Chapter 299 Thordin, Deal Reached

Three days later.

In a quiet, small trading room on the Association Second Floor.

Xia Nan sat alone on a small sofa. Right in the middle of the low table in front of him rested his [Iron-Stomach Flail], and closer to his side sat a complimentary cup of steaming tea provided by the Association.

He didn't know much about tea, but compared to the varieties he had tasted in his past life, the leaves in this cup were noticeably larger. They floated across the hot water like whole tree leaves, almost covering the entire surface.

The taste wasn't bad. It gave off a fresh, grassy aroma with a slightly sweet aftertaste.

He wondered where he could buy some and how much it cost.

He could ask Molly about it when he had the chance. It would be quite enjoyable to brew a nice cup by the campfire while camping out on future adventures.

Right now, Xia Nan was sitting here for the sake of his [Iron-Stomach Flail], which he had put up for consignment at the Association.

To be honest, he had expected the [Tide-Surge Lure Pole] to catch a buyer's eye first.

After all, he figured there would be no shortage of "Fishing Enthusiasts"—even in this fantasy world of supernatural powers.

As a godly tool for chumming the water, its harsh usage conditions meant its price wouldn't be too high, and those drawbacks weren't completely unavoidable. It should have been highly sought after.

Yet it had sat untouched on the Association's list until now, while the [Iron-Stomach Flail], which had only been up for a few days, was already seeing some action.

Still, this was a good thing.

Xia Nan sat on the small sofa and took a sip of his tea.

It didn't matter which one it was, as long as someone bought it.

He was still over five hundred gold short of the full three thousand gold coins required to reforge his longsword. He needed the money.

Recouping some funds through this unused gear was the best possible outcome.

He glanced up at the clock on the wall, estimating the time.

There were twenty minutes left until the agreed meeting time.

'I hope this buyer isn't late...'

Just as the thought crossed his mind, a heavy, pronounced set of footsteps suddenly echoed from outside the door.

His sharp Perception and increasingly sensitive hearing—thanks to his steadily improving Constitution—allowed him to achieve a certain degree of "recognizing people by their footsteps."

Often, even before making close contact, he could deduce a newcomer's style and mood just by the way they walked.

Take the few Adventurers he knew, for example:

The footsteps of "Greenblood" Adeline were always brisk and short, never dragging. They had been a bit heavier before Hunting Day, betraying her heavy heart, but they improved drastically after Xia Nan killed that Red-Mane Bugbear, becoming even more clean and sharp;

The mage Verol's steps were much lighter, but they often felt rushed, as if something was constantly pushing her forward and she couldn't afford a single second of delay.

But now, the footsteps approaching from behind the door gave him one immediate first impression.

Heavy.

Not the kind of heaviness that naturally accompanied the massive frame of a Petrification Lizard, where every movement sent faint tremors through the ground.

Instead, it was a heavy tread that felt as steady and solid as rock on a sensory level.

The approach was accompanied by the hard clanking of metal soles striking the floor, along with slightly heavy breathing.

Even before the person entered his line of sight, Xia Nan already had a rough guess as to their identity and personality.

'Probably a reliable Warrior with a steady temperament?'

Creak.

The trading room door was slowly pushed open from the outside.

Just as expected, a stocky dwarf Adventurer with rough features came into view.

He was different from Barn of Rockhammer, who claimed to have dwarven blood but was actually several sizes larger than a typical half-orc.

This dwarf's build and attire almost perfectly matched Xia Nan's stereotype of the race.

He stood a little over five chi tall—which was considered quite tall among his kin, though he barely reached Xia Nan's chest. His knotted muscles bulged like steel, packing tightly over a massive skeletal frame and threatening to burst right through his clothes.

Standing there, he looked like a block of granite chipped straight off a mountain.

Stocky and rugged.

Out of courtesy and respect for the buyer, Xia Nan stood up when he saw the dwarf enter, taking two steps forward to offer his hand.

"Hello, I'm Xia Nan."

Rough and powerful.

The broad-knuckled hand, covered in calluses and tiny scars, gripped his right hand tightly and pumped it twice with force.

The dwarf in front of him grinned, letting out a hearty laugh. "Hahaha, hello, hello! I heard from the Association that the seller was a Class Holder too, but I didn't expect you to be so young! No need to be formal, just call me Thordin."

