Starting Unlimited Evolution from Grinding

Chapter 246: A Trade? Epic Gear – Shadow Bloodstep Boots

After leaving the Noren Trading Company, Lin Mo had one final matter to attend to today.

That was regarding the custom order for new mithril gloves;

he needed to first find a suitable blacksmith, clarify the required materials, and thus determine the direction for future adventures.

The mithril gloves Lin Mo intended to craft were Epic Level equipment, and to forge Epic Level equipment, one needed at minimum a Master Blacksmith. Generally, blacksmiths of this caliber were not easy to find.

However, Lin Mo already had a relatively clear plan...

In the Royal Capital, the Morin Family controlled the vast majority of the alchemy market, and correspondingly, Duke Nathaniel Preston, known as the Kingdom's Sword, controlled most of the weapon forging and trading market in the capital.

Coincidentally, during the task Lin Mo had just completed, he had encountered the only son of this Kingdom's Sword—Benerod Preston.

Furthermore, when they parted ways previously, Benerod had informed them of his next destination, which was to begin taking over the family business as arranged by his father.

This was also the condition Duke Preston had set when Benerod originally intended to go out for training.

So, he could simply ask Benerod for help with this matter. The Preston Smithy naturally had Master Blacksmiths, and probably more than one.

Because he was just starting to get involved in the family business and was still unfamiliar with many aspects, Benerod was currently managing not the main store of the smithy, but a branch located in the west of the Royal Capital.The distance was a bit far, so Lin Mo directly hired a carriage.

In prosperous places like Fargard City and the Royal Capital, due to the large city scale, there was naturally a demand for transportation, and related industries had emerged accordingly.

It was said these carriages were operated directly by the royal family, and the price for riding them was not cheap.

But you had no choice but to use them, as generally, personal carriages were not allowed to travel directly within the city. One had to apply, pass a very strict review, meet corresponding standards, and obtain proof documentation before being permitted to drive on city roads.

As for what the standards were... that was naturally determined by those who made the rules, i.e., the royal family.

It was easy to imagine that unless one had a special status or could bring significant benefits like a merchant caravan, if they said you didn't pass, you didn't pass...

Simply put, it was a means monopolized by the royal family to rake in money.

The carriage traveled continuously and arrived at the destination around 3 PM.

The fare reached an outrageous 1 Gold Coin!

One must know, the value of a relatively ordinary carriage like the one they just rode in was within 50 Gold Coins.

A one-way trip costing one Gold Coin was as extortionate as it could get...

Not to mention commoners, even ordinary adventurers couldn't afford it.

If Lena were here, she would definitely be heartbroken over the cost.

After paying and getting off the carriage, the Preston Smithy branch stood before them.

Even though it was a branch, its scale looked quite impressive. While it certainly couldn't compare to the newly opened Noren Trading Company from earlier, it still had considerable presence.

Pushing the door open and entering the shop, there were, of course, staff responsible for welcoming guests.

However, there was still a bit of a gap in staff quality compared to the Noren Trading Company.

"Guest, may I ask what you need to purchase?"

Lin Mo shook his head and said concisely, "The current manager of your shop should be Benerod, right? I need to see him about something."

"This..."

The reception staff member was immediately stunned: "This... Please wait a moment, I'll go report it... May I ask for your name?"

"Lin Mo."

"Okay!"

After speaking, he hurried away.

After quite a while, a familiar figure finally came downstairs.

It was Benerod.

Of course, in the eyes of his mother and Duke Sted Morin, the current "Benerod" had already been replaced by their child.

"Come, let's talk upstairs."

The main hall was clearly not a convenient place to talk, so Benerod directly led them to the upper level of the smithy.

On the way, the two exchanged glances and quickly understood each other's meaning.

Although this was Benerod's shop to manage, it was likely that there were informants placed by his mother, or even Duke Morin, so some matters still couldn't be mentioned casually.

However, Lin Mo wasn't here for those matters anyway;

he just wanted to find a Master Blacksmith to help design and forge mithril gloves.

"I see..."

After hearing Lin Mo's request, Benerod nodded: "That's easy to handle. My shop has a Master Blacksmith."

"That's perfect."

"Actually, there wasn't one originally, but because I'm just starting to get involved in this business, my father was worried, so he specifically invited a Master Blacksmith to help bolster the place..."

"Let's go, we'll go meet this master."

Benerod immediately led the way, taking them downstairs through a rear passage to the underground level of this smithy.

Here, a very large basement had been specially set up for the blacksmiths to use.

That Master Blacksmith was also here now.

