Thousand-Faced Dragon

Chapter 84 Dress Up
Life is full of surprises. When Rean received the "check," he really thought he had accidentally written an extra zero.

"Uh, that's what she said." A little tired, Sallyman didn't bother with any more rhetoric.

The princess is upstairs? She got paid just for having a meal?

"Why don't we just get it done?" Rean also felt that going back and forth was too troublesome, so why not just pay and get it done? It would be so much simpler.

She said she doesn't want to see you anytime soon.

Okay, that's enough for today.

Rean did not refuse the money; he simply didn't have the time, as he had far too many expenses and was short of funds.

He also subtly inquired about the extent of the damage he had caused that day.
"No need," but Suliman not only saw through it, but also politely declined.

"At least, it'll show my feelings." Rean still wanted to give it a try.

“This isn’t even enough,” Sallyman told the truth.

Upon hearing this, Rean obediently shut up, thinking that maybe they should just forget about it.

In a sense, the Sudar family truly deserves its reputation as an old aristocratic family; at least the artworks and decorations displayed in the hall, courtyard, and corridors are all treasures.

After finishing his meal, Rean said goodbye and left.

He noticed that the maid seemed to be bringing food upstairs as well, which meant that Dania didn't seem to like him very much.

He wasn't in a hurry to go back. It wasn't easy to come to the Radiant District, so he simply went to Mage Street instead, intending to spend some money.

"Let's go shopping! Let's go shopping!" Kuku was even more excited than Rean.
"This is all my money! My money!"

"First, I'll buy a modern potion encyclopedia, then I'll get a steam engine!"

"By the way, those alien races' enchantments are quite interesting. Why don't we go and study them?"

If Kuku really had to spend the money, this "huge sum" wouldn't be enough for two days of running around.

"Let's deal with this emergency first." Rean finally managed to persuade Kuku to abandon his plan to ruin the whole day.

At dusk, the Mage Street was brightly lit with various magical lights, steam lamps, and flashing electric lights, making the street even more beautiful than during the day, leaving the "country bumpkin" Rean staring in astonishment.

Especially the banks where you withdraw money, not only have ridiculously bright lights, but also use steam-powered conveyor belts. They use a luxurious and useless glittering conveyor belt to send people to the counter, saving customers a lot of effort.
Rean vaguely sensed that magical civilization was not backward, but it seemed to have nothing to do with most ordinary people.

After withdrawing the money, Rean went to pay the tuition fee before the mage's shop closed.

This inevitably made his senior brother look at him with more respect. A wealthy monk may not necessarily go far, but a poor monk will definitely go slowly.

So, the senior student who was originally about to leave work enthusiastically promoted some of the store's products.

It includes some mid-level spell scrolls, staves, custom robes, and meditation incense, most of which are useful and not too bad.

But after Rean hinted that he wasn't interested in it at the moment, he didn't insist.

After all, it's still a two-way selection process, and too many people who aspire to become spellcasters end up as apprentices their entire lives.

Some talented individuals eventually switched to other paths for various reasons.

Before you've determined your talents and career path, you really shouldn't make any random investments. To put it bluntly, don't buy gym equipment and learning materials that just gather dust at home!
Rean was very clear-headed; before he truly knew what he needed, training courses and self-study were basically a waste of time.

Whether you become rich in the future is unknown, but those who sell courses have certainly made a fortune.

"What I need most right now is immediate combat capability."

Rean is very realistic. He doesn't think his future will be peaceful. Even without considering Purple Rose's request, he still needs combat power.

"How much is the full suit of armor here?"

With money in his pocket, Rean naturally wanted the best, and he confidently stepped into the equipment shop marked with dwarven symbols.

Dwarven equipment is known for its durability and reliability, using high-quality materials and excellent craftsmanship. Apart from being a bit heavy and expensive, it doesn't receive many negative reviews.

"Uh, other people's full knight armor costs 40 to 60 gold coins, but yours starts at 70 gold coins? Good quality ones are 80 or 90, and it's easily over 100?"

It seems like this price is ridiculously high.

But Rean couldn't take his eyes off the armor's unique metallic texture.

Unlike most legendary stories where equipment tiers remain unchanged for millennia, the equipment manufacturing industry in fantasy reality is also constantly evolving.

