Chapter 143: Chapter 142: Necessary Preparations

Now that their decision was made, they knew they had to prepare thoroughly.

The three of them each went home to grab their savings, then headed to the sewer outfall and made their way to Donkexes’s herb shop.

"What’s going on today? I was starting to think you weren’t coming for training."

Donkexes looked at their serious expressions and asked, "What happened?"

"I have to make a trip to the area around the World’s Roof, Donkexes. Of course, we’ll bring you back some monster materials if we find any," Colin said. "Also, we want to buy some supplies. You should have some here, right? Besides that, I’m also looking to get a new set of gear."

Orelia took out her coin purse and said, "I’d also like to get something... better."

"Hmm..."

Donkexes stroked his beard. "Ointments, bandages, Weak Antidotes, and maybe a few Torches. I’d recommend you just buy these things from me. We can give you a discount. If you’re heading to the area around the World’s Roof, you’ll also need thick clothes, special snow boots, and the like. You should be able to buy all that over there."

"Also, could you send someone to travel north with us?" Colin asked tentatively. "We can pay."

"Sorry, Colin, my friend," Donkexes replied. "Our leader isn’t here right now. This is a decision he has to make, and it would probably take over a month. Every drop of blood and sweat from us Dwarves must be reserved for our cause... This isn’t something that can be decided immediately."

Since Donkexes had put it that way, Colin could only nod.

The situation was urgent; they couldn’t wait that long.

’After all, the other squad has only been missing for a few days. The Orc Tribe is probably just starting to run into trouble now. We’ve already lost a lot of time by heading over at this point. If we delay any longer, they might be beyond saving.’

"I’m truly sorry."

After speaking, Donkexes turned and shouted into the house, calling Langgrin out.

Langgrin was still wearing a blacksmith’s apron, his hands black with soot. He came over and asked grumpily, "What is it?"

"Go help Colin and the Tiefling pick out some Armor. They’re heading to the area around the World’s Roof, and it’s pretty cold there," Donkexes said. Then he asked Colin, "By the way, what do you plan to do with the set you’re taking off?"

"You can factor it into the price. My current budget is one hundred Gold Coins," Colin said.

"Me too," said Orelia. "But I can only give you forty Gold Coins."

"That’ll work."

Langgrin beckoned, leading Colin into another room inside the sewer.

The room contained an anvil, a forge, and coal, along with some smithing tools. In a corner were piles of what looked like second-hand equipment, making the place resemble a small workshop for refurbishing used gear.

"Is this your new business?" Colin asked, picking up a hammer next to the anvil to inspect it.

"Those bastards in the city won’t let us buy raw materials, so we can only scrounge for second-hand goods outside the walls. Anyway, the bolder gangs out here are willing to sell to us secretly. Messing with herbs was always just a stopgap measure."

Langgrin pointed to the forge nearby. "And it’s thanks to you that we got this whole setup so quickly. Before, we had to sneak into surrounding blacksmith shops under the guise of being hired hands to get any work done."

’So that’s what was happening... The Black-haired Dwarves were secretly borrowing the forge in Flint Village,’ Colin thought.

"Your current gear is worth close to seventy Gold Coins, so that’s a budget of one hundred seventy Gold Coins. The Tiefling’s Armor plus her cash comes out to around fifty Gold Coins. Then I’ll give you a bit of a discount..."

Muttering to himself, Langgrin rummaged through the piles of Armor, and in no time, he pulled out two sets of Armor and two Helmets.

"First, the Tiefling. Your fundamentals are too poor, not just with shields but with Armor too. Even if you paid extra, I wouldn’t recommend you use anything too heavy."

Langgrin shook out the Armor in his hands.

The Armor’s form and material weren’t much different from Leather Armor, but it was studded with numerous metal rivets, suggesting its Defense was slightly better than ordinary Leather Armor.

[Studded Leather Armor / Ordinary]

[Defense: 3]

Looking a little dazed, Orelia took off her Leather Armor and hugged the newly acquired Studded Leather Armor and a leather helmet.

"Next up is you, Colin lad. You have more experience with Armor, so I think an early-model Plate Armor would be good for you. This Helmet is outdated, too. The Northern People of the past—I mean the people from farther north—liked to wear this type of Helmet."

