Trap

Han Jin thought the guy he had just dragged into this would be angry at him, but the big fellow, strangely, did not seem to care at all; he just followed behind him and Steelberg with a blank look as though he wasn't on a mission at all.

Lights from the bar could be seen not far away, and the chatter inside could be faintly heard. Han Jin stopped, turned around, and stretched out his right hand. "May I introduce myself? My name is Raphael, an inherited baron, good for nothing."

The big fellow was apparently surprised at such a self-deprecating introduction, but he stretched out his hand as well. "Moxinke, high-grade swordsman."

"My god..." Steelberg opened his eyes wide. Unlike Raphael, he knew very well what a high-grade swordsman meant. Professionals on the continent were divided into ten grades. The lowest was warrior, which was divided into low and high grades. Next was fighter, and when one reached the level of high-grade battler, he could choose to become a swordsman or a knight. A high-grade swordsman could then become a fighter, which was definitely a top tier profession! High-grade swordsmen would be ranked sixth among the ten grades, and in a small town like Radon, even a high-grade battler would cause quite a stir, let alone a high-grade swordsman!

Surprisingly, Han Jin, who didn't even know what the rankings meant, reacted even more violently than Steelberg. His lips paled and the muscles on his cheeks went taut. Moxinke could even feel a clear tremble when he shook Han Jin's hand.

Such a violent reaction was not because Han Jin had realized how powerful Moxinke was, but because of the explosive energy he had felt in Moxinke's body. Though lacking in knowledge about the classification of professionals, Han Jin was extremely sensitive to energy. When he shook hands with Moxinke, he could clearly feel the enormous amount of energy inside him - enormous to the point where it couldn't be measured by the basic unit of Yuan; it was nearly ten thousand Jia, and basically one step away from one Xuan. Meanwhile, ten thousand Yuan was equal to one Jia, which meant that even during his prime in his previous world, Han Jin would not have been able to compete with the swordsman in front of him.

"What's wrong with you, Young Master Raphael?" Moxinke loosened his hand immediately, thinking that he had accidentally used too much strength and hurt Han Jin.

"Nothing, I just remembered something. Sorry." Han Jin forced a smile. "There's something I need your help with. Could you please cooperate with me when we meet the dwarf?"

"What do I need to do? "

"Nothing. Just stand behind me like you are now."

Moxinke thought for a while, and then nodded with a polite smile. "Okay."

In the normal sense, Han Jin should not have made such a request, after all, they weren't acquaintances at all. But Moxinke had still agreed, as Han Jin's appearance, temperament, and tone left him a good impression. Even though those qualities weren't enough to make Han Jin popular everywhere he went, it was enough to make sure no one would hate him on sight. 

The bar had only a few customers when they stepped in, which was normal for a small town like Radon. A rugged guy that was only around three feet tall but who was exceptionally sturdy and muscular, was sitting in front of the bar counter shouting something. The waitress in front of him kept a smile on her face, and frequently nodded as if she was very interested. Han Jin slowly walked towards the dwarf, then stopped beside him and said in a low voice,"Excuse me, are you Villar, the forging master?" 

He glanced up and down at the dwarf as he talked. Clearly, this was a dwarf who didn't care much about personal hygiene. His earwax was clearly visible from the side, his beard was so long that it seemed jaring compared to his height, and it was so dirty that one could see bread crumbs stuck within it. The leather armor he wore was worn out and emitted a putrid odor that was a mix between alcohol and sweat, which mercilessly assaulted Han Jin's nostrils. The boots on the dwarf's feet were even more ragged than his armor, as the tip of one of them had completely broken off, exposing his dirty toes.

Judging by that, Han Jin felt even more confident in his plan. Before he had left, he had gathered some basic information about Villar from Miss Keeley. He had learned that Villar was a grumpy man. He had wounded a noble in Holy Crown City due to some conflicts, and if Miss Keeley hadn't lent him some money and brought him from Holy Crown City to Radon Town, he would have been in jail already. But only two days after the weapon shop had opened, Villar had proposed to Miss Keeley, which had meant that his wage hadn't been paid yet. To make matters worse, he had spent all of his personal savings already.

"Piss off; leave me alone!" Villar did not even look at Han Jin, and instead waved his hand impatiently as if to drive away a fly.

