Bang!
After turning through several streets, Cao Ye arrived at a familiar stall.
He tossed a bag of monster drops onto the counter.
Inside were the materials he collected today. Not many, but enough to earn some pocket money.
"Oh? Isn't this the Beauty Goddess's favorite pet?"
The stall owner was a beardedA man less than 1.5 meters tall but broad and sturdy.
He was a dwarf, a Level 3 smith from the Hephaestus Familia.
Cao Ye met him while selling drops before, and over time they became friends.
"Whitebeard, here's today's stuff. Check it and pay me."
Cao Ye acted completely at home.
He plopped into a chair and spoke casually.
"Shut up! I'll say it again—I'm Edward! Edward Handy!"
"Okay, Whitebeard. Got it, Whitebeard."
"YOU—#$@&*!!!"
The dwarf instantly exploded with curses.
He never understood the nickname Cao Ye gave him.
His beard was clearly black, not white.
Yet Cao Ye kept calling him Whitebeard.
Every time he asked why, Cao Ye gave only one answer:
"Because your name is Edward."
That only made the dwarf even angrier.
Eventually he gave up correcting him.
Still angry though.
Glug—glug—
While the dwarf ranted helplessly, Cao Ye casually grabbed a bottle of alcohol nearby and started drinking.
Before coming to this world, Cao Ye didn't drink.
But after arriving here, he discovered drinking felt pretty good.
Especially that lightheaded feeling when drunk—all worries disappeared.
Most alcohol in Orario was like beer or light craft wine.
To a modern person like Cao Ye, it was basically just drinks.
"Hey! That's my wine!"
"What's yours is mine. What's mine is also mine. Aren't we brothers?"
The dwarf nearly laughed from anger.
"I've never seen someone as shameless as you."
"Weren't you kept by Lady Freya? Why are you still coming here to freeload food and drinks?"
"Because free stuff always tastes the best."
"Shut up. I don't want to talk to you anymore."
Cao Ye's answer almost made him explode.
If he were ten years younger, he would've kicked Cao Ye's butt already.
Still, despite the complaints, the dwarf opened the bag and checked the contents.
Inside were common upper-floor Dungeon drops.
Not rare, but still worth something.
"Ant shells, slime gel, killer rabbit fur… oh? Hellhound fangs too."
"Looks like you got lucky today."
"Just small money."
"Please shut up."
This guy looked normal enough.
But the moment he spoke, he became extremely punchable.
The dwarf began calculating the price.
Although he sounded annoyed, he genuinely considered Cao Ye a friend.
Dwarves had strange personalities.
If they recognized someone as a friend, they treated them sincerely no matter what kind of person they were.
But if they disliked someone, they wouldn't speak a single extra word.
For someone like Cao Ye to casually joke with a dwarf smith like this was actually rare.
Most dwarves were rough and eccentric.
Getting along with them wasn't easy.
"I've calculated it. Today's materials are worth about 14,800 valis."
"I'll round it up to 15,000."
"Whatever. Just small money."
"Take the money and get out."
"That's premium rum you just drank! I was saving it for tonight."
"You're too old to drink so much. I helped you finish it."
"GET LOST!"
The dwarf gave Cao Ye no good expression.
He knew Cao Ye too well.
Give this guy an inch and he'd take a mile.
"Oh right, Whitebeard. Do you have any failed weapons here?"
"Hm? Why do you ask?"
"I have a use for them."
"No blacksmith can claim 100% success. So yes, of course there are failures."
"How many do you have?"
"What are you planning?"
"My weapons keep breaking. New ones are too expensive. I figured I'd buy some defective ones."
Hearing this, the dwarf's face suddenly turned serious.
"Cao Ye. Listen carefully."
"In the Dungeon, the most reliable thing you have is your weapon."
"When you're in danger, the only thing you can depend on is that weapon."
"…What do you mean?"
"Taking defective weapons into the Dungeon is basically asking to die!"
His voice grew louder, almost like a shout.
Although Cao Ye could be annoying, he was still one of the dwarf's few real friends.
He didn't want the kid dying young in the Dungeon.
"Okay, okay. I explained it badly."
"I have a magic that shoots weapons like projectiles."
"Like this."
Whoosh!
Cao Ye demonstrated immediately.
A portal of Imaginary Space opened.
A sword shot out and stabbed into the floor.
The dwarf stared in surprise.
In decades of smithing, he had never seen magic like this before.
"But using this magic damages weapons a lot."
"Especially in the Dungeon."
"Use it a few times and the weapon wears down."
"Use it more and it's basically destroyed."
Cao Ye shrugged helplessly.
The dwarf ignored him and picked up the sword from the floor.
He examined it carefully.
The blade was heavily worn.
Even the tip had chipped.
Using weapons this way truly caused extreme damage.
"I still have some junk weapons."
"I was planning to throw them away in a few days."
"If you want them, take them."
"…What?"
Cao Ye stared at him in surprise.
Since when was this stingy guy so generous?