"I'm sorry!" Isis bowed deeply.
Without even exchanging greetings upon meeting, her first words were an apology. This even unsettled the typically unflappable wyverian artisan.
He extended a large hand to steady Isis's shoulder, comforting her, "No need to rush, what happened?"
"I've been so caught up in eating and having fun these past few days that I forgot to come collect my equipment. I'm sorry!" Isis began bowing again as she spoke.
The wyverian artisan quickly stabilized her shoulders, gently reassuring her, "There's no need to apologize for that. It was only just completed anyway."
The content of Isis's apology left him both amused and exasperated. He had thought they might have caused some earth-shattering trouble, but it turned out to be just this matter.
After pouring cups of warm beast milk for the two visitors and their cat, the wyverian artisan set down the warming pot. "Wait just a moment, I'll go get that set of armor."
After he turned around, Altaïr and Sajji simultaneously gave Isis a thumbs-up, leaving her somewhat bewildered.
Soon enough, the wyverian artisan returned with the equipment set, carrying the entire display mannequin along with it.
It was a set of armor dominated by deep brown and yellow tones.
The chestpiece, helmet, and limb armor were all exceptionally thick, with only the protection from the hips to the front of the thighs being somewhat lighter.
After all, for a heavily armored hunter, this area remains almost constantly protected by a massive shield, making heavy defense unnecessary. Extra armor there might only hinder the wearer's mobility.
"Try it on, see if it fits." The wyverian artisan patted the armor on the mannequin, smiling at Isis.
"Thank you!" Isis gathered up the armor and excitedly rushed into the changing room in the inner chamber.
What hunter doesn't love new equipment? Isis was no exception, she'd simply gotten so caught up in eating over the past few days that she'd forgotten about it.
The wyverian artisan bent his head to fiddle with the copper milk warmer, seemingly quite particular about the lid's shape. But from Isis's previous descriptions, Altaïr knew this muscular, imposing-looking man was actually somewhat introverted and not skilled at social interaction.
"Smithy?" Altaïr tentatively called to him.
"Hmm?" The wyverian artisan set the copper pot aside, looking at him questioningly.
Altaïr didn't beat around the bush, directly pulling the large chest in front of himself. "I've acquired some rather special materials that I'd like crafted into armor. I was wondering if you'd be willing to take the commission."
"I can, but Val Habar's migration has been quite busy recently. It would have to wait until after the migration concludes." The wyverian artisan agreed readily without even looking at the materials.
This made Altaïr, who had prepared some talking points in advance, feel somewhat embarrassed. "Thank you so much!"
What a stern-faced but warm-hearted uncle.
Clang! The chest shifted.
The wyverian artisan's gaze turned toward it, seeming to show some interest. "What materials are in the chest? May I take an early look?"
"Of course!"
Altaïr and Sajji worked together to move the large chest to a nearby workbench, then undid the clasps and opened it.
"Toxic Kumori?" The wyverian artisan glanced over and immediately recognized the creatures confined in the cages.
"You know about this?" Altaïr was somewhat surprised, but then considering the other party's actual age, it didn't seem particularly strange.
"Yes, these creatures usually appear in cold regions. I've seen them while traveling in the Furahiya (Snowy Mountains) area," the wyverian artisan replied briefly.
He picked up a pair of dark red protective gloves from nearby, put them on, opened a cage, and pulled out a Toxic Kumori.
The Toxic Kumori waved its large pincers and tail stinger, continuously snapping and stabbing at his fingers and the back of his hand, yet it couldn't penetrate the protection of those gloves.
Altaïr suspected that these gloves were made from Rathalos hide.
"This isn't an ordinary Toxic Kumori," the artisan said softly.
"What?"
Without answering Altaïr's question, the wyverian artisan stuffed the Toxic Kumori in his hand back into the cage and continued inspecting the others. Only after checking all of them did he speak up:
"These Toxic Kumori weren't caught by you personally, were they?"
"No," Altaïr didn't conceal the truth. "They were part of the settlement reward from a certain mission."
