As soon as he entered the shop, he was greeted on both sides by gleaming arrays of blades and armor coated with beef tallow, dazzling in their variety.
Raine also noticed some exceptionally valuable armor and weapons, even displayed in dedicated showcases.
Although the weapon shop was sparsely populated, there were still a few adventurers dressed for battle, browsing through weapons and armor.
"Hello, young sir, may I help you with something?" An elderly man in a silk garment approached Raine with a warm smile as he entered.
"I want to purchase a chain armor shirt, shield, and helmet. Could you help me with that?"
"Certainly, sir." Upon hearing that Raine wanted to buy more than one piece of armor, the old man's eyes crinkled into a smile.
"Let's start with the shields." The old man pointed to the shield section closest to them and began his introduction.
"Alright," Raine nodded.
"This is a Cross-Riveted Wooden Shield, resembling the Kite Shield in appearance, with iron edges all around, and a cross-shaped metal stripe for reinforcement in the middle. It's very effective against arrows and slashes alike."
The old man pointed at a dark brown kite shield and explained.
"How much is it?"
"Only 18 silver coins." The old man gestured the price.
Raine nodded calmly, but inwardly he was exclaiming at the high price.
A shield that's not entirely made of iron for 18 silver coins — similar items in the blacksmith's shop would cost about half that.
Of course, it couldn't be denied that the workmanship and materials here were significantly better.
"And how about this one?" Raine pointed to a fully metal kite shield.
"This is a Gold-Plated Riveted Metal Shield, a fine piece brought from Dorne City. It won't break even if attacked by the heavy weapons of bear goblins. However, it is somewhat heavy, and the price is slightly higher, at 35 silver coins."
Raine nodded again.
He was pretty sure that even though he had just gained a "small fortune," it would be impossible to buy all the equipment he desired in one go.
Sure enough, after some introductions and inquiries about prices, Raine confirmed the prices of the items he was most interested in:
"A full-body chain armor shirt is 65 silver coins, while a half-body chain armor shirt is 26 silver coins.
A fully enclosed pig helmet is 35 silver coins, a steel barrel helmet is 20 silver coins, but a horned helmet costs only 12 silver coins.
A riveted metal shield is 35 silver coins, with an additional metal ram costing 5 silver coins, whereas a cross-edged reinforced kite shield is 18 silver coins, and adding a ram costs only 2 silver coins. The latter is essentially wooden, making the piercing assembly process much simpler.
A heavy iron shoulder guard suitable for ramming is 30 silver coins, and adding a steel ram costs an additional 9 silver coins, plus it requires about twenty days of waiting since the order needs to be sent to Dorne City for customization.
Finally, purchasing three items at once grants a 10% discount."
Raine couldn't help but contemplate.
The half-body chain armor shirt is a must to replace, effective against both the poisonous dagger assaults of goblins and long-range arrow attacks.
As for the helmet, no doubt the fully enclosed pig helmet offers the strongest defense, but the horned helmet, with its horns, can effectively increase his ramming damage.
If he opts for the pig helmet and half-body chain armor shirt combination, totaling 61 silver coins, it would not only deplete his entire earnings from this mission but also take up all his previous savings.
The most important thing is that if he does that, he can't afford anything else.
However, if he chooses the combination of the half-body chain armor shirt, horned helmet, and cross-edged kite shield with a ram, the total is 58 silver coins, and with the 10% discount, it's about a little over 52 silver coins.
The advantage is getting a full swap for all three major pieces, resulting in significantly improved defense. But the issue is that these are mostly transitional equipment, which will need to be completely replaced in the future.
Indeed.
Raine is not considering purchasing an iron shoulder guard at the moment. He plans to focus on shield ramming first, and when he has enough money next time, he'll directly buy the ram-equipped shoulder guard.
At this point, the old man at the side noticed Raine's hesitation and said,
"Young sir, if you purchase weapons or armor at our 'Iron Furnace Workshop,' you can enjoy an 80% discount on future maintenance and repairs."
"Furthermore, as your strength improves, you'll undoubtedly want to upgrade your weapons and armor. We at 'Iron Furnace Workshop' can buy back the weapons and armor you've previously bought from us."
"Of course, the price will inevitably be slightly lower, but it will still be far more advantageous than other shops or workshops."
"Oh?" Raine nodded.
With that in mind, there's no reason to hesitate any longer.
Even though the equipment he's purchasing this time isn't the kind meant to last indefinitely, when he has more funds in the future, he can update and upgrade again.
"I'll take the half-body chain armor shirt, the horned helmet, and this cross-edged reinforced kite shield. Right, please add a metal ram in the middle of the kite shield for me."
Hearing Raine's choice, the old man was visibly taken aback.
Such a combination of a horned helmet with an additional ram on the shield is uncommon for an average human warrior apprentice, unless they're barbarians.
Nonetheless, with business at hand, and especially with a customer purchasing three items at once, the old man was quick to nod and agree, smiling:
"Uh... Alright, sir. The total comes to 52 silver coins and 20 copper coins, but you can pay just 52 silver coins. How does that sound?"
"That's fine, thank you."
They even rounded down the price?
Quite the savvy salesperson.
Raine couldn't help but glance at the old man.
"The horned helmets come in different sizes; you can try them on first."
"Okay."
....
A few minutes later.
A strong young man, wearing a horned helmet and a half-body chain armor shirt, and carrying a kite shield with a raised ram in the center, walked out of the 'Iron Furnace Workshop.'
The young man was none other than Raine.
Even beneath his barrel helmet, a subtle smile graced his face.
Just moments ago, the 'Iron Furnace Workshop' had thrown in a complimentary first maintenance for his chain armor shirt.
Maintaining chain armor is quite a hassle.
If its iron rings get damaged, they need to be dismantled and replaced, which is time-consuming and labor-intensive, so a free maintenance worth at least 1 silver coin was quite valuable.
Chain armor is crafted from interlocking iron rings, each ring connected to four others, forming a tight lock-and-weave pattern.
It's best at defending against arrows, less so against sharp weapons, and least effective against heavy weapons.
Of course, while not the best armor in the weapon shop, the chain armor was a significant defense upgrade compared to the leather armor vest Raine had been wearing.
The increase in power and constitution meant Raine's ability to carry weight and endure had also greatly improved, and this sense of security brought by being encased in metal armor and a helmet was unmatched by cloth or leather armor.
In reality, even if Raine had the funds before, he might not have purchased a chain armor shirt.
Because a chain armor shirt weighs over 20 pounds, and along with the sword, spear, and shield, his total load would exceed 30 pounds.
Even with the benefits from the Goblin Warrior's 'Strong Lv1' effect, that weight was still somewhat excessive, affecting his quick responses in battle.
However, this problem no longer exists.
Not to mention the Wild Boar Warrior Bloodline, even the power and constitution bonuses from the ordinary Wild Boar Bloodline are enough to handle such weight.
Raine estimated that with his current strength and constitution, wearing heavy plate armor shouldn't affect his combat responsiveness.
"Alright, let's continue doing tasks to save money. Eventually, I'll upgrade to a thick plate armor set, with maximum defense and toughness!"
Additionally, Raine realized something important.
Whether it's armor or weapons, the best and most suited to a person is undoubtedly custom-made!
But that requires a lot of money, plus a top-notch blacksmith.
Though he may not achieve it in the short term, at least he had a clear goal now.