Moxinke snorted coldly and took half a step forward. Villar immediately turned around, his eyes first glancing at the greatsword on Moxinke's shoulder, and then at the badge on his chest. Moments later, he reluctantly put the glass down and said, "This... young master, what can I do for you?"

"I need you to forge a set of armor for me. I need it quite urgently. As for the price… you have my word that you will be compensated fairly," Han Jin said in a light tone. The glass in Villar's hand was empty, but he still held it as if it were full. Signs like that told Han Jin that Villar was in a very difficult situation at the moment. Of course, the person behind all this had probably given him some money, otherwise he would have never been able to open a shop, but it was clearly not a large sum, as Villar had spent most of it on renting the shop and a few days of gluttonous feasting and drinking.

"I don't have time; go find someone else." Villar rejected it without hesitation.

"I just want a set of the most common armor; five gold coins." Since a set of ordinary armor was worth at most one or two gold coins, Han Jin's offer was quite generous.

"Are you deaf? I said I don't have time!" Villar pounded on the table heavily and roared. He had only decided to talk to Han Jin because the big mercenary behind him had seemed intimidating, but when Han Jin showed no signs of giving up, his fiery temper returned again.

"Ten gold coins; that's the highest I'm willing to spend." Han Jin smiled. "I have no other choice, as I must have set of armor before dawn, hence why I offered you a satisfactory price. I hope your work will be satisfactory for me as well." Though Han Jin's words sounded like a vague threat, he worded them appropriately to avoid riling up the dwarf.

"Wow… Ten gold coins..." the waitress let out a low sigh.

Villar took one look at the waitress, and then turned back to Han Jin. If it were up to him, he would much rather spend the whole night drinking, but the price that Han Jin had offered was simply too tempting. A conflicted look appeared on his face.

"I don't know why you are hesitating at all." Han Jin's expression was still very friendly. "I heard you are a qualified forging master, and now you have a chance to earn ten gold coins in one night, or maybe even half a night. I could buy a set of enchanted armor in Holy Crown City for that price."

Villar stroked his long beard, then jumped out of the chair and said in a muffled voice, "Alright, come with me."

Han Jin smiled, and slowly followed Villar. Suddenly, the waitress shouted after them, "Hey… Mr Villar, you haven't paid for the drinks yet!"

Villar was so angry his beard flipped up. He turned around and shouted in a loud and clear voice, "What are you shouting about? Do I look like the kind of person that would refuse to pay my debt?!" Villar used so much force in his voice that even the bottles on the cabinet trembled. He then glanced at Han Jin again, which clearly meant, "I just accepted such a huge job; why do you think I would worry about money?"

The guests and the waitress all seemed to be afraid of Villar, which was reasonable considering Villar was a high grade dwarf warrior. Though he was not as strong as Moxinke, he wasn't much weaker either.

The four of them returned to the front of Miss Keeley's shop after crossing half of the town. It was getting dark, and Miss Keeley's shop had already closed. Staring at the light upstairs, Villar sank into his thoughts. Han Jin did not rush him, and simply observed Villar quietly. Observing was just one of his professional habits.

A moment later, Villar produced a key, headed straight for an ordinary house on the opposite side of the building, then opened the door and went inside.

The house was quite spacious, with only a table in the corner and no chairs. As Villar opened the door to the inner chamber, Han Jin tried to follow him, but was promptly stopped by Villar. He warned with an angry stare, "Don't you know the rules? What's the meaning of this??"

Han Jin was caught off guard, but he explained with a smile, "You misunderstand. I just want to make it clear that..."

"What?"

"The armor I want is a bit different from an ordinary one." Han Jin gestured on his chest and arm, "The chest should not be covered, the left arm could be forged as usual, but the right arm need to show the forearm, and the back..."

Han Jin spewed out a torrent of special instructions, which made Villar's eyes go wider and wider. In the end, he couldn't help but interject, "What do you plan to do with such an armor?"

"That is none of your business," Han Jin said coldly. "Otherwise, I could very well go to the shop across from you and get a set there instead of paying you premium."

Villar shook his head, murmured something under his breath, and then shut the door with a bang.

Han Jin's hearing was in great shape and he had clearly heard what Villar had just said: "Poor fellow, he must have gotten his head kicked by a long-mouthed beast in the forest or something."