Every city in the Southern City-State Alliance is full of charm.
Not only the men and women living here, but also the city itself and its name are very different from cities in other countries on the Rigar continent.
The name of the country "Sivalier" directly means "paragon of knights", while the capital "Prosper" means "jewel in the palm" - used to describe the prosperity of the nearby seafood industry and maritime trade; "Avenne" The word "La" means "a land of peace and tranquility", and the plain of "Ecasta" where our story first begins is, as it feels to people, a "land where the wind never stops".
The "Otolo" empire means "existing for everyone/owned by everyone"; the "Paderosi" empire translates as "second glory" to show its relationship with the Western Rumian Who is the real Lamanite orthodoxy in the Nato Empire? Many people try to give their countries and city-states names that have special meanings, are very glorious and domineering. Only the people of the Southern Territory are ingenious. Thirty percent of the towns in this land are adjacent to water and are even built on the shoals of the southern border of the Mobigas Inland Sea. All city-states are named after beauties.
The main city "Ella", the city of knowledge "Clara", the city "Mapelle", even the small border town where Henry and the others are now has a delicate and beautiful name "Rosemary" ——Means Qiu Ju. There is an old saying that "the heart of a woman is the most poisonous". Combined with the darkness and indifference under the prosperous skin of the materialistic and wealthy Southern Territory, each of these can remind you of the city name of a beautiful girl. Could it be that there is also such a metaphorical meaning hidden in it.
In any case, after returning to Rosemary, Henry and Mira, after a good night's rest, took a comfortable bath in the nearby large bathhouse in the early morning, and then had a leisurely breakfast, as agreed. Started walking towards the former dwarf blacksmith Mike's shop.
Counting the time, it is almost time for the magic weapon forging showdown between Mike and Agatha after returning from this trip.
Magic weapons are a relatively unique existence in the world of Rigar. It is true that they are stronger than ordinary weapons, but the high price does not bring an absolute increase in combat effectiveness. After all, as we said before , the user is always more important than the weapon.
At this point in our story, the topic of weapons has been discussed many times. To sum up, an excellent weapon must maintain at least three points - the first is an excellent appearance, used for cutting or stabbing, and a hand guard as protection. For this reason, the hilt and sword The length of the blade needs to be strictly measured, which is why most weapons have a fluctuating type standard.
The second is the degree of retention of the blade or edge, which is determined by the hardness and toughness of the metal as well as the cutting method, so that after repeatedly slashing the opponent's body or shields and other weapons, there is still no Falling apart or damaged. The last thing that most determines the ability to continue fighting is the combination of the first and second points, the control of the center of gravity that needs to be carefully adjusted when building, and the overall weight of the entire weapon.
Of course, the heavier the weapon, the stronger the cutting ability, but this is not always the case. Two weapons that also weigh one kilogram, with a large amount of steel applied to the front half, definitely feel more like a machete or an axe. It is more suitable for chopping than a stabbing sword with a rear center of gravity or a tapered sword type - but when it comes to flexibility when stabbing, of course the latter will be more powerful.
The above series of complex factors are enough to make even the best human blacksmith unable to guarantee that the weapons he builds every time are of the highest quality. For this reason, only a deeper understanding of all this and more skillful Only the masters of the elves and dwarves dare to add additional magic items that may damage the structure of the weapon and make it quite fragile, in addition to the above forging materials, to forge magic weapons with special abilities.
However, even so, as we said before, what a magic weapon brings will still not be a simple improvement in combat effectiveness - magic will naturally have unique functions, but it is not a direct improvement in combat effectiveness, but a direct improvement in combat effectiveness. Some kind of auxiliary strategic use.
To understand this, we have to start with the human race: In terms of individuals, humans are the weakest in Rigal's world, not only in terms of physical strength and lifespan, but also in terms of magical talents and other abilities. There are many things about them that are completely incomparable with races with powerful magic like elves and dwarves.
