Goblin Heavy Dependence

Chapter 489 Delivery of Entrustment
Before setting sail for the Twin Valleys mission, Xia Nan had already paid a deposit of 1000 gold coins for the crafting of [Abyss Flow]. This was far from enough for a piece of blue rare quality equipment, especially a complete set with inner lining and outer armor.

Both being blue-grade equipment, Xia Nan only spent around 1000 gold when upgrading [Ghost Scale Guard] at "Rock Hammer" Barn because the main material of the arm shield itself—scales from the Serpent Cave Secret Realm—did not require him to spend extra money.

When Xia Nan later customized the [Emberfall] straight sword, due to the "Yangli Iron Plating Powder", he spent a total of 3000 gold to obtain this semi-purple weapon that matched his [Ember Echo] combat skill.

Currently, although [Abyss Stream] is not as good as [Emberfall] in terms of quality level, the materials from the Shark Beast's body can be considered as providing most of the materials needed for its production.

However, at the same time, Seliane had already communicated with him before. Although the shark's bones were very tough, their defensive performance was slightly lacking. To ensure the quality of the finished product, other special metal materials had to be added to enhance the equipment's hardness.

This means that in addition to paying labor costs, Xia Nan also needs to pay an extra cost for the main materials.

Based on this premise, plus some miscellaneous expenses for auxiliary materials.

Having already paid 1000 gold, Xia Nan needs to pay a final payment of 1500 gold.

This also means that the total price of [Abyss] has reached an astonishing 2500 gold.

It's important to understand that even with his unprecedentedly extravagant harvest from the last mission, the final settlement only amounted to around 1,700 gold, which wasn't even enough to cover the production and material costs of [Abyss Flow].

In other words, he had a good family background, no bad habits, and saved most of the money he earned, except for food, drink, and equipment purchases. This is why he didn't end up in the predicament of having to buy things on credit.

Currently, after deducting the final payment of 1500 gold for [Yuanliu], Xia Nan has 412 gold, 6 silver, and 8 copper left in his savings.

Although it has plummeted compared to its peak of nearly three thousand gold coins, it is still a huge sum of money for an ordinary resident, enough to live comfortably in the town for many years.

Therefore, Xia Nan did not feel much anxiety.

Considering that Lorraine still had spoils to deal with, he estimated that he should be able to receive another one or two hundred gold coins in a few days, which made him feel quite at ease.

For Xia Nan himself, his strength improved far faster than other adventurers. He had already truly embarked on the path of a professional in just two years. At the same time, the reason why he was able to advance so quickly and engage in more frequent and higher-quality battles than adventurers of the same level was also due to this.

To some extent, this is one of the reasons why his armor wore out so quickly.

A single mission can earn you over a thousand gold coins, while the same piece of equipment can cost four figures in gold coins to customize and purchase.

That's how adventurers are.

High income means quick spending.

It's a completely different world from the world of ordinary people who have stable jobs, stay away from monsters, and live in safe towns. Even their values ​​regarding gold coins and items have changed.

Those fine plate and chainmail armors on the blacksmith's shelves, which would be "family heirlooms" passed down through generations in an ordinary family, were, for Xia Nan, replaceable items that could be casually discarded in battle because they had lost their defensive capabilities.

On the other hand, for most veteran adventurers who have been working in the adventurer class for many years and can earn dozens or even hundreds of gold coins in a single mission, it would take immense willpower to get them back to the "hard life" of receiving a fixed monthly salary and having to save money before even having a good meal or a few bottles of fine wine.

When Xia Nan first transmigrated to this world, he also considered whether he should find a safe city to settle down in and live the life of an ordinary person.

But as he and his adventurers ventured further and further into the world, their bonds grew stronger, and his thoughts gradually began to change.

Since he possesses the advantage of having an attribute panel, has excellent aptitude, and is also quite lucky, there seems to be no reason for him to stop here.

