Each of the cities of the Southern City-States Alliance is full of charm. Pen ~ fun ~ pavilion www.biquge.info

Not only the men and women who live here, but also the city itself, its name, is very different from the cities of other countries on the continent of Rigal.

The name of the country "Sivalier" means "knightly model", the capital "Prospel" means "the pearl of the palm" - a word for the prosperity of the nearby maritime industry and maritime trade, the word "Avenella" means "land of peace", and the place where our story begins is "the land of the wind", which is as much a "land where the wind never stops".

"Ottolo" Empire, which means "for the sake of the many / what the many have"; The "empire" of Padrosi, which translates to "second glory", is used to show who is the true Lamanid orthodoxy between himself and the Western Rumanatoan Empire - many people have tried to name their countries and city-states with special meanings, very glorious and domineering. Only the people of the southern border are ingenious, this land where 30% of the towns are close to the water, and even on the shallows of the southern border of the Mobigas Inland Sea, all the city-states are named after the beauty.

The main city of "Ella", the capital of knowledge "Clara", the **** city of "Marpel", and even the small border town where Henry is located now also has a delicate and beautiful name "Rosemary" - which means Qiu Ju. As the old saying goes, "the most poisonous woman's heart", combined with the darkness and indifference beneath the prosperous skin of the materialistic and wealthy South, all of which can remind you of the name of a beautiful girl's city, is also a metaphor.

In any case, after returning to Rosemary, Henry and Mira had a good night's rest, took a comfortable bath in the large nearby bathhouse in the early morning, and had a good breakfast, and then began to walk towards the shop of Mike, the dwarven blacksmith, as agreed.

Counting the time, it is almost time to return from this trip, and the magic weapon forging duel between Mike and Agatha is about time.

Magic weapons are a unique presence in the world of Rigal, and it is true that they are stronger than ordinary weapons, but the high price does not bring an absolute increase in combat power, after all, as we said before, the user is always more important than the weapon.

Our story has come to this point, and the topic of weapons has been discussed many times. To sum up, a good weapon must maintain at least three points - the first is good shape, used to slash or stab, plus handguards for protection, for which the hilt and blade length need to be strictly measured, which is why most weapons have a type standard that fluctuates up and down.

The second is the hardness and toughness of the metal treatment and the retention of the blade or blade, which is determined by the combination of the hardness and toughness of the metal treatment and the way the blade is opened, so that the opponent's body or shield and other weapons are not broken or damaged after multiple slashes. And the last and most decisive ability to sustain combat is the combination of the first and second points, the mastery of the center of gravity that needs to be carefully adjusted when building, and the overall weight of the entire weapon.

The heavier the weapon, of course, the more capable of chopping, but this is not necessarily the case, two weapons that also weigh up to a kilogram, and a weapon that applies a lot of steel to the front half and feels more like a machete or axe will certainly be more suitable for slashing with a bayonet or tapered sword type with a heavy center back - but when it comes to flexibility when stabbing, of course, the latter is more powerful.

The above series of complications is enough that even the best human blacksmith cannot guarantee that every weapon he crafts will be the best, and for this reason, only the masters of the elven and dwarven races, who know all this more deeply, would dare to add additional magical items that may destroy the weapon's structure and make it quite fragile in addition to these forging materials, and forge magical weapons with special abilities.

However, even so, as we said earlier, a magic weapon will not bring a simple increase in combat power - the unique functions of magic will naturally exist, but it is not a direct combat power increase, but some kind of auxiliary strategic use.

To understand this, we have to start with the human race: in terms of individuals alone, humans are the weakest in the world of Rigal, not only in terms of physical strength and longevity, but also in the talent of magic and many other things, which are completely incomparable with magically strong races such as elves and gnomes.

Even the dwarves, on average, have a far greater understanding and control of magic than humans. In other words, all other races, including orcs, have a higher ability to use magic than most ordinary humans, and the results of ordinary humans who lack magic power to forcibly use powerful magic items have been clearly told to us by the kind of black bracelet that we encountered when we were in the city-state of Monroe in the south of the West Coast.

Unlike sacrificial cannon fodder equipment, ordinary magic weapons are sold for money. Even if it was just to be able to get business and make money for themselves in the future, these master craftsmen of the alien race would never make a weapon that would be too demanding and cause the buyer's magic power to run out and rupture his blood vessels. This is very normal logic, and if you think about it by extension, since the user has limited the addition of magic to be super powerful, then the craftsmen will naturally not do it.

Although magic weapons are usually set with their own magical gems, these gems are limited in the number of times they can be used, and they will still drain your mana when used.

It can't be super powerful magic, so don't expect to be able to instantly turn into some unstoppable god of war with a sword swing and wipe out thousands of troops in an instant - if you really want that, then spend thirty or fifty years becoming a high-level magician - provided you still have the talent.

But then again, forcibly applying magic on melee weapons, in order to ensure that the weapon will not be easily damaged when slashing people, affecting the magic is naturally more demanding in various things, and then the cost is very high. Coupled with the fact that the vast majority of mages have pitifully low melee abilities, magical weapons are no less important to them than a wand made of sticks and philosopher's stones - perhaps except for a white-bearded old man in another world who likes to wear robes and a pointed hat, there will be no more magicians in this world who wield swords - but let's get back to the point.

