In the frustrated gaze of the female clerk, Rocky helplessly left the shop, still puzzled about the situation even after he had stepped outside.
Had he said something wrong just now?
Shaking his head in confusion, he didn’t dwell on it much and directly headed for the second shop.
Upon entering the second shop, Rocky did the same as before, inquiring about the prices of magical equipment and once again asked if there was any cheapest magical equipment available, the cheaper, the better, even if it wasn’t inlaid with a micro magic stone instead of a small magic stone.
As soon as he made this request, the clerk hurriedly shook his head. While he wasn’t as disdainful as the previous female clerk, he nevertheless began to ignore Rocky soon after.
What Rocky didn’t know was that those who worked in weapon shops were experts, and they all knew one basic fact, that the minimum standard for mana equipment was to have one small magic stone inlaid. Only equipment with at least one small magic stone could be called mana equipment, and anything below this standard could not be considered as such.
The request Rocky had made clearly fell below this minimum standard, hence he naturally came back empty-handed.
Yet, having hit a wall twice in a row, Rocky was all the more persistent, asking at each shop he visited just as he had at the first two, thus, he went through seven or eight shops in a row without any intention of stopping.
Perseverance paid off, as after visiting more than a dozen shops and traversing several streets, he finally found what he was looking for in a secluded little store!
“Yes! Sir, we have what you are looking for right here!”
As soon as the thin-faced shopkeeper with a monkey-like expression heard Rocky’s request, he immediately showed a smile, “Sir, please give me a moment right here.”
After saying that, the shopkeeper turned and went into the back room of the shop, and not long after, he came out holding a round shield.
Holding the round shield close to Rocky, the shopkeeper said with a beaming smile, “Sir, this is the magic energy equipment you wanted. It’s impossible to tell anything from its workmanship or material. It looks just like normal magic energy equipment, and moreover…”
Meanwhile, the shopkeeper turned the shield over, pointing at the magic stone inlaid on the back, “And look, this magic stone can only provide the mana of a micro magic stone, but its appearance and size are exactly like that of a small magic stone, absolutely indistinguishable from the real thing!”
After saying this, the shopkeeper laughed heartily at Rocky, with an expression that said ‘you know what I mean’.
From the shopkeeper’s various behaviors, it was clear that he mistook Rocky for a swindler who dealt in fake magic energy equipment!
Indeed, the magic energy shield he was introducing to Rocky was a counterfeit!
This shield, although inlaid with a magic stone, only had a micro magic stone, which could indeed provide mana, but the amount it provided was insufficient for battle, making it a genuinely fake piece of magic energy equipment.
This was also the very reason that Rocky kept facing rejection in the previous shops because to those clerks, his description of mana equipment was simply akin to seeking a fake!
For legitimate weapon shops, selling poor-quality weapons and equipment was strictly forbidden since it directly affected the shop’s reputation, even touching on the most fundamental ethical bottomline.
What is the purpose of weapons and equipment?
They are for battle!
Therefore, if there’s any issue with the quality of weapons and equipment, it could be a matter of life and death, and no weapon shop would dare to play tricks on this issue, as it could mean the end for the shop if something went wrong.
However, there are always exceptions, for when the forest grows, all kinds of birds will fly into it. Knowing that selling substandard weapons and equipment was unethical, there were still some unscrupulous merchants who engaged in such business in the shadows, much like the shopkeeper now.
Before this, Rocky certainly had no knowledge of these matters, but when he saw the expression on the boss’s face as he faced him, he pretty much understood what was going on.
Yet, after that, not only did he say nothing, but he also took the fake Magic Energy Shield, looked it over, and then nodded his head in satisfaction, as though the shield was exactly to his liking!
“Sir, may I have a word with you?”
At that moment, as Rocky was nodding incessantly at the shield in his hand, Monte, who had followed him for a day, could no longer hold back and called him aside.
“Sir, are you planning to buy equipment for the Guard Corps?”
“Yes, what about it?”
Rocky glanced at Monte with an unconscious look of surprise, as if Monte was asking something he already knew.
Indeed, Monte was asking a question to which he already knew the answer because, since Rocky had brought him to Eternal City, he had never treated Monte like an outsider and had not done anything without including him. So, Monte was indeed aware of Rocky’s intentions.
But it was precisely because he knew what Rocky intended to do that Monte asked the question—he meant to remind Rocky!
Seeing that Rocky completely missed his point, Monte felt he had to elaborate: “Sir, are you planning to equip the Thunderhawk City Guard Corps with new gear and then lead them on Mercenary Guild missions?”
“Exactly.”
“Sir, if you really intend to do so, this kind of shield simply won’t do. After all, the majority of the Mercenary Guild’s missions involve facing demons,” Monte said straightforwardly after looking Rocky in the eye.
Although he had only been with Rocky for two days, Monte had already understood the City Lord’s financial situation—it wasn’t wealthy, but that didn’t make Monte think less of Rocky. In fact, it was quite the opposite; it made him respect Rocky even more.
Monte had observed every action of Rocky’s since his arrival in Eternal City, noting that he didn’t lead a life of debauchery like other City Lords or nobles. Rocky certainly had the means to do so; even though he wasn’t rich, he could still come up with tens of thousands of Gold Coins, enough to enjoy several days in Eternal City.
But Rocky didn’t do that; he saved almost all of his money and never spent it frivolously—all his expenditures had clear purposes.
And this series of actions had left a very good impression on Monte, even making him consider staying at Rocky’s side. If he could follow a City Lord like that, Monte felt it wouldn’t be too bad.
However, Rocky’s actions today greatly disappointed Monte!
Monte knew Rocky was planning to buy equipment for the Guard Corps and that Rocky wasn’t rich, but even so, one should not purchase such shoddily made fake Magic Energy Shields for one’s own guards, should they?
This behavior had surpassed the limit of what Monte could tolerate!
If Rocky was planning to take on Mercenary Guild tasks, it meant that he would be leading his guards into land combat, into battle with demons on land!
And once the battle ensued, could one even imagine what would become of the Thunderhawk City guards relying on these fake Magic Energy Shields? If soldiers were sent into combat with demons wielding such fake shields, wasn’t Rocky essentially making a joke out of his subordinates’ lives?
So, Monte could no longer hold back.
He felt he must remind Rocky because such behavior was no longer fitting of a person, not even the coldest-hearted or most frugal City Lord would do such a thing!