Semi-retired Adventurer Lives Leisurely - Chapter 131

131: Legendary

We arrived in Gungard and within a blink of an eye, several days already passed.

The Heroes who Saved the City…….was a bit much, but we did take out a large danger that was threatening Gungard, so we were welcomed with immensely thick open arms.

Because of the Hanuman, the city’s supplies were dwindling, and we asked them to refrain from doing any large celebrations, but in return, we received a lot of home-brewed alcohol, and the whole experience was a little embarrassing.

………but putting that all aside…..

The Grandes Church in Gungard had placed a large reward for taking down the Hanuman. And we also had a piece of the Hanuman’s Nyoibo Staff and fur as dropped items.

They were all placed on the table before us andーー

Gordon: “So, you wanted to put in a job for me.”

And with those materials, we were in the middle of negotiating with Mr. Gordon.

Jend, who was most adept with anything business or financial, was sitting next to me, and the other members were……well, it would be more difficult to have more people here, so they were having tea with Miss Ricotta. Henry: “Yes. Our original goal for coming here, was to upgrade our weapons and armor prior to heading to Ligaleo.”

Gordon: “Well, that certainly would be for the best. Other than Henry’s gear, it’s decent enough, but it’ll be a terrible risk heading to the frontlines just with that.”

Henry: “Yes….and I was hoping to maybe repair the arm and leg braces that the Hanuman destroyed……”

Since the Hanuman tore it to pieces, it might be easier just having Mr. Gordon make a new one.

Gordon: “Hm………well, I do have a favor to repay, and though I have a few jobs, I can potentially consider prioritizing your request.”

Henry: “Really?!”

Gordon: “BUT!! I have a two conditions.”

I jumped at his words, but Mr. Gordon splashed me cold with reality quickly as he spoke sternly.

Henry: “Oh…..yes, what are the conditions?” Gordon: “The first is money. If you want me to make gear for your entire party, this measly amount is nowhere near enough.”

The reward for slaying a Highest-Tier……..of course, it is a significant amount, but thinking about how much it cost to make my arm and leg bracers, it hardly compares.

Gordon: “I’m sorry, but I can’t give you that much of a discount. I love expensive luxuries, and I have no intention of selling myself short.”

Jend: “…….and around what ballpark are we talking about?” With Jend’s question, Mr. Gordon responded with, “It’s just an estimate butーー” and answered with a ballpark figure. ………….holy……

Henry: “………..Jend, just in case, using all our Party savings, how much can we pay?” Jend: “Around a quarter.”

Thought soーー

What should we do. Should I resort to blowing away all my savings? But it is way above what we were willing to pay for in the place, but it may be our last opportunity to have someone of Mr. Gordon’s caliber make our gear.

Gordon: “If it’s you guys, you should be able to save up that amount in a month if you hunt down as many Golems as you can in this mountain.”

Henry: “……….maybe so……”

Gordon: “And you would be able to get materials as well. Oh, but I have no intention of waiting a month for you guys. By that time, I’ll be heading to Ligaleo to make some cash.”

Mr. Gordon would be in Ligaleo for about 3 months out of the year, and he would look after the top-tier Adventurers and Knights’ gears.

Many of my acquaintances had armor and weapons that were made by Mr. Gordon.

………..and from the prices I’m hearing, I’m sure he makes more money in those 3 months than an average person can make in a lifetime. So I can’t ask him to throw that opportunity away just for us.

Mr. Gordon: “Bu～t, depending on if you accept my second condition, I’ll take your payment by credit for a month.”

Henry: “Huh……….? Um, is that….really okay?” That’s truly rare.

Mr. Gordon will only accept jobs that are fully paid for up front, and this is well known in our industry. Apparently, someone failed to pay him 10 years ago and ran off, and that’s why.

Gordon: “Hmph. It’s true that I only do jobs after getting paid, but that depends on the time and place.”

And with a strong tap, Mr. Gordon lightly rapped on the Nyoibo Staff’s remains with his thick finger.

Gordon: “This piece of Free-Forming Metal… let me be the one to put it to use. ……right? RIGHT?! I’ll make sure to use it for your gear so will you let me?!”

……….is what he said.

He was being so calm, serious, and stern in the negotiation up to this point……and he threw that persona out the window without a second thought, and with blushed cheeks, he began incessantly nagging us.

Of course, having a beefy, hairy man take this kind of attitude is just gross from my perspective.

…………no, really. What is with this guy?!

Henry: “A Free-Forming Metal……..? Are you referring to the Nyoibo Staff remains? I’ve never heard of it.”

Gordon: “That’s right! Well, it’s a rare piece of metal, so I’m not surprised that you’ve never heard of it. Free-Forming Metal can only be naturally mined from one of the hopelessly thin veins in Rishu. And at most, they would only get about 3 kilo (～6.6 lbs) per year. That’s how rare it is.”

……..so…..with about 1 meter of the Nyoibo Staff remaining, it’s thick enough where a full grown adult would have a hard time gripping it………and thus, it’s quite a bit.

Gordon: “He he he he he…….Free-Forming Metal is incredible……if you make it into an alloy, depending on what you use it with, you can bring out all sorts of traits. It’s incredibly hard to do, but you can even make the metal shape according to your thoughts. Henry, isn’t your godly equipment that way? Can you even imagine all the possibilities?!”