After exchanging brief pleasantries, Xia Nan made no effort to hide his gaze as he sized up the dwarf standing before him.

He was a Class Holder, without a doubt.

The solid aura he exuded was absolutely not something a bottom-tier Adventurer or a rookie who had just obtained their Class Level could possess.

Well, he was slightly weaker than Trevelyan and Lawson, whom Xia Nan had encountered previously.

'If he isn't hiding his strength, his Class Level should be around Level 3-4?'

He didn't look overly old, but judging by that weather-beaten face carved by time, he clearly wasn't too young either.

'Maybe a hundred years old?'

For a dwarf with an average lifespan of three hundred and fifty years, he was right in his prime.

As for his specific class, he seemed to be some type of melee Warrior.

He wore a set of Light Plate Armor tailored for his dwarven stature, which looked much heavier than Xia Nan's Plate-Chain Composite Armor, making his already wide, stump-like build look even stockier.

A broad metal round shield was slung over his back, its faint crest design just barely visible, though the angle made it impossible to make out the exact pattern. A one-handed Faceted Hammer gleamed with a metallic sheen at his waist. It looked to be of excellent quality, a fine piece of craftsmanship, though likely not an enchanted weapon.

It was worth noting that this dwarf Adventurer named Thordin, much like Barn, sported an elaborate braided beard that hung almost down to his chest.

His dark brown, nearly black beard was meticulously woven into several thick braids, cleverly interlaced with durable copper rings, while the ends were weighted with small, polished pieces of obsidian. It was easy to tell that he spent a lot of time grooming his precious braids, giving him a unique aesthetic charm typical of foreign races.

"A hesitant pickaxe never strikes sparks. Time is precious, shall we get straight to it?" Sitting across the table, Thordin spoke directly.

His life as an Adventurer might have taught the dwarf how to properly communicate with other races, but having grown up in front of furnaces and anvils, he still retained his clan's frank and candid nature, hating beat-around-the-bush pleasantries and complicated rhetoric.

Xia Nan wasn't surprised, nor did he feel any aversion. After all, compared to getting tangled up in verbal sparring, he also preferred an efficient approach.

Seeing this, he didn't say much else and simply gave a slight nod. "Make your offer."

Thordin already had some understanding of the flail's effects through the Association, but he hadn't examined it up close yet.

After asking Xia Nan and receiving his consent, Thordin leaned forward, reached out, and picked up the [Iron-Stomach Flail] resting on the desk, holding it in both hands to inspect it closely.

He looked at it very intently. The "racial talent" bestowed upon him by his upbringing also allowed him to keenly spot the flail's minor flaws and outstanding merits.

With extreme proficiency, his thick fingers deftly traced over the chain links. He weighed the balance, checked the connection between the handle and the hinge, and occasionally curled his knuckles to tap it gently, listening closely to the crisp ringing sounds.

"Hmm..." A low grunt rumbled from his throat. His deep brown eyes glinted slightly as he muttered to himself, "The craftsmanship is very unique. It probably wasn't forged by a blacksmith within the Earth Realm of the Servia Kingdom, but the quality is surprisingly high. Even though it's been sitting unused for a long time without proper maintenance, and there are some signs of rust on the surface, its overall structure is still perfectly intact. It's more than good enough for combat."

After a moment of thought, Thordin carefully placed the flail back on the desk, raised his head, and met Xia Nan's gaze. "I'll take this flail. How does 125 gold sound?"

Upon hearing this, Xia Nan's face showed no obvious emotional fluctuation. He kept a cool expression, but his heart skipped a beat.

The buyer's offer... was somewhat unexpected.

Someone had finally taken an interest in the gear he had consigned at the Association, and he was currently burdened by a shortfall of several hundred gold. Naturally, he had done his homework before coming here.

Three days ago, right after learning from the Association receptionist Molly that someone was looking to buy the flail, Xia Nan had made a special trip back to the Rockhammer weapon shop to consult Barn in detail about its market price.

He had already prepared a bottom-line selling price in his head.

While the [Iron-Stomach Flail] itself couldn't be called an enchanted weapon, and the quality displayed on his Attribute Panel was only white (Common), it still came with two bonus attributes. Therefore, he didn't need to discount it too heavily when selling it as combat loot.

