Holding a silver goblet, Kal took a small sip and then set it down.
"That's fine. But let's talk about his matter later—for now, let's discuss business."
Seeing that Kal did not dwell on what had happened half a year ago, and had even spoken well of Ewing when he mentioned him, Tobho Mott finally felt at ease.
"Lord Kal, are you planning to wear new armor for the tournament? Then you've come to the right place!"
"Of course, my work comes at a high price."
Once the conversation turned to his own craft, Tobho clearly grew much more confident, and his expression once again returned to that same old look of his.
Money was all he talked about.
"I know. Not only your armor—everything you make is expensive."
Seeing this old fellow still so arrogant and unrestrained, Kal's face twitched slightly as he gave him a sidelong remark.
"My lord, I can give you a discount—as a token of my gratitude for your support, hehe—"
Realizing himself, Tobho gave an awkward laugh.
But he immediately patted his chest proudly.
"Besides, I can guarantee you this—nowhere in the Seven Kingdoms will you find a craftsman whose skill can match mine. I know you also have enough understanding of this craft; ordinary work could never fool you."
"But you must know, what I make are works of art!"
At these words, Kal nodded slightly—Tobho Mott was not wrong in saying so.
After all, back in the game world, Kal himself had worked as a blacksmith's apprentice for a time. He couldn't claim to know every detail, but he could still be considered somewhat knowledgeable.
But a game world was always just a game world; in some aspects, it inevitably had its limitations.
And Tobho Mott of the real world truly possessed skill of a high caliber.
The things he crafted with care indeed deserved to be called works of art.
They were things Kal himself could not do.
At the very least, as far as Kal knew, Tobho Mott could even infuse color into Valyrian steel—something that, by common logic, should have been utterly impossible.
For Kal's understanding told him that no matter what kind of pigment one used, once subjected to a thousand degrees of heat in the forge, it would be reduced to ash.
Yet this almost magical technology was something Tobho Mott indeed had the ability to achieve.
Moreover, this little trick was a secret he had already learned when he was an apprentice in Qohor as a child.
Compared to others' childish methods of painting or glazing, this was indeed a higher art.
And this was precisely the reason Kal had come to him to forge a set of suitable armor.
"Of course I know of your craftsmanship, Master Tobho—that is precisely the main reason I came to you today."
Hearing these words, Tobho's eyes immediately lit up.
To forge a suit of armor for a warrior like Kal was, of course, an honor for him as well.
Then Kal, as the client, began stating his requirements.
"I want a full-body suit of armor entirely black—and not the kind that saves time by leaving some areas unprotected."
"And this black must have texture and depth. Can you do that?"
Faced with such high demands right from the start, Tobho's brows drew together.
The difficulty of a full suit of armor itself was not great, and he was not worried that a warrior like Kal would be unable to wear such equipment.
But black—
"Do you mean the kind the Targaryens favor?" Tobho asked, glancing at Kal's attire.
The Targaryen family were most fond of black; their weapons and clothing were all based on black as the main tone, followed by red.
And today, the colors on Kal's body did seem somewhat reminiscent of that.
However, the king now seated upon the Iron Throne was of House Baratheon, and things associated with the previous dynasty were somewhat taboo.
Naturally, people would avoid them whenever possible.
No one wanted to invite trouble.
But now, before him stood the King's firstborn bastard son, the great hero who had saved the Iron Throne and King's Landing, yet was making such a request for his armor—
It was hard not to provoke associations.
Especially for someone like Tobho Mott, who had long dealt with the royal family, nobles, and lords from all over the realm.
Seeing Tobho ask so bluntly, Kal merely looked at him as if he were an idiot.
"Of course not, Tobho Mott. Don't take others for fools."
Hearing this, Tobho Mott let out a breath of relief. Good, so it wasn't that.
Once his concerns were set aside, his expression turned obsequious again.
"Of course, that can be done. My lord, do you have any other requests?"
"I heard that His Majesty the King once rewarded you with his great antler helm from his younger days. If you wish, I can forge a matching suit of armor based on that helm."
Hearing Tobho mention the great antler helm, Kal thought for a moment, then shook his head.
"No. The helm bestowed upon me by the King will be kept as a keepsake. What I need now is an entirely new suit of armor."
"Then will your family sigil be a stag? I can also forge you a horned helm that better displays your might and majesty. I can make it of gold—a helm with antlers larger than Lord Renly's new attire."
Hearing this, Kal exchanged a glance with Tyrion, who had been silent beside him all this time.
"That's fine," Kal nodded, but immediately shook his head. "But my antler helm doesn't need both antlers extending horizontally to the sides."
At this point, an idea suddenly came to Kal's mind, and he also thought of what shape his house sigil should take.
"The antlers on my helm should be aligned along both sides of the helm, parallel to each other, but angled backward,"
"and the antlers should tilt upward toward the sky, with the image of a lion's mane encircling them."
Hearing this request, Tobho Mott was momentarily stunned, then couldn't help glancing toward the dwarf beside him, Tyrion Lannister.
As one of the upper-class men of King's Landing, he certainly recognized the second son of House Lannister.
And hearing Kal's words, Tyrion too couldn't help but turn his head to look at Kal.
The meaning behind a lion's mane needed no explanation—the only house in all the Seven Kingdoms whose sigil was a lion was House Lannister.
And by rights, in crafting such a distinctly personal item, there was no need to include one's enemies upon it; after all, there was no need to display one's achievements in such a way.
Yet Kal had chosen to do so, and the implication behind it was self-evident.
Tyrion parted his lips slightly, but in the end said nothing.
Since Kal El was willing, let him be.
Seeing that neither of them voiced any objection, Tobho Mott naturally would not reject his client's idea. Still, the two symbols spun in his mind twice before he gradually grasped what Kal meant.
But to be safe, he spoke up: "I'll draw a sketch first, and then you can see whether it matches your intent."
Kal nodded in satisfaction.
"And since you mentioned gold just now, aside from the black, I want my armor edged and engraved with gold."
"And I don't want gilding—I want you to inlay real gold into it."
"But that will be more expensive—and heavier."
Tobho found no problem with it; it only meant more steps in the process, and a bit more complexity.
And, of course, more money.
So he gave a timely reminder.
And since it was a matter of money, then it was no matter at all.
Kal could not even be bothered to discuss it and immediately made the decision.
"That's nothing to worry about. First, draw up a sketch so I can see the design effect—and I also want a cloak."
"I can have the tailors make it; we've worked together before," Tobho Mott replied smoothly. "That's fine, but the cloak must be made of wool mixed with silk brocade, and of the finest quality. Don't care about the cost—I only demand quality."
"And the cloak must be double-sided, two colors. The inner side should be red, the outer side still black, and it must be sewn and edged with golden thread."
"And my house sigil must also be embroidered on it, large, and likewise in gold. But the workmanship must use a double-sided embroidery technique—make it so that it can be seen from both sides."
"Oh, right, I also have some rubies."
As he thought about his armor being crafted just as he envisioned, Kal grew more and more excited, and somehow pulled out a small leather pouch.
Then he turned the pouch over, and a small pile of rubies poured onto the tabletop.
Their quality was excellent, each one no smaller than the sapphire on Tobho Mott's necklace.
"The rubies will be for inlaying on the armor, the belt, and the weapons. If it's not enough, I'll add more."
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