Synthesis-type adventurers

Chapter 54 Next Step

Night swallowed everything.

The cellar of the safe house was insulated from the damp cold of the ground, and an oil lamp hung under the beam, casting a hazy, yellowish glow.

The rain was incessant outside, but the room was dry and warm.

Rod occupied the only table in the room, the pages of the ledger in front of him were curled and yellowed.

The quill pen in his hand scratched across the rough parchment, leaving behind lines of still-wet ink for income and expenditure records.

[+50 Orim (Guild Crystal Balance: 51).]

[+130 Trade Dukats (cash reserves, commission deducted).]

[+Bronze Medal (Discount Voucher for Supplies Procurement).]

……

Rod closed the heavy cover, staring at the two sets of ink marks, his tense nerves relaxing slightly.

Even ignoring Orim's purchasing power, the sheer weight of those 130 hexagonal gold coins would be a huge sum for an ordinary adventurer's party.

"The problem of having enough to eat and wear has now been completely solved."

Rhodes shoved the ledger back into the hidden compartment under the table.

Gold coins left in a bag will never be anything more than cold, lifeless objects.

Only by hammering them into steel armor and sharpening them into sharp blades can they guarantee that they can bring back the full money bag alive next time.

"bass--"

As the leather rubbed against the metal, Rhodes drew his finely crafted longsword from his waist and held it horizontally under the oil lamp.

The lamplight illuminated the gruesome state of the sword blade.

The once gleaming blade now appears mottled and worn.

Besides the bluish-purple annealing marks left from forcibly activating [Primary Flame Affinity] when fighting the Void Eaters in the woods, the tip of the sword is also covered with a layer of indelible charred marks—this is the corrosion of the metal under extreme high temperatures when piercing the overheated core of the construct in the underground ruins.

All iron has its limits.

This mass-produced refined steel was like a wax toy in the terrifying heat generated by the blood of the red dragon, let alone being directly shoved into an overloaded and overheated old-fashioned power furnace.

Even if he were to experience another high-intensity parry, the sword would either melt in his palm or break into scrap metal.

"We need to deal with this sword."

Rhodes' fingers traced the spine of the sword, lost in thought.

Simply polishing and repairing is not enough to withstand the tyranny of dragon fire.

He must enchant this piece of steel to implant a heat-resistant attribute.

He didn't have any heat-resistant ore on hand, but Rhodes could picture the mountain of scrap metal in the backyard of Tolin's blacksmith shop.

The refractory bricks from the forge that the dwarves replaced over the years were the perfect medium for extracting the "high temperature resistance" property.

As for the explanation to the outside world, he still only needs to say that it is a special gold refining and quenching process.

Rhodes sheathed his sword and turned his gaze toward the corner of the wall.

Avira was sitting beside a whetstone, her arm muscles tense, as she laboriously ground the tower shield.

The damage to this steel tower shield is more shocking than that to the sword.

In its previous battle with the construct, it took a direct hit from an iron fist.

At this moment, the center of the shield was dented into a pit, surrounded by a dense network of radiating fine cracks.

"Stop grinding, Avira," Rod's voice interrupted the grating scraping sound. "The stress lines inside the metal are broken. The next impact will send this steel plate shattering like a sour biscuit."

Avira stopped what she was doing, staring at the ravaged shield, and helplessly lowered her hand. "But sir," she said, "a high-quality steel tower shield costs at least 15 ducats in the blacksmith's shop in Rust Harbor. We just made a fortune, but..."

"Who said we were going to buy a new one?" Rhodes tapped his temple. "Remember that construct we dismantled in the underground ruins?"

Although they had to abandon the heavy physical armor plate due to weight restrictions, Rhodes had already used his mental power to completely extract the essence from the metal before evacuating.

At this moment, the [Hard Shell] entry, which was flashing with blue light, was stored in his consciousness space.

But to Avira and Chiba, Rod simply wore a mysterious expression.

"Although we can't bring that large iron block back, I've memorized the microstructure of that alloy," Rhodes casually fabricated, his tone confident. "With my family's enchanting skills, I can replicate the density and hardness of that construct onto your shield."

"Replicating... the hardness of the armor plates of the construct?"

Avira was stunned.

Despite not understanding the technical terms, she nodded subconsciously due to her blind trust in Rhodes' previous methods.

"If it's your secret technique, then I believe you."

"Just smooth out or fill in the physical dents on the shield's surface, and leave the rest of the enchanting and enhancement to me."

Rhodes stood up and swept the heavy book "Basic Rune Analysis" and a few other odds and ends into his backpack.

"Perfect timing. Our old friend Tolin's furnace should still be burning. We've already arranged to go over there now. We can repair your shield and, while we're at it, rummage through his junkyard to fix my sword."

Upon hearing this, Chiba, who had been sitting cross-legged on the carpet counting gold coins, twitched the fox ears on his head.

She immediately clutched the purse to her chest, staring warily at Rod: "Wait! You just earned this money, and you're already spending it?"

"If you don't spend your money on your equipment, what are you going to do when you die in the dungeon? Do you expect to spend it in Hell? As a businessman, don't you understand the principle of investment?"

Rod had already put on the rainproof oilcloth cloak and pushed open the heavy, hidden door to the basement.

The damp, cold night wind in the corridor rushed in instantly, shattering the remaining warmth inside the room.

"Since we've decided to delve deeper into the essence of this world, we need to sharpen the shovel in our hands first."

-----------------

Time flies, and three days passed in the blink of an eye.

The rainy season in Ruang Bay is always long and damp, and the cobblestone streets of Black Iron Lane are washed until they shine.

Fortunately, it is now the end of the Thunder Moon.

Inside the iron furnace workshop, the heat from the furnace fire keeps out the moisture.

"Clang!"

A dull, dark longsword was slammed heavily onto the anvil.

The once bright silver, finely crafted sword now appeared as a somber gray-black, as if it had been polished from some kind of light-absorbing ore.

This is the physical manifestation after the [high temperature resistant structure] has been loaded.

Tolin held an oilcloth in his hand, vigorously wiping the spine of the sword. His calloused fingers flicked the blade, producing a dull rather than crisp echo.

"Your family's craftsmanship... is truly bizarre."

The dwarf blacksmith pushed the sword toward Rhodes, shaking his disheveled head, his tone filled with the bewilderment and awe of a traditional craftsman.

"Those scrap refractory bricks, I've been leaving them there as garbage for years... and you actually managed to fuse their heat resistance into a steel sword? Has alchemy advanced to a level I don't even recognize anymore?"

"This is called material reconstruction, Master Torin."

Rhodes gripped the sword hilt with one hand and flicked his wrist slightly.

The sword's center of gravity remained unchanged, but that resilient feel traveled through my palm.

He didn't explain much, but simply twirled his sword skillfully and sheathed it.

"In any case, it shouldn't melt like a candle anymore now."