In this multiverse, during the long era of cold weapons, the three core technologies—"metallurgical technology," "enchanting technology," and "materials technology"—have been constantly evolving.

In ancient times, armor might have been made of mithril or adamantite, but now the metal of armor is no longer so pure, and various alloy armors are the mainstream.

"What material is this?" Rean couldn't tell by touch, but it felt amazing.

"Teslo 17 Synthetic Steel, with a refined gold content of at least 3%, and equipped with a full set of dwarven runestone inlay techniques."

Compared to blacksmiths of other races, dwarven craftsmen, who inherited some of the "giant technology," are very skilled at "playing with stones."

Their unique process involves adding special stone materials to the synthetic metals, which greatly enhances the texture of the armor.

Rean touched the armor, which was worth 120 gold coins, and bargained with it, but he didn't think it was too expensive. It was much better than the standard military equipment he had acquired for 60 gold coins at the beginning.

"What about the weight?"

"Well, it's about 1.3 times the size of other armor of the same specifications, but good armor is like that. If you want it to be hard, you can't have too many holes." Being more expensive and heavier is a common problem with dwarven products. If you're not happy with it, don't buy it.

The person selling Rean wasn't a dwarf, but a scantily clad "bunny girl."

The wealthy and skilled dwarves either worked in the back or waited at the counter to collect money. The main workers in these shops were the local orcs.

"How are the indicators?" Rean looked at the label but didn't understand it.

"Anti-magic 67 Fuda, average slashing 88 Star." The salesperson rattled off a bunch of numbers, which Rean still didn't understand, but it seemed pretty impressive.

"It has anti-magic properties."

"Of course! For melee warriors, the most troublesome thing is all kinds of spells."

The sales assistants are used to customers asking about the anti-magic properties.

These days, full-body armor with magic resistance is the best seller, even if the magic resistance that can be added to that armor is really too subtle.

Whether you need it or how much you need it is one thing, but you need to have it. This market demand lacks cost-effectiveness, yet it is the mainstream.

After all, no one who wears full-body armor wants to be roasted or electrocuted.

"No magic resistance, not even a little bit, pure physical resistance." This customer was a little different. Rean thought of Larry's armor, with all sorts of resistances, perhaps suitable for ordinary warriors and knights, but...
"I am a Paladin." The faint golden light on his hand was proof.

"Paladins also need some resistance." The sales assistant was still a little puzzled. Although paladins have higher resistance, low- to mid-level paladins will still pursue armor with various magic resistance and elemental resistance.

For paladins, spellcasters and magical creatures are the real enemies. In a sense, they, who are always fighting evil, need to resist magic even more than warriors.

Rean smiled without offering further explanation. The level of Oath Paladin increased once again.

"Then let's try this one: No. 21 synthetic steel, with over 5% refined gold content, no mithril, and a magical obsidian coating." The sales assistant led Rean directly to the back warehouse.

Rean really likes the design of this armor with its little spikes; it would be incredibly fun to crash into it.

The metallic texture felt quite thick to the touch, and even after removing the magic and elemental resistance protection, it was very lightweight.
"Black, huh?" The Black Knight looks cool, but it doesn't suit Rean.

"We can provide coloring services, free of charge. Do you want gold, silver, or white with an antique finish?" This request was quite standard; over 90% of paladins use these three colors.

"Make it a light silver color, so it doesn't reflect light under the moonlight."

The sales assistant nodded. He seemed to be a real knight, not a noble knight. Those noble knights would only be afraid of not being flashy enough when attending various public occasions.

“Okay, for a practical paint coating, is this No. 18 silver shade okay?” As he spoke, he took out a color palette.

The excessive professionalism made Rean feel uneasy, but he was still very satisfied with the armor and the service.

As a result, Rean only spent 90 gold coins to get this pretty good armor.

When I placed the order, I asked around and found out that it was a slow-moving item. After all, warriors who can afford armor at this price point will generally need magic resistance and elemental resistance.

It wasn't that Rean didn't need it, but he felt that the elemental resistance this equipment could provide was probably not as good as the resistance that the Oath Knights had.

He got a small bargain; the cost of this armor was about the same, and the initial selling price was even more than 120 pieces.

"Boom!"