The wyverian artisan gave him a deep look. "For hunters of your rank to receive this level of reward in a settlement, one can only say the client was very generous.
These Toxic Kumori have been carefully selected (Venomous Toxic Kumori). Their size, vitality, and most importantly, the development of their venom glands are all quite outstanding.
As for armor crafted from Toxic Kumori materials, it should only be the Skalda Armor and Spio Armor sets. Is this armor for you to use?"
"Yes."
"Then it's the Skalda Armor. Using Toxic Kumori of this quality to make ordinary Skalda Armor would be somewhat wasteful. If you can provide selected Vespoid or Hornetaur materials, I can craft you 'Skalda S Armor' with performance a grade higher."
As if worried that a hunter of Altaïr's age might not fully understand his meaning, the artisan added an explanation: "The quality of materials obtained from the same type of Monster can vary.
By repeatedly hunting a certain Monster and selecting the highest quality materials from a large quantity, the equipment crafted will have better performance."
Altaïr was actually aware of this knowledge, but he was somewhat shocked by the casually mentioned "Skalda S Armor." This artisan clearly knew about this equipment set.
The Professor and the others had provided blueprints and were worried he wouldn't find an artisan skilled enough to craft it. Yet, from the way this wyverian artisan spoke, it seemed he didn't need the blueprints?
Altaïr took the blueprints from the box and handed them over, tentatively asking: "The other materials are in the lower layer of the box. Could you see if they'll work?"
The artisan took them, glanced briefly, and set the blueprints aside. He indeed knew how to make this armor set, so the blueprints naturally weren't of much use to him.
Lifting the second layer of the box, the wyverian artisan couldn't help but let out a soft "Huh?"
A trace of interest appeared on his originally calm face. "This is... Vespoid materials? No, ordinary Vespoids don't have this size. Where did you get these materials?"
Altaïr then briefly recounted their previous mission experience.
"Vespoid Queen, the Queen of the Vespoids?"
The wyverian artisan picked up a trimmed piece of wing and gently stroked it. "To think it's a Monster I've never heard of, materials I've never worked with. How marvelous nature is...
Don't worry, I'll treat them with care."
If before, he had merely been in a mindset of "looking after the young ones," now he was genuinely fired up.
"Take a look at this!"
Just as he was about to close and store the large chest, Isis, having finished changing, bounced out from the inner room. With her hands on her hips, she proudly displayed her brand-new armor.
"Clap clap..." Altaïr and Sajji applauded in unison.
"Very nice."
"You look quite reliable, meow!"
Isis rolled on the spot twice, her long limbs nearly knocking something over.
"It fits perfectly, no adjustments needed at all!" Isis stood up, twisted her waist, and glanced back at the faulds behind her. "As expected of you, truly amazing!"
The wyverian artisan smiled modestly at the praise. "Trying it on is just trying it on. To truly familiarize yourself with this armor, you'll need to break it in during actual combat."
"Val Habar will be migrating soon, so there will be plenty of opportunities for real combat. Make good use of it."
"Opportunities for combat? Does that mean there will be many missions lately?" Isis, still in high spirits, eagerly asked.
The wyverian artisan paused for a moment before realizing that the two young people before him had never experienced Val Habar's migration. He chuckled and explained:
"Val Habar is too large. With tens of thousands of caravans, it's impossible for everyone to move together. We divide into several major blocks, and each block is further split into countless smaller caravans."
"Scouting caravans and hunters are sent ahead to secure the route, and then the major blocks advance in batches."
"Everything, from the migration route, travel distance, timing of movements, to camping locations, is strictly planned. Not a single mistake can be made, or it could cause a massive traffic jam."
"During this process, almost all hunters are dispatched for tasks like scouting, clearing monsters along the way, and providing protection. It's a very busy time."
Isis opened her mouth in surprise. "But... but no one told us about this, and we haven't been assigned any missions?"
Altaïr thought for a moment and suddenly realized the reason.
According to the original plan, they should still have been riding woolly camels on their way back from Sun Worship Town.
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Happy new year!