Chapter 4: A Gold Coin Transaction
“Shawn, I remember you mentioned before that your uncle, Peyton, is a mercenary?”
“That’s right.”
Shawn looked at the metal ingot on the anvil, broken at the edge, and helplessly dropped his hammer to answer.
“He and a few others used to operate exclusively near the Black Fir Forest, making a living by hunting monsters for money. Their lives were quite comfortable.”
Hunting monsters?
Hearing that phrase, Roland’s eyes lit up.
According to the information he possessed, monster activity within the Golden Valley Kingdom had become increasingly rampant in recent years.
Due to the insufficient military strength of various lords, they were forced to conscript civilians to clear them out.
Generous rewards attracted many adventurers and mercenaries, but only a handful truly returned alive to claim their bounties.
The fact that Shawn’s uncle could make a living by hunting monsters indicated his combat abilities were exceptional.
Thinking of this, Roland looked at his best friend with hope in his eyes.
“Then, have you learned any combat skills from your uncle?”
“Me?”
Shawn smiled bitterly and shook his head.
“I wanted to, but my father never approved of Uncle Peyton’s lifestyle, so he left home when I was young.”
“If it weren’t for some unexpected developments this time, I probably would never have seen him in my life.”
As if recalling the endless arguments at home, the tall youth unconsciously hunched his back.
“I see.”
Just as Roland felt a little disappointed, Shawn spoke again.
“What is it, buddy? Do you want to learn how to use weapons?”
“Yes.”
Roland nodded slightly.
“I heard that not only in the Black Fir Forest, but even in the neighboring Dawnlight Territory, there have been many traces of monsters, so I wanted to learn some self-defense skills, lest I have no ability to resist when encountering danger.”
“Hmm,”
Shawn grunted, then nodded in agreement.
“You’re right, buddy. How about this: next month is the Birthday Celebration of the Benevolent Father. In previous years, Lord Baron would invite surrounding nobles to a banquet, and he definitely wouldn’t allow commoners like us to stay in the manor.”
“Why don’t you come stay at my place for a few days then? We can ask Uncle Peyton to teach us some combat techniques!”
“Really? Thank you so much, Shawn!”
Hearing these words, Roland excitedly punched Shawn’s chest, but then quickly calmed down.
Although he hadn’t met him, he understood the temperament of mercenaries or adventurers who constantly walked the line between life and death.
These people always prioritized profit and would never act without benefit.
Peyton might guide Shawn, his nephew, but it was not guaranteed for an outsider like him with no blood relation.
However, learning new skills and improving his strength was urgent; he didn’t have time to wait for Shawn to master them and then teach him.
“Just in case, I should think of ways to build a good relationship.”
Thinking this, Roland put the metal ingot from the anvil back into the furnace for re-forging, and asked,
“By the way, Shawn, does your uncle have anything he likes?”
“Well…”
Although he didn’t know why Roland was asking this, Shawn thought for a moment and replied,
“Uncle Peyton probably likes weapons, right? Because he recently wanted to borrow some money from my father to buy a new weapon, but as you know, a decent iron sword costs a lot. That’s why they always argue.”
“Weapons? That’s easy to handle.”
Thinking of his newly acquired Blacksmith Apprentice profession, Roland felt a little more at ease.
Although his forging skills were not yet comparable to a true blacksmith, there was still some time until the celebration.
With the boost from the Humble Apprentice trait, if he diligently practiced his forging skills these next few days, he should be able to forge a qualified weapon by then.
Thinking of this, Roland felt the dozen or so copper coins remaining in his pocket.
“This much money should be enough to buy a small metal ingot to forge a dagger. Even if Shawn’s uncle doesn’t care for a dagger, I can sell it for money and find other ways to learn combat skills.”
“I just don’t know if Mr. Hawke will allow me to use the forging tools privately and take the forged weapon out of the manor.”
“I’ll sound out Mr. Hawke in a few days.”
Having made up his mind, Roland clamped the re-heated metal ingot back onto the anvil and continued explaining the techniques related to forging.
Under his patient guidance, Shawn finally managed to forge a barely acceptable rough blank just as the sun set.
“Clang!”
As the bell rang, Shawn eagerly pulled Roland towards the dining hall to get their meals.
Compared to lunch, dinner was slightly more substantial, with an additional palm-sized small fish and a small bowl of fish soup.
However, due to limited cooking skills, the fish had a slight fishy odor, and as for the fish soup, it was bland and lacked any fresh flavor.
But Roland showed no disdain.
Given his current circumstances, being able to have a full meal was already good enough, especially since it was free.
Just as he was breaking up the black bread and small fish into the fish soup, preparing to eat heartily like lamb stew with bread, a slightly muffled sound of footsteps echoed nearby.
Looking up, he saw Marco slowly approaching, surrounded by a few people.
Seeing this, Shawn quickly stuffed the last piece of black bread into his mouth, then gripped the wooden plate holding his meal and stood in front of Roland.
“Don’t be so nervous.”
Marco smiled slightly, his gaze passing over the tall Shawn to Roland, and he said,
“Your name is Roland, right? I suppose you know who I am?”
“Of course.”
Roland stood up and patted Shawn, who was a bit tense, then narrowed his eyes slightly.
“Mr. Marco? May I ask what you need from me?”
Hearing the respect in Roland’s words, Marco nodded with satisfaction.
“I don’t like wasting words.”
He raised a finger and slowly began,
“You voluntarily leave the manor and give up the assessment three months from now. In return, I will pay you one gold coin. How about it?”
“One gold coin!”
Before Roland could speak, Shawn beside him exclaimed in surprise.
In the Golden Valley Kingdom, a family of three’s annual expenses were only three to five silver coins.
And according to the exchange rate of one to one hundred, one gold coin was completely enough to support an ordinary family for decades!
One must know that his father’s butchering job, among the professions commoners could engage in, already yielded a very considerable income.
But even so, he had never seen or touched a real gold coin.
Seeing Shawn’s shocked expression, the smile on Marco’s lips deepened a few degrees, and a hint of disdain flashed in his eyes.
But the next second, the smile on his face suddenly froze.
Because unlike Shawn’s loss of composure,
Upon hearing the price he offered, Roland merely frowned imperceptibly and slowly shook his head.
“One gold coin?”
“I refuse, Mr. Marco.”