"Ahead is that Master Blacksmith's workshop... This master has a rather bad temper;

he's rough and willful. He refuses many jobs, but I think he should be quite interested in what Mr. Lin Mo intends to forge."

As he spoke, the group walked towards the workshop that looked very plain.

Before they even got close, they heard a muffled voice from inside: "How many times have I taught you, and you still can't learn it! How could I have given birth to such a stupid son!"

"Old man, I don't like hearing that... Just two days ago when I forged that sword, you praised me, saying you couldn't forge such a good weapon at my age. It's only been a few days? The sun has only risen twice, and you've already forgotten everything?"

"Less nonsense! You clamored to go out and make your own way, but your forging skills haven't improved much, you've only learned all those useless things... In the end, didn't you just come crawling back in disgrace! You've wasted so much time, practice properly!"

"What do you mean useless things? Business isn't just about fighting and killing, it's about human relationships and worldly wisdom. If you understood those 'useless things,' you wouldn't still be working for someone else here..."

"You dare talk back?"

"Thwack—! Can't win the argument so you resort to violence, is that it? It's not like I said I wouldn't practice..."

Lin Mo and Benerod exchanged a look, both barely able to suppress their laughter.

Just from the voices, they could imagine the scene inside.

However, Lin Mo felt that the son's voice seemed somewhat familiar?

Benerod walked to the workshop door, knocked, and said very politely, "Mr. Andre, it's me. I need to discuss something with you..."

Master Blacksmiths were extremely rare, equivalent to Transcendent Level experts among Professionals. Even though he was the young master of the Preston Smithy, he had to treat them with courtesy.

"Come in."

Benerod pushed open the door, and Lin Mo looked curiously at the Master Blacksmith inside.

He looked exactly as one would imagine: a stout dwarf with a few streaks of gray in his hair and beard, but overall he still looked very spirited, probably in his prime.

This period was often when a dwarf's forging skills were fully matured, and their physical strength hadn't declined too much due to aging. In common terms, it was their peak period.

Based on the earlier conversation, Lin Mo also glanced at the other dwarf nearby, the son of this Master Blacksmith.

And then...

Both of them froze simultaneously.

"You're not dead?"

The two sentences spoken in unison left everyone else present utterly bewildered.

"Ah!"

Ellie quickly remembered too: "Isn't this the owner of the smithy in Roland Town?"

That's right, the guy in front of them was actually Edgar, who had previously collaborated with Lin Mo!

"What are you doing here?"

Edgar asked curiously.

"I was about to ask you the same thing..."

Lin Mo curled his lip: "When something happened in Lania City, I specifically went to Roland Town to look for you, but you had already run off long ago."

Edgar scratched his head: "Well, I also saw that the situation over there wasn't right... and coincidentally, the business wasn't going very smoothly either, so I had to give up on entrepreneurship and honestly come back. When it comes down to it, the fact that I couldn't persevere is partly your responsibility too!"

Good grief, so this old guy was actually a rich... well, a forging second-generation heir, and opening a shop in Roland Town was purely him experiencing life!

No wonder he was so willing to lose money on that "investment."

But...

"What does that have to do with me?"

"How is it not related to you? How much did you benefit from me? Then you turned around and ran off to another city... I didn't hear any news about you afterwards, so I thought you were already dead."

"......"

Lin Mo rolled his eyes: "That's because you ran away too early. If you had stayed just a few days longer, you would have seen my fame spread throughout Silverstream City!"

"If I had stayed a few days longer, I might have become a goblin's after-dinner snack..."

Edgar curled his lip and said indignantly: "That damn lord was completely unreliable, only enthusiastic when collecting taxes!"

Andre, who was nearby, also reacted: "So, this kid is the one you mentioned before? The one you 'invested' in?"

"No... wait, yes!"

Edgar instinctively denied it, afraid of being mocked by his dad again.

Lately, his father had teased him quite a bit about this matter.

But then he thought, wait a minute!

This kid came with the young master. What was the young master's status?

He was the son of a duke... Could it be that this kid really had made it big?

Was what he just said about "fame spreading throughout Silverstream City" not just empty boasting?

Then didn't that mean he also had a chance to turn things around?

"Mr. Andre, the reason for coming here is that this Mr. Lin Mo would like to ask for your help in forging a weapon."

"Oh?"

Andre glanced at Edgar beside him and said noncommittally: "Young Master, you should know that although I have a cooperative relationship with your Preston family, apart from the equipment stipulated in our agreement, whether I want to forge anything else, and what I forge, is my own choice... Let me state upfront, if it's not equipment of High Superior-grade or above, I won't take the job."

He had scolded Edgar about this many times recently. If this turned out to be a reversal, the boomerang effect would be rather painful.

