Blacksmith of the Apocalypse

Chapter 1591. In Line

The three approached the snack cart and bought whatever caught their fancy. Fin bought whatever looked the tastiest; Seth got the things that looked good but relatively normal; Mina, on the other hand.

“Stamina nuts? Maybe we should get those for later?” she teased her husband, also getting something called Bliss cakes, which were just normal, tasty, sweet cakes. Munching their snacks as they walked further down along the line, they earned some weird looks for simply strolling along, chattering and flirting among themselves.

Maybe this was country bumpkin behavior, but just walking down the line, looking at Doushi and the various carts was actually quite entertaining. The line was made up of a colorful assortment of all kinds of vehicles and people.

It was almost like looking at a diorama of the diversity of the continent. Among carts and porters of ordinary traders, carrying simple boxes, sacks and kegs, were also wagons transporting beasts, dead and alive, from small singing birds, to cute animals for pelts or pet trade, to giant prison carts filled with beasts and monsters.

There were merchant caravans standing in dense groups with porters and guards, as well as magnificent carriages surrounded by trained guards. There were groups of cultivators in martial uniforms, as well as rogues keeping to themselves. Some people were walking, other were sitting on or standing beside massive beast mounts as they waited.

There were people of all standings and walks of life waiting to enter the city.

“Little brother! How about a gift for the ladies?” one of many traders called out to them, gesturing at a quickly set up display of small jewelry, accessories, and makeup. With nothing else to do, the trio acted like on a bazaar humoring all of them, even if they didnʼt always buy something.

Although it was a small display, put together on a cart, it was all neatly arranged. On one side there were small decorations, pendants, talismans, hairpins made of wood or carved from jade or semi-precious stone. On the other were small bottles and boxes of oils and powders for makeup.

“Although the ladies obviously have no need for it, how about some Moonlight Pearl Powder for smooth skin or Vermilion Phoenix Lip Glaze? My Blossom-Scent oil is procured from the best perfumers of the region!

On the other hand, I have Cooling hairpins to resist the burning heat, or Spirit Repelling Silk Ribbons to keep pesky pests at bay,” he advertised his products. His inventory that looked quite ordinary at first glance, but even his cheap products were uncommon items.

They instantly felt that they had entered a more affluent region. Although there were some uncommon makeup and jewelry in Konan, they were usually offered on the cultivator market or in special shops, and not by some ordinary merchant in a road stall.

“This actually smells quite good,” Mina commented, inspecting the Blossom-Scent Oils stored in small ceramic bottles. Meanwhile, Fin was fascinated by the array of hairpins at display, from ones shaped like little swords to ones loaded with decorations, called hair tassels.

Those were hair pins with various decorations like glass figures, beads, or metal works danlging from the end. Even Seth acknowledged the craftsmanship of the ornaments, especially the small decorative stone figures and pendants. The blacksmith himself had no great talent in carving and ornamentation, probably owing to the fact that he had a simpler taste (unless inspiration struck him).

Still, it didnʼt mean he couldnʼt appreciate the work and time put into such pieces. The carved figures had some positive but negligible effects, like putting them in a room could calm the sleep, or raise the vigor. He ended up buying a couple of figures for souvenirs and some of the hairpins to reverse-engineer the formations.

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Mina got a couple of scented oils she liked, some as presents for the people at home, others to use on the journey. She also chose a tiger hairpin, carved from tiger eye stone, with the mentioned cooling option.

As it was cheap, it only cooled the head and forehead, but Seth had also bought one of those, because he was interested in the temperature regulating array. He bet there were better ones in the city, but maybe Rún, the genius enchanter golem, could improve it on his own, saving them money.

An enchantment that could regulate the temperature of the whole body would be incredibly valuable in regions of extreme cold or extreme heat. Dungeons could always swing to one of those extremes. The problem might not have been as important to Minas Mar, but the blacksmith intended to sell these in the auction house, where such equipment was rare. He was confident he would sell them in droves.

“I-I want this one,” Fin said meekly, with a slight blush. The fairy raised a hair tassel toward the blacksmith. Sethʼs heart was not prepared for this sudden cuteness overlord from his tomboy wife. He had to control himself to not suddenly hug or kiss her.

Acting all cute and shy, Fin had chosen a surprising girly hair tassel, featuring small orchid charms. It was designed to sway seductively with every step, catching the light and drawing attention to her neck. Seeing her act so out of character, this was a precious moment.

“S-Stop looking at me like that. is it that weird i want something cute...?” she asked self-conscious. He swallowed hard; when had Fin become so seductive? He took a deep breath to calm his raging... thoughts.

“No, itʼs totally fine; you are just making it hard for me to hold back... Anyway, letʼs get it and move on,” the blacksmith muttered, conscious of the vendorʼs smug smile, watching them act all flirty. This guy...He knew why he sold what he sold.

Their whole purchase at the random vendorʼs display came up to 200 low-grade spirit stones. With the quality, the prices had also risen steeply, but at least they were worth it. Loaded with souvenirs and a new core memory the blacksmith locked in his heart,

The girls immediately used their new hair ornaments to stick up their hair before continuing to walk. Maybe it was because they had not done it for a while when riding the carriage, but the orchid ornaments and Finʼs now exposed neck put quite some burden on the bardʼs focus.

“Endure it, keep that mood until we reach the inn,” Mina whispered in his ear, pushing her soft body against his arms, worsening his overall state of mind with a teasing smile. This deviant knew exactly what she was doing.

“Kya! It got loose! Run!”

Before Seth could give a comeback, there was a sudden commotion in the line ahead, interrupting their flirt. Looking up, they found a beast resembling a jade-green tiger with ivory tusks had broken the cage cart it was held in and was now jumping from cart to cart to escape.

“Am i seeing things, or is it coming our direction?” the blacksmith asked emotionless. He was usually wearing his safe travel gear, so he wasnʼt used to problems seeking them out anymore; on the other hand, this might explain their botched trip here.

“Gell, stop it,” Mina commanded, summoning her pet. The arch wolf the size of a giant horse charged from he pet space like a flood of silver and rammed into the jade tiger in mid-air. The strength difference was immediately apparent when they collided.

All the force of Gellʼs charge was transferred to the tiger. While the wolf stood in the air, like standing on solid ground, the tiger was folded into a V shape and catapulted across the heads of the people waiting, crashing into the meadow on the other side of the wide road.

Gell snarled at the unconscious tiger, embedded into a crater, before returning to Minaʼs side to receive his deserved praise and treats.

“Well done, you are such a good boy. My Gell is the best, yes, “ Mina showered him with praise and fed him dried beast meat from her inventory. Not jerky, but whole limbs, which were quickly swallowed by the wolf, as if it has an inter-dimensional stomach. Which, by all means and purposes, it might actually have.

“Whoa, what kind of beast is that?” “Itʼs so powerful!” “It easily folded the jade tiger!?” “Are they from a beast-taming sect?” the crowd clamored in shock and excitement. Noticing the looks the wolf earned from the surrounding people, Mina hurriedly ushered him back into the pet space.

“We should change the illusion masks once we are inside the city,” Seth mumbled, looking at the commotion they had caused. It was better to change faces once inside, so they wouldnʼt be recognized.

“Yes. Sorry, I wasnʼt thinking,” Mina apologized. She had summoned the pet instinctively.

“Welcome to the club,” Fin said with a grin, a golden aura around her fist quickly subsiding. When Mina had called Gell, the fairy was also about to activate a skill to punch the tiger out of existence. Minaʼs action was still more reasonable.

Mina smiled with a chuckle and then quickly hurried along, escaping the questions of the people who saw what happened.