Chapter 56

Fang Yi's snake lizard leather armor was concealed by a magical glow, making it look like just a slightly more ornate piece of ordinary equipment. To Fang Yi's surprise, although the short sword Bloodflow seemed unremarkable, when he held it, several blood grooves occasionally emitted a magical glow like fresh blood, circling the entire blade before returning to the grooves. Even with the equipment protection activated, it couldn't be avoided.

Fang Yi liked the flashy feeling but didn't like the trouble. It seemed he would have to take care of Krus Silverbeard's business again.

The Anvil and Dagger was clearly busier than before. Most players were updating their equipment, and it was inevitable to replace sheaths and fill in missing pieces. The blacksmith shop had become a place where players frequently visited, just like the auction house and the pharmacy.

Fang Yi strode into the blacksmith shop and collided with a fat man who was rushing out. With slightly less strength, Fang Yi was pushed to the side. Looking up at the fat man's face, he thought the world was really small. Wasn't this the fat ghost he had beheaded? The battle record showed that the opponent's name was something like "Desperate Sanlang," which really disgraced the name of the Liangshan heroes.

Fang Yi was in disguise, and his clothes and weapons had changed significantly. The fat ghost glanced at Fang Yi twice but clearly didn't recognize the familiar face, and immediately turned and hurried away. Fang Yi stared at the fat man's back and seemed to think of something, smiling with a hint of amusement.

Fang Yi wasn't in a hurry to make the sheath. After Sanlang's figure turned the corner, he quickly followed, entering stealth mode and trailing behind the fat ghost.

Just one random kill dropped a purple item and an unidentified gem. Such a big moving bank couldn't be ignored. Fang Yi followed Sanlang through twists and turns, watching him enter a pharmacy called "Xuan." Fang Yi didn't dare to rush in and waited outside for about ten minutes. Seeing that the fat man still hadn't come out, he recast the disguise spell and walked in leisurely.

The pharmacy was small, and it only took a minute to walk around. Fang Yi didn't find Desperate Sanlang but remembered something else.

This place used to be an empty lot, didn't it? Fang Yi looked through the door and saw the second floor of the Golden Hat Inn on the opposite street—its unique red brick and wooden roof. Yes, this used to be a small empty lot, specifically for player investment. Had it been bought in just a few days?

Without the owner's permission, it was impossible to enter private property. Fang Yi waited for a while but still didn't see the fat man reappear, so he left the weapon shop. He carefully noted the coordinates of this suspicious weapon shop and planned to come back and stake it out when he had time, then turned and walked back to the Anvil and Dagger.

The blacksmith shop was still the same. This time, Fang Yi had become a wealthy landlord and decided to get good sheaths for both weapons. Thinking of this, he suddenly remembered that he hadn't used the materials obtained from killing the Kabuto monster. He quickly took them out and showed them to the boss.

"Hey? This is Kabuto monster skin? Too bad there's not much. There are also teeth and bones, hmm," Krus Silverbeard's mood was clearly good, and he looked at Fang Yi with surprise, "The weapon in your hand doesn't prove your strength, but these spoils are enough to be a topic of conversation in the future."

This old man really knows his stuff. He even recognizes the Kabuto monster. Could he be a warrior hiding his identity as a blacksmith? "Not at all, not at all, you recognized it at first glance, didn't you? Everyone has seen live pigs, but not everyone recognizes pig bones," Fang Yi smiled and flattered Krus.

"As a blacksmith, of course, I have to recognize related materials," Silverbeard puffed out his dwarf's characteristic watermelon belly and said proudly, "Tell me, what level of sheath do you want to make? The materials in your hand are not few, and they are enough to make some other things, as long as you have enough money!"

Fang Yi was delighted. He was just missing some wrist guards and leg guards.

"Rare magical equipment...?" As soon as the probing words came out, the old dwarf was about to get angry. Fang Yi quickly changed his words, "These materials are clearly too low-level."

Krus Silverbeard's expression showed that Fang Yi was sensible, and he lowered his head to sort through the materials on the low stone table, "If you need it, I can make a fine-quality sheath for your weapon. These teeth and feelers are not very useful, there are too few, but the soft skin from the belly can be made into wrist guards or gloves." Krus looked at the excited thief and added, "It will cost about twenty gold coins."

Indeed, earning money is like drawing silk, and spending money is like a waterfall. But these are tools for making a living, and they can't be spared. He obediently paid the money (a consequence of low charisma, pay first, deliver later) and watched Krus Silverbeard start the furnace and forge, thinking about how to get the NPC to talk.

"Mr. Krus, there are no iron mines around Tashil. Your business doesn't seem to be very good, does it?"

Perhaps because Fang Yi was a big customer, the dwarf blacksmith hammered the hard scales from the Kabuto monster's back, and his tone became much gentler, "Merchants often transport ore from Suzal (the capital of Cormyr on the north shore of the Dragonmere) and Marsember (a port city of Cormyr). The price is a bit higher, but it's not scarce. It's just that there are no local mines. Every winter, the price of ore rises sharply."

Fang Yi knew this was true. The commerce in "Miracle" had evolved entirely from the game's own dynamics. For many years, the Dragon Coast had never become a unified country, but the interests of the merchants here were unified. If the imported ore decreased for some reason, the people here would indeed be in a difficult position.

Watching the focused dwarf, Fang Yi carefully considered and asked, "Mr. Silverbeard, when I was adventuring in Greenwind Canyon, I found some clues about a mine, but I haven't made any progress. You've lived in Tashil for so many years, haven't you noticed any clues?"

Krus Silverbeard stopped his work, looked back at Fang Yi, and then continued working as if nothing had happened, chuckling, "Young man, to get a reward, you have to work hard first. Not everyone can get something for nothing."

Damn! Are you really a dwarf who likes digging holes? How do you even know the phrase "get something for nothing"? Fang Yi had planned to try to trigger a quest, but after hearing the dwarf's words, he remembered the unidentified gem lying in the bank—could it be an item trigger?