Chapter 4: With a Sharp Weapon, the Heart Turns to Kill!
"It can sell for five thousand mostly because this dagger is crafted extremely well. A typical low-tier Yellow Rank weapon would go for about three thousand. But yours has perfect attribute compatibility, and the material's properties have been pushed to their limit. It faintly approaches the level of a mid-tier Yellow Rank weapon. That's why I said five thousand as an overall estimate. Heh, if you meet the right buyer and there's some bidding, seven or eight thousand isn't out of the question."
"Let me see… hmm, this Grade One gold-attribute magic core is a bit expensive, around five hundred gold coins. The blue-gold ore is relatively cheap—this small piece is about three hundred. Add in the rest, and your total cost is just over a thousand. That's pretty good. Weapon prices are lower than pills at lower tiers, but at higher levels, weapons surpass pills in value."
As an old veteran, Mr. Yao not only appraised the value of the Water-Patterned Golden Dagger but also estimated Jiang Lin's costs. For anyone else, he might not have been so accurate, but since Jiang Lin ate and lived with him, Mr. Yao knew exactly what the boy had done.
As for why high-tier weapons are worth more than high-tier pills...
It comes down to a simple truth: if your neighbor hoards grain and you hoard weapons, your neighbor becomes your grain storage.
It's just that in this world, high-tier weapons are incredibly rare. At most, there are some Earth-tier weapon embryos—and those still aren't complete forms.
Gulp gulp gulp… Hearing that Jiang Lin's weapon could sell for five thousand gold coins, Xiao Yi Xian buried her head in her food.
Damn it! I sat in clinic all morning and only earned twenty gold coins! My actual wage was just ten!
"Heh…" Mr. Yao noticed her reaction and couldn't help but show a faint, amused smile.
Xiao Yi Xian was great in many ways—except her personality leaned a bit cold. Thankfully, since Jiang Lin's arrival, both of them had begun to change, little by little.
"Mr. Yao, do you have a channel for selling it?" After finishing a bowl of rice, Jiang Lin grabbed a chicken leg and asked while chewing, looking like a refugee who had just escaped a famine. Mr. Yao chuckled at the sight.
"Qingshan Town may be a border town, far from the bustling cities nearby, but it's full of mercenary groups. If you don't want to appear in person, I can use my contacts to sell it. As long as you don't bring it up, they'll be smart enough not to ask questions."
Sipping his tea, Mr. Yao leisurely offered advice. He might not have the wisdom of some legendary expert, but here in Qingshan Town, he could confidently say: welcome to my turf.
The territory wasn't huge, but Mr. Yao managed it well. His Wan Yao Pharmacy was highly regarded. His philosophy of "save first, collect later" earned him the gratitude of many mercenaries—some of whom went on to become mercenary captains.
"But… a lot of people in town know that I'm a little kid who likes to forge." After filling his belly halfway, Jiang Lin accepted a bowl of soup from Mr. Yao and said this a bit timidly.
"You've got a point." Mr. Yao didn't insist on his plan and gave the question serious thought. He eventually nodded and said, "Qingshan Town is full of prying eyes. If you keep forging daggers like that every day, trouble is bound to come. Hmm… I think… better them than me. The nearby big city, Wu Tan City, is a good option. It's populous, close to the Magic Beast Mountains, and also has a good number of mercenary groups. The Miteer Family has an auction house there. We can stockpile some weapons and sell them in bulk through them."
(Some genius not yet fallen: Huh? Who's coming for me?!)
Thanks to Jiang Lin's reminder, Mr. Yao realized that ranked weapons weren't as easy to manage as ordinary ones. These were the kind of weapons that could make a Fighter suddenly develop ambitions to stab a Battle Master in the back.
As the saying goes, "With a sharp weapon in hand, murderous thoughts arise." Mr. Yao had a revelation—ranked weapons should never be lumped together with pills.
Imagine if everyone in Qingshan Town had a Yellow Rank weapon... that would be a nightmare. Without Dou Qi weapons, a Battle Master could beat a group of Fighters barehanded. But if those Fighters had Dou Qi weapons? One slip, and even a Battle Master's Dou Qi veil could be cut open. Though Jiang Lin's weapon was only a low-tier Yellow Rank and could barely make a Battle Master flinch, quantity mattered. And who's to say Jiang Lin wouldn't forge even stronger ones in the future?
"Still, you shouldn't ignore Qingshan Town either. You can set up a Forging Pavilion and occasionally sell gear of different quality. That'll help you build connections. Later, if you need materials, you can issue tasks, and they'll be happy to help you."
After a bit of thought, Mr. Yao refined Jiang Lin's forging plan—Wu Tan City for profits, Qingshan Town for stability. The foundation here must be kept solid.
Jiang Lin finished his chicken soup in one gulp and grinned. "Mr. Yao really is the second smartest man in Qingshan Town! I'll follow your lead in everything."
Xiao Yi Xian rolled her eyes dramatically at Jiang Lin. Mr. Yao couldn't help but chuckle and shake his head—this kid and his nonsense, where did he even learn it?
Mr. Yao was the second smartest person in Qingshan Town. So who was first? Xiao Yi Xian once asked Jiang Lin. He'd replied, "If I told you, you wouldn't believe me, so never mind."
With the matter of the Water-Patterned Golden Dagger settled, lunch ended amid Mr. Yao sipping tea and the two kids bickering from time to time.
After eating, his belly full to the brim, Jiang Lin bade Mr. Yao goodbye and returned to his room in the inner courtyard of Wan Yao Pharmacy to nap. The morning forging had exhausted him. But he couldn't stop—he had to get the shaping right in one go. Otherwise, reheating would fatigue the metal, turning the weapon into scrap.
This would get easier once he grew a bit older.
Once the two little ones left, only Mr. Yao remained in the second-floor loft. He leaned back in his chair, staring at the exquisite dagger on the table, lost in thought.
"My lord… everyone has their own fate. I can't stop it, can I?" he sighed softly in his heart.
Elsewhere, when Jiang Lin awoke from his pleasant nap, the sky outside was already dotted with stars and bathed in moonlight.
"Hey, the kitchen only had steamed buns left. You want one or not? If not, I'm leaving."
Smack! As Jiang Lin opened his eyes, a soft, white steamed bun landed right on his face.
(END CHAPTER)
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