Side: Edward
Marina and I, who had handed over the armor known as Crest Armor to Yamato and the others, headed to the Crafter’s Guild.
The reason, of course, was to reveal the Jade Silver and Blue-Gray Iron.
I had also forged one-handed straight swords using each alloy as a sample, so I brought those along as well.
Though, they’re still not as good as the swords belonging to Grandpa or Talos.
Since it concerns metals, I had them call in the chief of the blacksmithing department, Smith Chief, but that Smith Chief, Garaba, the Crafter’s Master Raberna, and for some reason, Fiana, were in the Crafter’s Master’s room, intensely scrutinizing the ingots and swords I had brought.
The Crafter’s Guild has several departments, including blacksmithing, tailoring, and cooking.
While the head of the tailoring department is concurrently the Crafter’s Master, as she is a tailor, other departments are overseen by department heads called Chiefs.
Smith Chief is Garaba, a Dwarf and an M-rank Crafter, who is also a close friend of my father.
“I-incredible…”
“…Ed, you’ve developed something unbelievable.”
“That’s for sure. What in the world is this ingot? How could anyone possibly create such an astonishing material? And two types at that.”
I wouldn’t have thought of this at all if Yamato hadn’t mentioned it.
I truly think Yamato’s knowledge from his world is amazing.
“The green one is a 2:1 mixture of Magic Silver and Crystal Silver, and the blue one is a 2:1 mixture of Adamantine Steel and Crystal Silver. We melt them using Melting, mix them while they’re still molten, and then refine them using Deforming. Yamato suggested it when I was trying to figure out a solution for weapon issues, and it sounded interesting, so I tried it, and this is what resulted.”
“I see, so this is why you proposed the new magic. Is the idea from Yamato, that is, from a guest’s knowledge?”
“Yes, they call it Alloy. I named the green one Jade Silver and the blue one Blue-Gray Iron, after legendary metals from his world.”
I think it was something like Sun-Red Gold.
Well, in his world, Divine Metal, Adamantine Steel, and Magic Silver are all legendary metals that don’t exist.
“An alloy from the Helios Orb, named after the legendary metals from a guest’s world? That’s a good name.”
“I think so too. Still, I never expected you to bring anything so incredible. I wouldn’t be exaggerating to say that each is a rank above Magic Silver or Adamantine Steel. High-class adventurers, who worry about weapons, would desperately want these.”
“For High-class adventurers, weapons only last for a few months at best. That’s not enough to entrust your life to, and it would put not only your own life but also the lives of your comrades at risk. However, weapons made from this Jade Silver and Blue-Gray Iron might last considerably longer. While sales of weapons might drop, the bigger problem is High-class adventurers losing their lives, so setting a higher price should make it profitable.”
Right.
High Hunters use weapons made from either Magic Silver or Adamantine Steel, depending on their preference.
The Order’s Guild unifies their weapons with Magic Silver because they can mine it domestically. However, some in the High Order apparently prefer Adamantine Steel. So, regarding weapons, it comes down to preference for the Orders as well.
But regardless of which metal they use, there’s the unavoidable issue of weapon lifespan.
Magic Silver compensates for its lack of strength with Magic Power, and Adamantine Steel forces a large amount of Magic Power through its low Magic Power conductivity. Thus, at best, weapons last six months, and at worst, they reach their lifespan and break in less than a month.
Divine Metal, which possesses the properties of both, would solve the problem, but on the Philia Continent, it can only be obtained from Labyrinths.
Furthermore, the probability of acquiring it is low, and the price is astronomically high. It’s not uncommon for even High-class adventurers to never lay eyes on it in their lifetime.
However, Jade Silver and Blue-Gray Iron are like upgraded versions of their base metals, Magic Silver and Adamantine Steel, in terms of performance. This means they can be used as a natural extension of Magic Silver or Adamantine Steel.
