"Walking to Sun Worship Town?"
Altaïr felt a headache coming on. The round trip would take at least over a month.
If it were just for purchasing ores, it definitely wouldn't be worth it. With that month's time, they could probably gather what they needed by slowly inquiring around themselves.
But let's not forget, Naziya had been teaching Sajji mechanical knowledge without charging any tuition fees. This favor needed to be repaid. It seemed he would have to make the strenuous journey, but perhaps he shouldn't drag Isis along for such drudgery?
Just as he was about to agree, Naziya spoke first.
"Ah, sorry, I didn't make myself clear. Of course, you won't be walking there. We'll provide riding mounts for you, which will cut the travel time in half.
Moreover, this isn't unpaid labor. The Royal Academy will provide quite generous compensation. How does that sound?"
Hearing this, Altaïr's expression relaxed considerably. The chore instantly turned into a lucrative job. He looked at Isis, "What do you think?"
"I'm fine with it. I've never been to the sand sea before. It sounds quite interesting," Isis said, giving two thumbs up.
"Alright then, we'll take care of it," Altaïr nodded in agreement.
"Great!" Naziya happily clapped her hands. "The scholar should arrive in about three or four days. If you need to prepare anything, just let me know.
Also, give me an address. I'll contact some merchants I know right away to deliver the ores you need as soon as possible!"
Naziya worked with remarkable efficiency, apparently mobilizing numerous connections. A large batch of carefully selected ores was delivered to the Wyverian blacksmith's forge the very next day.
The craftsman uncle was even more efficient. Combined with the relatively simple forging process for ore-based weapons, Altaïr's Iron Gospel was completed that same day.
As for Isis's Defender Gunlance, the more complex structure required an additional day of work.
When the two received notification and went to the blacksmith's to collect their weapons, the blade at the front of the gunlance still retained a faint residual warmth.
The craftsman pointed to the two brand new weapons on the weapon rack, indicating they could help themselves.
He didn't even bother with phrases like "see if they feel right" because he was confident that the weapons he forged would perfectly fit their needs.
Altaïr picked up his Iron Gospel and drew the sword from its scabbard.
The blade looked quite ordinary. Compared to his previous Iron Katana, aside from having a brighter edge, there didn't seem to be much difference.
But after just a few practice swings, it became clear that the mass-produced Iron Katana worth a few hundred z couldn't possibly compare to this Iron Gospel personally crafted by the master blacksmith.
The handle dimensions, blade curvature, weight distribution, every detail was perfected. Combined, the improvement in handling was obvious, with even striking accuracy noticeably enhanced.
"You seem to have this peculiar habit of using a Long Sword like a Great Sword user, so I appropriately thickened the blade and slightly adjusted the handle's weight distribution," the craftsman said.
Then he turned to Isis, "You prefer swinging and smashing over thrusting, so I increased the size of the gunlance's front blade to make it more suitable for slashing.
I also thickened the shield. Even if you use it as a hammer, it won't deform easily."
"Of course, such modifications will increase the weight, but it shouldn't be a burden for you."
Altaïr and Isis exchanged speechless glances.
They hadn't told Smithy about using a Long Sword like a Great Sword or using a shield like a hammer, clearly, one of them had spilled the beans.
"By the way, Barroth materials require special processing, so your new armor will take some more time to complete, Isis," Smithy added after they had tested their new weapons.
At this mention, Isis visibly showed embarrassment.
With only half the Barroth materials, it was impossible to craft a full set of armor, so Altaïr had given her all the materials he had gathered.
Of course, if the Guild asked, he'd have to say he didn't carve any materials, otherwise it would violate the ban on trading Monster materials.
He had no interest in armor crafted from Barroth materials whatsoever. According to Smithy's description, it was a set of purely defensive heavy armor.
The thick, heavy armor provided effective protection for the user (Defense+), while specially designed joint locks and anti-slip spikes offered additional assistance when the user assumed a defensive stance (guard).
If he had to wear something like that, he probably wouldn't even be able to run properly, and it would disrupt his offense-oriented combat rhythm.
If Isis were still using the Long Sword as before, she wouldn't be able to use this armor either. But since she had decided to try the path of a Tank, this armor set came at just the right time.
"Oh, and this is for you." Smithy handed something to Altaïr. "Isis asked me to make it for you."
Altaïr looked down and found a Slinger in his hand.
He suddenly remembered asking Isis about Slings during their Barroth hunt, she had said she'd find someone to make one for him, but he had completely forgotten about it after returning.
"...Thank you." Altaïr expressed his gratitude sincerely.
"No problem." Isis scratched her head. "Consider it my thanks for giving me your materials."
—--
Just as the two were about to head to the training ground with their new weapons to properly test them out, an Airship bearing the Guild emblem landed on the hillside outside Val Habar.
Two figures, one old and one young, descended the gangway.
The elder was a Wyverian. Ravaged by time, his stature had shrunk to about half that of an ordinary adult male, with eyeglass lenses as thick as plate bottoms.
Yet his movements were surprisingly agile, showing none of the unsteadiness one would expect from someone his age. He practically bounced down the gangway in just a few steps.
"Good, good! Val Habar is still in the Gobi area this season. If we were two months later, it would probably have migrated to the Rekusara region, near the Ancestral Steppe area. That would have been a much longer journey!"
The old man spoke rapidly, his hurried steps giving the impression he was rushing to do something.
The silver-haired youth following behind the old man appeared somewhat listless, as if not fully awake. He wobbled down the gangway, covering his mouth as he let out a loud "Haa..." yawn.
He seemed like a slow-paced person, the complete opposite of the old man walking briskly ahead.
But the old man knew this was just surface appearance. Whenever his newly acquired disciple encountered something that interested him, he could move faster than anyone.
Sure enough, the next moment, the yawning boy was captivated by a butterfly fluttering past him.
"Eh? Is that... a Great Hornfly? Why does its color look slightly different from the ones in the specimen room?" The boy murmured to himself as he chased after it.
The elderly man walking ahead turned back with a sigh. "The Great Hornflies in the specimen room come from the central-southern regions of the Great Desert. The northern areas have higher metal mineral content in the geology, which makes their wing coloration darker."
"Stop chasing it, Erik! Hurry up! We have important matters to attend to!"
"Just a moment, Professor!" called the silver-haired boy named Erik, who kept reaching out trying to catch the butterfly as he pursued it. "I almost have it, Professor!"
Unfortunately, his agility didn't match his expectations.
After running and jumping about twenty or thirty meters, not only had he failed to catch the butterfly, but he also accidentally tripped and fell. By the time he got up, covered in dust, the butterfly had already flown away.
The boy lifted his head, staring blankly at the butterfly flying higher and higher, until the old man ran up behind him and smacked the back of his head.
"Such a handful! How do you expect to catch anything without an insect net? Come on, let's go!"
Rubbing the back of his head, the boy fell in step behind the old man again. "Professor, do you think they sell insect nets at the city market?"