In this chaotic world, it all started when they found an elf girl.

Chapter 52 Chun Kebrand's Failure

"above?"

Roy, who was being held back by Ryula, looked puzzled. He remembered that the Tower of Babel was the guild's temporary office, the commercial street, and the gathering place for the gods.

Ryu couldn't help but facepalm. Why was this person so oblivious in this regard? "Are you planning to enter the dungeon like this? With just an arm guard?"

Upon hearing this, Roy looked down and realized that his equipment did indeed look rather shabby.

Following Ryu's gaze, he realized what he lacked—protective gear, especially for his chest. If his internal organs were attacked, it would be no small matter.

"and then?"

"There are armor shops run by the Hephaestus Familia on the Tower of Babel," Ryu said.

The two took the magic stone escalator up to the floor where weapons and armor were sold. Looking around, they saw that most of the shops belonged to the Hephaestus Familia.

Founded by the blacksmith goddess Hephaestus, this clan boasts countless artisans skilled in forging, producing weapons and armor of exceptional quality, second to none in Orario, and correspondingly, quite expensive.

The shop that Ryu took Roy into was also owned by the Hephaestus Familia, but unlike other shops, it didn't have exorbitant prices of millions of falis.

This shop is relatively inexpensive.

These are mostly the works of novice blacksmiths, whose forging experience and skills are not as good as those of veteran blacksmiths, so novice adventurers can afford them if they grit their teeth.

Although it's a newcomer's work, it bears the name of the Hephaestus Familia, so not just any trash can be put on the table. Compared to the shady workshops of those unknown small families, it's obviously much better.

Upon entering the shop, you are greeted by a dazzling array of weapons and armor, priced between 5000 and 50000 Fali. Higher-priced items are placed in other shops, creating a differentiated experience between different shops.

This business model felt very familiar to Roy. The products were strictly hierarchical. Sure enough, no one was a fool. His advantage was his access to a wealth of information. When it came to mental agility, there were always people more capable than him.

Roy and Ryu had a clear goal: to head straight for the armor section.

The experienced Ryu stood by, offering advice to Roy. In terms of materials and forging techniques for the armor, she completely outclassed the newcomer, Roy.

During this process, Roy also learned from Ryu to distinguish between good and bad equipment. He absorbed Ryu's experience like a sponge, striving to grow into a qualified adventurer as quickly as possible.

After about ten minutes, the two of them picked and chose, but still couldn't find suitable protective gear.

Roy's standards are too high.

The armor here wouldn't even be rated as "low-level" in the system. People like Roy, who start with several pieces of high-quality equipment, wouldn't even look at these "scrap metal" pieces.

Better armor is available, of course, but it's more expensive in other shops belonging to the Hephaestus Familia...

"Are there any other pieces of armor?"

The two approached the shop manager.

A strange light flashed in the eyes of the brown-haired cat-man. He had been observing the two of them since they came in. The girl was an expert, but unfortunately, she was wearing a cloak and his face could not be seen.

"There is indeed one more piece of armor. Take a look at this." The cat-man carefully took out a piece of gray steel armor from under the counter. It was inverted triangular in shape, with smooth, polished edges that gleamed.

Roy touched it and, following the method of the Ryukyu sect, felt the hardness of the steel. From the details, he could almost see every hammer blow the blacksmith used to forge this armor.

Is this armor of high quality?!

Roy was startled, but upon closer inspection, he noticed something amiss. Perhaps the blacksmith had been disturbed in some way; not only was a corner of the armor missing, but the subsequent quenching was also not done very well, and the quality did not reach the high-grade level, making it a near-high-grade piece of equipment.

Moreover, he searched through it several times but couldn't find a signature. Roy began to suspect that this might have been done by some small workshop, using such a large amount of materials.

However, if the price is right, you can buy it; it's the highest quality armor in the shop.

At that moment, Roy noticed that Ryu was also looking at the armor and gave him a subtle look.

Roy asked, "How much fari?"

The cat-man smiled knowingly. The other party had already seen the quality of the armor, unlike those newbies who would be disgusted by a missing piece.

The cat-man held up three fingers. "Three hundred thousand falies, this armor is yours."

Roy replied decisively, "Thirty thousand fariits!"

The cat-man's face darkened. "Who haggles like that? Are you trying to cut off my lifeline?" He snorted and prepared to take back the armor.

Roy said meaningfully, "You don't want anyone else to know about this, especially..."

Upon hearing this, the cat-man youth shuddered, and his gaze toward Roy held a hint of surprise and uncertainty.

Roy placed the armor on the table and chuckled, "Don't rush, buying and selling is all about bargaining."

The young man with the cat gritted his teeth and stomped his foot. After repeated tug-of-war, the two sides finally settled on a price of 85,000 fali.

"I said I would pay you back!"

Liu said earnestly, took out a money bag, and put the talismans one by one on the table. There were exactly 85,000 talismans, no more and no less.

Roy saw a hint of heartache deep in Ryu's eyes. The Astrea Familia was short of money right now, and they wished they could stretch every fali to two.

If they can't make a fortune next, they'll all be starving in a couple of days.

Having obtained the armor, the two left the shop.

"It's about time we talked about this equipment," Roy asked Ryu.

Liu looked surprised. "You didn't know?"

Roy laughed and said, "That was just to scare him."

Liu pursed her lips, suppressing a laugh. She had seen Roy haggling and threatening him, and thought Roy already knew. It turned out that he had noticed her gaze and the fact that the armor was unsigned, which led to his judgment.

Ironically, it actually startled the other party.

Ryu's gaze shifted to the armor. "If I'm not mistaken, this is the work of the 'One-Eyed Master'."

"The One-Eyed Giant Master...that Tsubaki Kobrand!"

Roy was startled. Tsubaki Kobrand, the leader of the Hephaestus Familia, was a Level 5 adventurer who had been given the title "One-Eyed Giant Master" by the gods.

Almost everyone in Orario knows this name; aside from the gods, Tsubaki Kobrand is the world's top blacksmith.

Chun Cobrand's works all start at tens of millions of fares, how could I see them in a place like this?

Ryu pointed out, "This is a failure."

"I understand." Roy quickly grasped the reason.

It's estimated that something went wrong when Tsubaki Kobrand was being forged, causing the forging to fail. Someone took it away to dispose of it, and these people secretly took it out to sell.

Because it was unsigned, most people in Orario have never seen or used Tsubaki Kobrand's armor, and this fact remains undisclosed to this day.