Even the dwarves, on average, each individual's ability to understand and control magic far exceeds that of humans. In other words, the ability of all other races, including orcs, to use magic is higher than that of most ordinary humans. However, what is the result of ordinary humans who lack magic power forcibly using powerful magic items? We encountered this in Monro, a city-state in the southern part of the west coast. The black bracelet has told us clearly.
Unlike the sacrificial cannon fodder equipment, ordinary magic weapons are sold for money. Even if it is just for the sake of earning money from business in the future, these alien master craftsmen are determined not to make a weapon that requires too much and will cause the buyer to die from exhaustion of magic power and ruptured blood vessels. This is a very normal logic, and if you think about it if you follow it, since the user has limited the addition of magic to the super powerful output, then the craftsmen will naturally not do it.
Although magic weapons are usually inlaid with gems that have their own magic power, these gems have a limit on the number of times they can be used, and they will still draw your magic power when used.
It can't be a super powerful magic, so don't expect to be able to instantly turn into an unstoppable God of War with it. Swing down the sword and wipe out thousands of troops in an instant - if you really want this, then please You should first spend thirty or fifty years to become a high-level magician - provided you have this talent.
But then again, forcibly applying magic to weapons used in melee combat, in order to ensure that the weapon will not be easily damaged when killing people and affect the magic, naturally the requirements for various things are higher, and the cost is very high. In addition, the melee combat ability of most magicians is pitifully low, and magic weapons are not as meaningful to them as a wand composed of a wooden stick and a magic stone - perhaps except for a certain white man in a different world who likes to wear a robe and a pointed hat. There isn't a magician in the world who wields a sword other than the old bearded man - but let's get back to where we are.
To sum up, magicians cannot use it, and ordinary people cannot use magic weapons to exert powerful magic attacks. So, changing the thinking, this kind of weapon, which is still eagerly sought after by many people, has the existence of magic attached to it. What is the meaning?
If the time goes back to nearly a year ago, when Henry and his party were hunted down by the mercenary killers sent by Sivalier in the Grigori Rift Valley, perhaps the answer will become obvious.
The first purple mercenary killed by Henry in our story, Francois of Sand, used a magic long sword. Just like the name he was given because of this, all this weapon can do is swing a certain amount of wind pressure to stir up sand and dust. It is not at all the feeling that ordinary people imagine that a magic weapon can swing a powerful attack, but that's it. , in fact, in the hands of such a master, it is already an excellent effect.
The so-called duel between masters is to seek opportunities to defeat the enemy with each move. Although the power is not enough to directly kill the opponent, it can have a shocking effect such as igniting flames and exerting wind pressure during the battle, or temporarily causing the opponent to lose sight. , in the hands of a powerful person, it is enough to create a sure-kill opportunity.
This is the significance of magic weapons that cost far more than ordinary weapons in terms of cost and labor time to humans. This kind of sophisticated treasure that requires foreign masters to process is a special existence as the icing on the cake. It is true that they are stronger, but they are not strong enough to double the combat power of anyone holding it. In the hands of a weak person, it will only bring a higher burden because it still needs to consume magic power. , coupled with various constraints such as the most important price factor, it is obvious why this type of weapon has not become mainstream so far.
According to this line of thinking, the argument between the old dwarf Mike Stonewater, whom Henry and the others were forced to have a relationship with - humans usually call him Mike for short - and the elf woman Agatha is naturally an experienced one. The struggle between the "practicality" of the dwarf blacksmith's needs for customers and the arrogance and willfulness of the simple elves who think it is a "good thing" regardless of whether the buyer can use it is no longer a struggle.
In this comparison, which one is better and which one is worse has actually been decided from the beginning, but no matter what, having some relationship with a dwarf craftsman brings more than just disadvantages. At least Henry and the others had the advantage of custom-making a set of lightweight half-armor from Mike at a relatively favorable price before setting off, and not paying until later.
It is different from the stupid and one-sided impression of humans that "dwarf artifacts are all rough and heavy" - although this race does have stronger bodies than humans, so the weapons and armor they use are thicker and heavier than humans, but this It's just the weapons and equipment they use. The dwarves who have communicated with human society for so many years and make a living by creating various weapons and equipment suitable for humans cannot always follow their own ideas.
