"Up?"
Roy, held back by Ryuu, looked confused. He recalled that above the Babel Tower were the Guild's temporary offices, a commercial district, and the Gods' meeting places.
Ryuu couldn't help but palm her forehead. Why was this person so oblivious in this area? "Do you plan to enter the Dungeon like that? With just one gauntlet?"
Hearing this, Roy looked down. His equipment did indeed look a bit shabby.
Following Ryuu's gaze, he realized what he was missing—armor, especially for his chest. An attack to the internal organs would be a serious matter.
"And then?"
"There's a Hephaistus Familia armor shop up in the Babel Tower," Ryuu said.
The two took the automatic magic stone elevator up to the floor selling weapons and armor. As far as the eye could see, most of the shops belonged to the Hephaistus Familia.
Founded by the Forging Goddess Hephaistus, the Familia commanded countless skilled blacksmiths. Their weapons and armor were of excellent quality, second to none in Orario, and consequently quite expensive.
The shop Ryuu took Roy into also belonged to the Hephaistus Familia, but unlike the other shops with prices starting in the millions of Valis, this one was relatively cheaper.
This shop mainly featured the work of novice blacksmiths. Their forging experience and technique couldn't compare to veteran blacksmiths, so even new adventurers could afford them with a bit of effort.
Although they were beginner works, they carried the Hephaistus Familia name. They weren't selling junk, and the quality was noticeably better than the black markets of unknown small Familia.
Upon entering the shop, they were greeted by a dazzling array of weapons and armor, priced between 5,000 and 50,000 Valis. More expensive items were kept in other shops to maintain product differentiation.
This business model felt very familiar to Roy. The products were strictly categorized by grade. Indeed, no one was a fool. His advantage lay in possessing countless pieces of information, but in terms of mental agility, there were always people better than you.
Roy and Ryuu's goal was clear. They headed straight to the armor section.
The experienced Ryuu helped Roy assess the items. In terms of materials and forging technique, she completely outclassed the newcomer Roy.
During this process, Roy learned from her how to distinguish good equipment from bad. He was like a sponge, frantically absorbing Ryuu's experience to quickly grow into a qualified adventurer.
After about ten minutes of picking and choosing, the two still hadn't found suitable armor.
The truth was, Roy's standards were too high.
The armor here, if graded by the system, wouldn't even rank as "Low-Grade." For someone like Roy, who started with several pieces of High-Grade equipment, this "scrap iron" held no appeal.
Better armor was available, of course, in the Hephaistus Familia's other shops, but at a higher price…
"Do you have any other armor?"
The two approached the shop administrator.
A flicker of surprise crossed the eyes of the brown-haired Cat Person. He had been observing the two since they entered. The girl was clearly an expert, though he couldn't see her face hidden by the cloak.
"We do have one other piece of armor. Take a look at this." The Cat Person carefully retrieved a piece of gray-steel armor from beneath the counter. It was triangular, with smoothly polished, gleaming edges.
Roy reached out and touched it. Using the methods Ryuu taught him, he felt the hardness of the steel. From the details, it seemed he could sense every hammer blow the blacksmith had made.
The quality of this armor is High-Grade?!
Roy was surprised, but upon closer inspection, he found irregularities. Perhaps the blacksmith was interrupted. The armor was missing a corner, and the subsequent quenching process wasn't done well. It didn't quite reach High-Grade quality, classifying it as quasi-High-Grade equipment.
Moreover, he flipped it over several times but found no signature. Roy grew suspicious. Is this from some small workshop? They went all out on the materials.
However, if the price was right, he might take it. This was the highest quality armor in the shop.
Just then, Roy noticed Ryuu also looking at the armor and subtly gave him a meaningful glance.
Roy asked, "How much Valis?"
The Cat Person smiled knowingly. The other party had already recognized the quality of the armor, unlike the novices who would immediately dismiss it upon seeing the missing corner.
The Cat Person held up three fingers. "300,000 Valis, and this armor is yours."
Roy stated firmly, "30,000 Valis!"
The Cat Person's expression soured. Who cuts a price like that? Right through the main artery! He coldly snorted, preparing to take the armor back.
Roy said meaningfully, "You wouldn't want this matter to become public, would you? Especially…"
Hearing this, the young Cat Person flinched, looking at Roy with suspicion and uncertainty.
Roy pressed the armor onto the tabletop and laughed. "Don't rush. Buying and selling is all about negotiation."
The young Cat Person grimaced, gritting his teeth. After repeated back and forth, they finally settled on 85,000 Valis.
"I said I would repay the money!"
Ryuu said seriously, pulling out a small pouch and carefully placing the Valis pieces on the table—exactly 85,000 Valis.
Roy saw a hint of pain in Ryuu's eyes. The Astrea Familia was currently short on money, needing to stretch every Valis.
If they couldn't make a big profit soon, they would collectively be living on thin air within a couple of days.
With the armor acquired, the two left the shop.
"You can tell me about this equipment now," Roy looked at Ryuu and asked.
Ryuu looked surprised. "You didn't know?"
Roy laughed. "I was just scaring him."
Ryuu pressed her lips together to stifle a laugh. She had assumed Roy already knew, seeing him cut the price and threaten the manager. It turned out he had only made the judgment based on her glance and the absence of a signature on the armor.
Yet, he had successfully intimidated the manager.
Ryuu's gaze shifted to the armor. "If I'm not mistaken, this is the work of the 'One-Eyed Master.'"
"The One-Eyed Master... Tsubaki Collbrande!"
Roy's face showed surprise. Tsubaki Collbrande, the Captain of the Hephaistus Familia, an LV.5 adventurer, given the title "One-Eyed Master" by the Gods.
Almost no one in Orario didn't know that name. Aside from the Gods, Tsubaki Collbrande was the most top-tier blacksmith in the world.
Tsubaki Collbrande's works started at tens of millions of Valis. How could one be found in a place like this?
Ryuu reminded him, "It's a failed product."
"I see." Roy's mind raced, and he quickly understood the reason.
Tsubaki Collbrande likely encountered some unexpected accident during the crafting process, leading to a failed forging. Someone was told to dispose of it and secretly took it out to sell.
Since it lacked a signature, and the vast majority of people in Orario had never seen or used Tsubaki Collbrande's armor, the matter hadn't been exposed until now.