To sum up, magicians can't use it, and ordinary people can't use magic weapons to exert powerful magic attacks, so what is the meaning of the existence of the magic attached to this weapon that is still enthusiastically pursued by many people?

If you go back almost a year to the Grigory Rift Valley, when Henry and his party were hunted down by mercenary killers sent by Sivalier, perhaps the answer would have become obvious.

The first purple-card mercenary killed by Henry in our story, François the Dusty wielded a longsword infused with magic. Just as he was given the name he was attached to, what this weapon can do is only swing a certain amount of wind pressure to roll up the sand, which is not at all the feeling that ordinary people imagine that a magic weapon can swing a powerful attack, but just that, in fact, in the hands of such a master, it is already an excellent effect.

The so-called master duel, seeking an opportunity to dominate the enemy with one move, although the power is not enough to kill the opponent directly, as a sudden flame in the battle to swing wind pressure or the like, the deterrent effect or make the opponent temporarily lose vision, in the hands of powerful people are enough to create a chance to kill.

This is the significance of magic weapons that are far more expensive and man-hours than ordinary weapons, and this kind of delicate treasure that requires foreign masters to process is a special existence as the icing on the cake. It is true that they are stronger, but they are not strong enough to double the combat power of any person who holds them, and in the hands of the weak, it will only bring a higher burden because it still needs to consume mana, and the most important price factor and other reasons can be seen, so this kind of weapon has not become mainstream so far.

And by further extension of this line of thought, the argument between Henry and his old dwarf Maxtonwatt1 - often referred to simply as Mike - and the elven woman Agatha is naturally a struggle between the "practicality" of the experienced dwarven blacksmith for the needs of the customer and the haughty willfulness of the mere elves who think it is "good" without regard to whether the buyer can use it.

In fact, the decision of which is better or worse in this comparison has been decided as early as the beginning, but in any case, having some relationship with a dwarven craftsman brings more than just harm. At least Henry, they had the benefit of having a lightweight bust made to order from Mike at a better price before they set out, and they didn't pay for it until later.

Contrary to the stupid and one-sided impression of human beings that "dwarf creatures are rough and heavy" - although it is true that this race uses thicker and heavier weapons and armor than human beings because they are stronger than humans, this is only the weapons and equipment they use, and the dwarves who have communicated with human society for so many years and make a living by creating various weapons and equipment suitable for humans cannot always come according to their own ideas.

They are not mentally retarded, and although they may be stubborn on some issues as if they were the hard rocks in the depths of the dwarf mountains of their hometown, as craftsmen, the dwarves and gnomes are more enlightened than the remaining three races, including humans, in the learning and use of technology.

At the end of the day, a lightweight bust with only a breastplate, a protruding lower edge, a skirt bezel, and forearm armor was even easier for Mike to craft than a magic weapon. He also runs a century-old shop, and this level of equipment can be made by his apprentices, and he doesn't need to do it himself, so Henry and the others are ready to get their hands after returning from a hunting trip of more than a month.

Although it is light and sturdy armor, the total weight of the full set is about seven kilograms, and the cotton armor is a small burden, but with its existence, it basically does not hold a shield, and the largest torso can already defend against arrow attacks.

Our Milla has to carry it on its back for long-distance operations at the moment, because there are still some minor problems in the relationship between various stuffy and stuffy things. But fortunately, the two of them still have horses, and the Avennella horses produced in the Acasta Plains are already known for their weight-bearing ability, and using them as a means of transportation to slowly adapt to the weight of wearing armor is also a suitable plan.

In any case, armor was a must-have, but the thought of the high price of the white-haired Luoan girl seemed to be worried all the way through, which was why she didn't notice the frequent glances of passers-by on the two of them - Henry did, but he never cared about this, just continued to wait calmly, until the two of them happened to walk to the commercial street where Mike's blacksmith was, and the road side "clicked" The sound of wooden wheels rolling on the rocky floor suddenly stopped, and the footsteps of the two men finally stopped when a sumptuous carriage with glass windows stopped in front of them.

"Uh-" Mila paused for a moment, as she was in a daze, while Henry continued to look calmly ahead.

"It's Henry and Mira. The servant, dressed in bell bottoms and brightly coloured, opened the door and pulled out the ladder with his feet with a fluency of movements, and the exquisite ironwork of the handsmith evidently required the skill of a skilled craftsman, and the delicate lines of the chariot with its brown and red colours showed that it was a great deal of money—and as she spoke, the lady in such a sumptuous and delicate carriage walked slowly under the servance of the servant.

She was about fifty or sixty years old, with a shorter nose and turquoise eyes than those common to Southcoasters. In the hot southern city-state, she still wears a long purple dress, her gray hair is tied up at the back of her head, and although her face is full of wrinkles, she can be seen to be a beauty when she was young.

"Felex?" Henry slashed in, and although there was no recognizable sign on the carriage or the woman's body, he could tell it at a glance.

