Pioneer Wizard's Notebook

Dwarves are not a native race of the continent, but rather descended from other dimensional worlds more than three hundred years ago, coinciding with the convergence of the celestial spheres.

They worshipped a god of forging and were naturally skilled at it.

After arriving in the North, they followed the earth's ley line energy and established a powerful dwarven royal court on an icefield volcano.

Unlike the brutal Winter Clan, the dwarves tend to maintain a neutral stance towards other nations.

As a result, it quickly became famous throughout the continent for its forging and spirits, and became a guest of honor for nobles in major cities.

The weapons merchant guild in front of Linde, called "Black Iron Hammer," was established by dwarves.

They were attracted by Blackrock City's abundant coal resources, which made it convenient for steelmaking.

Upon entering the store, the first thing that comes into view is a black iron blast furnace that is more than five meters tall.

The coal was burning red-hot, and billowing heat emanated from below, making people sweat profusely even in the dead of winter.

"Welcome to Black Iron Hammer. What would you like to order?"

A shirtless, muscular blacksmith stopped forging.

He wiped the sweat from his face with a towel, draped it over his shoulder, and walked toward Lind and the others, asking them a question.

"I need to see what's in this first."

Linde didn't rush to answer, his gaze sweeping over the surrounding weapon racks.

The blacksmith gestured for him to proceed.

"Dark Iron Hammer" is the largest weapon shop in Blackrock City, with all kinds of weapons displayed around the central blast furnace and the surrounding walls.

From standard longswords and scimitars, to long-handled halberds and iron spears, and then to armor-piercing maces and broadswords.

In addition, there is a special wall displaying bows and arrows and armor.

Linde focused his attention on their prices.

A longsword costs 12 silver coins, a battle axe 10 silver coins, and a longbow between 8 and 20 silver coins.

The Kingdom of Rosa uses gold, silver, and copper as its monetary units. One gold coin is equal to 100 silver coins, and one silver coin is equal to 100 copper coins.

As far as Linde knew, a delivery worker in Blackrock City earned 20 copper coins a day.

This is roughly the daily expenses for an average family of three.

Weapons are very expensive.

Urban commoners would need to work for two or three years, during which time they would have to scrimp and save, carefully avoiding illness and injury, before they could afford even the most basic standard-issue longsword.

This price is also expensive for Linde.

After paying the city entrance fee, his pockets were now emptier than his face.

"Do you still produce bows and arrows here?"

Despite being broke, Linde acted with great magnanimity, pointing directly to the most expensive longbow and asking about it.

"Black Iron Hammer has partnerships with other merchant guilds in the southern part of the kingdom, and can source high-quality longbows from there, guaranteeing excellent quality at reasonable prices."

The man's gaze swept over the customers, guessing they might be soldiers who had come to purchase military equipment, and his tone became enthusiastic.

"The price of a longbow depends on the material; the cheaper ones are made of ash and elm."

"The one you're referring to is made of the finest yew wood, is 1.8 meters long, weighs up to 180 pounds, and can pierce chainmail at 200 meters. The price of 20 silver coins is definitely not expensive."

Linde knew he was telling the truth.

The yew wood longbow has an astonishing weight, making it one of the most powerful pieces of ordinary equipment.

If paired with wolf-tooth arrows, a volley of fire would be enough to riddle that Icefield Ghost Knight with holes.

Even the Winter Wolf King had to avoid its sharp edge and dared not confront it head-on.

Of course, the downside is also obvious: it's very expensive, costing 10 gold coins to buy 50.

Linde pretended not to care and looked away, glancing at the wall with the armor.

The leather armor above costs 6 silver coins, chainmail costs 50 silver coins, and a complete set of knight's plate armor costs 4 gold coins.

Further up, there are plate armors worth a dozen or twenty gold coins each.

However, those plate armors were ornate in style and inlaid with various jewels and agates, with added value exceeding practical value, making them lack reference value.

"This is wolfskin armor from the Icefield Demons. Its defensive capabilities rival those of chainmail, but it is more flexible, lightweight, and also provides warmth."

