Arc 5: Grumpy Weaponsmith

My mind hadn’t felt this relaxed since a thousand years ago. I stretched my bony body as I put on my clothes once more. I got out of the large bathroom and complimented the monks on their hot spring.

“Hot spring? The bath springs of Aon are known to be really cold...why is there steam coming out of the bathroom you just got out of?”

My companions and I ignored the ramblings of the priests as we left to tour more around. It had been a few days since we left the stronghold, but we’ve already felt like it’s been a year.

Although our bodies didn’t tire, we still enjoyed the mortal pleasures of enjoying a comfy bed and lying around, not doing anything for a while, every so and often.

“Should we enjoy some fresh beds in a tavern?” I asked my companions. The group agreed in unison so we decided to head to the market district of Aon.

Although not as busy as the Great Cathedral, the market district still boasted a great number of people. As the types of shops varied, from simple food shops to blacksmiths, so did the quality of the goods. We passed by a small general shop and found some interesting things we did not have many years ago.

“What is this? This...thing?” I asked the shopkeeper as I tinkered with a metal tube.

“Never seen a tinderbox before? That sounds very strange. You can take out tinder. Rub the tinder against the flint and it’ll catch fire.”

“That sounds very convenient for long travels especially if you want to pack light and don’t know how to use magic…You probably sell a lot of these!” I commented as I shook the box.

“Well...indeed, as most households here that are well-off buy them, after all.” The shopkeeper thought I was weird. I bought a few other trinkets with the coins I have with me.

As we left the general shops, one of my companions approached me.

“Boss, this is bad. I’ve lost my dagger somewhere,” He dejectedly told me as he rubbed his temples trying to remember where he lost them.

“Perhaps you lost it in the Great Cathedral, should we head back?” I suggested.

“Sigh, but the Great Cathedral is huge. Maybe we could just look for it tomorrow…” He sighed.

“Well, Boss. This could be a great chance to look at the blacksmiths so we could get this guy a temporary dagger,” Uno suggested. The group agreed and we started browsing around the shops. This should be a good time to also gather information about the world’s current state of technology in metallurgy.

My group and I entered a shop that was less crowded than the other shops. Weapons and armor were just scattered among the shelves and barrels with no clear organization. A few customers were browsing the equipment, some looking very ragtag as if they had just gone through a battle.

I picked up one of the swords lying down on a barrel and examined it. The hilt was decently made and the sword, though not sharp, was good enough for use in combat. I swung the sword around, its balance was not that bad. However, it seemed disappointing compared to the standards a thousand years ago. I’m beginning to think Fatebinder was the ceiling of the standards of the world…

As I wasn't exactly an expert in weapons or armor, I consulted Uno, “What do you think about the equipment you’ve seen so far?”

“In this shop?” Uno asked.

“No, from everything so far. From the armor, the guards were wearing, to the travelers, to the gear the merchants sell…” I elaborated.

“To be honest, it’s far worse than a thousand years ago. Do you think technology stagnated? Perhaps it’s just this region, Boss. Don’t be too pessimistic.” Uno patted my skeletal back.

That was what I feared the most. What if nothing changed or everything got worse? The living standards got stuck for a thousand years was what happened? There was also the probability that something catastrophic happened while we were in the stronghold which caused the stagnation. Such as a Demon God waking and wrecking everything it saw until it got its neck snapped by one of the Gods that got woken because the Demon God was making too much noise. Instead of answers, the only thing I got so far were more questions.

I sighed as I put the sword back into the barrel. My companion who lost his dagger was unsatisfied with the weapons here so we started searching for the best blacksmith in the city.

“Best blacksmith? I heard she charges a lot, do you have that much money, pilgrim? Well, you do look like you have some kind of wealth judging by your bodyguards, she’s just by the Noble District. You know, the gate connecting the Noble District and the Market District. Just look for the sign with a shield and a dragon on it,” A guard told us. We thanked him and went on our way.

As we approach the Noble District, the shops become more elaborately decorated and the shoppers appear to be more affluent.

We soon noticed a large, dull gray building. We knocked on the front door and waited for a while before the door opened. A little girl was at the door and she looked slightly frustrated. Her short scarlet hair which was tied with a bandana around her hair was dirtied with something black, presumably oil, as well as her brown apron. She was around my waist level and judging by her skin, though young, she had worked for some time now.

“What do you guys want? I’m busy right now,” She barked at us. She eyed us from top to bottom, analyzing our intentions. “For the last time, I’ve already donated to the church but I’m not converting.”