The adventurer at the bottom is fantasizing again.

Lorraine watched the figure disappear into the morning mist, and for a moment she didn't know what to say.

Piper squatted on a rock next to him and muttered, "Is she angry?"

"It's just saying one thing and meaning another..."

"Tell me honestly, when you helped her up just now, did you touch something you shouldn't have?"

Lorraine glared at him, then pursed her lips and said, "No."

The short man nodded thoughtfully and said in a tone of someone who had been through it all:

"Pip thinks that's just how women are. If you help her up, she'll think you're being nosy; if you don't help her up, she'll think you're indifferent. In any case, it's always your fault."

Lorraine looked at Piper in surprise. He remembered that the little guy was not even twenty years old yet, so how could he speak so eloquently?

"Where did you hear that from?" he asked.

"That's what everyone says," Piper said matter-of-factly.

"However..." The short man rested his chin on his hand and said thoughtfully, "She's actually a pretty nice person. She's probably been drawing that complicated magic circle since last night."

Lorraine thought she was still too young and shook her head, saying, "She's just too reckless, drawing a magic circle here alone in the middle of the night. Isn't she afraid of encountering enemies?"

Then he saw Piper looking at him with a strange expression, and he asked, puzzled, "What's wrong?"

"It's been almost two years since Piper left home, and the number of attacks he's encountered along the way doesn't add up to the number he's faced when he was with you," the short man sighed.

"Yeah!?"

"Yeah, Piper thinks you don't need to think about becoming a warlock or mage anymore. Why don't you join Piper as a barbarian? That way you'll fight every day, and your strength will skyrocket."

"Please don't say anything more..."

......

Waiting time always seems to pass very slowly.

Over the course of the day and a half, Lorraine meticulously polished the rusty throat blade from beginning to end, then applied the sword oil Karl had given him. It had been somewhat corroded during the previous battle with the rotten moss monster, making it appear somewhat dull.

After sharpening his sword, he practiced his swordsmanship repeatedly. This monotonous training helped calm his restless heart, preparing him for the upcoming battles.

With his hammer not at hand, Piper seemed rather idle.

To kill time, he had no choice but to chop wood for Haif at the tavern entrance, muttering to himself that he needed to check if the enchanting was done yet, which really annoyed Lorraine.

"It's already afternoon, it should be ready by now!"

"Alright, alright, let's pack our gear and go take a look."

Lorraine put on all her equipment.

He put on a soft short-sleeved shirt close to his body, then put on a silver-forged steel breastplate, and finally draped a windproof coat over his outermost garment.

With his newly acquired Midnight Touch under his feet, the longsword Rusty Throat was tucked into his waistband, and the Dragonscale Round Shield was slung over his back. He also carried two magical ornaments with him.

Since this was just an ambush, he didn't need to bring any random stuff, so he simply brought a waist bag containing the remaining payment he would give to Horton later, as well as the weak antidote he had bought earlier.

"call--"

Lorraine tightened his belt and let out a soft breath; the equipment he was wearing gave him a great sense of security.

With herself so well-prepared, I imagine Piper is too...

He turned his head to look.

"Thump thump thump...hiccup...uh...!"

The little dwarf leaped up and onto the bar stool, asked Haif for a large glass of dwarf ale as big as his head, and downed it all in one gulp.

"Hiss...you drank so much before you came out."

The short man, his eyes half-closed from the alcohol, slammed his glass back onto the table with a "bang," and shook his head, saying:

"This is what a powerful barbarian taught me: before a fight, you can drink a huge, huge, huge glass of beer without having learned to berserk and ignore pain."

"Hiccup—" He let out an extremely loud and long hiccup.

Using alcohol instead of combat skills? That barbarian is a genius... Lorraine thought to herself.

"I guess he's a dwarf?" he asked.

Piper jumped off his chair, exclaiming in surprise, "How did you know!"

"Hehe... Let's go."

......

The two arrived at the blacksmith's shop.

Horton was wiping an iron sword hanging on the wall when he saw the two men come in. He turned around and took the warhammer from the weapon rack behind him.

"Alright, take a look."

He carefully placed the hammer on the counter.

[Molten Fluctuations]

Type: Pole-loaded warhammer

Quality: Excellent

Weight: 13.8 kg

Length: 52 inches

Durability: 220/220

Equipment effects:

[Heavy Blow]: Attack speed -10%, but attacks have a chance to stun the enemy.

[Melting]: Deals additional damage to armored targets and shields, and has a chance to soften metal armor/shields, reducing their defensive effectiveness.

[Dragon Flame]: Inflicts a fire splash effect upon hit.

Remark:

"Please do not attempt to use this hammer to heat food."

—Shallow Beach Town Blacksmith Shop/Horton

......

Even with the panel on it, Lorraine almost didn't recognize the hammer.

After being reforged by Horton, the warhammer had completely changed its appearance; the previous gray-black hammerhead had been replaced by a mixed metal that was black with a reddish tinge.

The surface was covered with spiderweb-like cracks, and orange-red light would occasionally flash in the gaps, as if it had just come out of the oven and had not yet cooled down.

As for the attributes of the equipment, they are simply outrageous.

The original armor penetration effect has been enhanced with the addition of a metal softening effect, and a new fire splash attribute has been added, making it significantly stronger than before.

This money was really well spent.

Lorraine quickly took the remaining payment out of her purse and handed it to Horton.

"this..."

Piper lifted the hammer with trembling hands, his eyes widening slightly with excitement.

He gripped the warhammer and slowly swung it in the air at an empty spot, leaving a faint trail of light where the hammerhead passed.

"Oh! It's gotten heavier! But it feels so good to handle."

The little guy shouted with delight.

Horton crossed his arms, straightened his back, and curled up his lips into a wide smile, clearly very satisfied with his cooking.

"Hahaha, it was just a quick thing! I adjusted your center of gravity for you while I was at it. That hammer wasn't originally for halflings, isn't it?"

He took a sip of tea with a smug look on his face.

"Uncle Horton... are you even human?" Piper's voice trembled with excitement.

Horton's smile froze on his face: "Huh?"

"If Piper could write poetry, he would definitely write one for you! It would be called 'The Legend of Horton the Blacksmith,' and the first line would go like this: 'A drop of divine inspiration drips by the furnace, a legend drips from the anvil~'"

The short man, carrying a hammer, began to sing with great enthusiasm, a voice that could make a retired mage apprentice scream, recalling the childhood trauma he suffered forty years ago.

Horton finally lost his temper and spat out the tea in his mouth. He reached out and slapped Piper on the head: "Get lost, get lost, get out of here and stop wasting my time."

"Okay!"

The short man excitedly picked up the hammer and went outside.

"Mr. Horton, thank you for your trouble."

Lorraine didn't follow immediately. He thanked the bald blacksmith earnestly, his attitude more respectful than usual.

Although he didn't know the average level of enchanted equipment, he could tell from the 220/220 durability that Horton had definitely put in the effort.

Horton paused for a moment, then waved his hand dismissively as if shooing away a fly, and said, "Enough nonsense, as long as the hammer works."