Chapter 558: Chapter 283: Dark Scale Guard
At least he gradually felt the formless force brewing and roaming within his body, hot and decaying, but he just couldn’t quite command it yet.
Similar to when training [Teeth Hunting] under the personal guidance of the almost Legendary Level barbarian master "Frogon," which awakened the quality of [Gravity Control], along with the "Titan Umbilical Cord·Gravity Core" summoned by the [Destiny Coin].
The Flame Crystal at the top of his staff, crushed by his own hands, infused him with detailed training techniques for this Battle Skill, enabling him to train leisurely even while traveling alone.
Xia Nan estimated that, at this pace, with some slight adjustments to his training plan, as long as he didn’t encounter any bottlenecks, it wouldn’t be long before he completely mastered [Embers Resonance], to the extent it would show on the attribute panel.
No rush, just proceed step by step.
Having finally returned from a long journey, hard-earned from an escort mission, there were still many things in River Valley Town that needed sorting out for him.
First, drop by the White Sparrow Tavern, tidy up his luggage, and savor a long-missed bowl of steaming, aromatic, creamy mushroom soup, rich in flavor, and smooth and delicious in texture.
Then find a Grocery Store to handle all the odd little trophies on him and casually appraise the [Iron Stomach Flail], or simply consign it to the Association for sale.
Of course, before all that, he must visit the "Rock Hammer" Blacksmith Shop, to purchase a set of well-fitting armor of Good quality and inquire about the possibility of repairing the Beheading Longsword, and the use of [Melted Ash Silver Ingot].
And most importantly, despite having provided the main material, he spent a whole thousand Gold Coins many months ago to establish an upgrade plan, using resilient material from the Exotic Realm Secret Realm to craft it——
[Snake Scale Arm Shield]!
...
...
As one of the best Blacksmith Shops in River Valley Town, "Rock Hammer" is always known for its high-quality, durable equipment.
Even though its prices are noticeably higher compared to other shops, its owner’s high standards for his creations have cultivated a large following.
However, recently, for reasons unknown, the blacksmith shop owner Barn has been conducting a thorough and detailed inspection specifically targeting the durability and sturdiness of the shop’s products, especially armor and defensive gear.
It is unclear what prompted this, but it led to a noticeable decrease in the shop’s output.
When Xia Nan walked into the blacksmith shop, he didn’t even see Barn, only vaguely heard the "ding ding" sound of a Forging Hammer coming from the back room.
Calling out with an open mouth, the hammering ceased, replaced by the sound of hurried footsteps approaching.
"Creak."
The wooden door was slowly pushed open from inside out.
The well-known figure, much stronger than a Bichon Goblin, with reddish-brown braided beard swaying back and forth on the charred cloth garment, squeezed out of the door frame.
Seeing Xia Nan standing alone at the counter, Barn’s gaze naturally and understandably fell on the youth’s adventure attire, a thin shirt with no armor protection.
"Long time no see; just returned from a mission?"
Barn greeted, still eyeing Xia Nan’s upper body, likely imagining the Plate Chain Composite Armor that should have been there.
"Yeah, this time was quite far, and the journey took longer," Xia Nan nodded in response.
"So, the armor..." Barn hesitated, his expression strangely peculiar.
As if knowing what had already happened yet still harboring an unrealistic hope to hear a different answer from others...
"It’s gone."
Without any concealment, Xia Nan straightforwardly admitted.
Hearing this, a visibly tangible expression of "a heart finally settling down" appeared on Barn’s face.
"Not a quality issue, don’t worry. The Plate Chain Composite Armory quality was quite nice." Acknowledging that for Barn this mattered more than the gold price, Xia Nan added, "It’s just that my circumstances were rather unique."
"And to be honest, I was very satisfied with how long this Plate Chain Composite Armor held up on me."
"Its functional value in battles exceeded its price of over two hundred and fifty Gold by far."
No false words.
Although the two instances that led to the armor’s utter destruction came from attacks by Terry William and the Snake Head corpse, wearing armor or not made little difference, but besides that, its utility to Xia Nan was clear as the wearer.
That is precisely why he continued to patronize the "Rock Hammer" Blacksmith Shop.
With other shops’ equipment, it probably couldn’t endure even half the escort mission before getting utterly ruined in battles with Lawson and Terry William.
Perceiving Xia Nan comforting himself, Barn waved his hand, signaling it need not be a worry.
"Whenever you have enough Gold, or suitable materials, just come order a set of Enchanted Armor, and I’ll give you a nice discount."
"I don’t believe it, unless you’re some Extraordinary Level adventurer, for this quality of armor to get ruined this way, I’d immediately return to Dwarf..."
Reaching out to forcibly interrupt the brawny man’s swearing, Xia Nan himself also found his own gear’s non-survivability rather peculiar.