So he deliberately raised the conditions.

Generally speaking, he would also accept commissions for Mid Superior-grade equipment if the conditions were suitable.

"I believe you will be interested."

Benerod smiled and looked at Lin Mo.

Lin Mo didn't waste words either, directly taking out that piece of Spirit Vein Mithril from his Spatial Ring.

"Mithril?"

Andre raised an eyebrow, his expression still casual, until Lin Mo opened his palm and fully displayed the mithril.

"Wait... this isn't ordinary mithril!"

A Master Blacksmith was indeed a Master Blacksmith. In less than a second, his expression changed, and he leaned in for a closer look.

"Spirit Vein Mithril?!"

A few seconds later, he finally took a deep breath and confirmed his suspicion.

Lin Mo nodded: "I want to use this piece of Spirit Vein Mithril to forge a pair of Epic Level mithril gloves... I wonder if Mr. Andre is interested?"

"Interested! Of course, I'm interested!"

Andre excitedly grabbed Lin Mo's wrist: "Please, you must entrust this to me!"

At this moment, he couldn't care less about saving face.

One must understand that for a blacksmith's skills to improve, they needed to forge continuously, and not just low-level equipment indiscriminately. The higher the level of equipment successfully forged, the more it enhanced the blacksmith's proficiency.

And the forging of Epic Level equipment, even for a Master Blacksmith like him, wasn't an opportunity that came anytime.

In fact, for Master Blacksmiths to forge Epic Level equipment, while possible, was still somewhat forced.

Only by advancing further to the Grandmaster Level could one handle the forging of Epic Level equipment with ease.

But how easy was it to reach the Grandmaster Level?

Andre had cooperated with the Preston Trading Company for many years and had forged hundreds of Superior-grade pieces of equipment, yet that threshold showed no signs of loosening at all.

Even forging High Superior-grade equipment could hardly bring any improvement anymore.

Only a few years ago, when forging an Epic Level piece of equipment, did he vaguely feel a sense of technical breakthrough...

Since then, he had lost even more interest in forging low-level equipment.

But the materials required for Epic Level equipment, never mind the price issue, were simply not available on the market at any price.

To forge Epic Level equipment, one needed at least materials from Epic Level magical creatures or extremely precious ores as the main component, supplemented by materials from Superior Level magical creatures or items of equivalent value.

But how easy was it to defeat an Epic Level magical creature?

Even the kingdom's Archmage Elvith, a Transcendent Level expert capable of killing High Lord Level magical creatures, couldn't make a ripple against an Epic Level magical creature.

Therefore, the opportunity to forge Epic Level equipment was truly something one could only encounter by chance, not by seeking.

Although Lin Mo knew a bit about this situation, he hadn't expected the other party to be so excited. From the looks of it, things should proceed smoothly.

"Then, regarding the auxiliary materials needed for forging this equipment..."

"That might require some time to carefully consider."

Andre slightly frowned, as if thinking: "Epic Level equipment forged from Spirit Vein Mithril is more precious than ordinary Epic Level equipment, so I need to be cautious and study it for a while."

"During this time, can this Spirit Vein Mithril stay with me?"

Andre looked at Lin Mo: "In exchange, I can lend you this to use temporarily."

As he spoke, he walked to a cabinet deep in the workshop and carefully took out a pair of boots.

"This is..."

Lin Mo's gaze was immediately drawn to these boots.

Without a doubt, these boots, like the [Blood Tiger Hide Boots] Ellie received from Lady Bessie, were Epic Level equipment!

"These boots are made primarily from the pelt of the Wolf King of the Shadowblood Wolf pack, with the addition of Dark Glow Crystal."

Lin Mo checked the specific attributes of these boots.

[Shadowblood Stride Boots]

Equipment Type: Boots

Grade: Epic (Purple)

Attributes: Durability +120%, Sturdiness +130%

Hidden Attribute: Night Hunt IV: Movement Speed increased by 10%, additional 20% Movement Speed increase at night or while in stealth state. When attacking from stealth, triggers an additional "Phantom Assault" (damage related to movement speed)

Equipment Amplification: Wolf Soul IV: Agility +30 when using dash-type skills

Equipment Skill: Shadow Devour: Enter a Shadow Devour state lasting 2 seconds (Vanish and immune to physical damage). "Phantom Assault" triggered during the Shadow Devour state has its power doubled!

"Hiss---!"

Lin Mo couldn't help but suck in a sharp breath.

So strong!

Although slightly inferior to the Frost Dragon Scale Sword, compared to Ellie's [Blood Tiger Hide Boots], they could be said to each have their own merits.

