Read Novel Full Chapter 266
Chapter 266
TN: Please read my translations only on my website since I never give my permission to any site to host my translations. And if you like my translations, please support this site on Ko-fi, and join our Patreon to read up to 12 chapters ahead for this novel!
Sponsored chapter by Patreon. Enjoy~
Chapter 266 – The Place I Seek
My confession must have come as a shock to Lodge-san.
He was visibly shaken, yet he continued to identify each piece of equipment that I pulled out, one by one.
“Yes.”
“Mi-mithril.”
“This is—”
“Mithril!”
“How about this?”
“This is… silver! It’s downgraded!”
“Whaaa!?”
Then, around the tenth piece…
“Next is armor!”
When I pulled it out and said that, both Lodge-san and I said, “Huh?”
It has this color… sort of like silver mixed with black. It’s a shade that I feel like I’ve seen before… maybe.
“Whoa…”
“Whoa…”
“WHOOOOOOOH! Th-this armor is Damascus steel! No doubt about it!”
“Fuooooooooo?”
Fi-fi-fi-finally!
I was a little worried inside.
Seriously, is it really mixed in?
Come to think of it, I’m also using a combination of silver and mithril. The equipment that Grom-san, who seems to have been around a long time, finally got his hands on is Damascus-made.
If it’s an A-rank hunting ground, wouldn’t about half the people have it?
“That’s great! I’m really glad it’s mixed in…”
“That’s true. With this, I should be able to make you a decent short sword, at least. Well, assuming I have the seed fire.”
“Ah, that special magic stone, right?”
“That’s right. You need it for melting and forging Damascus steel and higher grades.”
Come to think of it, I’d completely forgotten about that.
But, if it’s as I expect, it’ll probably be fine.
If it turns out to be one of those cliché items you see in video games, that’d be hopeless. In this world, though, they probably lean towards being halfway realistic.
“That’s a heat issue, right?”
“Yes, but do you do blacksmithing, too?”
“No, not at all. But I can produce ‘White Fire.’ Would that work somehow?”
“…Huh?”
I guess he wouldn’t understand even if I explained it to him.
So, I lit the fire directly from my fingertip—
—White Fire—
—and made it white right before his eyes.
Then, Lodge-san’s eyes changed color. He forcibly pulled my arm toward the workshop area behind the counter.
He moved me right in front of the furnace and told me to feed the flame to it. I did as instructed. Lodge-san held his hand over the fire and stood frozen for a while.
His expression was intense, and I assumed he was confirming something, so I didn’t speak out of turn.
Amidst the roaring sound of air violently combusting, I stood silently, wondering what to do. Then, keeping his gaze fixed on the fire, Lodge-san spoke.
“Loki, who are you?”
It was a question I had heard often enough.
I hesitated for a moment but decided there was no point in hiding it now. I answered immediately.
“I’m one of those ‘people from another world.'”
“I see…”
“Did you have a bad impression?”
After all, that woman is involved.
Essentially, Lodge-san has had his place taken by that woman.
“That kind of thing depends on the person. It’s not as if you can lump everyone together just because of their race. I personally can’t tolerate that woman named Marie.”
“Same here. I felt pretty bad about the price at ‘Balnir.’ But that doesn’t mean I dislike dwarves. That’s why I came to see you, Lodge-san. I thought you were a ‘good person.’”
“…”
“Would you make equipment for me and my companions?”
“You have companions?”
“Yeah. It’s for our own base, though. We’re surrounded by A-rank monsters, so we need decent gear.”
“That’s one hell of a place.”
“Haha. The scenery is amazing, and the monster meat is tasty, but seriously, there’s nothing else.”
“You can just go wild gathering high-tier materials!”
“Oh, you mean that…”
This guy is probably a serious weirdo, too.
Then again, maybe he’s just pent up with frustration from holding back all this time.
I’m fully aware that I’m a flawed weirdo myself, so I don’t really care about things like this.
As I gave him rough answers to all sorts of questions about monster information around the base, Lodge-san got super excited, probably because he didn’t know most of it.
But his excitement abruptly shifts.
He snapped back to reality, his expression turning serious as he spoke.
“Let me confirm something.”
“Yes?”
“I understand that you and your group can handle A-rank monsters, but do you also plan to gather S-rank materials?”
“Huh? Well, S-rank materials are a given, and we’ll gather even higher-tier ones, too. Plus, we want to collect boss materials as well.”
Man, Lodge-san, what kind of question is that?
Given that S-rank is adamantium-tier, I assume there are even higher-tier materials.
In a fantasy world, it’s definitely orichalcum. Of course, we’re going to collect that stuff!
The problem is the other slot that still seems to be open.
‘Hihiirokane’ feels a bit weak… Despite using all my gaming knowledge, I’m still unsure about this one.
Plus, I have no idea how useful boss materials are.
“Kuh, kuhahaha! You just casually say you’ll gather them like it’s nothing?! I knew it! People from other worlds are all idiots! Is that black magic power, the one that similar to monsters, is another characteristic of yours?”
