"Are... are we done?" Pip spat out the rag from his mouth, looking at his shoulder in disbelief.
Alder stood up, supporting his lower back. "I’ve only stopped it from getting worse," he said in exasperation. "You’ll have to lie here for at least five more days."
"Thank you! Pip gets to live again!" The little guy hopped down from the stone slab cheerfully.
"Don’t thank me yet. The boarding fee is one Gold Coin a day. Who’s paying?" The old man waved his hand.
Lorin gasped.
He thought, "Medical treatment really is this expensive no matter which world I’m in..."
"Of course, if you’re willing to believe in the Dawn Lord, I can waive the fee for this treatment," Alder added.
"I’ll pay!"
Pip shook out five Gold Coins from his bag and happily handed them to the Old Priest.
"Mhm." Alder nodded. He glanced at the Halfling and said, "Just stay here for the next few days. Don’t go running around."
"Alright..." Pip instantly deflated.
The Old Priest said no more and shooed Lorin away with a wave of his hand. "Off you go, rude boy. Come back and pick him up in five days."
Lorin scratched his head in confusion.
Seeing this, Alder gave a faint smile. "Like sneaking into other people’s homes in the middle of the night, do we? Fortunately, your hands are relatively clean, otherwise I wouldn’t have treated him."
"Uh... sorry," Lorin said with an awkward laugh.
He thought, "How did this Old Priest notice me? I clearly didn’t see him yesterday!"
Lorin left the Divine Hall looking thoroughly embarrassed, taking the Leather Armor Pip had looted with him.
He figured he could use these next few days to sort out his own equipment and have a new set of Leather Armor custom-made for Pip.
As for the Leather Armor’s measurements?
"Just tell them to size it for a Dwarf," Pip had told him.
Lorin took a Scroll out of his pack.
It was a map of Shallow Beach Town he had bought from the tavern owner yesterday. It had cost him five copper plates.
The shops in town were circled and marked, accompanied by thoughtful little notes written in small text next to them.
For example:
[Old Horton’s Blacksmith Shop]
Sharpening: 1 Silver Coin
Secondhand Equipment Appraisal: Depends on condition
Custom New Weapons: Price negotiable (Not really. Whatever he says is final.)
Note:
That bald guy has a bad temper. Don’t ask for the price twice. Don’t carelessly touch the stuff on the walls; if anything falls, he’ll make you pay for it.
CLANG!
Lorin carefully placed the silver-white Longsword Rusted Throat onto the workbench of the Blacksmith Shop.
He narrowed his eyes at the muscular bald man in front of him. The firelight from the Blacksmith’s furnace shone off his forehead, making his head look like an incandescent light bulb.
He was truly a man you couldn’t look at directly.
The muscular bald Horton picked up the Longsword and examined it carefully front and back, occasionally adjusting his monocle loupe. He then scraped his thumb pad along the edge of the blade before clicking his tongue.
"What kind of guy used it like this? Oh, it was a Hobgoblin... no wonder."
He looked Lorin up and down.
"You killed it? Quite capable, aren’t you. This sword can’t just be sharpened; the edge needs to be completely redone. One Gold Coin. Come pick it up tomorrow afternoon." Visit novelping.com for the full chapter.
...
[Lame Old Mo’s Tailor Shop - Custom Leatherwork Accepted]
Clothing Alterations: 1-5 Copper Coins (Half-Orc not accepted)
Leather Armor Repairs: 5-20 Copper Coins
Custom Leather Boots: 3 Silver Coins 10 Copper Coins per pair
Custom Leather Armor: 10 Silver Coins if you bring your own leather; otherwise, price negotiable
Buying Fresh Hides: Price negotiable
Note:
Do not mention dogs in the shop. Do not mention dogs in the shop. DO NOT MENTION DOGS IN THE SHOP!!!
"This is good hide. Making it for a Dwarf? Well, we can cut out two sets from this. I’ll charge you ten Silver Coins. Come pick it up in three days."
Old Mo, who was skinny and sported a goatee, tugged at the Leather Armor. Noticing Lorin staring at his beard, he gave a proud chuckle.
"What do you think? My beard looks great, doesn’t it?"
Lorin nodded silently.