Colin looked at the Armor Langgrin handed him.

It was a front-opening suit of Plate Armor. The outermost layer was leather, while the inside was lined with riveted metal plates of the same size. Picking it up produced a clattering sound.

The thing did look ancient, somewhat different from the more expensive suits of Plate Armor in the game.

The Helmet was a Viking Helmet with an eye guard and nasal guard. Sewn along its edge were descending Chain Armor Plates that protected the neck and cheeks. Its Defense looked quite decent.

"Is that all?" Colin asked.

"In the north, protecting your torso and head is what matters most. After all, if your arm gets chopped off up there, it won’t rot right away. You can just have this Tiefling use her Divine Arts to reattach it later. But if you die for good, there’s no second chance. You have to use your best steel where it counts."

Langgrin continued, "Besides, northerners like to use Axes and hammers. Against those kinds of weapons, Plate Armor is always a bit better than Chain Armor or Scale Armor. Of course, if you had a bigger budget, a proper Plate Armor Chest Guard would be more suitable. You have that necklace anyway, so you don’t need to worry about the cold."

"That’s true," Colin said with a nod.

He took the Armor and tested its weight. It was a little heavier than his Chain Armor Shirt and Shoulder Guards combined, but it shouldn’t be a problem.

[Plate Armor / Ordinary]

[Defense: 5]

Although this gear covered a slightly smaller area, its Defense was actually a bit higher than his previous set of Chain Armor. If he bought some other pieces later, he could probably increase its Defense even further.

After changing into their new gear, the group spent some time getting used to it with the Dwarves. Langgrin helped them adjust the equipment’s size as needed.

They also took the opportunity to restock their other supplies.

Langgrin had even given Colin a price on the Armor that was a slight loss for him, so naturally, there was no change to be given.

Orelia, on the other hand, used her spare money to buy some strong Dwarven liquor. It was said to go down easy, but its alcohol content was quite high. According to her, it counted as a medical supply.

They restocked on other supplies, bringing their totals to three portions each of ointment, bandages, and Weak Antidotes. They also packed six days’ worth of rations. Since they could restock at the villages there anyway, they only prepared a few Torches.

Kase voluntarily paid for these miscellaneous items.

After deducting these necessary investments, Colin was left with just over thirty Gold Coins. This amount should be enough to handle the upcoming journey to the north.

The group spent the next few days training, quietly waiting for news from Edwin.

At noon that day, Colin, laden with gear, led the other two through the snow toward the docks of Thousand Masts City.

He now wore a heavy Viking Helmet on his head, a suit of Plate Armor on his body strapped with a Medicated Bandage, a Tactical Spellcasting Bag stuffed with his Spellbook and Casting Materials at his waist, and a Giant Sword, Hand Half Sword, and Dagger hanging from his person.

He clanked and clattered as he walked, finally looking something like a proper Adventurer.

With this new getup, Colin found himself standing a little straighter.

"How are we getting there?"

"Edwin called me over this morning and told me a captain friend of his is heading to Mokewick in the north. We’re going to act as guards and catch a ride, which saves us the boat fare," Colin explained.

Kase sighed. "It really is good to have friends. On the way back, we’ll have to worry about scraping together the fare ourselves."

"Of course."

----------------- 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

[Commission: Escort the Fleet]

[Rating: 0]

[Reward: Not Started]

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

Because of the helmet, Colin’s ears buzzed whenever he spoke.

Although his Armor was heavier, his own Casting Proficiency was higher, and he had more Specialties that reduced the chance of casting failure. As a result, casting Magic felt about the same as it did when he was wearing the Chain Armor Shirt.

Since he was leaving on a long trip again, Colin mentioned it to the old man who worked as the gatekeeper downstairs.

The old man then discussed it with the landlord, who surprisingly offered to give Colin a fifty percent discount on his rent for the duration of his trip as a show of support for Thousand Masts City’s heroic squad.

Although he didn’t know why he was getting such a discount, it saved him money, so Colin simply went with the flow and accepted.

The group emerged from the shadows of a street corner, and the docks of Thousand Masts City immediately appeared before them.