you for the armor, otherwise, things would have looked grim for me this time.”
Tsubaki waved her hand dismissively.
She took the bundle containing the battle-damaged armor from Fati, placed it on the workbench, opened it, and began inspecting the pieces one by one.
“Tsk, tsk.
So many scratches; the paint and coating have been ruined.
Whoa, this was left by a War Shadow’s hook claws, wasn’t it?” Her fingertip traced a deep claw mark.
As if struck by a thought, she looked up at Fati with a hint of surprise on her face.
“You actually went down to the 6th floor?
What’s going on?
Don’t you usually just hang around the 4th and 5th floors?
Getting cocky?”
“…”
Fati responded with an awkward smile.
“Whatever, you definitely have your own plans.”
Tsubaki stopped questioning him and picked up a torn gauntlet, examining it closely.
“With this kind of damage, are you sure it was a War Shadow from the 6th floor?
Not from the 11th or 12th?
This level of destructive power…” She frowned deeply, repeatedly assessing the extent of the damage to the gauntlet.
“Well, it was an [abnormal situation], so it’s reasonable for some unknown circumstances to occur,” Fati explained.
“Hmm, that is reasonable.” Tsubaki nodded and set down the gauntlet.
“Alright, leave the armor here and come pick it up in a few days.
The repair fee will be 30,000 Valis.”
Fati silently pulled out yesterday’s spoils and handed them over.
“See how much these materials are worth and deduct the fee from that.
By the way, help me look into this thing.” He pointed to one of the unique finger blades.
Glancing at the Drop Items], Tsubaki knew exactly what they were with her level of Experience.
“Three War Shadow Finger Blades].
The market purchase price is around 45,000 Valis.
These have good performance and are very popular, so they’re in high demand.
Our internal price is slightly higher; I’ll give you 50,000 for each, totaling 150,000.” After easily estimating the price, Tsubaki picked up the special material.
“This is also a war shadow finger blade?” Looking at the Drop Item in her hand that was both familiar and strange, Tsubaki frowned slightly.
Fati nodded silently and explained:
“This is a Drop Item from a War Shadow Special Individual.
Inspired by its effect, I named it the demon-breaking war shadow dagger.”
As he spoke, he informed Tsubaki of its abilities.
Upon hearing that this thing could actually cut through low-level magic, Tsubaki automatically ignored the fact that Fati could use magic.
Instead, her entire attention was focused on the demon-breaking war shadow dagger.
“Demon-breaking?
It actually has such a property?
Let me try.”
“Hey, dammit…
be careful.”
Watching her reckless behavior, Fati backed away repeatedly.
His small frame was no match for hers.
Tsubaki snatched up a damaged Magic Sword and gave it a casual swing, causing flames to roar out.
Holding the demon-breaking war shadow dagger, she made a light slash against the flames.
The next second, the flames were indeed easily sliced open!
As for the sparks splattered on her clothes and her slightly singed skin, she didn’t care at all.
For a high-level Adventurer and top-tier blacksmith like her, a magic attack of this level was truly no different from a gentle breeze against her face.
Fati watched from the side, clicking his tongue in secret, once again deeply realizing the Strength of a top-tier Adventurer.
“It does have a [Demon-breaking] effect,” Tsubaki said, shaking her hand with a hint of regret in her tone.
“Unfortunately, its performance is limited.
It’s still useful within the Lv.1 range, but any higher…”
Fati had long expected this result; after all, it was only a product of the 6th floor.
“Just tell me how much this thing is worth,” Fati said, getting straight to the point.
“Tsk, you’re really obsessed with money!
This is an unknown rare material…”
“How much?” Fati remained unmoved.
“…”
A vein popped on Tsubaki’s forehead as she gave him a fierce glare.
“Forget about forging it into a weapon or item; the Strength isn’t enough.
But based on its uniqueness, the research value is extremely high.
I think Goddess Hephaestus would be very interested.
Wait a moment, I’ll go get the Goddess to talk to you.”
“Goddess Hephaestus didn’t go to inspect the shops in the Tower of Babel today?
She’s at the headquarters?” Fati was somewhat surprised.
As the main deity of a super-large commercial Familia, the Hephaestus Familia’s shops were spread all over Orario.
The weapons they forged circulated throughout the entire continent via merchant guilds, nobles, and Adventurers.
Anyone interested in equipment hoped to own a weapon signed by [Hephaestus]; it was both a display of Strength and a symbol of status.
This Goddess was not someone those pleasure-seeking gods could compare to.
Relying on her Familia’s formidable Strength and importance, her prestige and influence stood at the top of the pyramid among the countless Familias in the Labyrinth City Orario.
She looked down upon a multitude of gods and Familias, being a major figure ranked near the top of the entire city.
“Isn’t it because the Dark Faction is causing trouble again?
For Goddess Hephaestus’s safety, everyone in the Familia temporarily adjusted her schedule.”
“I see,” Fati nodded in understanding.
It seemed the Dark Faction’s actions were indeed straining the nerves of the entire city…
Not long after, Tsubaki returned.
After all, the workshop was located in the back alley of the headquarters.
Accompanying her was a figure with a dignified aura.
She had slightly curly short crimson hair, and her left eye was covered by her signature eyepatch.
She wore a simple white top with black trousers and over-the-knee black high-heeled leather boots.
Goddess Hephaestus possessed a blend of a superior’s majesty and a deity’s unique transcendence, forming a distinct and powerful presence.
“Greetings, Goddess Hephaestus.” Fati immediately stood up, placed a hand over his chest, and bowed slightly in respect.
“Fati, is it?
I’ve heard Tsubaki mention you.
The boy who was lucky enough to pick up one of Tsubaki’s works at a bargain.” Hephaestus’s gaze fell upon him, her voice calm yet possessing a piercing quality that seemed to see through everything.
“Uh…” Fati gave a helpless smile.
“You might not believe it, but after that bargain, I haven’t seen a single Drop Item for two whole months.”
Hearing this, Hephaestus’s lips curled into a faint smile.
“Alright, let’s get down to business.
I’ve looked at that finger blade; it indeed possesses extremely high research value.”
Her expression became serious:
“It’s fortunate that such a terrifying demon-breaking attribute fell into our hands.
If the Dark Faction were to obtain and utilize it, it would be a huge threat to the entire city, especially for lower-level Mages.”
The Goddess of Forging paused and gave a price that nearly made Fati stop breathing:
“30 million Valis.
Or, if you don’t want gold coins, I will allow you to customize a piece of equipment within this price range.
How about it?”
“!!!!!”