They are not mentally retarded. Although they can be as stubborn on certain issues as the hard rocks deep in the mountains of the dwarfs in their hometown, as craftsmen, when it comes to learning and using technology, the two races of dwarves and gnomes are better than the rest. All three races, including humans, must be enlightened.
Returning to the original point, a lightweight half-armor consisting of only a breastplate, protruding lower edge, skirt armor baffle and forearm armor was even easier for Mike to make than a magic weapon. After all, he also runs a century-old shop. This level of equipment can be made by his apprentices, and there is no need to do it yourself. Therefore, after Henry and the others returned from the hunting trip that took more than a month, they also made the equipment. Be prepared to get things.
Although it is a light and strong armor, the total weight of the whole set is about seven kilograms. Adding the cotton armor is a small burden, but with its existence, you basically don’t hold a shield, and the largest part of the torso is already. Can defend against arrow attacks.
Our little Mila now has to carry it on her back for long-distance operations, because there may still be some minor problems due to the stuffy heat and the like. But fortunately, the two of them still have horses. The Avenella war horses produced in the Ecasta Plain are already known for their load-bearing capabilities. Using them as a means of transportation and slowly adapting to the load-bearing wearing armor is considered an appropriate choice. plan of.
No matter what, it was decided that armor was a must-have, but when she thought of the high price, the white-haired Luoan girl looked worried as she walked over. This was why she didn't notice the passers-by on the road looking at the two of them at all. Henry noticed the frequent glances, but he never cared about it. He just continued to wait calmly until the two of them happened to reach the commercial street where Mike's iron shop was located, and the "click-click" wooden wheels rolled on the roadside. The sound on the rock floor suddenly stopped, and when a luxurious carriage with glass windows stopped in front of them, the two finally stopped.
"Uh-" Mira was stunned for a moment because she was in a daze, while Henry continued to look forward calmly.
"You two are Henry and Mira." The servant wearing bell-bottom trousers and brightly colored clothes opened the car door and smoothly pulled out the stepladder. This exquisite ironwork bonding process obviously must be the work of a superb craftsman. Every line on the carriage, which combines brown and red colors with very delicate texture, shows its high cost - and while talking, the lady riding in such a luxurious and exquisite carriage slowly slowly walked under the service of the servants. He stepped down and walked down.
She is about fifty or sixty years old, with a shorter nose and green eyes that are common among southerners than those on the west coast. She was still wearing a long purple dress in the southern city-state, and her gray hair was all tied back. Although her face was full of wrinkles, it could be seen that she was a beauty when she was young.
"Felix?" Henry went straight in. Although there were no identifiable signs on the carriage or the woman, he could still tell it at a glance.
As we said before, the Southern City-State Alliance has no king. The major nobles who rule here are mainly based on capital, and making more money is their most passionate thing - and the hunting mercenary group, which is a major source of income, has these resources as the leader of a large mercenary group. Even if the family is not a noble, it is bound to be inextricably linked with the nobles.
The Felix family can be regarded as a small example. Although the hunting mercenary group bears their name, it should only be regarded as a branch. There are also many other institutions such as Felix—or Lucky Chamber of Commerce and Lucky Carriage Shop. As the family emblem, the white five-pointed star on a gold background fills Rosemary's streets and alleys, declaring their presence of power.
Naturally, those who can ride such a luxurious carriage arrogantly in this town must be nobles. In addition, these are the only people who have had contact with the two of them. If she hadn't been in a daze just now, even Mira would be able to do all this quickly. to judge.
"Exactly, I would like to thank you two for protecting my master. Please don't take offense if I stop you. It's just a coincidence that I met you by chance. I just happened to give you the reward that belongs to you. Come on, Joel, give me the gold coins. Pass it over to you two." She said this, and the content of her words made Henry's eyebrows move. The crowd around them stopped to pay attention to what was happening. For a while, no one in the prosperous commercial street made a sound.