As we said earlier, the Southern City-States Alliance does not have a king. The major nobles who rule here are mainly capital-oriented, and earning more money is what they are most passionate about - and the hunting mercenary group, which is a major source of income, and the family that controls these resources as the leader of the large mercenary group, even if they are not nobles themselves, will inevitably have inextricable links with the nobles.

The Felix family can be regarded as a small example, and although the hunting mercenary group bears their name, it should only be regarded as a branch of its branch. There are also Felex - or the Lucky Chamber of Commerce and the Lucky Carriage Shop and many other institutions, and the white pentagram on a gold background as the family crest fills the streets of Rosemary, declaring their presence.

In this town, it must be nobles who can ride such a magnificent carriage with swagger, and these are the only people who have had contact with the two of them, if it were not for the fact that they were just in a daze, even Mira would be able to judge it quickly.

"Exactly, the concubine would like to thank the two for protecting my master, please don't be surprised if you take the liberty to stop this line, just happen to meet by chance, and just send the reward that belongs to the two, come, Joel, transfer the gold coins to the two. As she spoke, Henry's eyebrows moved. The surrounding crowd stopped and watched what was happening, and the prosperous shopping street didn't even squeak for a while.

"There were five bags of gold coins, and each bag of gold coins was one kerry 2, which was twenty. The lady laughed, and the male servant named Joel handed Henry and Mira five delicate leather bags the size of heavy palms. Then, as if stopping them in such a high-profile manner on the crowded street was just to give her the reward that she should have gone to the mercenary guild to go through the formalities to receive was her purpose, after bowing her head slightly, she returned to the carriage without saying a word, and the coachman sitting on the roof of the carriage flicked his long black whip and drove the carriage forward.

Although "......" got a lot of compensation, but Henry didn't have much joy on his face, although he was not a person who liked to be in shape, but he didn't steal the joy after picking up so much money in vain, obviously because of the metaphor behind it, the sage was a little unhappy. He didn't say a word, and the white-haired Luoan girl looked around, only to realize that there were people coming and going, but everyone's eyes were on them.

"It's really a lot of movement. Mike, who was also in the crowd, leaned against the marble pillar in front of his shop and smoked, then beckoned to the two of them before turning and walking inside.

"......" Henry and Mira silently followed, and the onlookers scattered in acquaintance. Upon entering the shop, this time it was a far cry from the previous one, with a large group of craftsmen, including a few dwarves, tinkling in the making, and the contrast between the bleak interior and the bright furnace was believed to be the reason why the god of smelters, who was said to be the one-eyed lame in the legend of many countries.

Years of staring at the metal in the bright furnace in the dark room, noticing the change of color, and stepping on the bellows to increase the temperature, many old blacksmiths have some problems with their eyes and legs, which is why most of them, although they are experienced, will leave the task to the younger apprentices.

"Killed a famous purple card and wounded another. Mike exhaled a puff of smoke rings, then turned his head to look at Henry, then quickly at Mira.

"It's not a small number of people who are eyeing you who want to win over, but it's really a good fun, in the most prosperous and crowded shopping street, everyone knows that you are Felex's people. ”

"......" Henry shrugged, and Mike took away the cigarette holder, knocked it on the wooden table next to it, poured out the ashes inside, and then walked to the side of the tin can with tobacco, and said as he went, "It's really unpleasant to be tied to a chariot, but in this kind of place, it's easier to live against them, and now you have money to pay me." ”

"The upgrade of the mercenary badge, I'm afraid the day is also very close, after all, there are many people who have witnessed and influenced people doing something on it. He glanced at the two of them meaningfully, then shook his head: "Hey, don't talk about that, my sword is almost ready, let's show you." ”

"I haven't been able to contact Agatha for a few days, so I'll just do this-"

"Click—" Mike said as he said this, when suddenly the door of the blacksmith shop was pushed open, and a beautiful elven woman with an unhappy look on her lips walked in, her hands empty and holding nothing.

"......" The air suddenly became awkward again, and Mira looked left and right at the two facing each other with the pile of small leather bags containing gold coins, completely unaware of what was happening

......

......

Notes: 1: In order to be a little different from the human name, I tried to choose some phrases that seem to be more powerful as the names of the dwarf characters, and then instead of the common surname distinction of the first and middle names, they are all combined together, which looks longer and more handsome (laughs) and then the original name of this character is Max Stone-Er-T, but I don't know why this is a sensitive word in a certain point is blocked (I found out before sending it out, and then it was locked and the chapter cannot be modified), so I removed a word and changed it to Watt, here is a special explanation。

2: Kerry, the weight unit of the Southern City-State Alliance, one gram is equal to half a kilogram, and when it is extended to measure the price standard, it is naturally the price of half a kilogram of silver, this weight of sterling silver can mint two hundred and forty Ella silver coins, in order to save weight and volume, ordinary people use a large amount of money at the Kerry level when trading are using higher price Ella gold coins, a group of twenty as a Kerry. According to West Coast standards, we have introduced that one silver Ella coin is equal to about 150 denols, so you can calculate how much this money is. (laughs (to be continued.) )