After a half day's journey, Cairn and company arrived at what he imagined a fantasy version of Venice might look like. The ground was paved in blue and white brick, masterfully constructed bridges and archways ran across canals filled with sapphire blue water, and while it was possible to get around on foot, the most common method of getting around the city was riding magic gondolas that could cut through the water with such finesse, the passengers onboard felt like they were gliding.
As Cairn sat near the front of the gondola his group was riding, his head moved like a swivel, taking in the various sights and sounds of the aptly named 'City of Art and Water, Rahst.' Countless intricately carved marble statues populated the city's many intersections, and the sound of flowing water could be heard everywhere. Not just because of the water flowing in the canals but the fountains serving as platforms for the larger statues, many of which had water flowing in extravagant, gravity-defying manners made possible via magic.
"This is a good city....nice and tranquil..." said Cairn, largely to himself. However, due to her excellent hearing, Kaia easily heard him, her ears perking up as she said, "Many consider Rahst the most beautiful of the human-built cities, second only to Thania, the Elven Capital. However, as few outsiders are permitted into Thania, most people have never seen its splendor in person."
Though he was tempted to point out that the Elves sounded like pricks, Cairn held his tongue, turning to face Kaia as he asked, "If you had to choose a location for our base of operations for our future actions, which city would you recommend?"
Not expecting such a question, Kaia fell silent, her brows scrunching for several seconds as she seriously contemplated her response. Based on what she knew of Cairn, he wouldn't want to live somewhere with strict rules or a convoluted political climate. That eliminated most human cities, but the communes of the Felidae were probably a little too 'free-spirited' for someone like Cairn. He might feel comfortable in the structured stone and metal cities of the Dwarves, but she would feel stifled surrounded by such artificiality...
Feeling she had too little information, Kaia shook her head, asserting, "It's difficult to decide such a thing without knowing the race and preferences of people who will join us in the future. The Royal Capital is inarguably the most convenient place to settle long-term, but there are a few downsides. Most notable being its proximity to the Frontier..."
"Yeah, I'd rather not have to travel 3,500km every time I want to enter the Frontier..." appended Cairn. The existence of Warp/Transport Gates would make the journey much quicker, but the costs were exorbitant. Unless you had money to burn, purchasing an airship would be smarter. However, due to the existence of Dragons, Wyverns, and other dangerous entities, even a military-grade airship couldn't venture safely into the Frontier.
"Well, it's not that important," said Cairn. "We'll discuss it again once we recruit more members to our Party."
"That's probably for the best," agreed Kaia. Then, as their gondola had just pulled up to a floating platform connecting to a set of stone steps, they paid the middle-aged gondolier and disembarked, ascending the steps to reach a large, exceptionally busy plaza.
Waiting until everyone was at street level, Cairn met Asim's gaze, stating, "Now that we're in a major city, Kaia and I are going to pawn off some of the scrap we received back in Austral. The four of you should take Tarou and find an Inn for us to spend the night. Maybe gather some information while you're at it."
"What kind of information?" asked Asim.
Shrugging his shoulders, Cairn replied, "Rumors, legends, major events going on in the city—things like that. I've been itching to put my recently acquired skills to the test, so you should also keep your ear to the ground for any news related to local Dungeons."
"Will do," said Asim, clapping Cairn's shoulder before he, Tristan, and Ariella, the latter carrying Tarou, wandered off. Chelsea soon followed, but not before directing a pouty glower at Cairn, stating, "You've grown a lot stronger in the past few weeks, but you're still weak. Don't get ahead of yourself and do something stupid..."
Without waiting for Cairn's response, Chelsea turned away, catching up to the others who had stopped a few meters away.
"I believe she likes you," said Kaia, waiting until Chelsea and the others were well out of earshot. In response, Cairn shrugged his shoulders and said, "She'll get over it," before turning around and walking away. He had already decided to part with Asim, Tristan, Ariella, and Chelsea once they arrived at the Capital. But, even if he hadn't, he had absolutely no interest in brats...
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After searching and asking around for the better part of an hour, Cairn and Kaia found themselves outside a small, L-shaped, steepled building near the city's fringe. Blacksmithing produced a lot of smoke and sound, so most workshops were located away from the city's center, typically in a district specializing in manufacturing and production.
Staring at the sign above the building's entrance, reading 'Elle's Hammer Works' and depicting a cartoonish face making a peace sign and winking, Cairn felt compelled to ask, "This is a workshop operated by a Dwarf...?"
"I've never encountered one, but I've heard most Dwarves fall into two categories," said Kaia, drawing Cairn's gaze. "Those who have lived more than a thousand years are apathetic, rarely leaving the Dwarven nation of Fortas. Those who venture outside are either young, eccentric, or both..."
"Well, as long as they purchase our materials, it doesn't matter," argued Cairn, taking the initiative to enter the storefront section of the workshop. To his surprise, there were no physical weapons or armor on display, just a bunch of framed pictures depicting them. At the unoccupied front desk, he found a large catalog attached to a chain, allowing him to peruse the information on thousands of items, the materials required to forge them, and their respective costs.
Though he could have spent hours looking through the catalog, Cairn set it aside and tapped the nearby silver call bell. He expected it to make a high-pitched ringing sound, but it was completely silent. The plunger also stayed down after it was pressed, preventing people from tapping it more than once.
