Chương 167: Chapter 165 – Price and Quality Inspection.

"Oh, you think it's because of this new body?"

"It's a possibility. It would be much better if our great Hero could remember how he received his blessing."

"It's not my fault my memories are fragmented. You don't remember much about your life either, so stop talking."

"But talking is all I have now, so I refuse." Aburdon's mocking voice echoed through the confines of Rusty's basement workshop. He and Alexander were arguing about Rusty's recent access to the Soul Forge. This access came with a strict limit, allowing him to enter only once per week. The time he had inside was short, barely enough to smelt a single ingot before being forced to leave.

He couldn't imagine crafting proper weapons under such constraints, but fortunately, a standard-grade mana-infused ingot was all he needed to get started.

"Is there a way to increase the time limit?" He directed the question at his two glowing eye sockets while adjusting the straps on Gleam's frame. She was in the middle of trying on her newly forged, shining armor.

"I'm sure the limit will increase once you evolve. It might even improve if you just level up and gain more magical power." Aburdon replied, giving Rusty something to test in the coming week. Rusty was fairly certain that evolving into a new form would bring some kind of change, but he hoped it would be possible to extend the time simply by leveling up. He was still missing more than half of what the Soul Forge could offer, including the knowledge held by his two guides who had taken the form of books.

While they knew a great deal, their explanations often lacked clarity. Being able to conduct his own research within the forge, using the manuals stored there, would make a big difference.

"If the time doesn't increase, I'll still have enough to make those two other ingots."

"(˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶)""You like it?" As Rusty thought aloud, Gleam wiggled in her new suit of armor. It wasn't as silvery as her carapace, but since it was made from twilight steel, it allowed her to cast both darkness and light enchantments etched into the metal.

"It doesn't really match your color though. Maybe I should remake it with the other metal."

"(ᵔ - ᵔ)?"

"Oh, you might not know this, Gleam, but now I can make light steel and dark steel too."

"(˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶)" Gleam probably didn't understand what Rusty meant, but she wiggled her antennae cheerfully in response. What he could now do was produce ingots attuned to the elements of darkness and light. The process was different from what he had used to make the twilight steel and required smelting them separately in his new miniature Soul Forge. Unlike the main Soul Forge, which didn't allow him to take materials or ingots out, this smaller version had no such restriction.

Everything he created inside it could be used outside as well. He had experimented with the two elemental metals while in the main Soul Forge but hadn't made any body parts from them. There didn't seem to be much benefit in using just one element when his own body worked fine with others. Still, there were two beings close to him who would probably appreciate a shell forged specifically for them, something he might be able to do once he finished crafting the new ingots.

"Yes, we should focus on making that darkness steel ingot. It will be a perfect host for my lordly energies." Aburdon immediately responded to Rusty's words. He had previously attempted to inhabit one of Rusty's armored puppets and had come close to succeeding. However, Rusty lacked the necessary amount of mana to fully support Aburdon's form. Fortunately, the two guides had informed him of a possible solution. It was likely that the twilight metal he had used was not a stable medium for hosting their forms.

If they instead tried to inhabit armor crafted specifically from light or dark steel, the mana requirements might be significantly reduced.

"You should have just made them inside the Soul Forge!"

"Stop bringing that up. There was no time." Aburdon complained to both Alexander and Rusty. In theory, Rusty could have created the ingots within the Soul Forge and used them to craft both armor variants. The armor pieces he made there could then be summoned even without the ingots. But there simply wasn't enough time. He had been forced out almost immediately after finishing the last piece of equipment he needed.

"And he'll probably be able to use his SP to craft armor for us, as long as the ingots are ready. You can wait a week or two." Alexander added, and Aburdon just grumbled.

"Oh, right. That was always a possibility. Good thinking, Alexander!" Rusty could still use the materials stored in his inventory like bronze, iron, and others to create body parts. If he managed to produce enough dark and light steel ingots, he could build proper bodies for his guides. It was something to look forward to. Both Alexander and Aburdon were seasoned fighters, and having them inhabit the puppets would greatly increase Rusty's combat power.

He would effectively become a one-man adventuring party, assuming he had enough mana to support both of them. Then again, he wasn't entirely sure. It was possible that he wouldn't be able to maintain their presence at all. He might even be forced to create their bodies using lesser alloys, like dark iron or light bronze. If this world worked like the one he had been summoned to, then the weaker the monster or the lower the quality of the material it was made from, the easier it would be to control and sustain.

He was also uncertain how he would reproduce the ingots he had made. In practice, he needed to separate the light and dark elements from the twilight metal inside the smelter using a different process. Once the ingot was created, he did not know what would be required to make it again, since regular twilight steel could be produced by combining ordinary steel with some SP. That might also apply to these two elements, but if it did not, he would be back to the beginning.

"Well, I'll think about that when the time comes. For now, let's head into the city and do some research!" Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

"(˶˃ ᵕ ˂˶)" Gleam bounced around in her new shiny ant suit of armor, which had been crafted to fit her winged form. After she climbed onto his shoulder and they were about to head upstairs, Aburdon spoke.

"I'm not sure wearing this flashy armor is a good idea. We shouldn't draw too much attention to ourselves."

"(• ᴖ •)" Gleam looked disappointed as she heard those words. Rusty was about to argue with his guide but paused. He glanced at the shiny metal and the magic circles he had etched into it. The world outside was harsh, filled with thieves and opportunists. It was probably wiser to start with a simpler appearance and keep their true power hidden. Even though he was now a D-rank monster, many people in the city and beyond were still much stronger. Thus, this time around, he ended up agreeing with Aburdon's complaints.

"Alright, let's put the fancy suit away for now." He said while gently, brushing his hand over Gleam's armored form.

