Golden Abacus stood in the smithy's doorway, all smiles.
His eyes went first to the Spiderweave Irongrip Gloves in Lu Tiechen's hands.
Lu Tiechen hadn't equipped them.
He was only Level 4, and the gloves required Level 5.
That did nothing to stop Golden Abacus from recognizing their value.
The black-gray plates fitted tightly together. Fine spiderweave lined the palms, while the joints left plenty of freedom for the fingers.
Even without checking the stats, he could tell they were no ordinary piece of equipment.
Besides, the players in the smithy had all seen that unmistakable green quality notification.
Uncommon.
Green equipment.
Golden Abacus's eyes shone as if he had discovered a gold mine.
"Brother Lu, you didn't answer my friend request, so I had to come find you myself."
Lu Tiechen put the gloves away and glanced at him.
"I was busy."
"Of course, of course." Golden Abacus waved it off with a smile. "Experts have things to do."
The players nearby immediately pricked up their ears.
Many had seen Golden Abacus offer 50 Silver Coins for the Sharp Iron Sword at the village entrance.
After Azure Edge Bladesman snatched it away for 1 Gold Coin, they had assumed Golden Abacus would be angry at losing out.
Instead, he had followed the seller straight to the smithy.
Ignoring their stares, Golden Abacus lowered his voice. "Brother Lu, could we talk somewhere quieter?"
Lu Tiechen considered it, then nodded.
They moved into a corner.
Leaning by the furnace, Tie Shan glanced over but said nothing.
Golden Abacus got straight to the point.
"You forged that Sharp Iron Sword yourself, didn't you?"
Lu Tiechen didn't answer.
Unfazed, Golden Abacus continued, "It's fine if you don't want to say. I'd already guessed. You came out of the smithy to sell it, you had a better weapon on you, and now you've made green gloves here. It would be quite a coincidence if they were all quest rewards."
Lu Tiechen looked at him.
"What are you getting at?"
"A partnership."
Golden Abacus's smile faded a little. His tone grew serious.
"I source materials, find buyers, and negotiate prices. You make the equipment. Once it sells, we split the proceeds."
Lu Tiechen didn't speak immediately.
The fact that Golden Abacus had sought him out so quickly showed a merchant's eye for opportunity.
Age of the Ancient Gods had only just launched. Equipment was scarce, and demand was enormous.
Lu Tiechen knew he could make gear. He also knew he couldn't spend all his time advertising, buying materials, and looking for customers.
He needed to level.
He needed to farm materials.
Having someone else handle transactions would save him considerable trouble.
But partnership also carried risks.
Especially a long-term one.
If someone else controlled his sales channels, his prices, and his supply of materials, even the best forging skill would leave him dependent on them.
He thought of the Lu Family Smithy in the real world.
His grandfather, Lu Shanhai, always said a blacksmith needed more than the ability to work iron. He had to know what his materials were worth—and what his skill was worth.
Otherwise, people would bring him cheap materials and have him make cheap goods for the rest of his life, while he congratulated himself on having work.
Lu Tiechen looked at Golden Abacus.
"What's the split?"
Golden Abacus perked up.
"I get the materials and find the buyers. You provide the craftsmanship. Once the finished equipment sells, we split the profit fifty-fifty."
The corner of the smithy went quiet for a moment.
"Who pays for the materials?" Lu Tiechen asked.
"Me, of course," Golden Abacus replied at once. "I supply them, and I cover anything lost in failed attempts. All you have to do is forge."
That was a fairly sincere offer.
No blacksmith could produce good equipment every time.
Even if Lu Tiechen was confident, material losses were unavoidable.
Golden Abacus continued, "I can pay a crafting fee up front, too. For every piece you make, I'll pay a fixed amount whether it sells or not. Then we split the profit after the sale."
Lu Tiechen wasn't won over.
"Exclusive?" he asked.
Golden Abacus paused, then smiled. "If possible, I'd certainly prefer that."
Lu Tiechen shook his head.
"No."
Golden Abacus wasn't surprised.
Someone with real ability wouldn't tie himself down easily.
Especially someone like Lu Tiechen, who could make green equipment this early in the game.
Golden Abacus thought for a moment. "Then no exclusivity. But if the terms are equal, could I at least have first refusal?"
Lu Tiechen still didn't agree immediately.
"A few more conditions."
"Go ahead."
"First, no binding arrangement. Every order is settled separately."