Just as Cairn was using his Insight to inspect the bell, believing it was broken, a petite figure emerged from the flap-covered door behind the counter. However, instead of a short, stout, bearded man or woman, the person who appeared was thin, fair of skin, and possessed short blonde hair with a peculiar pink swirl. More notably, they were wearing a type of bodysuit that zipped up the front but was currently open, making it very clear they were female as their perky tits were nearly on full display, the fabric just barely covering the important bits...
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Name: Elle Delver
Race: Dwarf
Gender: Female
Age: 317
Title: Bright-Eyed(Increases Success Rate of Forging High-Quality Items)
Class: Forgemaster
[Attributes]
Level: 43/83(541,384/556,894)[Miner(20), (Blacksmith(20), Forgemaster(3)]
HP: 102,632/153,949
MP: 2,386/7,066
Str: 228+271
Agi: 59
Vit: 419+499
Int: 184
Dex: 259+308
Cha: 93+10
Talents: [Lesser Earth's Blessing(20/20)], [Discerning Eye(23/40)], [Metallurgy(3/20)], [Dwarven Physiology(43/83)], [Blacksmithing(58/90)], [Crafting(55/86)], [Hammer Mastery(50/85)], [Mining(43/85)], [Fire Resistance(49/83)], [Tailoring(48/78)], [Runology(42/77)], [Pickaxe Master(40/72)], [Dark Vision(29/50)], [Runic Engraving(28/48)], [Iron Stomach(28/44)], [Cooking(22/39)]
Skills: [Inspect(MAX)], [Helm Splitter(MAX)], [Critical Pick(MAX)], [Mineral Pulse(MAX)], [Material Storage(MAX)], [On-Site Repairs(MAX)], [Hammer Smash(MAX)], [Explosive Rune(7/10)], [Rune of Binding(7/10)], [Peachy Plummet(4/10)], [Leg Vice(2/10)], [Lifestyle Magic(7/7)]
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As Cairn was using Insight to check her Status, Elle was similarly sizing him up using her Inspect. She couldn't see nearly as much information as he could, but she could make out his Class, Title, Stats, and three of his highest-ranked Talents and Skills.
"Well, isn't this a treat," said Elle, her distinctive pink eyes shimmering like gems as she added, "I've never met a Hero before, fledgling or otherwise. And you even possess Insight, a Skill that is supposed to be restricted to Ancient Dragons, High Elves, and Elder Dwarves. How fascinating."
Though he was surprised by Elle's observation, Cairn recovered quickly, asking, "You mean there are others who possess the Insight Skill...?"
Without any hesitation whatsoever, Elle replied, "Well, yeah. It was one of the blessings the Goddess Restia granted the Pillar Races, the immortals charged with maintaining the balance of this world. Since you have it, that means you've been chosen by the Goddess."
Directing her gaze to Kaia, Elle's eyes shined even more brightly as she asserted, "And, seeing as how you're traveling with a Karakut Neophyte, the most reasonable explanation is that you're the second Champion after Alfred. What an incredible find~!"
Feeling a cold sweat break out across his body, Cairn adopted a wry smile and said, "I'd appreciate it if you didn't advertise it..."
"No worries there," said Elle, waving her hand dismissively before smiling from ear to ear as she proposed, "Rather, since it seems you only recently started your journey, how about letting me accompany you? Legends say that those who follow the Champion are fated to become the best in their respective fields, and I've been dying to get my hands on some materials from the Frontier!"
Taken aback by Elle's words, Cairn opened his mouth but couldn't find the words to respond to her enthusiasm. It was true he needed a Blacksmith, but while Elle had a Talent Cap of 83, she was already on her Third Class Change. He had no doubt she could reach the level of a Mastersmith, but Cairn was kind of hoping to recruit someone with the potential to become Divine...
Seeing through Cairn's thoughts, Elle exhaled a lighthearted chuckle and rubbed the back of her head, asking, "Guess I'm not good enough, huh? And here I thought I could finally surpass my Gran. Guess I was being a wee bit presumptuous. My bad!"
Without giving Cairn a chance to respond, Elle leaned forward, smiling brightly as she asked, "So, what can I do for you~?"
Though he felt like a complete ass, Cairn resisted the urge to direct the conversation back to Elle joining them. Instead, he pulled out one of the broken pieces of equipment Sophia had allowed them to take instead of actual funds, saying, "I came to sell scrap weapons and armor..."
"Sounds good~!" chimed Elle. "Let me just grab my scale and testing equipment. The standard policy is to buy processed goods at 30% of their material value, but since you're the Champion, I'll bump things up to 35%. Sound good~?"
"Sounds good..." replied Cairn, summarily abandoning his plan of using Penny-Pinch to try and secure a better deal. He already felt like an ass, so if he tried to barter when Elle was at least pretending to be nice, he would feel like shit the rest of the day, if not much longer...
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As Elle departed to retrieve her equipment, Kaia asked, "Are you sure you want to reject her proposition? I can't see Statuses as you can, but I can tell from the equipment in the catalog she's an exceptional Blacksmith. If she brings her money and materials and uses them to forge equipment for us, it could save us considerable time, money, and effort..."
"I am well aware of that..." replied Cairn, running his fingers through his hair in a gesture of self-calming. If not for his current goal of entering the Tower of Ascension, he would have no qualms about accepting Elle as a member of his Party. She would doubtlessly be useful for a long time, but that was the problem. Once they reached Level 90 and began challenging SS-Rank Dungeons and World Bosses, she likely wouldn't be able to forge the equipment they needed...
("What to do...") mused Cairn, staring up at the ceiling above as if it could provide the answers he sought...
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(A/N: If you'd like Elle to join the MC's Party, now is your chance to vote (O w O)...)