"We'll save it for the dungeon." Gleam let out a sad chirp but didn't protest. She hopped off his shoulder, and he helped her out of the armor. Fortunately, the sight of a monster on his shoulder was not unusual, as many other tamed beasts roamed the city. He also already had all the required papers. Once Gleam was out of the armor, he switched into his adventurer gear, which included his talking head, and headed upstairs.

The four occupants of his lair were already waiting for him, and the space looked much cleaner than before.

"It's the Mister and Gleam!" The youngest, Natia, called out when she spotted Gleam perched on Rusty's shoulder.

"It's Mister Edmund. You need to start remembering people's names." Ria said, shaking her head and greeting him more formally. Rusty nodded at the two and then made his way outside. Isan and Rolo were outside working on the entrance, managing to patch some of the existing holes.

"Mister Edmund, are you going to the dungeon?" Rolo was the first to speak out to him when he noticed Rusty opening the door.

"No, I'm going to the merchant district." It seemed the danger had passed for the group of street urchins. None of the mercenaries from before had returned, and for now, he felt safe leaving the lair in their care.

"I see, take care then, we'll have this place ready!" He nodded and began moving. The children knew he was planning to turn his lair into a blacksmithing workshop eventually. It would be an opportunity for them to build a more stable life, especially since he had mentioned the possibility of them working there. Their current efforts seemed aimed at earning his trust and favor. Once outside, he was met with a flurry of activity.

Ferndale was alive with motion, but the people moving through the streets did not seem happy. It was likely because of the constant attacks and the ongoing repairs required after each assault by monsters or barbarians. However, based on what Rusty now understood, the barbarian tribes had valid reasons for their actions and mostly targeted slave traders and those who defended them. Since identifying the humanoids and observing the barbarians more closely, he had started to notice them throughout the city.

They wore strange collars inscribed with magical symbols around their necks.

"This is so barbaric. We were supposed to end this kind of treatment. Those bastards must be behind it, when did they start lying to me…" Alexander said as he watched the slaves being abused. Rusty didn't know the full story, but it seemed that Alexander's former allies were somehow involved.

"The people of the lesser races aren't so different from us demons." Aburdon added. He was not surprised. In his culture, strength was everything, and if someone became a slave, it was seen as the result of their own weakness.

"Maybe your people are the true evil ones, fallen hero."

"As if a demon like you can judge what is or isn't evil." Rusty ignored the two as they began bickering again and made his way toward the merchant district. He stayed in the shadows, his adventurer gear hidden beneath a large cloak. Gleam remained silent, nestled against his shoulder under the fabric, her antennae angled toward anyone who came too close.

"Where would be a good place to start…" He had come here with a few goals in mind. First, he wanted to examine the competition, gauge their pricing strategy, and assess the quality of their craftsmanship. Second, he aimed to understand how a proper forge was run, since his experience was limited to working with his own Soul Forge.

It was important for him to make it believable that his second persona could operate a forge, and to do that, he would likely need to purchase some supplies and perhaps even have one of his own items repaired.

"That one looks like the biggest one." After ten minutes of walking through the district, he identified the largest blacksmithing shop in the area. A few smaller shops were scattered around, but this one was by far the busiest and appeared to hold the most respect. If he hoped to turn a profit, he would probably need to undercut this shop's prices while matching the quality of their wares.

The storefront Rusty approached was marked by a massive iron sign hanging from thick chains, depicting a roaring forge hammer striking an anvil. In the distance, a steady clang echoed down the street in rhythmic beats. Smoke rose from several chimneys, and sparks occasionally burst through open smithy windows. The air was filled with the scent of molten metal, coal, and sweat, all things Rusty couldn't truly perceive, but Gleam seemed uncomfortable breathing in. Most smithing shops were divided into two main areas.

The outer shop displayed the wares, while the inner smithy housed the forge, smelter, and all the tools essential for metalwork. Rusty stepped into the storefront first, scanning rows of weapons and armor neatly arranged on racks and mannequins. Swords, axes, and halberds lined the walls, each one gleaming under the light streaming in through the windows.

"There aren't any enchantments on these." He spoke as he moved toward one of the racks holding weapons. At first glance, the steel weapons looked fine, but after examining them more closely, none seemed particularly special. Classification: Steel Sword [Standard] Type: Weapon Description: A plain steel sword. There are no obvious flaws, but nothing about it stands out as exceptional either.

"Looks pretty ordinary… what about the other ones?" Soon, he began walking around and carefully examining what he was up against. The more disappointed he felt by the quality of the craftsmanship he saw, the more motivated he became. If this was the standard, then he believed he had a real chance to compete. By adding enchantments to his work, he could even dominate the market. Classification: Steel Greataxe [Standard] Type: Weapon Description: A plain greataxe.

There are no obvious flaws, but nothing about it stands out as exceptional either.

"This one too…" The weapons he was seeing weren't particularly impressive. Perhaps his current dream of acquiring rare and exotic materials through wealth no longer seemed so foolish. He could already picture himself wielding a massive sword forged from adamantium or orichalcum. The possibilities felt endless, and for the first time in a while, he had something to look forward to. Just as he was beginning to feel proud of his craftsmanship, he noticed someone enter the smithing storefront.

The newcomer looked like a seasoned adventurer, equipped with gear that appeared superior to what Rusty was using at the moment. Without hesitation, the man approached a closed door and knocked on it. A small slit opened, revealing a pair of eyes, and the man quickly slipped his adventurer card through the opening. After a brief pause, the door opened. To Rusty's surprise, he caught a glimpse of weapons inside that were radiating mana. It seemed that there was more to this store than met the eye…