Undead Beast Master: Living Solely for My Desires

Had Thomas recommended this place simply because of their blood bond, or was what he said about his twin being the best forger in the city actually true? There was only one way to find out.

"Hello, I have been recommended to come to this place by Thomas, saying that this is the best forger in the city." Zaroth was the first to break the awkward silence. He was speaking calmly as ever while making sure to up the tone a bit, since this man most likely had troubles hearing like his twin as well.

For a few seconds, the forger looked at Zaroth with caution.

'Thomas, I know that you like to recommend me to the travelers that rarely come here, but how did you manage to convince this devil as well?!' the man thought.

It wasn't like he knew Zaroth personally, but considering that he was the reason the city was still standing and the white demicon mask he wore gave quite the impression.

Still, that doubt in his heart did not appear on his face as he flashed a smile. "Welcome. I'm Torin, the forger of this humble establishment. Is there anything I can help you with?"

Zaroth stepped forward, unsheathed a white odachi from behind his back, and presented it.

"What do you think about this weapon?" he asked.

When he bought the weapon while he was still in the capital, Zaroth didn't pay that much of a sum for it, so he knew that it wasn't all that impressive. Right now, he was testing the forger. If he knew that this weapon wasn't good, then it would show that he was indeed experienced.

Of course, there was the possibility that he knew the weapon wasn't good but was too intimidated by Zaroth's presence to tell him straight in the face, which would make Zaroth not want to commend the man for anything.

If Torin didn't have the guts to speak honestly, Zaroth had no interest in working with him.

Torin hesitated for a moment before accepting the weapon. He examined it closely, narrowing his eyes as he turned it in his hands, checking it from multiple angles. He tapped the blade in a few places, listening to the sound, testing its durability.

"If I may ask, why did you buy this weapon?" he said at last.

Zaroth answered honestly, "Because it matched my style and was the only white odachi I could find."

Torin was taken aback for a few seconds by Zaroth's honest answer and then erupted into laughter.

"Oh, you're honest. That's a good trait to have!" he said, wiping a tear from his eye.

Zaroth didn't consider himself particularly honest. He just didn't see the point in lying when there was no benefit.

"Honestly, this weapon has a good outer appearance, but in terms of quality... it's subpar at best."

Hearing the conclusion of the man, Zaroth smiled behind the white mask. Now he knew that Torin was not all talk.

"Then could I commission a similar odachi to be created, but of the highest quality you can create?"

Torin's laughter faded as he gave Zaroth a long, assessing look. Only now did he realize the voice behind the mask sounded unusually young.

"I can. But if we're talking about the absolute best I can create, it'll take time—and it won't be cheap. The cost could exceed a hundred gold coins."

Since Zaroth was far away from the capital, that meant that his bracelet would no longer work as it was out of signal, so the people used gold, silver, and bronze coins to make trading possible.

Credits in the capital were just a more convenient way for the people to make trade with, but here it was not possible.

Zaroth was hesitating for a few moments. He had converted the credits he had to gold coins, so he had a lot more than he could have ever imagined owning before entering the capital, but that didn't mean he would spend them all irresponsibly.

"I don't care about the price as long as the work is worth it." Zaroth replied calmly.

Torin's eyes narrowed slightly. If this masked traveler was serious, this might be one of the most important commissions of his career.

He gestured toward a back room. "Then let's discuss the specifics in the forge."

Zaroth nodded in agreement to the man's suggestion and entered with him. Meanwhile, the petite girl let out a sigh of relief as she wasn't looking at the scary demon anymore.

'His appearance was terrifying... but his voice was kind of cute…' she thought before shaking her head.

Inside the forge, Zaroth was immediately struck by the oppressive heat of the room.

"Don't mind it," Torin said reassuringly. "It has to be hot to make weapons like these."

They crossed the room, and Torin gestured for him to sit. He took a seat across from Zaroth.

"So what do you want exactly?" Torin asked.

"First, the weapon has to be durable—nearly unbreakable, or at least extremely hard to damage. It must be lightweight enough for extended use without wearing me down. It would also be ideal if it could carry magical properties."

After a few seconds, Zaroth added, "And if it's possible to apply a poison during the forging process, that would be ideal. Don't worry about the poison itself — I already have it with me. You just need to infuse it into the blade."

Hearing Zaroth's grand request, Torin let out a sigh as he looked at the ceiling with his two hands behind his head. He was deep in thought.

"To make it hard to break, it has to be flexible, not firm. To have a good magic quality, a fair amount of gold has to be used. It also has to be lightweight, and because I will have to use vanadium, it will be hard to achieve, and if I'm to infuse it with poison during the forging process... well, that makes it an even greater challenge,"

Zaroth waited patiently for the man to finish his thinking.

"It could work… but the materials would be really expensive, and it will require at least three days of constant forging to make it possible," Torin spoke as he gazed at Zaroth.

"I see… before we proceed, I want to ask: what makes you the best in the city?"

Hearing the question, Torin grinned with pride. "My class and my blessing. Both allow me to create gear no one else can match in this region."

For a moment his eyes fell to the ground. "But because few people are coming here and most of them are poor, I am forced to make subpar weapons at best. Otherwise, the price would be too grand for the people here to afford."

'So this is why most of the weapons on display were subpar... most people wouldn't be able to afford them otherwise,' Zaroth thought.

After careful consideration, Zaroth pulled out a small vial filled with Hellweaver poison. "Well then, I commission you for the work, and here is the poison I was talking about."

Seeing that Zaroth was really serious about the commission, Torin's face lit up again. For the first time in a long while, he felt the spark of excitement. He was finally going to craft something beyond his limits.