Chapter 51: Polite Refusal

As soon as the words left his mouth, Barn realized he had once again spoken more than he should have and immediately clamped his mouth shut.

Facing Xia Nan's inquiry about the price, a flicker of hesitation appeared on his face, which was thick with hair due to his dwarven bloodline.

Then, with a politeness that maintained proper boundaries, he subtly shifted his gaze from the black-haired youth before him to a set of full heavy plate armor marked with a price tag of "1500 Gold" at the very back of the shelf.

He spoke slowly

"Actually, my suggestion is to first perform some simple processing on this scale. On the premise of preserving its integrity as the primary material, we could forge a temporary arm shield."

"That way, not only can you use it for emergencies right now, but once you have the means later and want higher-strength advanced equipment, it will be easy to separate the scale from the arm shield."

"What do you think?"

Barn spoke very tactfully.

Xia Nan understood his meaning perfectly.

To summarize, it came down to four words

*No money, don't touch.*

He was a rational person and naturally wouldn't take offense at these as subtle as they were, nor would he pick a fight thinking the man was looking down on him.

Objectively speaking, his current savings might be a massive fortune capable of covering many years of expenses for an ordinary person in this world.

But for a group of adventurers existing amidst supernatural powers, it was barely enough to buy a few potions.

It wasn't as if he had gained nothing.

At the very least, from Barn's reaction, he knew that a piece of magic equipment of Green quality or higher with special effects—like the [Dead Line] or [Green Pine] in his hands—would likely be in the same tier as that 1500-gold heavy armor, if not higher.

"Then let's just make a transitional arm shield first, the kind that preserves the integrity of the main material."

"Uh... roughly how much will it cost?"

After that brief interruption, Xia Nan, who had previously thought his small treasury was quite substantial, couldn't help but feel uncertain.

His tone even weakened slightly.

Fortunately, if it was just ordinary white-tier equipment, the price would still fall within the income range of low-level adventurers.

Barn studied the snake scale in his hand, considering the potential expenses as he spoke

"Even though it's a temporary transition, I certainly can't use cheap auxiliary materials for you; combat equipment must guarantee strength."

"The shape of this scale is unique, and since it's a custom job, the shop doesn't have a corresponding mold, so the labor fee might be a bit higher."

"All in all—"

"35 gold. I'll give you a small discount."

Hearing this, Xia Nan breathed a sigh of relief.

It was slightly more expensive than expected, but still within his acceptable range.

He nodded in agreement and paid the deposit.

Afterward, Barn acted very professionally, discussing the specific details of the arm shield with him and measuring various dimensions of his arm.

Perhaps feeling that his previous comments regarding magic equipment had been indiscreet, and noting that the guest before him had just spent nearly 100 gold in the shop, the owner of "Rock Hammer"—who possessed an excellent reputation in the *Adventurer's Handbook*—suddenly hesitated while measuring Xia Nan's arm.

He spoke slowly

"I have a shipment that needs to be sent to Canfor recently. From Valley Town to there, it's about a four or five-day round trip."

"The caravan is currently resting in town and happens to be recruiting guards."

"If you are free, you could help with the trip, and I can reduce the labor fee and give you another discount."

"By the time you return, the arm shield should be just about finished. How about it?"

Xia Nan did not agree.

While it seemed to him that a bottom-tier adventurer who hadn't even obtained a professional level yet should kill more goblins and take on these classic errand tasks, he had only just returned from the Misty Forest. He hadn't even had a few proper, warm meals; heading out on another mission so soon felt too rushed.

Previously, he had thought he was just going out to gather some herbs on the periphery, only to be dragged through the forest for many days by the half-elves, nearly losing his life.

If he went out again now, claiming to be a caravan guard, who knew what he might run into?

He had finally escaped the "996" blessing of his previous life to come to this other world.

Was he not allowed to enjoy a few days of leisure!?

Furthermore, the current Xia Nan was still waiting for a reply from the half-elf.

At the very least, he planned to make further arrangements once he confirmed when the combat skill instructor the other party mentioned would be available to come to Valley Town.

During this time, Xia Nan also intended to see if he could practice the two "suspected" combat skills in his possession.

If he could truly master even a semblance of them, combined with the proper combat skills taught by a professional later, and his already max-level [Whirlwind Slash]...

Then he would truly meet the three conditions to become a professional!

With these thoughts, Xia Nan declined the offer.

Barn was not angry; he simply smiled and patted him on the shoulder.

"No worries. The caravan will be staying in town for many days anyway."

"If you change your mind, it won't be too late to come find me."

"..."

Wearing his brand-new chainmail shirt and carrying his twin swords, Xia Nan walked out of the blacksmith shop.

With this, the spoils from this mission had basically been processed.

The [Copper Sinews and Iron Bones] feat and the 3 points of Constitution were implicit improvements that went without saying.

In terms of equipment, the wooden sword [Green Pine], which provided damage bonuses against "Undead" and "Scorpions," along with the high-performance fine chainmail he wore, had raised his overall combat strength to a new level.

His once-shriveled wallet, after the spending at the blacksmith shop, still held a massive sum of over 140 gold.

Even if he did nothing but eat and sleep every day, he could live in a hotel with decent conditions for over half a year.

Standing on the street, Xia Nan felt his heart, which had been somewhat burdened, lighten along with his backpack, which was no longer heavy after processing the loot.

A full day of busywork had finally ended.

*Let's rest for a few days first,* Xia Nan thought to himself.

If possible, he could use this time to look for somewhere that sold projectiles like incendiary bombs.

During the previous mission, the oil powder bomb Wood had thrown at the scorpion swarm had left a vivid impression on him.

In future adventures, such items would likely prove to be highly effective.

He would practice the two combat skills, and he couldn't forget [Whirlwind Slash] either; although it was already maxed out, who knew if this world had settings for breakthroughs or advancement.

There was no harm in practicing more.

As for supplies, there was no rush at all; he could just purchase them before the next mission.

The sky gradually darkened.

Deep within the purplish-red sunset glow were the wisps of cooking smoke rising from the town.

Xia Nan let out a long, slow breath.

"For dinner... mushroom soup again."

"I have to say, it really is quite delicious."

(End of Chapter)