Derrick was roaming the city, eyeing every shop there was.
Sure, he had an agreement with Brigand, but keeping multiple options open was simply common sense.
"Gems Boutique, Jewelry Boutique, Magical Clothes Boutique..."
Derrick didn't care about any of those!
What he needed right now was a shop filled with raw materials that'd allow his new blacksmith to thrive.
Although he said that he wouldn't 'exploit' him, he'd still make him work harder than anyone else, as he was a vital part to his expansion plans.
The strength of an army heavily relied on its gear, and he didn't want to skimp on it.
After going through multiple alleyways, his patience began to wear thin. Maybe ordering from Brigand was the correct choice...
And as if God had heard his plea, he arrived in front of a shop that looked... horrible. Well, he had left the center area of the city and was now in its outskirts, so it was to be expected.
The decrepit sign read 'Resources Factory', and he didn't hesitate a single instant before barging in.
To his surprise, the interior was still in poor shape, but it was clean and tidy, with everything ordered.
Out of nowhere, a grumpy voice welcomed him.
"If you're here to mock the shop, get the fuck out this instant!"
Derrick was startled. He had just entered and was already being verbally assaulted. When he looked in its direction, he found a short old man manning a walking stick.
He was bald and his face was covered in wrinkles, hiding any remnants of his youth. His eyes were gray, narrow and appeared full of wisdom.
In his old village, Derrick had often dealt with elders like these, and they were the rare people he really enjoyed spending time with.
They were history books that could be used to learn from past mistakes, which in turn helped to plan the future.
"I'm not here to ridicule the shop, I'm here to find materials for a blacksmith"
Derrick had a respectful tone and slightly bowed. He deduced that the decaying state of the shop was the result of misfortune plaguing the owner.
Materials were always in demand, meaning the shop should be flourishing, but it clearly wasn't the case.
When the elder heard Derrick's request, he tidied himself and cleared his throat.
"Please excuse my rude behavior. As you can see, times have been rough. You're actually the first customer this month. Anyway, you didn't come here to hear the ramblings of an old man! My name is Kuro Newlon, and I'm the owner. May I know what materials you're looking for?"
His assumptions had been right. He didn't know who he had offended, but to be reduced to such a state, it had to be someone with a lot of sway in the city's affairs.
"To be honest, I have very little knowledge in the field. I have a budget of 150 gold coins, and I want to equip 140 soldiers. Is it possible?"
Kuro's eyes radiated when he heard of the order's magnitude. This was retribution for the suffering he had been forced to go through.
"It is possible, and I have a catalog at the front desk listing every ore that can be smithed. Would you like to consult it?"
Derrick nodded and followed the old man to a crumbling desk that barely held on.
From a drawer, Kuro took out a large brown ledger that seemed to have survived the passage of time.
After carefully opening it, he started rapidly flipping the pages before stopping and turning the book towards Derrick.
Using his shriveled finger, he pointed out the relevant section.
[Iron Alloy]
[Grade : Common]
[Purity (An alloy is a combination of metals and non-metals, which affects the quality of what is created) : 90%]
[Price per Unit (In this case, a Unit refers to the amount of materials required to forge a complete set of armor, which includes a helmet, breastplate, gauntlets, tassets, cuisses, poleyns, greaves and sabatons) : 20 silver coins]
[Description : A material that serves multiple purposes and grants basic defenses. Results will vary based on the blacksmith's abilities]
[Bronze Alloy]
[Grade : Uncommon]
[Purity : 90%]
[Price per Unit : 1 gold coin]
[Description : An upgrade compared to the iron alloy, mainly due to its increased flexibility and malleability. Results will vary based on the blacksmith's abilities]
[Steel Alloy]
[Grade : Rare]
[Purity : 98%]
[Price per Unit : 10 gold coins]
[Description : Light, malleable and resistant. An alloy that shines on the battlefield. Results will vary based on the blacksmith's abilities]
[Titanium Alloy]
[Grade : Legendary]
[Purity : 95%]
[Price per Unit : 50 platinum coins]
[Description : Although considered almighty, this material is considered to be the bane of blacksmiths. Its tricky nature doesn't allow it to be wielded freely, explaining its relatively low cost]
By the end of his read, Derrick was breathing heavily.
He could already envision an army of tens of thousands of soldiers donning titanium armors and devastating entire regions.
It was his dream, ambition, and most of all, the pathway to enact his revenge.
There might even be something higher than that, making him smile from ear to ear.
After allowing himself to drift in his reveries for a while, he came back to himself and began thinking.
The decision was monumental, and he had to take in consideration that the weapons weren't even included in the costs.
After a long deliberation, his choice had been made.
"I'll be taking 150 units of Iron Alloy, 20 units of Bronze Alloy and 10 units of Steel Alloy"
His decision had rested of two things.
First, his army was brand new, and its skill would be too pitiful to fully utilize better equipment.
Second, he wanted to create divisions that would separate the elites from the rest.
He would use these armors to incite and motivate the soldiers to push their limits farther. They would be the symbol of those standing at the top.
As for the weapons, he would rather buy them directly from Brigand, as his dwarf blacksmith would probably curse him to death once he saw his insane workload.
Meanwhile, Kuro was beaming with joy and tears could be seen swimming around his eyes. A stranger had saved him from total despair.
"Right up, dear guest!"
***
After packing everything in his magic bag, he had left the shop and thanked Kuro, saying that he would be back in the future. The old man had even bowed, causing Derrick to feel awkward.
Now that he had the materials, he needed the tools.
After heading back to the central area of the city, he stopped and winced in front of the shop.
'Blacksmith & Co'
This was the luxurious brand that every master fought to get. Derrick had never been stingy, but his wallet was practically empty. Still, now was not the time to save a few coins.
After a deep sigh, he entered through the beautiful glass doors.
Once inside, he realized why blacksmiths fought to get these premium products.
All of them were placed on spinning, cylindrical podiums with their characteristics displayed on magical screens hovering over them.
After his purchase at the Resources Factory, he now had 90 gold coins left, and that was counting the initial 50 he had brought from Akata.
He would have to make choices, and he now regretted not bringing Fomamli. Alas, he didn't have any more time to waste.
The things he needed were as follows : a forge, an anvil, a hammer, vices, tongs, drifts, slitters, center punches, twisting tools and chisels.
Fortunately, he had found a bundle containing all the smaller tools for 10 gold coins, leaving the forge, anvil and hammer.
He then started browsing through forges, with his browsing narrowing down to three choices.
[Valhalla Forge]
[Grade : Rare]
[Simultaneous Capacity : 10 Units]
[Limitation : Cannot process materials that are above its grade]
[Price : 30 gold coins]
[Devour Forge]
[Grade : Rare]
[Simultaneous Capacity : 20 Units]
[Limitation : Can only process materials that are up to the uncommon grade]
[Price : 20 gold coins]
[Dream Forge]
[Grade : Rare]
[Simultaneous Capacity : 5 Units]
[Limitations : None]
[Price : 40 gold coins]
Derrick wanted to make a sound investment, but at the end of the day, the best materials he had were only rare, meaning he had to eliminate the Dream Forge.
He had also considered the Devour Forge to save time, but it wouldn't allow him to work with the Steel Alloy, which was a big no-no.
With this in mind, he bought the Valhalla Forge.
The anvil hadn't been a big struggle for Derrick, buying one for 30 gold coins and leaving him with 30.
With his hands tied, he had bought the best quality-price hammer they had and walked out, sulky that his funds had melted to absolutely nothing.
It was finally time to return to Akata.