Golden Abacus nodded.
"Fine."
"Second, you supply the materials and cover losses from failed attempts."
"No problem."
"Third, I set the minimum sale price."
Golden Abacus hesitated.
This was the crucial point.
A supplier interfering with prices was the last thing a merchant wanted.
But he also understood that Lu Tiechen wasn't an ordinary crafter.
If he pushed the price too low, Lu Tiechen could simply work with someone else.
Golden Abacus smiled.
"You set the minimum. I negotiate the final price. We split whatever comes in above the minimum according to our agreed ratio."
Lu Tiechen thought it over.
"Fine."
"Fourth."
Golden Abacus looked at him at once.
"Once you hand over the materials, any leftovers are mine to use as I like." New chapters come out on g.com first.
Golden Abacus blinked.
"Leftovers?"
"Say you give me five sets of materials, and I only use four. The remaining set belongs to me."
It didn't sound unreasonable.
But Golden Abacus quickly saw the catch.
Ordinary blacksmiths failed often. They tended to run short of materials, not have any left.
If Lu Tiechen had a high success rate and used materials efficiently, though, those leftovers could become a substantial source of income.
Golden Abacus didn't refuse.
Instead, he smiled.
"Fine."
Lu Tiechen was a little surprised.
Golden Abacus spread his hands.
"I make money moving goods, not cornering people."
He sounded perfectly frank.
"If you can save materials, that's your skill. What I want is a steady equipment supply. I'm not here to nickel-and-dime you over scraps."
That improved Lu Tiechen's opinion of him a little.
At least the man was smart.
A smart merchant wasn't necessarily trustworthy, but he was worth trying to work with.
Lu Tiechen nodded.
"We can try one order."
Golden Abacus immediately broke into a smile.
"That's what I was waiting to hear."
He opened his inventory and took out several sets of materials at once.
[Low-Grade Iron Ore] ×5
[Common Iron Stock] ×3
[Boar Hide] ×2
[Fanged Hound Tooth] ×2
Along with them came 10 Silver Coins.
"Materials and crafting fee for the first order," Golden Abacus said. "I want a shortsword for an Assassin or another Agility-based class. Decent Attack, preferably light. A bleeding effect would be even better."
Lu Tiechen studied the materials.
None was particularly good.
But the combination had potential.
Fanged Hound teeth could sharpen the cutting edge.
Boar Hide could wrap the handle for a steadier grip.
Low-Grade Iron Ore and Common Iron Stock would form the body.
Handled properly, they could certainly make a light shortsword.
As for bleeding...
Lu Tiechen thought for a moment, then took a little residual fluid from a Damaged Venom Sac in his inventory.
Golden Abacus's eyes lit up.
"What's that?"
"Material from Spider Cave."
Golden Abacus understood at once and asked no further questions.
Lu Tiechen arranged the materials on the anvil and took out his Blackmarked Forging Hammer.
Golden Abacus's gaze shifted again when he saw it.
He hadn't noticed before.
Only now did he realize that Lu Tiechen's hammer also carried the sheen of green equipment.
A green crafting tool?
Just how far ahead was this man?
Lu Tiechen paid no attention to what he might be thinking.
He put the Low-Grade Iron Ore and Common Iron Stock into the furnace.
This time, the goal was clear.
A shortsword.
Light.
Fast.
Suited to an Assassin.
The blade couldn't be too thick, and its balance couldn't sit too far forward.
Embedding whole Fanged Hound teeth would weaken the blade's structure.
Better to grind them into fine powder and work it into the edge to improve its sharpness.
As for the Damaged Venom Sac, he could use only a little.
Too much would destabilize the metal and might even make the blade brittle.
The heat was right.
Lu Tiechen lifted the metal out with his tongs.
The Blackmarked Forging Hammer fell.
Clang!
This strike was steadier than before.
With the new hammer, he found hard materials much easier to control.
As its face came down, the impurities inside the iron were gradually forced toward the edges.
Every few blows, he sprinkled a little tooth powder along the cutting edge, then returned the metal to the furnace.
Golden Abacus watched without blinking.
He wasn't a blacksmith. The technical details were beyond him.
But he understood the other players' reactions.
They had been busy with their own forging. Now almost all of them had stopped.
Someone whispered, "There he goes again."
"What's he making this time?"
"A shortsword, I think."
"Did that merchant order something custom?"
Custom.
The word made Golden Abacus's heart skip a beat.
