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nEmery shook his head before giving Lanzo a mysterious smile. Leading the way, Emery took Lanzo to the city center, the marketplace. There were two things in particular that he needed right now.

nThe first item was a weapon. Emery needed a good weapon, more specifically a sword, so he could practice as well as defend himself in case of emergency situations.

nHe had asked about the sword he had taken from the marauders, but it looked like it got dropped somewhere along the road while he was losing consciousness and falling from the horse. Emery had asked around in the settlement, however, there was no one there that used a sword. They deemed it too impractical because small knives could do the same job, and forging axes was way easier. Bow and arrows were also popular in Mistshire for hunting some game.

nIt had been a while since Emery had held a sword. He planned to train with Lanzo, since Lanzo also used to be a nobleman and confirmed knew some sword techniques. So, he was hoping he could get a good deal with the coins he had for two swords and shields.

nThe clanking noise of the hammer and anvil got louder as the two of them approached the blacksmith. A rugged, tanned hairy man, worked on the outside furnace located outside covered by a wooden roof while its main store was inside the door beside. The heat from the forge gave some sense of comfort to the frigid weather covering the whole of Britannia.

nOn the side were displayed various farm tools, as well as swords, axes, shields, spears, maces, etc. as well as some huge chunks of iron and firewood lying near the furnace, but when they asked if they could take a look, but the smithy replied these weren't for sale before directing them to the door. So, Emery and Lanzo stepped into the smithy's door to talk to the shop owner. The inside had a much greater collection of weapons. There were armors also on the display too, but they were far and few in between the racks.

n

"Welcome to Erick's weapons and armors, feel free to take a look and buy whatever fits your needs,

" said the shop owner.

nBoth of the youngsters nodded and proceeded to take a closer look at the weapons rack, which had a lot of swords on display. Emery could tell by just observing that all these weapons here were made from iron, the most common metal, which any equipment and tools were made from. He was disappointed a bit but understood that higher quality swords such as the ones wielded by the noble lords couldn't be bought in a smithy like this, instead obtained from outside the island.

nEmery grabbed one and tested its balance and feel as he gave it a few swings. It felt too heavy for him, which meant his sword arm would get fired at a faster rate. He grabbed another sword that was thinner and longer but this time, it was too light and couldn't feel any weight behind it. That meant he would lose in a clash against another person wielding a heavier sword.

nFinally, the third one had a thicker arm guard, slightly thicker spine, but slightly shorter length. Emery gave it one swing, and he could tell that the balance between the tip of the sword as well as his hand was just right.

n

n

n

"This is a good sword! How much for this?

" asked Emery, placing it in front of the shop owner.

n

"Excellent choice, that sword is our bestseller for most nobles. It costs thirty coins.

"

n

"Pardon me, did I hear you say five coins?

" asked Emery, trying to haggle already.

nThe shop owner laughed,

"Thirty coins, young lad. No less

"

n

"But five coins is all I have, anything you can do for me with a similar quality, good shopkeeper?

" Emery said a bit disappointed.

n

"There's none here, young lad. We have some lower quality swords, but they are all at least ten coins. As for anything less than that, we have some under the five coins. They're the ones stored there in the corner,

" said the shop owner, pointing to the weathered rack that had several swords, some of which appeared visibly bent or had some chippings.

nEmery certainly hadn't expected that even the lowest quality would already cost five coins. He then kept switching glances between the coins in his hand and the weathered rack, trying to debate with himself if it was even worth it.

n

"Hey,

" Lanzo called out to Emery.

"If you really need it, I can give you my five so you can at least buy a decent sword. You know chipped and bent swords are as good as nothing.

"

n

"It's fine Lanzo, I just remembered I have another way to get the coins,

" Emery showed the contents of his bag to Lanzo before pulling it out one green paste and laying it on the table. He then looked at the shop owner and said,

"Can we lower the price with this,?

n

nThe shop owner laughed again.

"This thing you put out ain't in my expertise. Better you go to the apothecary at the other just three blocks from here.

"

nEmery and Lanzo gave a nod before heading out of the smithy and looked for the apothecary. To make sure, they wouldn't be looking in the wrong place, both of them asked the locals, and it wasn't long before they finally found the shop.

n'Lionarch Apothecary,' said the hanging huge sign, written in a cursive, slanted text. It was the largest shop Emery and Lanzo had seen so far in the city. And judging by the few guards standing outside in leather armor, it probably was also the most popular shop in the city.

nThe two young lads went inside and were immediately welcomed by the strong scent of medicinal herbs being brewed by the fat old man, who was stirring a big round cauldron just behind the counter. The shop had a large interior filled with different herbs and plants on the side, potions and pastes sitting on a shelf, and some insects lying around in different sections of the shop. Although it was a large shop, the place only had these two young lads as customers.

nThe fat old man seemed intent on focusing on his work, so when Emery called out to him, he replied,

"What do you kids want?

"

nLanzo frowned, but Emery didn't mind it one bit. Somehow, Emery this fat old man resembled Aeon, back in the Magus Academy, well at least in this manner. Emery didn't waste time and placed three stamina potions as well as two healing pastes on the counter. He said,

"We are wondering how much would these be if we sold them to you.

"

nThe old man balanced his wooden ladle on top of the cauldron and proceeded to pop open the lid of the stamina potion and smell it. He also did the same with the other container holding the healing paste and tasted both a little.

n

"Hmm, looks like we have a tonic for energizing the body and a paste for healing external wounds,

" replied the old man whose neck was barely visible. Just by smelling and tasting it, he actually found out their functions immediately, and this made Emery happy since he understood he was talking to an expert.

n

"So, how much can we sell this?

" Emery asked.

n

nThe man snorted before shrugging. He said,

"For the whole lot, five coins.

"

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"What! These should be worth more than that!

" Lanzo exclaimed.

n

"Look kids, if you aren't interested just go away!

" snapped the old man.

nEmery patted Lanzo on the shoulder before saying,

"Pardon, but can you tell me why is it low?

"

nThe old man eyed Emery and stared directly in the eyes.

n

"Okay, kid. Since you asked nicely

"—he then pointed to the shelf behind him—

"see those things, they contain the same stuff. They are helpful, sure, but they're the easiest to make. I have made too many, so yours ain't nothing special.

"

nLanzo then asked,

"How much do you sell those for?

"

n

"Twenty coins each, boy,

" the man answered without hesitation.

nLanzo seemed to make another snide comment again, but Emery reached Lanzo's shoulders again before he had said anything.

n

n

"I understand. You said first. So, what's the second reason?

" Emery pointed out.

n

"Second thing is I don't know who made these. The ingredients for these potions might be the same, but not all are made equal. Some may use a different concocting technique, slightly different measurements, subpar ingredients, among other things, which could create a whole lot of varying degrees of result. So, tell me, who made these?

"

n

"I did,

" said Emery, not flinching.

n

"Hmpf, a young boy who thinks he knows alchemy. I'm already doing you a favor and for one coin each on an otherwise probably worthless item. It's a good deal already even if your parents made it, I don't believe these items would be as powerful as mine because this art needs dozens of years to master.

"

n

"Give me one moment.

" Emery then took out all the stamina potion and healing paste he had brought with him, leaving only one of each. In total, five stamina potions and five healing pastes were laid down on the counter.

nThe old man stared at Emery before saying,

"Like I said, ten coins, for each one of them.

"

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