I had a smile on my face after the call ended. It had gone exactly the way I had envisioned. It was the classic arm twist I had used many times in the past to get her to do what I wanted.
My previous teammates used to wonder that if Stivi was my friend, couldn't I have just asked her nicely and gotten what I wanted easily? Was there a need to anger her and jeopardize our friendship?
Well, I had known Stivi longer than most of them. She was as unreasonable as they come.
Had I asked nicely, I could foresee a scenario where she came up with all sorts of excuses and demands. Most likely while she ate candies like a pig while I footed the bill.
This way I had saved my wallet from taking a hit. Some might call it toxic, I called it practical.
It was not like I did not have a cure for her anger. As soon as I gifted her something made from these fantastic Black-Stone grade materials, her anger would evaporate into thin air.
I spent the next few minutes or so completing Borsica's Quest for collecting cross grasses.
Getting down from the platform was much easier. I unfurled the hemp ladder and let it fall all the way down. It ended up a bit short but jumping down from a six feet height was not going to hurt me anyways.
The only task left to do in the Cross Grass Valley was completing Shepherd Luni's Quest.
—---
{Shepherd Luni's Hunting Quest}
[Task: Hunt 10 Biter Sheeps that are invading the Village's Pasture. 6/10.]
[Reward: 150 Exp, 3 Coppers, 1 Jar of Sheep's Milk.]
—---
I just needed four more sheeps to complete the Quest. Now that I had my trusty weapon by my side, hunting 4 sheeps was not a problem at all.
Soon, I found my first target merrily grazing the grass by the cliff wall. I aimed at it and shot the arrow. It pierced through the sheep's neck and triggered a critical hit.
-159 (Crit)
The damage had exceeded the Sheep's total health by 59 points, killing it in one blow. It was way too easy and it was reflected in the Exp I received.
[You have killed Lv1 Biter Sheep. You have received 15 Exp.]
[Bow Mastery +2]
Even though I had not added the 8 stat points I received from leveling up to Lv 4, my damage had increased significantly just because I equipped my Bow.
It took me just 10 minutes to find and hunt the rest of the sheeps and complete my quest. In the process I leveled up once more!
I had accomplished everything I had set off to do.
Borsica's Quest -Check
Luni's Quest - Check
Level Up to re-equip Redwood Longbow - Check!
Happy with my results, I left the Cross Grass Valley.
More importantly, I couldn't wait to see what this Red Fleece and Ebony Horns could become. With a smile, I headed to the Blacksmith Buka's tent, even before going to submit my quests.
As I walked in, the clang of hammers on anvils filled the air. The blacksmith, Buka, was a burly guy with arms like tree trunks. He looked up from his work and greeted me with a nod. "What can I do for you, lad?"
The familiarity I had built up before was showing its effects. The Blacksmith who ignored other players like flies had greeted me first.
I proudly displayed the Red Fleece and Ebony Horns on the counter. "I'd like to see what you can make from these."
Blacksmith Buka's eyes twinkled as he let out an uproarious laughter.
"Hahaha! So that Red-Fleeced monster finally met its end at your hands. That young boy Luni will be quite pleased by the news."
He offered no more words on the topic and moved closer to appraise the materials. The Blacksmith whistled in admiration as he picked up the horns.
"You've got some top-notch materials here, boy. These Ebony Horns are perfect for crafting."
After putting the horns down, he gently picked up the Red Fleece and looked at it with complicated emotions. As if remembering something, he rummaged through his old books and took out a well preserved piece of parchment.
He handled it with gentle care, unexpected from a man of his stature.
"My late friend, Kurba, was the only Leather-Worker we had in this Village. After his passing, no one could handle leather so I took over this additional responsibility."
Blacksmith Buka became sentimental as he reminisced about a person very close to him. His voice had taken a wistful tone and his eyes held some resentment as well as pride as he looked at the parchment in his hands.
"Kurba was obsessed with making the best sheep Leather Armor. However, the Biter Sheep's leather could not provide the quality he needed so he started to pursue an unreasonable goal. He wanted to use the Red Fleece from Red-Fleece Ram to create the best Leather Armor set this Village had ever seen."
I already had an idea where this was going and the excitement in my heart grew. Although I felt sorry for Blacksmith Buka and Kurba, I was curious to see the culmination of their efforts.
Blacksmith Buka finally placed the parchment in his hands on the counter.
There it was, the Ram Shroud Set, a three piece light armor set designed specifically for archers. It consisted of a pair of gloves, a vest and boots.
It was like love at first sight. The moment I had laid my eyes on the set design, I had fallen in love with it. I looked at Blacksmith Buka with eager eyes, hoping he had this set ready in storage.
Even if he asked for all of my materials I had on me in exchange for this set, it would be worth it!
"Sadly my friend never got the chance to bring this set to life. He was killed by the Red-Fleece Ram before he could kill it."
"Huh?"
I was thunderstruck as all my hopes came crashing down. If the set was not ready and the Leather Worker was no longer around, what was the point of raising my hopes with that design?
How was I supposed to get the set? Did I have to borrow the design and find someone from another village to make it for me?
Questions raced through my mind with disappointment clearly visible on my face. The Blacksmith sighed and collected the parchment on the counter.
His actions attracted my attention and I focused on the words coming out of his mouth.
"The Ram Shroud Set was meant to surpass my friend's limits and propel him into the ranks of Metallic Grade Artisans. Although my Leather-working skills are not as good as his, I can try to create this set for you."