Chapter 104 - Seeds Planted

Chapter 104: Chapter 104 - Seeds Planted

The warm afternoon sun cascaded down on the mansion’s yard as Vincent, Roxa, Toby, Leo, Zally, and Eugene combed through the lawn and surrounding trees, pulling out the arrows Roxa had fired during their duel.

Roxa wiped a light sheen of sweat from her forehead, carefully inspecting the wooden shafts and of her arrows before sheathing them back into her quiver. She toward Toby, raising a practical question.

"Toby. If Princess Maelle intends to establish an independent Guild, does this estate have a dedicated weapons, armor, and gear supplier?"

Toby paused with arrows cradled in his arms. He thought about it for a moment before shaking his head.

"Not that I’ve ever seen. You might want to ask the Princess herself when she returns from the Academy."

Roxa turned her gaze straight onto Vincent.

"Hey, don’t look at me like that. I’m just her Familiar... But if I had to guess, we definitely don’t have one yet."

"How troublesome. A Guild without a reliable forge is merely a social club with mercenary licenses."

Vincent scratched his cheek as a sudden memory flickered in his mind. He recalled his earlier wanderings through the Imperial City during his very first days after being summoned to this world.

"Wait a second... I actually know a place. A blacksmith shop in the dingy corner of the City. It’s called Ironhammer Trinkets and Arms. It’s run by a dwarven father-daughter duo – great craftspeople from the wears I’ve seen."

Roxa looked at him with renewed interest. "Dwarves? They are renowned for their temper and their blacksmithing."

"Yeah," Vincent smiled, gesturing toward the main gates. "Why don’t we take a walk into the Imperial City right now? We can check out the shop, see what they’ve got in stock, and plant the seed for a future contract before Maelle makes her move."

"Hm. Yes, I’ll get supplies for myself as well while we’re out. Lead the way, Vincent."

....

A short while later, the two stepped out onto the sprawling, bustling stone thoroughfares of the Imperial City.

The city was overflowing with vibrant life and incredible diversity – merchants shouting over displays of exotic spices, beastman traders hawking hides, human scholars arguing outside bookstores, and armored adventuring parties trudging down the streets.

Vincent and Roxa walked side-by-side through the city crowds. After five minutes of navigating, Roxa paused at a four-way intersection, turning her hooded head toward him.

"So? Which path leads to the shop?"

Looking around carefully at the identical stone buildings, Vincent casually shrugged his shoulders. "Honestly? No idea."

"... What?" Roxa stared at him through the shadow of her hood. "You brought me into the heart of a human metropolis without knowing the layout?"

"Yeesh. Cut me some slack. I was summoned here as a Familiar, remember? I’ve spent ninety percent of my time here fighting or plotting. I only walked past the shop once."

"Unbelievable..."

And so, they wandered blindly through the twisting avenues, taking in the loud sounds, pungent smells, and heavy crowds.

For Roxa, the experience was akin to torture.

Highlighted by her deep-seated hatred for human settlements, her sensitive ears twitched beneath her hood at every sudden yell, wagon wheel screech, and loud merchant pitch. She scowled fiercely, keeping her gaze fixed straight ahead.

"How humans thrive in such cramped, chaotic hives is beyond my comprehension."

"Hey, come on, it’s not only humans here. And not all humans are necessarily bad."

"Hmph, human civilization is inherently flawed."

"Okay, we’re really gonna have to work on your outlook of human life."

Suddenly, a persistent, over-zealous human street vendor stepped directly into Roxa’s path, holding up a tray of cheap perfume vials.

"Hey there, pretty lady under the hood!. Try some imported perfume from Solara! Only three coppers a bottle–"

CLANK!

"HIIEEEEEE!!!"

Roxa’s hand moved like a striking viper, She gripped the vendor’s wrist in a bone-crushing hold before he could even brush her cloak. Her icy blue eyes burned through the shadows of her hood with lethal intent.

"Touch me again, human, and I shall sever your hand at the wrist."

"I-I-I’m sorry, ma’am! I– I didn’t mean–"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Vincent grabbed Roxa by her shoulders and pulled her backward. "Okay! Time to go! Sorry about that, man! Have a great day!"

He dragged a scowling, stubborn Roxa down the street, while the terrified vendor bolted in the opposite direction.

"The hell was that?! He was just a salesman! Not some kind of assassin!"

"Assassins could be salesmen in disguise. Besides, he breached my personal space," Roxa huffed, though her grip on her dagger relaxed slightly.

"Ay caramba..."

They continued exploring when Vincent suddenly caught sight of a familiar narrow alleyway.

"Aha! Found it! Come on!"

Leading her down the alley, Vincent pushed open the door of Ironhammer Trinkets and Arms.

Ting-a-ling~

The sound of the shop bell ringing was instantly swallowed by the explosive roaring of arguments echoing from behind the counter.

An argument between Barkly – a stout, thick-bearded dwarf wearing protective brass goggles over his forehead and a heavy leather apron – and his daughter, Ellyn – a fiery, young dwarven woman with braided orange hair, wielding a massive forge hammer in her gloved hand.

"I’m tellin’ ya, girl, the ingot needs ten more seconds in the hearth! You’re rushing the tempering heat!"