"Snap!" The armor needed adjustment, and a small cyclops, resembling a wild monster, easily disassembled it, allowing the dwarven craftsmen to make further corrections and adjustments based on Rean's body measurements.

Looking around, Rean saw that there were quite a few small giants working for the dwarven shop called "Radiant Rock Shield".

When Rean heard that dwarves were descendants of giants, he thought he had misheard, but now it seems that these shield dwarves who came to do business have indeed inherited the technology and civilization of their ancestors.

Since he could pick up the goods today, Rean didn't leave. While waiting, he took a look at the others.

"Space bag, uh, let me see the smallest one."

He bought a small space bag with a maximum load capacity of about 200 kilograms.

The "weight increase of the space bag" converted from the substances placed inside is only about one-tenth, which means that the full load is about 20 kilograms, which is a very good compression ratio.

This is an essential item for experienced adventurers and travelers, used for carrying supplies and such, making it much easier than simply carrying everything on your own.

Rean intended to use it to carry armor and weapons, since ordinary spellcasters cannot wear heavy armor.

Next, he bought a short dagger, a finely crafted crossbow, and a medkit, along with crossbow bolts (enchanted with twelve bolts), all for a total of only two gold coins.

Rean's Heroic Spirit Compendium has a storage space that can hold supplies, but constantly taking things out of it is just asking for trouble. If someone in the know notices and does so, it will be a big problem.

This is actually a low-end small space bag, with enough space for only one suit of armor and one supply box, and it cost 150 gold coins.

Feeling the urge to shop, he hesitated, wondering if he should just get something better.

"Do you have speed boots?" Ever since he tried them, Rean had been thinking about them.

"Yes, yes, we have some made by the dwarf master Stardar himself, for only 14500 gold coins!"

Okay, I shouldn't have asked. I'm not worthy to.

After thinking it over, Rean bought another alloy longsword, still in the style of the Hero's Sword.

He specifically requested that the appearance be made exactly the same as the original, so that it could be replaced if necessary.

But I must say, after getting my hands on it and trying it out for a bit, Rean found it much easier to use than the original Hero's Sword.

The "Dwarven Craftsmanship" sword has been made lightweight, and the blade has been given a simple sharpening enchantment.

When swung, it seems to become faster and sharper.

This is not an illusion; without activating the true power of the Hero's Sword, this replica is indeed more useful than the real thing.

The price was reasonable; even with the extra scabbard, it only cost Rean two gold coins.

At the same time, the sales assistant reminded him that the armor he bought also came with a suggested "enhancement plan".

"This armor is suitable for the Stone Skin enhancement scheme #165. The 'Art of the Fairy' enchanting shop can provide high-quality permanent enchantments, and this package starts at 300 gold coins."

In other words, if you are willing to spend another 300 gold coins, you can give this armor an extra "chargeable" Stone Skin spell (once a day), which can greatly increase defense (reduce speed) for a short period of time.

This spell is not a fourth-tier spell with the same name (that would be much more expensive and would require diamond dust as a casting material), but rather more like a "petrification coating". Its protective effect is only about one or two rings, but it can still greatly improve combat protection.

Rean also noticed that the prices of handmade and mineral products were normal, but as long as magic and enchantment were involved, the price would be zero at will by the seller.

Seeing that Rean was still somewhat interested in the speed boots, the sales assistant offered an alternative.

"These boots come with the Featherfall spell (activated), and when paired with this bag of 'Jump' scrolls, they can greatly increase mobility for a short time, and the whole set only costs a little over 100 gold coins."

Rean was tempted, but he refused.

"Kuku can do better, much better!"

"That Stone Skin Armor. Give me the materials, and I'll cast the real Stone Skin spell on you!!"

Although Rean didn't really believe it, Rean's wallet decided to pretend to believe it anyway.

Once the armor was finished, Rean left immediately.

He was certain that if he kept browsing, he could spend all 1300 coins at this store.

Rean, now equipped with new gear, wasn't in a hurry to go home. His surgery had taken an extra day, and he missed the chance to meet with Dimon and the others that he had arranged.

Of course, I also wanted to show off my new nails.

But as soon as he arrived at the dock area, Dimon gave him another big bill that was hard to refuse.

(End of this chapter)