Heading south, we passed an oddity that made me pause.
To our left was a curious mix of nature and buildings, forming a compound of sorts. People could be seen inside, going about their business.
'I don't recall this.'
It could have been something added by Expanded, but I could've sworn it wasn't there even in the mod.
Either way, it wasn't my business.
We continued walking for a little longer before finally reaching our destination.
A gray bricked house with a dark roof. It was the town's Smithy.
It was still a little before eleven.
"Let's finish up here, then head out for lunch," I told Mel as I opened the door.
The place was quiet, both outside and inside.
There weren't any customers in sight, just one man standing behind the counter. He had light brown, spiky hair and a thick, bushy beard. Even with the counter partially concealing him, his hearty belly was hard to miss.
Clint, the local blacksmith.
I didn't remember much about his story, aside from his family having worked in the trade for generations and one particular detail: his feelings for Emily.
They bordered on stalking, depending on whom you asked. Some people found his crush creepy, others thought it was cute. Personally, I didn't particularly care.
The reason it often came across as creepy was that Emily was one of the marriage candidates in the game. Even after the Farmer married her, Clint still had his moments of pining after her.
Though, to be fair, I blamed much of that on the creator. Love the man, but there were parts of the game that never quite got fixed.
Emily hadn't originally been intended to be a marriage candidate, after all, and the interactions between the two never seemed to be properly adjusted.
Funnily enough, leaks from the latest update had suggested that Clint would be one of two newly added romance options. A shame I couldn't play it. It would've been interesting to see what new dialogue they'd added.
"Can I help you?"
A slightly deep voice broke me out of my reverie.
"Oh, I just came to buy some tools."
I got straight to the point.
"What would you like?"
Clint moved toward a wall lined with tools and weapons.
Now that was interesting.
In the game, you couldn't buy weapons here. In fact, there weren't even any tools displayed in his shop.
Yet here I was, looking at an assortment of equipment, with boxes of materials, minerals, and even geodes stacked nearby.
"These are the best I have," Clint explained, gesturing toward the display.
I stepped closer to inspect the tools. Some were distinctly copper, while others appeared to be made of iron or steel.
"I'll take a pickaxe, an axe, a scythe, a hoe, and a watering can."
I paused, then added, "And how much would all that cost?"
"Hmm. Iron is quite pricey. Around 5,000 gold each, though the watering can is only 3,000."
He considered the items for a moment before continuing.
"If you buy all five, I can give you a discount. Twenty thousand gold for the lot."
'...It really is pricey.'
I could afford it, sure, but should I?
My monthly allowance had been cut from 100,000 gold to just 10,000. I still had some savings and the remainder of the initial 100,000 my family had given me, but that didn't mean I should spend it recklessly.
I contemplated my options before finally using my Appraisal Eyes.
Normal.
Nothing but their names appeared.
Surprised, I checked two types of items: an axe and a pickaxe.
Beneath their names, a new line appeared.
[Strength +1]
What was that?
As far as I remembered, buffs came from consuming food, while tools and weapons had enchantments.
This was a first.
Clint watched his customer remain silent, his expression shifting several times as he examined the display. After a while, he began to look worried.
"Is it too expensive?" he finally asked.
I turned toward him, startled.
Clint looked almost pitiful. He seemed like the sort of person who'd be easy to bully, but why was he giving me that look?
It was kind of cute, I guess.
Still, I'd rather have a pretty girl look at me like that.
"Ehem."
I cleared my throat to get his attention.
"How much for these two?"
I pointed toward the axe and pickaxe I'd examined earlier.
Clint followed my gesture, then looked back at me in surprise.
"You have a good eye."
He seemed genuinely impressed.
"Those are special, actually. They're made of iron, but they're among the few tools I've successfully enchanted. They hit harder than normal ones, though that's about all they can do for now."
He sounded proud at first, but his confidence gradually faded as he explained the limitations.
"I'll take them. Name your price."
"Ugh... You can have them for 5,000 gold each."
His voice wavered slightly.
"No, I recognize their worth. They can't—and shouldn't—be valued the same as ordinary tools. How about double? Ten thousand gold each."
"That—That's too much!"
"No, I think it's just right. Perhaps even a little low. You have talent, Clint. Maybe you'll develop it further with time. Consider this an investment."
I chuckled at the end, hoping to ease the atmosphere.
Clint stared at me for a moment before his face broke into a smile.
"...Thank you."
His grin revealed a row of teeth.
For a moment, he reminded me of a bear.
"For the scythe, hoe, and watering can, copper will do. How much would those cost?"
"Let's see... Nineteen thousand gold. But seventeen thousand should do."
"No, let me pay twenty thousand. Perhaps we'll do more business in the future."
"Thank you. Really."
With the deal settled, I turned my attention to the other items in the shop.
Some of the weapons had buffs, too. One sword in particular had a [Strength +2] effect, while two shields each had [Defense +1].
Interesting. Read this novel at g.com for the best experience.
Finally, I stopped in front of the geodes.
There were three varieties: earthy, frozen, and magma. The earthy ones were piled highest, while the other two occupied smaller portions of the display.
By then, Clint had finished packing our purchases onto a small cart.
"Here. Please take this cart."
"All right, thanks."
His eyes were earnest.
How could I possibly refuse?
"How much are these geodes?"
Clint glanced toward the boxes I'd been examining.
"The earthy ones are 75 gold each, the frozen ones are 125, and the magma ones are 175. I can crack them open for you for 25 gold apiece, but I could lower that to 10."
"It's fine. There's no need to lower the price. I appreciate the thought."
I smiled at him.
"...All right. But why don't you try them out? One of each. I insist."
"Sure. I am feeling lucky."
Clint put on his gloves and picked out one geode of each variety.
He headed toward his anvil, and Mel and I followed.
The earthy geode was a dud.
Just some stone.
The frozen geode was better, yielding a Frozen Tear.
The magma geode was the best of all.
Gold ore.
I was excited—not because a single gold ore was particularly valuable, nor because of its rarity, but because of what appeared before my eyes.
The system.
More specifically, the main quest panel appeared.
And something new had appeared beneath it.
[Sub Quest]
And below that heading were several lines.
[Farmer's Pickaxe]
[Acquire: 100 Copper Ore, 50 Iron Ore, 25 Gold Ore, and 10 Iridium Ore from Geode Breaking]
[0/100 Copper Ore]
[0/50 Iron Ore]
[1/25 Gold Ore]
[0/10 Iridium Ore]
That was quite a lot of ore to collect.
Still, it did little to dampen my mood.
'Finally, the system is proving its worth.'
If these tools were anything like their counterparts in the game, then the reward would be worth however many geodes I had to crack open.
Though, now that I thought about it, I was starting to regret not taking Clint up on his offer to crack them open for just ten gold.
Eh, whatever.
A small blemish on an otherwise wonderful day.