“Ah…”
Only after being called out did I realize what I’d just done.
What the hell was I thinking? Casually lighting up my fingertip right in front of him…
I’d forgotten entirely that I was testing whether White Fire could be substituted.
“Ah, whatever. It doesn’t matter anyway. If I prioritize my blacksmith’s greed, I have no choice. I’ll make as many as you want for you and your buddies—just get me the materials. And since I’m tagging along with you, it looks like I won’t need that ‘fire seed’ after all.”
“O-oh! Thank you—wait, tagging along with me?”
Did I mishear that?
I swear I heard something weird.
“If we go to Loki’s base, I’ll get access to A-rank materials I don’t even know about. You’ll gather even better ones, right?”
“Well, that’s the plan, but there are only three of us, including me. People come and go a bit further away, but basically, it’s just the three of us living freely, you know?”
“I see.”
“No, no! What do you mean by ‘I see’? Why are you answering with such a straight face?! There aren’t any shops there, you know?”
“But you’ve got that storage thing, right? You solve most problems with it, right?”
“…H-hmm. Well, yeah.”
“Besides, even if I went back to Rosberia now, I wouldn’t have anywhere to go. As long as ‘Balnir’ exists, no matter how many materials Loki supplies me with, I’ll still get harassed.”
…That’s probably true.
In the end, pricing is what becomes the obstacle.
If Lodge-san could match Balnir’s prices, most problems would be solved. But if he could have made that decision, he wouldn’t have been driven out of town in the first place.
He stubbornly refused to go with the flow precisely because of his core belief that equipment exists to keep hunters alive.
Lodge-san keeps prices low because raising them would put a burden on hunters. Balnir, on the other hand, prioritizes profit above all else. They’re bound to clash. When that happens, it’s regrettable but undeniable that numbers hold the advantage.
It would be different if Marie and I were to clash, but… I haven’t even reached that country yet.
Still, even understanding that, it’s hard to abandon Lowenfort, where he’s finally settled.
That would stray from the pride Lodge-san holds.
“What about Lowenfort? There must be plenty of B-rank hunters who rely on Lodge-san’s skills, right?”
“Hmph… There are, but actually, there aren’t. I learned that well enough while working in this town.”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
“With the occupational blessings of either Blacksmith or Master Blacksmith stacked, there are quite a few blacksmiths who can handle B-rank materials. Of course, Lowenfort has them, too.”
“Um, so what are you saying?”
“There’s no reason it has to be me. Sure, if I make B-rank gear, it’ll be finished faster than if someone else did it. But that’s about it. For someone used to making B-rank gear, the quality won’t be that different.”
“I…see…”
“That’s why it’s perfect. I was saving up money, planning to travel someday to find a town where I could gather S-rank or higher materials. Looking for my place in the world.”
“…”
He has no home. The two at the base are ancient people, an endangered species. Plus, there are those unfortunate gods up on the plateau.
There are plenty more reasons to say no, but do I really want to? If so, that’s a different matter.
If that’s what he wants, then go for it! Honestly, that’s how I feel.
If the environment doesn’t suit him, we can always send him back. Even if our base is in Palmera, without the Mapmaking skill, there’s no way to know exactly where it is.
There’s just one thing I have to ask him.
“Even if Lodge-san were to create equipment at the base, I wouldn’t have the proper channels to sell it. I don’t think setting it up would be easy either. If things stay this way, we won’t be able to uphold Lodge-san’s idea that ‘equipment is meant to keep hunters alive.’ Is that really okay with you?”
“What the hell are you talking about? You were a hunter, too, weren’t you?”
“…Huh?”
“It seems like you’ve got the wrong idea. I’m no saint, you know. I have my likes and dislikes like anyone else. Back in Rosberia, at least, when I couldn’t do blacksmithing work properly anymore, nobody came to me for help. All at once, my regular customers and clients walked away from me. Even after I moved to Lowenfort, you were the only one who went out of their way to come to me specifically.”
“W-well…”
“I understand that you have exceptional mobility. But still. Having someone rely on the skills you’ve honed yourself? That must have felt good, right?”
Seeing him laugh and scratch his nose, I couldn’t help but laugh along.
“True, there’s not even space to store materials here… Do you want one? A massive storage area for materials?”
“Kuku, that’d be awesome! I could stockpile materials I’ve never seen before or rare boss-level materials!”
Lodge-san spread his thick, stubby arms wide, and his eyes sparkled.
Well, whatever.
If it’s harmless, it’s best to let someone pursue what they’re passionate about.
If he can realize his obsession at that base, he should go for it.
It’s so spacious that it wouldn’t bother anyone. If problems arise, we can tackle them one by one.
(Still, I should probably ask everyone else for their opinion, too.)
I’ll check with the others at the base first, so I’d like to put this on hold for a while.
Everyone’s reaction was surprisingly straightforward, though, and Lodge-san started preparing to move in the following day.
If you like my translations, please support me on Ko-Fi and subscribe my Patreon to read up to 12 chapters ahead for this novel!