Chapter 20

"Wow, this is great, great. The size is perfect and there are almost no wounds. It’s super good."

"Seeing is faster than talking," Orson and Cody said, and while Al was waiting at the dismantling site, a man in his late thirties appeared. He was a bit chubby and about the same height as Al. He seemed quite excited as he looked at the large lizard carcass on the dismantling table.

"Is that Dennis?"

Feeling intimidated by the atmosphere, Al asked in a low voice, and Orson and Cody both nodded.

"So, who wants to make armor from the large lizard's skin? I’d be happy if it’s a super sexy woman, but it can’t be Orson, right? A muscular man in a black leather suit, hmm, but that could work too. But if so, please reduce your belly fat. Otherwise, it won’t look good..."

Dennis, still hyped up, muttered to himself and asked. He didn’t seem to notice Al or Rippi.

"No, we want this one to be made for him."

As Orson pushed Al, who was half hiding behind him, Dennis finally noticed Al and looked at him intently.

"This kid? He’s still a child, right?"

Al, who had fully adapted to being an adventurer, was indeed 155 cm tall. He had grown 4 cm in the past three months, but he still looked like a child. Orson smiled wryly.

"My name is Al. I’m living as an adventurer. Orson recommended it to me."

Dennis looked thoughtful.

"Hmm, I’m sorry. Orson, can you tell me why you recommended the large lizard to this kid?"

"He’s been working with me recently, but he also acts independently as a mage. He’s young, but I think he has a very promising future. That’s why."

Hearing that Al was a mage, Dennis looked surprised and examined him closely.

"So, you’re the son of some noble or something?"

Al shook his head vigorously.

"I’m not that kind of person. I’m the third son of a poor knight, and I’m poor myself."

Hearing this, Dennis folded his arms.

"It’s a shame for such a fine piece of leather to be worn by a beginner. But if Orson thinks you have a promising future, I’ll trust that. From the looks of it, something not too flashy would be better. But you’ll still grow, so what should we do..."

"Leave it to you. How much will it cost? I’ll give you the whole large lizard. After deducting the dismantling fee at Cody’s, can we make the leather armor with the remaining amount? It would be great if there’s enough left for Rippi’s payment..."

Dennis measured the various parts of the large lizard, considering how to use them. He occasionally whispered to Cody and exchanged some kind of signals with his fingers. Al wanted to ask many questions but couldn’t interrupt. After a while, Cody and Dennis turned back to Orson and the others.

"I’ll buy the whole large lizard for 8 gold coins. It’s in excellent condition and quite large. This is the best price I can offer. Is that okay? If so, I’ll leave the rest to Dennis."

Cody said, and Orson nodded. He had heard it would be around 3 gold coins, so this was a surprising price. Al had no complaints either. Seeing that there were no objections, Dennis continued.

"I have two proposals. One is to make leather armor using the skin of this individual, as you suggested. Using the best parts of the skin, it should have about the same defensive effect as what Orson is wearing. However, I don’t think 8 gold coins will be enough. I can’t give you an exact estimate yet, but you should be prepared for an additional 4 gold coins. And I’ll need about a month to complete it."

Al glanced at Orson. Orson nodded, understanding, but he thought such an amount was impossible. The dream of a new spellbook seemed even further away. For Al, it was an impossible amount.

"The other option is to buy out this individual and, instead, adjust a set of leather armor made from the skin of a large lizard I have in stock to fit Al’s body. Of course, it’s my custom-made, so it will perform better than a regular large lizard leather armor. It won’t be as good as the first option, but it will cost 7 gold coins. That leaves 1 gold coin after the buyout price."

"Of course, the second option." "Of course, the first option."

Al and Orson’s words overlapped. They looked at each other, and Cody and Dennis burst out laughing.

"No way, Orson. Even if we split the profit, considering the payment to Rippi, my share would be 3 gold coins. Even with my savings, I can only afford 7 gold coins at most."

"You... The defensive effect of the armor I’m wearing is incredible. If it’s leather armor, it’s something you can use for life. Getting it for 12 gold coins is a super deal. Be grateful to Dennis."

"But..."

Orson poked Al’s forehead as he tried to argue.

"Large lizard fishing isn’t just for today. It will continue for about a week. Even if we don’t catch as many as today, we should be able to earn enough for the armor. I can front the money until then, and I have other ways to earn, so don’t worry."

Al was uneasy about relying on tomorrow’s earnings, but he had to admit Orson had a point. Overwhelmed by the momentum, he nodded.

"Alright, pay all the money you have for now. I’ll pay Rippi for you."

"Then, let’s measure the detailed sizes."

The conversation progressed smoothly, and Al gradually became more and more anxious about whether this was really a good decision.

Thank you for reading.

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