Exactly.
That was the opportunity he had seen.
Ordinary equipment trading meant selling drops.
You sold whatever you found.
Whether its stats were good was down to luck.
Lu Tiechen was different.
He seemed genuinely capable of making equipment to meet a need.
If that was true, its value was on another level.
Lu Tiechen sold the ability to choose what it would do.
The shortsword gradually took shape.
This time, Lu Tiechen wasn't aiming for weight. He drew the blade narrower and its edge thinner.
For the final quench, he mixed a tiny amount of fluid from the Damaged Venom Sac into the water.
Hiss!
The rising white steam carried a faint green tint.
Golden Abacus held his breath.
Lu Tiechen lifted out the blade and began the finishing work.
Hone the edge.
Wrap the grip.
Set the balance.
A little later, a shortsword rested on the anvil.
Its blade was short, its edge carrying a faint gray-white sheen. Boar Hide wrapped the handle, promising a secure grip.
System notifications appeared.
[Forging complete.]
[Forging Score: 84]
[Targeted forging based on class requirements detected.]
[High-quality manual forging completed. Special assessment triggered.]
[You have obtained: Hound-Fang Shortsword.]
[Quality: Common (White)]
[Required Level: 4]
[Attack: 11–17]
[Agility +1]
[Durability: 38/38]
[Additional Effect: Rend] Hitting a target's weak point inflicts an additional 5 bleeding damage for 3 seconds.
White equipment.
Not green.
But Golden Abacus's eyes were already shining.
This Hound-Fang Shortsword was perfect for an Assassin.
Attack 11–17, Agility +1, and bleeding on weak-point hits.
It might be only white, but its practical value was no worse than an ordinary Level 4 white weapon.
More importantly, it had been made to order.
Golden Abacus drew a deep breath.
"Brother Lu, what's your minimum price for this sword?"
Lu Tiechen glanced at the stats.
"80 Silver Coins."
The players nearby drew sharp breaths.
Eighty Silver Coins.
For a Level 4 white weapon.
It certainly wasn't cheap.
Golden Abacus didn't hesitate for a second.
"I'll take it."
Lu Tiechen looked at him.
Golden Abacus smiled. "I can sell this for at least 1 Gold Coin. To an Assassin, maybe 1 Gold Coin and 20 Silver Coins."
He made no attempt to hide his profit.
It was the smart approach.
For their first deal, earning a little extra mattered less than showing Lu Tiechen that he wouldn't play games with the price.
Lu Tiechen nodded.
"On the terms we agreed."
Golden Abacus initiated the trade.
[Crafting fee received: 10 Silver Coins.]
[Equipment minimum-price payment received: 80 Silver Coins.]
Lu Tiechen handed him the Hound-Fang Shortsword.
One piece of Low-Grade Iron Ore and half a Boar Hide remained.
Under their agreement, they were Lu Tiechen's to use.
Golden Abacus put the shortsword away, smiling so broadly his eyes narrowed to slits.
"Pleasure doing business."
Lu Tiechen nodded.
"Better materials next time."
"Understood," Golden Abacus said immediately. "Better materials, better equipment. Right?"
"Right."
"Then I'll go source some." Golden Abacus paused. "Brother Lu, about that friend request..."
Lu Tiechen glanced at him and opened the panel.
[You have accepted Golden Abacus's friend request.]
Golden Abacus's smile grew more genuine.
"Whenever I find materials, I'll check with you first."
"One order at a time."
"Of course."
Golden Abacus left the smithy with a much lighter step than he had arrived with.
The players watched him go, then looked back at Lu Tiechen with completely different expressions.
At last, they understood.
That white iron sword sold for 1 Gold Coin hadn't been a fluke.
Lu Tiechen really could make equipment.
And he could tailor it to a class's needs.
That was far more impressive than simply getting a good drop.
Lu Tiechen ignored their stares.
He opened his inventory, glanced at the 90 Silver Coins he had just received, then at the Spiderweave Irongrip Gloves resting inside.
Level 5 to equip.
And he was still Level 4.
But Level 5 wasn't far off now.
Spider Cave offered good experience and materials.
More importantly, the silk, venom sacs, and carapaces dropped by Venommarked Spiders could all be used in forging.
He put away the Blackmarked Forging Hammer and took up the Glimmer Iron Sword again.
He needed two things now.
Levels.
And more materials.
Spider Cave had both.