Even if one day in the future he gets tired of the endless tasks in the association and wants to stop and rest for a while... he still needs to save up a lot of money first, so that he can at least guarantee "cream of mushroom soup freedom".

Mei Mei carefully put the crystal card that Xia Nan handed over into the counter. Seeing that he looked like he was deep in thought, Seliane thought that he was worried about the total of 2,500 gold coins—which was indeed the case—so she spoke up to explain.

"Actually, the largest proportion of these costs is the special metals used as the main material for the armor..."

Xia Nan never skimps on equipment crafting. He doesn't mind spending five or even ten gold coins for even the slightest performance improvement, making him a pure pursuer of performance stats.

When Céleigne consulted him about using metal as the main material, he offered many options, including cheap and versatile ones, as well as those that balanced price and quality for better value.

He didn't choose any of them.

Xia Nan chose the most expensive and highest quality of the special metals:

——【Yuan Gang】!
As its name suggests, this is a special mineral metal that only appears in the deep, abyss-like depths of the sea.

No one knows the exact reason for the formation of this metal, but because shipwrecks and cooled, dead underwater volcanoes are often found near its excavation sites, some marine mineral experts speculate that its origin may be related to the negative energy left behind by the dead and solidified high-temperature lava.

Because it only appears in the special environment of the deep sea and the surrounding terrain has no obvious features, the amount of this metal circulating in the market is quite small. Basically, the market demand can only be slightly met by trading with marine races or by plundering.

Under normal circumstances, Yuan Steel presents a dark blue color resembling that of the deep sea.

Most of the time, it appears completely black from the outside, but if it is exposed to sunlight or placed in shallow, well-lit water, a faint blue sheen can be observed on its surface.

Abyssal steel has a much higher density than ordinary steel, making it much heavier for the same volume. It is also harder and more resilient, almost perfectly meeting the requirements for making a high-quality piece of armor.

At the same time, making equipment from this metal requires craftsmen to have superb forging skills and a meticulous understanding of the material itself.

There are many things to pay attention to in the entire forging process, but just one point is enough to differentiate between excellent craftsmen and mediocre blacksmiths.

The forging of Yuan Steel has extremely stringent requirements regarding the use of heat.

Unlike ordinary steel that is forged and shaped under white heat, excessively high temperatures combined with continuous hammering only make the metal more brittle, causing it to break easily if not handled carefully, which also affects the defensive performance of the finished product.

Yuan steel must be carefully and gently hammered with a small hammer when it is heated to a dark red color. The force should be neither too strong nor too weak, and the temperature must be controlled to maintain a relatively stable range in order to bring out the performance of its high-quality metal.

Experienced blacksmiths might even sprinkle sea salt from the nearby waters of the area where they discovered the softened abyssal steel onto the surface while hammering it, thus providing an additional resistance bonus to their finished product. Seleene certainly belongs to the "experienced" category, which is why the special effects section on Xia Nan's [Abyssal Flow] armor attribute panel lists a fire resistance bonus of "25%" instead of "20%".

Of course, given the proud and meticulous nature of this half-elf, he would never take the initiative to boast about his small contribution during the forging process to Xia Nan.

As a perfectionist, he believed these were all expected; once an order was accepted, one should do one's best within one's capabilities.

Xia Nan might feel a pang of regret because of the exorbitant forging cost of [Abyss Steel], but the string of special effects on the armor's attribute panel that almost filled his field of vision, as well as its exceptional hardness, made him feel that everything he had paid for was worthwhile.

It should be able to last until the Moonlit Feast ends...

"So, is there any other work? We're all acquaintances, so I might be able to give you a discount depending on the situation."

With the final payment settled and the buyer's approval of the meticulously crafted items, Seliane was in a very good mood and took the initiative to ask Xia Nan.

Knowing that the other party's skills were excellent, Xia Nan really wanted to have several more enchanted equipment custom-made at the [Pearl Spinning] tailor shop if conditions allowed.

Unfortunately, I'm short of money.

After settling the final payment for [Yuanliu], he had less than 500 gold coins left in his savings.

