The city was built around the entrance of the labyrinth.
That's why it's located in the very center of the city, which is where the Labyrinth Association was also located. Anyway, before heading to the center of the city, I needed to get some equipment to explore the labyrinth.
In the north district of the city, the swordsmanship association, magic tower, and explorers' guild houses are located. The commercial district, where various equipment and potions shops are located, and the brothel I visited last time are located in the southern district. As for the eastern district, I've never been to it, and I only ever heard rumors about it, which said that it's the most unsafe place in the city.
Anyway, the first place I headed toward was the commercial district located in the south since I needed some basic equipment. If you go without any equipment, your application for the beginner back will be rejected. So, it was essential for me to do it.
Fortunately, thanks to the priest, I already had a sword, so I saved some money from buying another one.
What I really needed right now was armor. I realized its importance three years ago when I almost died. If only I could have a heavy metal chest plate to protect me, but not only is it too expensive, but it's also too heavy for me to move around in.
That's why I looked around the store in search of something lighter.
As I wandered around, I came across a store that caught my eye instantly.
The weapons were reasonably well-maintained, and the quality of the weapons on display seemed pretty good, but what caught my eye was the blacksmith working inside the store. She was a rare female blacksmith.
Despite her small stature, her arms and legs were muscular, and she had a pretty face that didn't match the image of a blacksmith. Maybe because it was hot, sweat was running down her face like rain, but she was striking the hot iron with a hammer and tongs without a single pause. The sight of her sweat dripping down from her body was strangely sexy.
"Oh, a customer?"
While I continued to look around, I suddenly heard a voice next to me, so I looked up in the direction of the voice in surprise. But when I did, there was nothing there.
"Where are you looking? Down here."
I lowered my head in the direction of the voice, and a muscular, bearded man shorter than my chest was staring at me curtly. Judging by his appearance, was he a dwarf?
"You look like a beginner at first glance, and the items displayed outside are for beginners. From the way you were looking around, I think you were mainly looking for leather armor… If that's the case, take a look at the ones displayed over there."
Although his tone was curt, I felt a strange sense of trust in him because he naturally recommended beginner equipment without even needing me to utter a single word.
"Are you the owner of this shop?"
"Why? Do you think I don't trust you because you suddenly showed up and spoke informally to me?"
"No, I actually trust you."
His eyes widened in shock, speechless.
Well, isn't that a cliche? A dwarf who treats novice adventurers like brats… Even though it's another world, seeing the dwarves with my own eyes was actually amazing. After living in the residential area of the city for more than three years, I had barely seen any.
Anyway, when I said that, the corners of the dwarf's mouth, which had been making a curt expression, twitched, and his expression relaxed a little compared to before.
"Hmm… You're not a rookie who boasts without any backing."
"And how do you judge that?"
"When a guy looks like a rookie at first glance comes to a shop run by a dwarf, nine times out of ten, he's a guy with some rich parents that give him everything. He asks for weapons that don't match them or says that his eyes are better than mine when it comes to choosing equipment that fits him… Meh, since I made the weapons here, shouldn't I be able to tell better than him?"
So, the shop was indeed run by the dwarf…. From what he said, the shop was probably quite famous since it was run by a dwarf. Well, I heard that dwarves usually live in the mountains and rarely come down to the city. I've only seen them once or twice while wandering around the commercial area, but this was definitely the first time that I was striking up a conversation with one like this.
Three years ago, a bunch of adventurers came here because they wanted dwarven weapons.
"Uh, yeah, I didn't know this shop was run by a dwarf. I just wandered around and found my way here."
To be honest, I came here because I saw a beautiful woman inside hammering hot iron… but wait? A question suddenly appeared in my mind.
"Then, who is the woman hammering back there?"
"Oh, that's my daughter."
At those words, I looked at the woman hammering again. She's a little short, but she doesn't look like a dwarf; she is only slightly shorter than most humans. The only thing they had in common was her brown hair. …Actually, maybe their chests were similar; the dwarf's chest was extremely well-built and quite big, in all honesty, and the two melons on that woman…
Ah, and there I go again. I slightly shook my head.
"Why are you looking at me like that? She really is my daughter. She's a half-blood. Don't pay attention to my daughter; you came here to buy some equipment, so go and buy some equipment!"
At those words, I obediently turned my head around toward the equipment. I was naturally interested in the equipment made by dwarves, a famous race known for their craftsmanship.
But the price… was crazy. It was relatively cheap leather armor compared to plate armor, and each one cost several gold coins, and the ones that looked better cost dozens of gold coins. The quality seemed good, but…they were too expensive for me, who only had the budget of a single gold coin. Even the ones here were supposed to be for beginners!
Shocked by the prices of the items, I suddenly became curious and looked at the weapons displayed inside the store. The ones inside seemed different from the ones displayed outside, even in terms of materials.
There was black metal armor, leather armor with strange red energy flowing through it, and even a greatsword that was as transparent as glass…
And among them, there was one leather armor that looked particularly ordinary. How much was it?
[80 Silver Coins]
I rubbed my eyes, thinking that I had seen wrong.
Was it 80 gold coins?
I looked again, but it really was written 80 silver coins.
Thinking that I might have seen wrong, I decided to get closer. Among the dazzling equipment next to me, what stood out was a plain, featureless leather armor. As for the leather material, perhaps I have no discerning eye. It didn't seem any different from the beginner-level items outside.
"Are you interested in that armor?"
The was different than before. Even the voice was a woman's.
When I looked to the side, the woman who had been hammering a little while ago was standing next to me, having put down the hammer. And she was pretty close! Maybe because she had been sweating a little while ago, I could smell the scent of flesh, metal, and sweat mixed together. But it wasn't an unpleasant smell. Maybe the metallic scent was stronger?
…Up close, I could see her breasts pressed against one another, and strangely, they were covered in sweat.
Ahem.
"That. I made it. I made it when I was still inexperienced, so I was embarrassed and put it on display inside, but you found it."
Was that why it looked so isolated? Contrary to the woman's words, which seemed slightly embarrassed, the quality of the armor was pretty good.
Above all, it was cheap. I could buy it within my budget, and while I would have to pay a few gold coins at other stores to get this quality, I could get it here for only 80 silver coins.
"Want to buy it? If you buy it now, I'll even give you a decent pair of leather boots."
There was no hesitation. "I'll buy it."