I see. So the Nyoiten Spear is made from the same metal. I always thought that it’s ability to freely change its form was due to some sort of divine blessing or miracle from the gods.

Jend: “……..hey, Henry. If it’s that rare of a metal, why not just sell it and gain the money we lack?”

Gordon: “WAIT A SEC! If you do that, you’ll definitely break my heart!!”

With Jend’s suggestion, Mr. Gordon interrupted him fervently as he howled.

……….do I really care? Is what I honestly thought.

Jend: “Wait, Mr. Gordon, I don’t even know what you mean….” And Mr. Gordon, realizing that he may have overdone it, scratched his cheek as he looked at the astonished Jend.

Gordon: “Ohー, um, Jend. I was just joking, but to be frank, you can’t sell Free-Forming Metal that much. Even among the Dwarves, the only person that can really use it is me. And besides myself, if you go to Rishu where they mine that metal, there may be someone in that clan that can.”

I……..don’t think he’s lying. Mr. Gordon is not one to make such frivolous claims.

Gordon: “Well, I’m sure you’ll find some enthusiasts that would give it a shot, but they would charge you an arm and a leg…….if it comes to that, it’ll be smarter to let me do the job.”

Hmmm….

…….well, when it comes to making gear, you have to take the words of the craftsman seriously. ……though his incredibly excited face and state make it harder to do so at the moment…..

I glance at Jend as he looks back at me. Though Jend was thinking it over in his head, he nodded once to me.

Henry: “……..then Mr. Gordon, we’ll leave it to you.”

Gordon: “HA! You can SUPER count on me! Awww, there’s barely any Demonic Creatures that drop this so it’s been about 3 years since I got to mess with one!”

Mr. Gordon grasped the Nyoibo Staff with unabashed delight, and for a moment, I thought he would start kissing the large piece of metal.

………….did I just make a huge mistake? The thought crossed my mind, but if I change my mind now, I’ll probably sink in a sea of blood, so I refrained.

Gordon: “Alright! Then let me see your gear. I’ll determine whether we need to upgrade or just make you a new one! If you have any special requests, just put it down on paper!”

Henry: “Upgrade, you say?” Gordon: “If you want to hold down the costs as much as possible, as long as the original gear is in good shape, I’ll shape it up to its best form.”

And Mr. Gordon seemed to be in an extremely good mood to offer such bonuses as he stood up.

Gordon: “I’m going to go throw Miss Free-Form Metal into the furnace! It won’t melt unless I heat it for a full day!”

…………that means he’s going to use that.

Jend: “? A key?” Seeing what Mr. Gordon pulled out, Jend tilts his head in wonder.

It was a beautiful, incredibly intricate and delicately designed key. It definitely gave an awe-inspiring aura as it was made by the hands of the gods.

Once, when I asked Mr. Gordon to do a job for me, I got to see him activate this key.

Gordon: “I ask for your favor once again.”

Mr. Gordon crossed his arms in front of himーーa gesture of respect to the God of Mines, Ovein, as he reached forward and inserted the key into the air.

……..there was no key hole in sight, but something clicked, and Mr. Gordon turned the Key, the [door] opened.

Jend: “WhーWhat?!”

Gordon: “Oh, I guess you didn’t know about this, Jend? This is one of my Legendary ranked godly equipment……[The Key to the Mine God’s Smithy].”

In this world, there are only a handful of Legendary Ranked godly equipment. The key’s ability is to be able to open a door to the god’s workshop from any location.

And the number of abilities assigned to a Legendary Ranked godly equipment depends on the item………or so I’ve heard. In fact, this key’s sole ability is to open a door to the smithy.

But the tools and equipment the God of Mines uses and the furnace burning with divine fire cannot be brought out through the door. In exchange, you are free to use the facility to your heart’s content. It is an item that every metalsmith in the world desires. One of the reasons why Mr. Gordon was able to become a smith worthy of the Hero of Legend title was due to this key.

Jend: “AーAmazing……..he’s…..definitely on a different level.”

Jend was overjoyed seeing the Legendary godly equipment.

And as Jend mentioned, when it comes to Legendary Ranked equipment, it feels like a whole different ball game.

For instance, in the center of Ligaleo is a small fortress where the Legendary godly equipment, [The Statue of the Aqua Goddess] is currently set, and all the town’s water supply comes from there.

………..all of the Epic Ranked godly equipment, no matter how powerful, is a tool that can only be used on the individual level. In that sense, the Legendary Ranked items are probably the true godly equipment.

Gordon: “Well, it feels like Mr. God is looking over your shoulder the whole time, and it’s nerve-wracking but……..I plan to make something that won’t tarnish the workshop’s reputation. Alright, I’ll be right back.”

Only the owner of the key is able to enter the smithy of the God of Mines.

But we can see a little of what was inside. And into the workshop that was completely beyond words, Mr. Gordon disappeared.

The door to the workshop naturally closed, and it returned to the normal space before. Reaching out our hands, we felt nothing as our hands felt for the door that was just there.

Henry: “……….I think we can count on Mr. Gordon doing his part. Let’s go let the others know.”

Jend: “Yeah, we need to tell them about the Legendary godly equipment.”

And with that, we headed for the meeting room where Cyril and the others were having tea.

……now then, we need to quickly determine what we’re going to do with our equipment improvements.