As long as the buyer offered anything above 115 gold, Xia Nan would have nodded and made the sale.

According to his past life's haggling experience, to maximize profits and leave room for buyers to bargain, a seller would usually start with an asking price several times higher than the final transaction value—sometimes even tacking an extra zero onto the end.

Similarly, buyers would generally lowball their initial offers as much as possible, then slowly negotiate their way up step by step.

But surprisingly, the dwarf's very first bid placed the price straight above Xia Nan's bottom line.

This naturally wasn't because Thordin was a fool who couldn't recognize equipment quality.

Quite the opposite. Thanks to his understanding of the gear's market value, Thordin had made the exact same pricing judgment as Barn, even without the two having ever spoken to each other.

He was incredibly straightforward and candid, immediately throwing out an offer close to the flail's true worth and saving them both the hassle of haggling.

With the dwarf being so upfront, Xia Nan couldn't possibly go through with his original plan of quoting a sky-high price and slowly coming down. Doing so would be disrespectful to the other party, and it would either show that he didn't know the market or signal that he had no real intention of selling.

But since he was already here, he definitely wanted to earn a little extra.

Pondering it for a brief moment, Xia Nan spoke slowly, "155 gold."

"Deal." Seeing that the quote was within an acceptable range, the dwarf Thordin simply nodded in agreement, not bothering to haggle further.

His tone and attitude were so decisive that Xia Nan even suffered a momentary illusion that he had sold it too cheap.

Their hands clasped once more. The deal was reached.

From the moment the dwarf entered the trading room, barely ten minutes had passed.

It was even shorter than the time Xia Nan had spent sitting there waiting.

Handing over a pre-prepared Crystal Card worth one hundred and fifty gold, along with five additional gold coins counted out from his belt pouch, the dwarf's booming, hearty laughter filled the room once more.

"Hahaha, when I read this flail's effects on the list, I thought it was pretty surprising! In this world, aside from those damned ogres, I figure only dwarves could put it to good use."

Hearing this, Xia Nan nodded in agreement inwardly.

The most important effect of the [Iron-Stomach Flail] was that for users with a Body Mass Index—[Weight (kg) / Height (m)]—of fifty or greater, their attacks had a chance to cause extra internal bleeding to low-health enemies, while also reducing their own physical stamina consumption.

As such, dwarves—with their heights of four to five chi, yet weighing even more than adult humans—were indeed the best wielders for this flail.

But...

Xia Nan subconsciously cast his gaze toward the Faceted Hammer hanging at the dwarf's waist.

Sensing the confusion in his eyes, Thordin laughed and explained, "The quality of your flail is excellent, of course. Based on the craftsmanship alone, it could be kept at home as a collector's item. It's just that I don't have the idle mind for that, nor am I used to swinging chain weapons. I bought it to send back home for my nephew, who just came of age. The kid's got strength in his arms, but he's a bit clumsy. He always misses with an axe and can't hold his ground with a shield. This thing..." He weighed the flail in his hand, the chain links clinking crisply. "It's got enough heft to it! As long as he doesn't smash himself, swinging it around should look the part. It's quite intimidating, at least. It's perfect for him to practice with, and he can eat some hardship along the way, so he stops constantly dreaming about going out and becoming an Adventurer."

Understanding dawned on Xia Nan, and he scoffed inwardly.

'The Adventurer line of work sure is strange. Everyone on the outside wants in, but even the Class Holders who have firmly established themselves don't want their family and friends getting involved in this trade.'

Every single peer he had interacted with—especially the more experienced and capable ones—shared this exact sentiment, without exception.

Seeming to have urgent matters to attend to, the dwarf didn't linger in the room after the transaction was completed. He only asked briefly about the flail's origins, and upon seeing that he wouldn't get any useful information, he bid his farewells and left.

Stuffing the Crystal Card and gold coins into his belt pouch, Xia Nan let out a soft sigh of relief.

155 gold. Minus the Association's 5% transaction fee, he took home 147 gold, 2 silver, and 5 copper.

He "only" needed to earn another four hundred-plus gold to scrape together the 3,000 gold required for the reforging.

Cheering himself up, Xia Nan pushed open the door and headed toward the counter on the second floor.

'There's no time to lose. I should see if there are any suitable quests first.'