[Human hair, male, approximately fifty to fifty-five years old, leg bitten by a dog]
"You’ve got a good eye, kid! But I won’t give you a discount, haha!" Old Mo stroked his beard, looking a bit comical.
Lorin glanced at the various leather goods hanging on the shop walls and asked, "I also want to make a set of Leather Armor and a pair of Leather Boots for myself. Similar material to this one is fine. What’s the price?"
Old Mo said enthusiastically, "Oho, a big customer! This set of his uses Northern Wild Boar Hide. I have some ready-made ones here; they just need a slight size adjustment."
He shuffled a couple of steps and took down a set of Leather Armor from the wall.
[Northern Mountain Boar Hide Half-Body Armor]
Type: Light Armor (Leather Armor)
Quality: Ordinary (White)
Durability: 44/45
Weight: 3.24 KG
Equipment Effect:
[Minor Protection]: Provides minor protection to covered areas.
[Cold Resistance]: Provides a slight warming effect in cold environments.
Note:
"Old Mo’s passionate handiwork. You can’t go wrong, and you won’t get ripped off."
...
This Leather Armor was completely dark brown with the natural dark patterns of boar hide. The inner lining was a thin layer of linen, and it gave off a strange tanned odor that reminded Lorin of the meat-curing vat back home.
"How much?" he asked.
Old Mo chuckled. "This is made from the back hide of adult boars. It takes several of them to put together just one set..."
"Just tell me how much it costs," Lorin said, waving a hand.
"Including the boots, it’s 1 Gold Coin, 18 Silver Coins, and 10 Copper Coins."
"Deal. Remember to come pick up the boots and the Dwarf’s set in three days."
Lorin stood in the wind wearing his new Leather Armor, feeling a bit dazed.
He felt like he hadn’t haggled enough, though it was quite comfortable to wear. At the very least, his sense of security had drastically improved.
He had 1 Gold Coin, 11 Silver Coins, and 4 Copper Coins left. Next up was...
[Tom’s General Store / Apothecary]
Rations: 1 Copper Coin / pack
Rope: 3 Copper Coins / 10 feet
Pine Resin Torch: 2 Copper Coins / piece
Canteen: 8 Copper Coins
Potions: See shelf price tags
Note:
Smell them before you buy to see if they’re off.
"Everything is on the shelves. Grab what you want yourself. Don’t even think about stealing; if I catch you, I’ll chop off your hands."
Tom—with his pointy ears, large head, and sparse white hair—sat on a recliner by the door and spoke fiercely to Lorin.
He thought, "Is this a Gnome?"
Lorin really couldn’t help but take a few extra glances at him. Compared to a Halfling, which looked like a proportionally shrunk down human, a Gnome looked truly bizarre.
Rations... he’d buy five packs.
Rope... keeping some handy could never hurt.
Torches, too.
He already had a canteen... Hmm, this backpack looked pretty sturdy. 15 Copper Coins? Bought.
He added a pack of salt for 3 Copper Coins.
Fire Scythe and Flint, he didn’t need these.
He thought, "What is this?" Lorin looked at the original glass bottle on the shelf, which contained a bright red liquid.
Light Healing Potion: 10 Gold Coins
He thought, "Holy crap, that’s expensive!"
He realized he couldn’t afford it even if he bundled himself and Pip together and sold them off...
Lorin increasingly felt that memorizing Treating Light Injuries was the wisest decision he had ever made.
Carrying a heart full of awe, he backed away from the small glass bottle, terrified he might accidentally bump into it.
After paying, Lorin left the general store laden with various bags and packages.
He let out a relaxed breath. He still had 1 Gold Coin, 9 Silver Coins, and 3 Copper Coins left, which was more than he had anticipated.
Not having to buy the most expensive medical supplies undoubtedly saved him a lot of money.
This money was enough for him to live comfortably for a few months, but if he wanted to improve his strength, it was merely a drop in the bucket.
Not to mention the money required to learn class Magic and purchase Magic Items, even equipment marked as fine by the system would sell for at least several dozen Gold Coins.
Anything remotely related to Magic was even more absurd—starting at a hundred Gold Coins with no upper limit.
He thought, "It’s a long and arduous road ahead."