Xia Nan had no reason to refuse Barn’s goodwill.
He still had not settled on a weapon anyway. Looking through a few more options could only help.
“Don’t worry,” Barn said, thumping his chest. “They’re secondhand, sure, but if I’m willing to put them up for sale, then their quality is up to standard.”
“They’ll last.”
His booming voice echoed through the shop.
Before Xia Nan lay a pile of worn-looking weapons.
Unlike the merchandise on the display racks, these had no dedicated place of their own. They had simply been stacked together in a corner, clearly not worth much attention in Barn’s eyes.
Still, the metallic sheen along their surfaces and the occasional cold glint from a well-kept edge proved that Barn had not been exaggerating.
They were secondhand.
But they had been maintained properly.
Xia Nan crouched and patiently pulled the weapons from the pile one by one, inspecting each in turn.
As he worked, he casually asked, “Do high-level adventurers use weapons like these too?”
He paused.
“I don’t mean secondhand equipment. I mean white-tier… uh, nonmagical weapons. You know what I mean.”
Barn stroked his beard.
“Fledgling adventurers like you always seem to have all kinds of ideas about veterans with class levels. No offense.”
“But they’re still people.”
“They need money to eat. They’ll fall out over who gets a piece of loot. They’ll save half a year’s income just to buy a house in a good location.”
“Sure, magic items are more common among higher-level class holders, but adventurers rich enough to cover themselves in them from head to toe?”
Barn snorted.
“Very few.”
“What about this shop?” Xia Nan asked in an almost offhand tone while continuing to sort through the weapons. “Do you sell any of those legendary magic items?”
Barn did not answer.
He only gave Xia Nan a mysterious smile.
That was enough.
Having gotten the information he wanted, Xia Nan stopped wasting time. He dusted off his hands and slowly stood.
Secondhand goods were still secondhand goods.
He had gone through the entire pile without finding anything that suited him.
His fortune of more than a hundred gold was not exactly vast, but it should still be enough for a newly forged white-tier weapon.
If possible, naturally he would rather…
Hum…
A faint gray gleam flashed at the edge of his vision.
Xia Nan’s gaze shifted toward it almost instinctively.
For a few short breaths, his eyes stopped.
Focused.
His brows drew together.
Then his expression returned to normal.
As his attention shifted, the translucent panel in front of him slowly faded.
…
[Sturdy Decapitating Longsword]
Type: Two-Handed Sword
Grade: Common (White)
Effects:
Durability +50%
Decapitation Damage +5%
Description:
A fine piece produced by Rockhammer Smithy. A small accident during the forging process seems to have caused a peculiar change in this longsword.
Note:
“One, two, three… Wait, how many times did I just hit it with the hammer?”
• Barn Steelbeard, Rockhammer Smithy, 105th Place in the Steelbeard Clan’s 492nd Forging Contest
…
Half-buried in the shadows lay a two-handed longsword.
Its hilt was roughly nine inches long. Spiral metal ridges and raised rivets ran along the grip, increasing friction against the palm while also making it more comfortable to hold.
The cast-steel crossguard was unusually compact. It extended only half a finger beyond either side of the blade before tapering inward, giving the weapon a clean, restrained appearance.
The blade itself was about four feet long and three fingers wide, with smooth lines, a thin profile, and a keen edge.
There were no decorative patterns.
No engravings.
Nothing flashy at all.
Its entire design was simple and practical, with only the occasional cold glint along the edge serving as decoration.
And unlike every other weapon in the shop, the sword possessed a strange iron-gray color.
It looked as though a thin veil of mist had settled over the metal, making the blade far less conspicuous than the bright steel around it.
Xia Nan’s face remained calm.
Inside, however, his thoughts were already churning.
He made his voice sound casual.
“Why is this sword such a weird color? Is it defective?”
To his surprise, Barn actually looked embarrassed.
He scratched his head.
“Heh. I was trying to forge a two-handed sword a couple of days ago, but I got distracted while working on the edge…”
[Wait.]
[I was just guessing.]
[You’re actually selling it as defective!?]
Xia Nan pressed his lips together and fought to keep his expression steady.
Barn noticed nothing and continued grumbling to himself.
“What a waste of those dozen-odd pounds of Graysteel. One of my cousins in the clan sent it over. Said a new mine opened near Flameforge Peak and wanted me to test the material.”
He sighed.
“Don’t even know how I’m supposed to explain this when he asks about it.”
“Oh?” Xia Nan raised an eyebrow, smoothly following the topic. “The color looks strange, sure, but where’s the actual defect?”
Barn still failed to notice the subtle change in Xia Nan’s tone.
He stepped forward, picked up the sword, and pointed at the blade.
“Normally, equipment forged from Graysteel should come out pale gray, about the color of quicklime.”
He tilted the sword toward the light.
“Look at this one. Too dark, right?”
“That’s because I got distracted during forging and hammered it a few extra times. Once that happened, the timing of the entire process got thrown off.”
Barn’s expression grew even more regretful.
“Don’t assume it’s fine just because the only visible problem is the color. There could be some hidden flaw somewhere in the blade.”
“It might snap in the middle of a fight.”
“And that’s not something I can reliably test beforehand.”
He lowered the sword.
“You know Rockhammer’s reputation. Our equipment is famous for being tough and durable.”
“If I make a mistake during forging and can’t guarantee the quality, then I can’t sell the result as proper merchandise.”
Barn gave a firm shake of his head.
“I’m not ruining my reputation over a few dozen gold in profit. The clan drilled that into every one of us before we ever left home.”
At that moment, Xia Nan once again felt just how convenient his cheat was.
Information asymmetry.
Barn’s mistake had made him unable to guarantee the sword’s quality, so he naturally feared that some hidden flaw might damage Rockhammer’s reputation.
But Xia Nan had the attribute panel.
He knew the truth.
That little mistake had not reduced the longsword’s quality at all.
It had done the exact opposite.
The blade had become sturdier, more durable, and even gained an additional property.
[I have to get it.]
His decision was immediate.
Since Barn had already explained why he considered the sword defective, Xia Nan stopped pretending.
“I’ll take it. How much?”
Barn stared at him.
“Did you not hear what I just said?”
He pointed at the sword.
“Something went wrong while I was forging this thing. I can’t guarantee the quality.”
“I think it suits me.”
Xia Nan did not hesitate.
“This is the one.”
Barn studied him for several seconds.
Finally, he sighed.
“Fine. But we’re making this clear now.”
“If something goes wrong later, don’t come looking for me. And when you’re outside, don’t tell anyone you bought this sword here.”
He narrowed his eyes.
“You understand?”
“Of course.” Xia Nan nodded with complete sincerity. “I found it in a goblin cave.”
Barn stared at him for a beat.
“Thirty-five gold.”
“At cost.”