Although he could barely afford it, spending this sum would almost drain his savings dry, leaving him unable to buy anything else.
Shaking his head, he had no choice but to give up.
If Old Riel's shop was already like this, he couldn't imagine how expensive the weapon shop on the second floor of the Association would be. It was no wonder only the rich could afford them.
Lin Mo reluctantly set down the sword in his hand and turned to leave.
Old Riel remained leaning back in the chair he had forged himself, a hand-rolled paper cigarette dangling from his lips. He didn't glance up at Lin Mo once during the entire process.
There were at least a hundred customers a day who just came in to browse like him; Old Riel was long used to it.
Stepping out of Old Riel's shop, not far next door, a young and sturdy Dwarf lad could be seen standing at his shop entrance, shouting and touting a weapon in his hand.
Unlike Old Riel's desolate establishment, there were significantly more Adventurers gathered around this shop. He patiently answered every customer's inquiry, looking as if he had boundless energy.
Lin Mo slowly strolled over. Before he even stepped inside, the enthusiastic shop owner proactively waved at him. "Hello, customer! Is there anything you need?"
"I'm just looking around for now..." Lin Mo waved his hand, not quite used to such an overly proactive reception.
"Alright, take your time."
Lin Mo walked into the shop. Rows of weapons were displayed on the shelves, their quantity clearly outnumbering those in Old Riel's shop. Adventurers were gathered in twos and threes, carefully examining the items on the shelves, and some even came with their entire party.
"Evan, you've been using that sword for almost two years, right? We made quite a bit of money on our last mission. Aren't you considering changing to a new one?"
The young man named Evan scratched his head and glanced at the sword in his hand, which already had multiple chips in it. He hesitated. "I'll pass. Even though it looks a bit broken, it's still very comfortable to use. Besides, the money I have on hand isn't enough to buy any good weapons. Let me save up a bit more..."
After speaking, he turned to look at the short-haired girl standing beside him, who was dressed in a crisp emerald green outfit. "Does Millian see any weapons you like? If you don't have enough money, I can lend you a little."
The girl named Millian carefully examined the shelf in front of her. On it were three rows of Wooden Bows of various qualities. Due to the different materials used to craft them, their prices varied drastically.
The bows on the top row were crafted from sturdy Iron Thorn Wood. They were pitch black, gleaming brightly, and exceptionally beautiful.
However, the price was also quite steep, requiring a full 5 gold coins!
The middle row featured White Oak Bows, entirely white and equally sturdy and durable.
The price was 1 gold and 80 silver coins.
The bottommost row contained the rather Ordinary mulberry wood bows, which were also the most common. They only cost 90 silver coins.
Millian had previously used a mulberry wood bow. However, during their last mission, a Goblin had accidentally gotten close to her. She used the bow to block the Goblin's attacks, and it was smashed to pieces in just a few hits.
If Evan hadn't rescued her in time, the next thing to break would likely have been her bones.
Due to the trauma from that incident, Millian really didn't want to buy another Ordinary mulberry wood bow.
But the Iron Thorn Bow on the top row was too expensive. A price of 5 gold coins was simply too out of reach for a Black Iron Level Adventurer.
On the other hand, the White Oak Bow in the middle, priced at 1 gold and 80 silver coins, was barely within a reachable range.
She took out her own coin pouch, counted the contents, and looked at Evan beside her. "Could you lend me 80 silver coins?"
"Of course!" Evan didn't hesitate for a second and directly handed his coin pouch to her.
The party leader, a middle-aged Knight named Bain, shook his head helplessly, though he was not surprised by this at all. Including Millian herself, everyone could see Evan's intentions. With one willing to give and the other willing to take, it wasn't his place to say anything.
He thought, "Ah, young people..."
Lin Mo retracted his gaze and looked at the weapons in front of him.
Compared to Old Riel's shop, this young Dwarf Forge Shop indeed had a certain advantage in pricing. The cheapest sword could be bought for just 40 silver coins, but this type of weapon wasn't much better than the Broken Sword in Lin Mo's hand. It was out of the question.
For those that were somewhat decent-looking, the price was around 1 gold coin, which was 20 silver coins cheaper than Old Riel's place.
However...
[Newbie Sword]
Weapon Type: One-Handed Sword
Level: Ordinary (White)
Attributes: Durability -20%, Sturdiness -10%
Introduction: A completely unremarkable One-Handed Sword. Due to the young Blacksmith's lack of sufficient patience and still-immature craftsmanship, it might not be very sturdy or durable.