"There are five bags of gold coins in total. Each bag of gold coins is one kri 2, which is twenty coins." The lady smiled like this, and the male servant named Joel handed over five heavy, palm-sized delicate leather bags. Henry and Mira. Then, as if it was her purpose to stop the two of them in a high-profile way on the busy street just to get the reward that they should have gone to the mercenary guild to go through the formalities. After giving a slight nod, she said nothing. Back in the carriage, the coachman sitting on the roof swung his long black riding crop and drove the carriage forward.
"..." Although he received quite a lot of reward, there was not much joy on Henry's face. Although he was not a happy person, he still didn't enjoy himself after picking up so much money for nothing. Apparently it was because of the metaphor behind it. The implication made the sage a little unhappy. He said nothing, and the white-haired Luoan girl looked around, and then realized that people were coming and going, but everyone's eyes were fixed on them.
"It really made a lot of noise." Mike was also among the crowd of onlookers. He leaned against the marble pillar in front of his store and smoked a cigarette. Then he waved to the two of them and turned around and walked inside. .
"..." Henry and Mira followed up silently, and the onlookers dispersed and went about their own business. After entering the shop, this time it looked very different from before. A large group of craftsmen, including several dwarves, were making something tinklingly. The bleak interior and the bright furnace formed a sharp contrast. It is believed that This is the reason why the craftsman god who is good at smelting in the legends of many countries is one-eyed and lame.
Years of staring at the metal in the bright stove in a dark room to pay attention to the color changes, and stepping on the bellows to increase the temperature. Years of habit have caused many old blacksmiths to have some problems with their eyes and legs. This is why many old blacksmiths have some problems with their eyes and legs. Although they are experienced, most of them will leave tasks to young apprentices.
"Killed a famous purple card and wounded another." Mike blew out a smoke ring, then turned his head to look at Henry and then quickly looked at Mira.
"It's not uncommon for you to target the people you want to win over, but it's really a clever trick. Once you do this in the most prosperous commercial street with the most people, everyone will know that you are from Felix. "
"..." Henry shrugged, and Mike took away the cigarette holder, knocked it on the wooden table next to him, poured out the ashes inside, and then walked to the tin can with tobacco aside, saying as he walked: "It's really unpleasant to be tied to a chariot, but in a place like this, it's easier to live with them than against them, and now you have money to pay me."
"The upgrade of the mercenary badge is probably very close. After all, it was witnessed by many people and influential people did something." He glanced at the two of them meaningfully, and then He shook his head: "Hey, don't talk about that. My sword is almost ready. Let me show it to you."
"I haven't been able to contact Agatha in the past few days. Anyway, let's do this first-"
"Kacha -" Mike was saying this, when suddenly the door of the blacksmith shop was pushed open, and a beautiful elf woman with pursed lips and an unhappy look walked in. Her hands were empty and she didn't take anything. With.
"..." The air suddenly became awkward again. Mira held the pile of small leather bags containing gold coins and looked around at the two people confronting each other. She had no idea what was going on.
…
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Notes: 1: In order to be somewhat different from human names, I tried to choose some more powerful phrases as the names of the dwarf characters, and then combined them all together without the common distinction between the first name and the middle name. He looks longer and more handsome (laughs) And this character turned out to be Mike Stonewall, but I don’t know why the sensitive word in a certain point was blocked (I didn’t find out until I posted it before, and then the chapter was locked and could not be Modification), so I removed the word "er" and changed it to "watt". Here is a special explanation.
2: Cree, the weight unit of the Southern City-State Alliance. One kri is equal to half a kilogram. When used to measure the price standard, it is naturally the price of half a kilogram of silver. This weight of pure silver can be cast into two hundred and forty airas. Silver coins, in order to save weight and volume, most people use higher-priced Ella gold coins when trading large amounts of money up to the Kerry level. A group of twenty coins is considered a Kerry. According to West Coast standards, we have introduced that one Ella silver coin is approximately equal to 150 Danos, so you can calculate how much this amount is. (Laughs (To be continued.)