Especially this equipment skill called Shadow Devour. Although the duration was short, it directly granted immunity to physical attacks for 2 seconds!

What did that mean?

Imagine if a Ranger possessed such equipment, would they still fear Assassins?

Similarly, if an Assassin carried this equipment to assassinate a Ranger...

It was almost unthinkable!

"Good, no problem!"

Without any hesitation, Lin Mo directly nodded and accepted the boots.

Although the other party said it was "temporary use," once something was in his hands, there was always room for maneuver. He could earn some money during this time and simply buy them later...

"The design of the plan might take two or three days, or possibly longer, to draft several versions for selection... When ready, I will go to the Adventurers' Association and transmit the information to you via the mana system."

"Okay."

Lin Mo nodded. The Adventurers' Association indeed handled related services, and after reaching Silver Level adventurer status, the Silver Level adventurer badge issued by the Association would have mana transmission functionality, allowing information transfer by injecting mana.

As long as there was a Mage in the team, this thing could pretty much be used as a "mobile phone."

Edgar, standing to the side, widened his eyes, already somewhat dumbfounded.

He had indeed hoped Lin Mo would become successful to help wash away his "shame."

But...

But he truly hadn't expected Lin Mo to be this amazing!

Just a few months ago, he was just a newcomer who wasn't even a Professional yet, someone who had to benefit from him when buying a weapon?!

What exactly had happened in these few months?

Because he hadn't seen Lin Mo since he left Roland Town, his impression of Lin Mo only remained at the level of having just been promoted to a Professional. Such a drastic change in such a short time was truly hard for Edgar to comprehend.

Was this even human?

Even dragons, even the legendary angels and demons, didn't have such an absurd growth rate, right?

The most arrogant, most imaginative Bard wouldn't dare write a story like this.

"Then it's settled. Alright, I need to study this properly..."

As he spoke, Andre couldn't wait to pick up the Spirit Vein Mithril and examine it closely.

Everyone left the workshop. Edgar, unable to contain his curiosity, kept pestering Lin Mo, asking what had happened during this time.

Lin Mo selectively told him some of the details, satisfying his curiosity to some extent.

Afterwards, he bid farewell to Edgar and Benerod, took another carriage ride, and returned to the inn where they were staying.

It was already evening. Dirk and the others had just returned from outside, so the group went together to a nearby restaurant, ordered some simple dishes, and discussed their plans for the future.

According to the previous plan, when returning to Fargard City, they could conveniently pick up some tasks from the Royal Capital to earn extra money for the trip back.

Most adventurers operating between these two cities did the same.

However, on the return journey, there was no need to take on high-difficulty tasks.

C-rank tasks still carried a certain level of danger after all. Lin Mo didn't like doing dangerous things, nor did he need to take such risks. Taking on C-rank tasks regularly could wait until after promoting to Elite Level.

Dirk thought the same. Although he had successfully been promoted to Silver Level adventurer, that was mostly thanks to Lin Mo. He was very aware of his own capabilities.

After this experience, the next time he took a C-rank task, it would definitely be with those Silver Level adventurers from his group.

"In that case, how about we take a slightly longer detour and avoid the Blackwater Swamp area?"

Dirk suggested.

"Good!"

Lin Mo immediately nodded. He wasn't very keen on going to that place full of swamps and stench either.

"Then we'll return via the Boulder Mine direction. There are also many tasks available to pick up there. We can just casually choose two or three D-rank tasks."

"As for the specific tasks, I'll look into them later. Tomorrow we can go directly to the Association to accept them..."

After dinner, they returned to the inn.

Lin Mo wasn't in a hurry to wash up.

According to the pattern... or rather, the unspoken rule everyone knew, since the little wolf-girl had her turn sneaking food yesterday, today should be the little maid's turn.

Sure enough, after a short while, Sherfilia knocked on his door.

The little maid's bathing service was as thorough as ever, and they conveniently started practicing skills early to enhance their strength.

Lin Mo's current base Agility attribute was 74 points, while Sherfilia's was around 90, so there was still benefit to be gained, which was mutually beneficial.

.....

"Gained attribute point Agility +1"

......

The next morning, looking at the messages before him, Lin Mo smiled with satisfaction.

The effect was quite good;

he had directly gained two base Agility points.

However, logically speaking, after the promotions in the Warrior and Mage professions, the progress on Constitution, which needed improvement, was currently far too slow.

Lin Mo's base Constitution attribute was only 49 points.

He would focus on grinding that later.

Lin Mo sat up and, under the assistance of Sherfilia who had already gotten up early, changed into his equipment.

Time to set off for the next adventure...