The adventurer at the bottom is fantasizing again.

Chapter 117 Powerful! Domineering! Strong! This is Dwarven Craftsmanship! (4K)

Time flew by as they learned new tricks and practiced swordsmanship, and soon the day arrived for Lorraine to retrieve the sword.

After his morning exercise, he had a simple breakfast full of energy, then went to Eileen's place, who had just gotten up, to practice the pronunciation of spells for a while. After that, the two of them set off to pick up their new equipment.

"Watch out! Sorry, friend..."

'

Black smoke was already billowing from the blacksmith's shop in the early morning. Lorraine stepped aside to let a worker who was loading goods onto a wagon pass, and arrived at the door of the flint and anvil.

"bite-

A crisp clang of hammering came from the forge behind the shop.

Lorraine took a deep breath and, with a slightly nervous feeling, pushed open the door and entered.

"jingle"

"Welcome to Firestone... Oh! It's you!"

Boric quickly recited the slogan, but soon recognized who had entered the store.

Lorraine glanced at the dwarf still sitting behind the counter, then turned to look at the forge where the clanging of iron continued to come from, and asked in confusion, "You can also create clones?"

"A clone technique?"

Boric scratched his beard; then it dawned on him: "Oh! You mean Mirror Image? I'm not a mage, how would I know that stuff?"

"...Then?" Lorraine pointed to the curtain from which the sound of hammering metal was constantly coming from.

"Hey! Those are the shop's apprentices working. You don't think I'm qualified to forge just anything, do you? Come on! Take a look at your new thing!"

Boric pulled out a long, thin object wrapped tightly in tarpaulin from under the counter, which was covered by his beard.

Lorraine set aside the spoils he had brought from the gnoll camp, held his breath, untied the ropes binding them, and peeled off the layers of tarpaulin as if unwrapping a gift.

It was a silver longsword covered with fine forging patterns.

The longsword's blade was slightly thinner than before, with a magic groove full of runes engraved on each side. Under the sunlight, a faint glow could be seen on the blade.

He picked it up.

[Untitled]

Equipment type: Hand and half sword

Quality: Excellent (Blue)

Weight: 2.1KG

Length: 41 inches Durability: 220/220

Equipment effects:

[Perfect Balance]: Inertia transmission is smoother when striking, and the speed of continuous slashes is slightly improved. [Hundred Refinements]: Extremely difficult to damage. [Superior Sharpness]: The sharpness of the blade is significantly improved, ignoring a certain amount of the target's physical defense when fighting against natural armor or physical armor. (Temporarily disabled when durability is below 150).

[Mana Resonance]: Unlocked after infusion. Note: "Powerful! Dominant! Strong! This is Dwarven craftsmanship!"

Frostvale blacksmith shop "Flint and Anvil", Boric Flint

Lorraine looked at the description on the panel with delight.

He originally thought that at most one or two equipment effects would change, but to his surprise, they were all upgraded. Even the only one with a negative effect, [Heavy Slash], was changed by Boric to [Perfect Center of Gravity].

He remembered that after Piper's longsword was enchanted, it only gained one upgrade and one new upgrade, so it seemed that charging such a high fee for reforging was indeed justified.

I never expected that this dwarf, despite his short stature, would have such superb skills!

Boric crossed his arms, proudly tossed his long beard, and said, "Since it's for spellcasters, I figured I'd lighten its weight and reweight it. This way, it's lighter, making it easier to hold with one hand, without affecting the previous feel."

"Truly a masterpiece, Mr. Boric."

Lorraine exclaimed in admiration, then grasped the hilt and picked up the sword.

He lightly swung the longsword, and just as Boric had said, its feel had not deteriorated at all; in fact, because the center of gravity had been adjusted perfectly, it felt even better.

"Give it a try, kid."

Boric pointed to a corner of the shop where there was a training dummy wearing half-armor, the half-armor covered with scratches left from previous weapon trials.

"it is good."

Lorraine stepped forward, and with a casual slash of his longsword, the blade sank completely into the blade.

The feel of the sword returning to him made him feel that he hadn't struck any metal armor, but just a piece of tough, thick cowhide.

He picked up the longsword and examined it closely. There were no creases or even the smallest white marks on the blade.

This is the effect of combining [Superior Sharpness] with [Hundred Refinements], a strength that truly gives you peace of mind.

Seeing Lorraine's satisfied expression, Boric smiled and said, "Let's give it a name."

"Rusty throat."

Lorraine replied without hesitation.

This sword has accompanied him all the way from someone who would be startled by a few mice to who he is now, so there's really no need for him to change its name.

