Chapter 122: The First Crack

*Date: 33,480 Third Quarter — Kingdom of Satar, Capital City Parthanon*

After a quick visit to Asena in the morning, the gang started the forging. Marco made sure they were all set, and Demir mentally prepared himself because a wholesale buyer meant lots and lots of work. He quickly checked the beads Frolin had sent and made sure everything was in order.

He started with the four swords he'd runed up yesterday. Meticulously, he processed the beads into his latest creations. After he'd figured out the method, D-grade beads were easy enough to operate. While he was doing the fine work, Marco was trying to catch up with all the front-end tasks. Hauling coal. Readying and heating the next beads. Cleaning the workshop. Making sure no dust or ash landed on the products.

Marven took the recently finished swords and brought them to Quarnion's new shop.

While waiting for Marven's return, they continued laying out other ingots. They worked constantly without any interruptions, other than old customers asking for repair jobs. But now, as the big shots of the workshop, they were turning down the new orders.

Marven came back with more and more custom orders. Full plate sets. Shields. And a whole lot of money.

The gang worked day and night the whole week, barely taking time to sleep and rarely visiting Asena. Demir's heart sank every time he saw her enclosure, but the tournament was two weeks away, and soon he would never need to work like this again. Because in this city, other than old forged items and heirlooms, no one was making products of this quality.

---

The recent batch was too large and had consumed all of Demir and the gang's coins. But they had produced twelve swords, twenty blades, and two full plate sets along with shields.

Marven calculated on a piece of parchment. "After Frolin's cut, our share is eleven hundred twenty gold."

Marco raised his head from loading the cart. "Even in the old days, that's good money. We really did it."

Demir continued loading. "I guess we did. After this, I can focus on the tournament. I want to test my abilities. And look for people that can send word to Chalice."

Marven looked at him. "For your friend?"

"Yeah."

"You're a good friend. You didn't give up on him even after all these years."

Demir was about to respond when Marco intervened. "Before all that, take her on a date! She's working like your slave!"

"Marco!"

Marven bowed her head toward the cart. "He's right, you know."

Demir blushed. "Marv... not you too. But I was planning..."

Their joking continued all the way to Quarnion's new shop. Demir was laughing his ass off rather than blushing, making jokes while pulling the cart.

---

When they reached the coliseum, Marven showed the way to Quarnion's equipment shop. It was at the corner, a huge establishment with a glass front. Demir saw his products displayed at the front, looking like amazing premium quality.

Two players stood outside, looking at the glass window and talking.

Demir overheard the one with the giant beard. "I wish I could find axes of this quality."

The other one shook his head. "How are you going to afford it? Even winning the above-fifty tournament can barely get you all the pieces of a set."

"Is it that expensive?"

"No shit. Look at the faint enchant glow. It also has perfect rune etching. Look at the plate set. Even all the pieces have them."

The bearded one sighed heavily. "Working like a mad dog, and I can't even maintain previous years' equipment level. Each year I have to use shittier and shittier equipment."

"Let's head to work. Otherwise Ganzo will cut today's pay."

Demir sighed, but there was nothing he could do. Good ingots weren't cheap. Even beads were expensive. He couldn't supply everyone.

He stood at the gate. "Should we head inside?"

Marven nodded. "Sure."

Marco was already walking in. "Of course I'm getting in! Maybe they have good staffs or robes. You can only forge caveman equipment."

Demir was offended by the comment as Marco entered the shop. "Caveman? Really?"

Marven laughed. "Demir, haul the cart to the back. I'll bring Quarnion."

---

Demir pulled the cart to the back entrance. He waved at the security, pointed at the cart, and shouted, "These are for the shop! Open the gate!"

He entered the gate, and after a couple of minutes, Quarnion and his goons came along with Marven and Marco.

Marco was practically vibrating with excitement. "You have no idea how good the items in there are! Apart from ours!"

Marven grabbed his arm. "We can shop later, Marco. Let's finish our business."

Quarnion approached the cart with a merchant's practiced smile. "Oh, you all came with the latest batch."

Demir smiled, proud of his work. "Yeah. I wanted to deliver myself and maybe ask you if you need anything. Any complaints?"

Quarnion answered quickly. "No complaints, no complaints." He walked up to the cart and started examining the equipment, picking up one piece and putting down another. "This looks good. This also."

Marco laughed. "Good, right? We're just starting. We'll both be rich!" He elbowed one of Quarnion's goons to get him to laugh, but not a muscle on the man's face moved.

Quarnion stepped back from the cart. "Everything looks good. We can take it all." He turned to his goons. "Alexa, Mardo, take it all inside."

Then he returned to Demir. "But..."

Demir's smile faded slightly. "Is there a problem?"

"No problem... but we're kind of low on cash at the moment. These, as we calculated with Marven, should cost fourteen hundred gold, right?"

Demir nodded. "Yeah, but we agreed on exchange with delivery. We're buying the raw materials, and there's botching risk..."

"Okay, okay, I understand. How about half now, and we can pay the rest two weeks later?"

Marco stepped forward. "Hey, that's too—"

Demir raised his hands. "You've been paying since we started. I can open this credit to you, but I can't deliver anything new until you pay the rest."

Quarnion's face squirmed, and he started speaking in a raspy voice. "Sure... understandable." He turned to his goons and shouted, "Alexa, bring six hundred gold from the safe!"

Marco's eye twitched. "Six hundred isn't half."

Quarnion turned to Marco and hissed, "It's all we have."

Demir put a hand on Marco's shoulder. "Fine, fine. It's okay."

---

The exchange continued in an atmosphere of increasingly hostile looks. After taking the six cases of gold, Demir looked inside each one and quickly weighed them in his hands. He nodded in agreement. He didn't want to stay any longer.

Quarnion tried one more time. "Maybe I can offer goods for the remaining balance?"

Marco's enthusiasm had completely vanished. "Maybe later."

Demir started pulling the empty cart, and the gang headed outside.

"Marven, you looked suspiciously silent in there."

Marven glanced back at the shop. "It's your craft, blood, and sweat. I can't bargain for that, but..."

"What is it?"

"I feel like we're getting scammed."

Marco frowned. "What makes you say that?"

Marven quickened her pace. "First, let's quickly get away from this neighborhood. I have a bad feeling."