Chapter 507 - 246: Exchange? Epic Equipment: Shadow Blood Boots
Chapter 507: Chapter 246: Exchange? Epic Equipment: Shadow Blood Boots
After leaving the Nolen Commerce Association, Lin Mo had one last thing to do today.
He needed to commission a new pair of Secret Silver Gloves. First, he had to find a suitable Blacksmith and clarify the required materials, which would also help determine the direction of his future adventures.
The Secret Silver Gloves Lin Mo planned to commission were Epic Equipment. To forge Epic Equipment, one needed a Master Blacksmith at the very least. Generally speaking, such a high-level Blacksmith was not easy to find.
However, Lin Mo already had a fairly clear idea...
In the Royal Capital, the Morin Clan controlled the vast majority of the Alchemy Market. Correspondingly, Duke Nathaniel Preston, the Kingdom’s Sword, controlled the majority of the capital’s weapon forging and sales market.
Coincidentally, on a mission he had recently completed, Lin Mo had encountered this Kingdom’s Sword’s only son—Bainlo Preston.
Furthermore, when they had parted ways, Bainlo had told them his upcoming plans: he was to begin taking over the family business as arranged by his father.
This was the condition Duke Preston had set when Bainlo had originally planned to go out and gain experience.
Therefore, he could just ask Bainlo for help directly. The Preston Forge was bound to have a Master Blacksmith, and likely more than one.
Because he had just started getting involved with the family business and was still inexperienced in many areas, Bainlo was not overseeing the main forge, but rather a branch in the West of the Royal Capital.
The distance was a bit far, so Lin Mo hailed a carriage directly.
In prosperous places like Fajade City and the Royal Capital, the large scale of the cities naturally created a demand for transport, and related industries had sprung up to meet it.
It was said that these carriages were all operated by the Royal Family, and the fares were not cheap.
But you had no choice but to take one. After all, private carriages were generally not allowed to travel directly within the city. One had to file an application, pass a very strict review, meet the corresponding standards, and obtain certification just to drive on the city’s roads.
As for what the standards were... that was naturally up to the rule-makers, the Royal Family, to decide.
Predictably, unless you had a special status or could bring great benefits like a merchant caravan, if they said you didn’t pass, you simply didn’t pass...
To put it bluntly, it was a scheme monopolized by the Royal Family to rake in Gold.
The carriage drove on, arriving at its destination at around 3:00 PM.
The fare was an outrageous 1 Gold Coin!
To put that in perspective, a relatively ordinary carriage like the one he had just taken was worth less than 50 Gold Coins.
One gold coin for a single trip... it was daylight robbery.
Never mind commoners, even regular Adventurers couldn’t afford it.
If Lena were here, her heart would have ached at the cost.
After paying and stepping out of the carriage, he found himself standing before the Preston Forge branch.
Even for a branch, it looked quite impressive. Though it couldn’t compare to the new Nolen Commerce Association he had just left, it still had a very respectable appearance.
He pushed the door open and walked into the shop, where a staff member was, of course, on hand to welcome him.
However, in terms of staff quality, there was still a noticeable gap compared to the Nolen Commerce Association.
"Welcome, sir. Is there anything you wish to purchase?"
Lin Mo shook his head and said concisely, "The current manager of this shop should be Bainlo, right? I’m here to see him."
"Uh..."
The staff member at the counter was taken aback. "Uh... please wait a moment, I’ll go report this... And may I ask your name?"
"Lin Mo."
"Understood!"
With that, he hurried away.
After a long while, a familiar figure came walking down from the upper floor.
It was Bainlo.
Of course, in the eyes of his mother and Duke Sed Morin, this "Bainlo" had already been replaced by their child.
"Come, let’s talk upstairs."
The main hall was obviously not a suitable place to talk, so Bainlo led him straight to the upper floor of the forge.
Along the way, the two exchanged a look and quickly understood each other’s meaning.
Although this was the shop Bainlo was responsible for, it was highly likely that there were spies arranged by his mother, or even Duke Morin, so some things could not be mentioned casually.
However, Lin Mo hadn’t come for those matters; he just wanted to find a Master Blacksmith to help him design and forge the Secret Silver Gloves.
"I see..."
After listening to Lin Mo’s request, Bainlo nodded. "That can be arranged. There’s a Master Blacksmith right here in my shop."
"That’s perfect."
"Actually, there wasn’t one originally. But since I’m new to this business, my father was worried and specifically invited a Master Blacksmith over to help add some credibility..."
"Let’s go. We’ll go meet this Master."
Bainlo immediately led the way, taking him down through a rear passageway into the forge’s basement.
Here, a large basement had been specially set aside for the Blacksmiths to use.
The Master Blacksmith was also here at the moment.
"The Master Blacksmith’s workshop is just ahead... This Master has a bad temper; he’s rather rough and willful, and refuses to take on many jobs. However, I think he’ll be interested in what you want to forge, Mr. Lin Mo."
As he spoke, they walked toward a workshop that looked very plain.