"And I’m tellin’ you, Old Man, if you keep it in the hearth any longer, the steel will lose its flexibility and shatter on the first strike! No wonder you wear those stupid goggles! Your eyes are getting old!"

"WHAT DID YOU SAY ABOUT MY EYES, YOU FEISTY LITTLE LASS?!"

"Uhh... hellooooo..."

"ARE YOU BLIND! WE’RE ARGUING! COME BACK IN TEN MINU–"

Barkly stopped dead in his tracks after turning toward the entrance.

Beside him, Ellyn turned her head to glare at the customer when a bright, flustered blush bloomed across her freckled cheeks the moment her eyes met Vincent’s.

"V-Vincent?!" Her jaw dropped as she nearly dropped her hammer onto her father’s foot.

BANG!

"HEY, WATCH IT, GIRLIE!"

Vincent offered a friendly wave. "Hey, Barkly. Hey, Ellyn. Long time no see."

Barkly slid his brass goggles down over his eyes, staring at Vincent as if a ghost had walked into his shop. The recent news circulating through the Imperial City had clearly reached their ears.

"Wait... kid. You’re THAT Vincent, correct?! The one in the papers! The Familiar who kicked Crown Prince Quinton’s butt and brought down House Elsa?!"

"They wrote about that? Well, I shouldn’t be surprised. Yep. That was me."

"Bwahaha! Well, strike me with lightning! The rumors were true! The blue-haired man who turned the city upside down was our little customer all along!"

Ellyn leaned over the counter, looking at him with sparkling eyes. "So... what brings the hottest topic in the city to our humble little smithy today?"

"We came here with a business proposal. My partner, Princess Maelle Ebony, is preparing to establish an independent Guild branch here in the city. When she does, we are going to need a trustworthy forge to supply weapons, armor, repairs, and custom gear for our members."

Barkly and Ellyn both froze, exchanging a wide-eyed look.

A direct contract tied to the Fourth Princess of Ebonspire was a dream opportunity. It would instantly elevate their independent shop above the greedy, noble-backed guild monopolies that dominated the upper districts.

"A Princess’s Guild contract?!" Barkly slapped his hand onto the wooden counter with a loud thud. "Kid, if you’re offering us first rights to supply your hall, the Ironhammer forge is yours! We’ll work the anvil until our bones turn to ash!"

"Wow. You sure agreed easily/"

"Are you kidding!?" Ellyn ran out from behind the counter. "Our shop barely has customers! And given the princess’s rising fame... It’d be stupid of us not to agree! Not to mention this is royalty we’re talking about! Her reputation will only bolster ours!"

"Ohhh... true." Vincent smiled, nodding. "Welp. Keep your ears open and be ready. Princess Maelle will likely visit in person once the formal paperwork is sorted out. I haven’t actually brought this to her yet, but I doubt she’d object to working with the ’best smiths in the city’."

’Not that I know of any others... But meh.’

"Bwahaha! Fantastic!" Barkly grinned. Then, his bushy eyebrows furrowed as he looked Vincent up and down. "Well! Since you’re already standing in my shop, lad... why don’t you buy something to support local business right now?"

"Uhh... To be honest with you, Barkly... I don’t have a single copper on me."

"Again?! Vincent..." Ellyn let out a playful, exasperated sigh, rolling her eyes.

Before Vincent could make excuses, Roxa, who left his side while they were chatting, stepped forward from the shadows with a handful of supplies. She reached into her dark tunic and pulled out a jingling leather pouch filled with Imperial coins.

"Princess Maelle provided us all with a generous personal allowance for daily necessities. Grab something if you want, Vincent. Consider it my thanks for the spar."

"Nice. Won’t see me saying no to free stuff. Thanks, Roxa."

With coin in hand, Vincent browsed the smithy’s glass display cases, initially insisting he didn’t need any new weapons or armor for himself since his divine power, martial arts, and elemental energy were more than enough for combat.

’But like they said, I have to support their business somehow. Man, I’m such a nice guy.’

As his eyes swept over a cushion-lined shelf holding fine jewelry, enchanted trinkets, and polished side-arms, something caught his attention.

"Hmm?"

Inside a small, elegant display case rested a pair of exquisitely crafted golden drop earrings. They featured brilliant, tear-shaped blue sapphires that shimmered whenever light caught their facets.

Vincent’s face lit up as he stared at the earrings.

’These would fit her perfectly.’

"That a gift for that special someone, eh?" Ellyn teased, pulling up next to him. "You’ve got good eyes for the fine arts, Vincent. I crafted those myself from mountain sapphire ore."

"Really? Damn... You have amazing craftsmanship. We’d have good weaponry and look stylish with you by our side. I’ll take them."

"Hehehe~ Coming right up!" Ellyn beamed.

At the counter, she carefully wrapped the jewelry box in a fine silk ribbon and handed it over in exchange for a few silver pieces from Roxa’s pouch.

With their prospective supply deal planted and the purchase complete, Vincent tucked the small jewelry box securely inside his jacket pocket.

Stepping back out of the smithy, they made their way through the sunset-tinted streets of the Imperial City as they headed home toward the mansion, ready for whatever the evening would bring.