For blue-quality equipment, this money would be wasted, and he couldn't possibly settle for something so basic, spending money on items that were completely unsuitable for him just for the prestige of an enchanted item.

He shook his head, indicating that they could cooperate again next time.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, just as he was about to leave, Xia Nan suddenly seemed to remember something. He subconsciously touched the white watch he kept close to his body, nestled between the inner lining and outer armor of his [Abyss Flow] armor. After a moment's thought, he slowly spoke:

"There probably aren't any big orders left, but I might need your help making one or two small items..."

He then shared his thoughts with the other person.

"Sure, but forget about the money." Having just finished a big order, and facing a customer who had already spent thousands of gold coins at the tailor shop, the half-elf acted very generously. "It's just a small thing, it won't take much effort. You can come and pick it up the day after tomorrow."

……

……

After leaving the Pearl Spinning Shop, Xia Nan did not return to the Three-Legged Sea Dog Tavern, but went straight to the Adventurers' Guild.

Actually, he had already gone there once before, on his way to the tailor shop, to have the association's receptionist, Mar, notify Ellison to come to the association and hand over the task to him.

Xia Nan remembered that his first meeting with that middle-aged man was on Cliff Island. At the time, he thought the other man was just a kind-hearted fishing enthusiast. He never expected that he would later find out that Ellison was the buyer of his [Tide Lure Rod]. Xia Nan then got in touch with the other man.

Before heading to Twin Valleys, the two discussed the sale of the [Tidal Lure Pole], and the process went very smoothly. At the same time, Ellison also made a request to Xia Nan, hoping that Xia Nan could help him find and record some strange phenomena or things while sailing in the waters near Twin Oceans.

Now returning from the mission, Xia Nan felt he had completed the task assigned to him. The secret realm that had descended upon Twin Valleys, with its exotic architecture blending seamlessly with the surrounding landscape, perfectly met Ellison's mission requirements.

He thought he could take advantage of his return to Suyu Bay today to resolve the matter.

When Xia Nan arrived at the conference room with Mar, Ellison was already sitting inside. However, judging from his heaving chest and unsteady breathing, he had obviously only just arrived.

After turning around and thanking Marla, Xia Nan went into the room, closed the door, and took the two swords off his back and placed them against the wall.

Ellison remained silent throughout, appearing calm and collected, but his breathing unconsciously quickened, and the slight, precise tapping of his toes on the ground betrayed his inner turmoil.

Only after Xia Nan was settled across the table did he finally speak and ask:
"So, what did you find?"

Xia Nan had asked Mar to invite the other party over in order to complete the mission, so he naturally wouldn't deliberately hide it.

He omitted his own experiences in the core of the secret realm and the information about his attribute panel, and then told the other party about his experiences and discoveries in the Twin Valleys in their entirety.

As Xia Nan explained, Ellison's seemingly unchanged expression gradually faded, but the expectation that flickered in his eyes gradually dissipated, leaving only weariness and disappointment after anticipation.

Just like Lorraine when she first arrived at Twin Valleys and saw those exotic buildings.

Xia Nan couldn't help but feel curious.

Judging from their current reactions, and the fact that both of them were initially interested in the Twin Oceans because of exotic items circulating in the black market, it can be seen that they are looking for the same thing.

Although the items in the Twin Valleys look similar, they are not what the two are looking for.

"Thanks a lot."

Leaning back in his chair, Ellison spoke slowly, his voice tinged with undisguised weariness.

"I've already deposited the payment for the commission with the association. You can ask Mar for it later."

Involuntarily, I recalled the second time we met, when I mentioned the "Blade of Vengeance" squad, and the unnatural look on their face.

And later, I learned from Lorraine that she and Ellison were siblings.

Looking at the middle-aged man before him, a skilled fisherman but showing signs of weariness, Xia Nan blinked and asked in a tone devoid of any offense:
Why don't you ask Lorraine?

(End of this chapter)