Compared to Old Riel's stable output, the young Dwarf Blacksmith, Edgar, indeed lacked some finesse.
Lin Mo shifted his gaze and looked at the few swords on the top shelf. Compared to the swords on the middle shelf, the blades of the ones on the top tier were noticeably shinier.
Not only the blades, but even the materials used for the hilts were different. The handguard section was carved with patterns symbolizing Edgar's Dwarf Forge Shop, clearly indicating they were the owner's proud masterpieces.
Judging solely by the quality of this sword, it was not the slightest bit inferior to the fine goods in Old Riel's shop.
However, the labeled price made Lin Mo look away without a moment of hesitation.
He thought, "Three gold and 20 silver coins... I couldn't afford that even if I sold myself..."
Ultimately, he anchored his gaze on the few swords on the middle shelf. Lin Mo carefully inspected the weapons one by one. To outsiders, and even to Edgar himself, there wasn't much difference between them, but in Lin Mo's eyes, there were obvious distinctions.
He thought, "This one isn't bad..."
In the end, Lin Mo locked his eyes on the sixth sword in this row.
Durability +30%, Sturdiness +10%. It was the highest quality sword in this batch, and the only one that surpassed Old Riel's craftsmanship.
The price of 95 silver coins was also acceptable. Even if he bought this sword, he wouldn't have to worry about running out of money to prepare other supplies.
Just as Lin Mo was about to pick up this sword and try to haggle over the price, a rugged-looking Half-Beastman Adventurer suddenly walked in from outside.
"Boss, do you accept old weapons here?" he asked while slamming the sword in his hand onto the counter. "I picked this up in a Goblin Nest during my last adventure. How much do you think it's worth?"
Edgar didn't mind the rugged tone of the Half-Beastman. He picked up the sword, examined it carefully, ran his hand along the blade, and shook his head. "The sword doesn't look ugly, but the craftsmanship isn't great, and the material is just average. Plus, it looks like it's been used for a long time. If I'm taking it in, I can only give you 50 silver coins."
"Fifty silver coins it is then!" The Half-Beastman's eyes lit up. Being able to sell it for money at all was good enough, and this price already exceeded his expectations.
"Wait a minute..." Just as Edgar was about to get the money, Lin Mo walked over and looked at the Half-Beastman. "You're selling it anyway, so how about selling it to me? I'll offer 50 silver coins as well."
After saying that, he turned his head to look at the young Dwarf beside him. "Boss, you don't mind, do you?"
"It's fine." Edgar waved his hand magnanimously. "To be honest, I didn't really want to take it anyway. It's a hassle to refurbish it once I get it, so I might as well forge a new one myself. If you want it, take it."
Lin Mo counted out 50 silver coins and handed them to the Half-Beastman Adventurer.
"Good, good." The Half-Beastman Adventurer accepted the money and walked away with a merry chuckle.
Lin Mo, meanwhile, picked up the sword and left the Dwarf Forge Shop expressionlessly.
After walking a certain distance and detouring into a deserted alley, he couldn't help but take out that sword, his eyes gleaming.
[Slightly Flawed Slash Sword]
Weapon Type: One-Handed Sword
Level: Ordinary (White)
Attributes: Durability -30%, Sturdiness -20%, Sharpness +10%
Hidden Attributes: Slashing Skill Damage +5%
Without a doubt, Lin Mo had definitely picked up a massive steal!
The material of this sword was indeed just average, as Edgar had said, and the craftsmanship wasn't very good either. The excessive pursuit of Sharpness had resulted in poor Durability and Sturdiness.
It had to be said that the Dwarf Race indeed had a very accurate eye for weapons.
However, the Hidden Attributes of a sword couldn't be discerned merely by looking at the surface!
Especially for low-quality weapons like this, where the improvement wasn't that obvious. Normally, one would have to use it personally for a long time and compare it with other weapons to tell the difference.
But Lin Mo was different. He had a cheat; he could see the Hidden Attributes of this weapon with a single glance.
Although this sword also suffered from the issues of not being durable or sturdy enough, if used purely as a short-term transition, those problems didn't matter. Instead, he gained an extra 10% Sharpness, making hacking monsters much easier.
Coupled with the percentage bonus to slashing skills—a trait that perfectly suited Lin Mo—buying such a weapon for a price of 50 silver coins was unquestionably a massive profit.