Linde took out a wolfskin armor and introduced it.

The blacksmith immediately understood what he meant, took it, and examined it carefully.

"The icy blue patterns and the unique texture truly make it an Icefield Demon transformed from a winter wolf."

The man said, "If you are willing to sell, I can offer you 10 silver coins for each Black Iron Hammer."

"60 silver coins."

"Uh, you're joking. The fur of ordinary Iceborne Demons isn't exactly high-quality material. It lacks resistance to fire, and the craftsmanship of these leather armors is rather rudimentary, not even comparable to chainmail."

"But this is the northern ice plains, where leather armor is more valuable than cold, heavy plate armor. As for the craftsmanship, they are intact, and that's enough."

"You're really putting me in a difficult position. They're worth at most 20 silver coins anyway."

Linde haggles with the man.

Ultimately, the purchase price of the wolfhide armor remained at 30 silver coins.

No matter what he said, the man refused to raise the price further.

This is probably the maximum price Black Iron Hammer can offer, which is not much different from what Lind estimated.

Even so, he did not close the deal immediately and decided to check out other weapon shops.

After all, twenty wolfhide armors only cost 6 gold coins in total, which wasn't enough to support him in purchasing the necessary supplies.

The man wasn't disappointed and continued to show him other products.

Linde stopped in front of a display case made of transparent quartz.

This exhibition area only has one item: a piece of plate armor, and it has no price tag.

The plate armor is grayish-white in color and has an exquisite and smooth design.

From the shoulder armor to the hand guards, every detail is handled perfectly, presenting a seamless and integrated texture.

"This is a stainless steel plate armor crafted by Todd the craftsman, and it is the most perfect work of 'Black Iron Hammer' to date."

The man proudly introduced, "The local lord, Baron Blackstone, once offered 60 gold coins to buy it, but it was still rejected by Craftsman Todd. Now it is kept in the shop for display and is not for sale."

Todd the Craftsman was the dwarf owner of this shop.

The title of "craftsman" is an honorific for artisans who can forge extraordinary weapons, equivalent to an extraordinary knight, but with a more prestigious status.

Linde was more concerned with the material of the plate armor—white steel, a superb forging technique mastered only by dwarves.

"White steel does not refer to a specific metal, but rather to a forging process where dwarven craftsmen combine finely forged steel with materials from extraordinary magical creatures."

The man spoke wistfully, "The stainless steel in this plate armor is forged from the scales of a rock-armored lizard and steel, greatly enhancing its defensive capabilities."

"Even the heaviest armor-piercing hammer cannot leave a mark on it."

"The incoming impact will be completely absorbed, protecting the internal users from any harm."

After listening to the man's explanation, Lin De remembered the two wolf king tusks in the manor's warehouse.

In theory, dwarven craftsmen can use wolf king tusks to forge white steel weapons with enhanced lethality.

This greatly enhances the combat power of the Icefield Knights.

"If I provide the materials myself and have the master craftsman Todd forge an extraordinary knight's sword, how many gold coins would it cost?"

Linde asked curiously.

"It depends on whether the materials can pique Todd's interest; if so, it only costs 10 gold coins."

Knight swords are much simpler to forge than plate armor.

Even so, the price of 10 gold coins was still beyond what Linde could afford.

Seeing him shake his head and walk towards the door, the man called out, "If you think the price is too high, Black Iron Hammer is willing to directly buy extraordinary materials at a fair price!"

Fair my foot! Finished stainless steel products can sell for fifty or sixty gold coins, while selling raw materials directly wouldn't even get you a fraction of that.

Lind rolled his eyes inwardly. Sure enough, monopolies are the most profitable businesses; even the local lords have to beg for gold coins.

Suppressing his inner turmoil, he led his soldiers away from Black Iron Hammer, preparing to compare the situation with other shops.

But then a carriage bearing the emblem of the Obsidian Forge, representing Baron Falco of Blackrock City, came into view.

A butler dressed in an elegant formal suit dismounted and bowed, saying:

"Lord Lind, the master invites you to the castle. This way, please."