"Good name! I've prepared a scabbard for you, here you go." Boric pulled a scabbard from under the counter and casually tossed it over.

Thanks.

Lorraine took the sword sheath.

The scabbard is wrapped tightly in black leather with silver thread, and the pattern of the silver thread is consistent with the forging pattern of the sword. Apart from that, there is no other decoration.

He flicked his wrist, sheathing the rusty throat sword; it felt incredibly smooth to the touch.

Lorraine nodded in satisfaction, pointed to the long-handled sword, longbow, and a small bag of metal spearheads, and asked, "How much are these things worth?"

Boric picked up the items and glanced at them, guessing he was using the Oleksandr Appraisal Technique to check their quality.

After a short while, he slowly said, "The spearheads are 10 silver each, eight in total, 4 gold; the long-handled sword and this longbow are in pretty good condition, 15 gold in total; these two shortbows are too bad, they'd be like this if you broke off a branch from a tree, we can only recycle the bowstrings, 10 silver each."

He pondered for a few seconds and calculated the final number: "A total of 21 gold coins, and the final payment for the reforging is still 79 gold coins short."

That is, each person gets seven gold coins.

Lorraine handed the prepared money bag to the counter: "I've prepared the final payment. Here are one hundred gold coins. Please count them."

Boric opened the money bag, his fingers flying across the paper. After confirming everything was in order, he counted out 21 gold coins, then opened the drawer and swept all the coins inside.

"Cash and goods settled."

He clapped his hands, took out a neatly folded piece of parchment, and said, "This is the blueprint for reforging. It records the amount and proportion of the magic-conducting materials, as well as the details of the inscribed runes. This is necessary for infusing magical artifacts; the mechanic will understand once he sees it."

Lorraine reattached the rusty throat to its familiar waist, patted it gently, and smiled, "I'll pass on the message. Thank you, Mr. Boric."

After leaving the blacksmith's shop, he returned to the tavern.

I didn't see Eileen in the lobby; she's probably still on her way back. But I did see the short figure.

He was sitting at the bar, tilting his head back and drinking a large glass of dwarf's special brew. There was a big package on the bench next to him, and he looked very happy, nodding and swaying his head.

"A glass of iced ale! Piper, is Eileen still not back?" Lorraine sat down beside him and gave Piper his seven gold coins.

"She came back a while ago, saying the room was quieter, so she went... uh... anyway, she was fiddling with that new equipment." The short guy couldn't remember what it was called for a moment, but that didn't stop him from deliberately puffing out his chest, revealing the bronze badge on his chest.

Lorraine looked down.

The badge was very similar to his "official" warrior badge, except that the sword was replaced with a clenched fist.

"A 'formal' barbarian!? When did you get your rank assessed?" he asked in surprise.

This little dwarf has only been learning combat skills from that dwarf instructor for a short time, hasn't he?

The short man said in a tone that tried to sound nonchalant but whose mouth was practically stretched to the back of his head with smugness, "Instructor Jill said that Piper's 'Savage Strike' has reached the proficiency level. This morning, Piper saw that none of you were around, so he went to get his level assessed by himself."

A brutal attack? No wonder.

Every swing of the hammer by that short guy was probably a preparation for this combat technique, so it's normal that he reached the proficiency level so quickly.

Lorraine suspected that even if he didn't learn from Instructor Jill, he would eventually be able to master this combat skill on his own.

He took the beer Gustav offered, raised it to the short man, and praised, "Well done, Piper! Now our team has three 'official' professionals, and we can take on mid-level official quests."

"Hey! Cheers!" The short guy clinked glasses with him, chug down the rest of the liquor, and wiped the foam from his mouth.

He suddenly seemed a little embarrassed and said hesitantly, "Thank you, Lorraine."

"Hmm? Oh... Haha! Don't be so polite. I promised you before, how could I go back on my word?"

Lorraine paused for a moment before realizing he was referring to the hunting of winter wolves. He slapped the short man on the shoulder, but the man's muscles made his palm go numb.

He shook his hand and said with a smile, "Besides, I'd also like to visit the Frozen Wastes and Ironforge."

After all, these two places sound like they have a wealth of exploration experience.

"Pip doesn't want the Winter Wolf's bounty anymore," the little man said, looking at him.

"What?" Lorraine frowned.

"Those one hundred and twenty gold coins, and all the other rewards, Piper's share is all yours."

The short man put the empty cup back on the bar, his expression serious and uncharacteristically solemn. He said, "Pip knows this mission is different from others. You're going to help Pip, otherwise we could have taken on a safer mission. So all the rewards are for you and Sister Eileen. Pip didn't know she was going too. Pip will remember your friendship."

The short man nodded after saying this, feeling that his decision was very reasonable.

