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Syr's sudden display of kindness caught Liang Yue a little off guard. He glanced down at the boxed breakfast in his hands—meant for the restaurant's staff—and hesitated.
The reason wasn't hard to guess. Most likely Bell had mentioned what happened yesterday, and Syr had somehow connected it to him. Could there be some other motive behind this?
His hesitation was more about wondering whether Syr had made the breakfast herself—because if she had, today's Dungeon expedition might have to end before it even started.
"Although I really appreciate this, are you sure it won't trouble you?"
"Of course not. Please don't worry about it. My own breakfast will be served after the restaurant opens. In exchange, please make sure to come to our place for dinner."
Syr bowed slightly, her eyes full of expectation. She hesitated for a moment before asking, "Will this cause you any trouble?"
"Not at all."
——
It saved him the cost of buying breakfast—and it came from The Hostess of Fertility, no less, the same food prepared for its employees.
Liang Yue didn't refuse. In exchange, he'd simply choose to have dinner there later. The reason wasn't to drum up business for the place.
Rather… it probably had to do with Bell.
Since this was a gesture of goodwill released under Freya's watch, Liang Yue had no reason to reject it. He didn't mind a little contact with Orario's most powerful Familia.
With his lunch supplies taken care of, his next stop was Hephaestus's main weapon store in Babel Tower, to get his blade fully repaired.
"Once the weapon's fixed… I can continue today's run."
The central plaza before Babel was already filling with adventurers, but this time Liang Yue chose not to party up. Instead, he headed for Orario's strongest blacksmith Familia.
The place was a landmark in itself, with its location clearly marked on every floor. Even in the upper floors, there were shops selling weapons forged by apprentices—priced far cheaper than what Hestia's shop could offer.
The aisles were relatively quiet, so Liang Yue had no trouble making his way to the main store. The good news: it was already open. The bad news: Welf was nowhere to be seen.
Instead, sweeping the floor was a tall, dark-skinned, broad-shouldered woman with long hair and a prominent ahoge.
She was a half-dwarf, born of a Far Eastern human and a mainland dwarf. The mix had erased the usual dwarf traits—no short limbs, no stocky proportions. In fact, she was slightly taller than Liang Yue.
Tsubaki Collbrande.
"So I ran into her…"
Liang Yue immediately recognized the one-eyed woman before him as the captain of the Hephaestus Familia. Not only was she Orario's strongest blacksmith, but she also possessed the power of a Level 5 adventurer.
If his wallet allowed, he'd have loved to commission a weapon from her. For now, though, the priority was to repair his shortsword.
Hephaestus had told him before that Welf could handle repairs for free if his weapon was damaged, but whether that applied to Tsubaki, he wasn't sure.
"Well, since I'm here… maybe Welf's in the forge?"
Following that thought, Liang Yue stepped forward. The shop was empty of other customers, so even if Welf wasn't around, he could afford to wait. That was far better than buying a new weapon outright.
As one of Orario's top-ranked adventurers, Tsubaki noticed him the moment he entered—even with her back turned.
"If you're looking for a weapon, browse on your own. No haggling."
"Actually," Liang Yue said, "I'm here for Welf. Lady Hephaestus mentioned that if my weapon got damaged, I could ask him to repair it."
Judging by Hephaestus's personality, she'd likely told her Familia members about this already.
Going straight to the point, Liang Yue figured, was faster than dancing around the subject.
And sure enough, Tsubaki turned to face him at the mention of "Lady Hephaestus." The boy's face was unfamiliar, but a memory clicked. Just a few nights ago, her god had returned to the shop and, in front of her, mentioned this exact case—if a black-haired Far Eastern boy from the Hestia Familia came in, they were to repair his weapon for free.
With Welf not yet in and the boy clearly dressed for a Dungeon run, Tsubaki frowned slightly, then said in her calm, straightforward tone, "Welf's not here yet. If you're in a hurry, follow me to the forge."
"Then I'll trouble you, Tsubaki-senpai."
Liang Yue smiled and nodded—who in their right mind would refuse to have Orario's greatest blacksmith fix their weapon?
He followed her to the forge, where weapons hung prominently on the walls—mostly non-sale items, no doubt works Tsubaki was especially proud of. He tore his gaze away to focus on the woman before him.
Her features were refined, her work attire distinctly Far Eastern: bright red hakama trousers and, for her top, nothing but a white sarashi.
If clothes reflected personality, Tsubaki's choice spoke of her straightforward, bold nature. Without much curiosity about Liang Yue's background, she busied herself stoking the flames, a magic stone fueling the forge until it blazed.
As a Level 5 adventurer, she could easily sense the sword aura that lingered faintly around him, not yet fully contained. An interesting newcomer, she thought.
"Show me the weapon you want repaired," she said crisply.
"Alright. I don't want to take up too much of your time—just fix it so it's usable again."
Liang Yue nodded earnestly, handing over the blade still sheathed.
The gesture won him a hint of goodwill. She'd half-expected him to use Hestia's name to demand modifications, which she wouldn't refuse—but would report to Hephaestus for a final decision.
Taking the sheath, she drew the weapon. The first thing that caught her eye was the crack compromising its structural integrity.
Its condition was terrible.
Much like how Airmid would wish her patients took better care of themselves, Tsubaki wished adventurers treated their weapons with respect.
Her frown deepened. This weapon wasn't particularly expensive, but it was already at the point of being unusable—ready to shatter at any moment.
But when she drew the blade fully, an incredibly pure sword aura pushed back against her, as if tempered by countless life-or-death battles.
The edge was still sharp, but the body was badly worn.
Her frown didn't ease, but her curiosity grew.
"This blade should've broken long ago," she said finally.
"It's your sword aura… that's been forcing it to hold together until now."
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