"Little dwarf, do you remember what you said to me when we first took on this mission?" Lorraine said.

"What did you say?" Piper looked bewildered.

"Don't you consider me a companion?" Lorraine began to understand why Eileen was so angry.

"But...but..." Piper stammered.

"No buts." Lorraine interrupted him. "So it's the same this time. We'll split all the bounty and materials equally among the three of us. We'll use our share of the furs to make the cold-resistant cloaks. No one will owe anyone anything. That's what companionship is all about."

The little guy stood there, stunned, his eyes gradually reddening. He rubbed his face hard with his short little hands, trying not to cry.

"Pip...Pip knows...we're comrades." He sniffed hard and straightened his chest again.

Lorraine smiled and nodded, saying, "Alright, go check your gear. We'll be setting off soon."

"Okay! Piper's going right now!" The little guy jumped off the bench and scurried up the stairs.

Lorraine finished the rest of the ale in his glass, then took out a gold coin and a few copper coins, and said to Gustav, "Gustav, we have to go on a long trip. Let's extend the stay in both rooms for another five days."

If a masked person contacts me these next few days, and can answer my next question, then give them the key to our room.

Where did we meet? The answer is: the Misty Forest. Of course, a similar answer is fine, it doesn't have to be that precise. If he gets it right, please tell him for me that we've accepted the quest, and he's in charge of everything.

"Alright, but you're going on another long trip? Where are you headed? You just got back and you're already setting off again. You're truly the most hardworking adventurers I've ever met." Gustav wiped his hands with a towel and took the money handed to him.

"There's been a wolf plague in Frozen Lake Town, and the guild has issued a purge order. We're planning to go check it out." Lorraine wasn't going to publicize their plan to find the winter wolves.

"Frozen Lake Town... I heard from the guests who came for drinks that the wolf plague there is quite large. You should be careful," Gustav nodded and warned.

"Okay, we'll be careful," Lorraine said.

Lily eavesdropped on their conversation, and when she heard "wolf plague," she couldn't hold back any longer. She leaned down and whispered in his ear, "I'll go prepare some provisions for your journey. Remember to be careful. Also... I'll let you pay for your morning exercise on credit. You can pay me back when you get back."

"Don't worry." Lorraine gently patted her arm.

"Um!"

Lily pretended to clear the empty glasses from the bar, quickly pecked him on the cheek, then turned and walked briskly towards...

They walked towards the kitchen.

"...You two?" Gustav looked back and forth between the two men, his face filled with disbelief.

"Cough cough, it's nothing."

Lorraine chuckled and quickly fled the scene.

I went upstairs and returned to my room.

The short guy was stuffing all sorts of random things into his bag, because he was going on a long trip and had a lot of things to bring.

Dry rations, a water bottle, a torch, and spare bandages.

"Pip, get ready!" The short man crumpled up a blanket haphazardly and stuffed it into his bag with difficulty.

Lorraine went over to help him stuff it in, only to find that there was even a small iron pot and seasonings in his big package, which she wondered where he had taken them from.

He then began to check his belongings.

The backpack contained some basic supplies, as well as some light healing and antidote potions that I had bought but hadn't used before.

He also carried a small tube to store embers, which he would use to burn himself when he encountered a winter wolf, thus triggering the [Residual Heat] effect of the Ember Cloak.

He also brought along his swordsmanship notes and "Malcolm's Beginner's Guide to Spellcasting," which he could use to pass the time when he had nothing to do on the road.

This time, I even brought a reel case with two magic missile reels that I hadn't had time to sell yet.

Lorraine wasn't the type to be reluctant to use things. If he ever needed them, he would smash all those scrolls without hesitation, because you can only have money if you're alive.

If the short guy had known how to use spell scrolls, he would have definitely brought along the entire stack of fire arrow scrolls as well.

Then, with the help of the short man, he put on the silver-forged steel breastplate, hung the dragon scale round shield on his backpack, and also took the spare iron sword.

Anyway, with my proficiency in heavy-duty moving, carrying these things isn't too heavy.

Finally, after a moment's hesitation, he stuffed the pine cone the little girl had given him into his backpack as well.

After packing his luggage, he knocked on Eileen's door again, telling her to bring more warm clothes, since Frozen Lake Town was much colder than Frost Valley City.

"Okay, okay!"

Eileen opened the door.

Under Lorraine's insistence, she reluctantly changed into a thicker coat and a pair of tight-fitting trousers suitable for long journeys.

There must have been other clothes underneath, otherwise those pants alone probably wouldn't have provided much warmth.

She waved the brown book she was holding and said, "Let's go, I'm all ready."

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