In terms of weight, Jade Silver is slightly heavier than Magic Silver, and Blue-Gray Iron is about two-thirds the weight of Adamantine Steel. However, it feels closer to familiar metals than Divine Metal, which is about the same weight as iron, making it usable. In this regard, it might even be superior to Divine Metal.
“I agree with the Crafter’s Master. But the issue is, what price should we set?”
“Indeed. I’ve heard the method of creation, but given the process involved, a price of 10,000 El is out of the question. Fiana, what do you think?”
“M-me!? Uh, considering the total sales, I’d say at least 30,000 El for Jade Silver and 50,000 El for Blue-Gray Iron. No, in some countries, it might even reach 100,000 El.”
Although Fiana was suddenly asked, she does work as Raberna’s secretary, so she has had opportunities to discuss such matters.
Her proposal is acceptable to me as well.
Amister is a producer of Magic Silver and Crystal Silver, and Valentia produces Adamantine Steel. In these two countries, the price won’t be as high.
However, other countries are not so fortunate.
While it can sometimes be obtained in Labyrinths, the quantity is never significant, so most countries rely on imports.
Naturally, this leads to higher prices.
But there’s an even bigger problem.
“I’ll leave the pricing to you, but I’d like you to keep Solenne and Retisencia, as well as Valiente, from finding out about this.”
“I understand about Solenne and Retisencia, but Valiente too?”
Garaba tilted his head.
I understand why.
“Yes. That’s the condition from the originator.”
“If that’s the case, it can’t be helped. While I understand about Solenne, which has no Guild, and Retisencia, which is withdrawing, Valiente will be difficult. After all, Valiente is an ally of Amister and shares a border with them. So, no matter how thoroughly the Crafter’s Guild tries, it will be impossible to prevent rumors from spreading. Of course, the same applies to Solenne and Retisencia.”
They are aware of that.
Since the manufacturing method will be made public, it’s likely that Valiente will be able to produce it themselves not long from now.
Still, it will buy us time, and during that period, Amister’s superiority can be secured. So, it seems their plan is to suppress it until then.
“It will be difficult, but if that’s the case, we’ll set a high price. Valiente is sandwiched between Amister and Valentia, so they can easily obtain Magic Silver, Crystal Silver, and Adamantine Steel. However, there’s a possibility it could flow to Solenne from there.”
I hadn’t considered that possibility.
But it’s true, Valiente is situated between Amister, Valentia, and Solenne. So, through Valiente, the manufacturing method or finished products of Jade Silver and Blue-Gray Iron might leak to Solenne.
Could it be that they mentioned Valiente’s name not only because of Prim’s issue, but also due to this possibility?
“Indeed. However, 100,000 El each is certainly too much. I believe the market price should be around 50,000 El and 70,000 El respectively. Let’s decide on that after the situation stabilizes. So, uh, how about 70,000 El for Jade Silver and 80,000 El for Blue-Gray Iron?”
“I agree with Garaba on the market price, so I think that’s fine. I don’t know when the situation will stabilize, but we’ll agree to lower it if Yamato says so.”
“Indeed. Ed, for now, the price has been decided. Hey, Ed?”
“Hellooo! Can you hear me? The price is set!”
“Whoa!? Don’t shout so loud right next to my ear!”
I was lost in thought when Marina suddenly shouted next to my ear.
My ears hurt…
What? The price has been decided?
“Ah, so for now, it’s 70,000 and 80,000, and it will be lowered to 50,000 and 70,000 once the issue is resolved or stabilizes. Understood.”
It’s higher than I expected, but since the Crafter’s Master and Smith Chief decided it, it’s probably appropriate.
That’s not something I need to interfere with.
“Also, naturally, this will be reported to the Grand Crafter’s Master. You’ll likely need to bring the actual items, so you should go directly to the Royal Capital.”
“What, seriously?”
“It’s not just for that, but report your marriage to Marina and Fiana. Your mother and the others have been waiting to hear when you’d get married.”
“And on top of that, I have to report my marriage too? And why Fiana?!”
“Hahaha. Actually, I heard rumors from Prim and Marina. They said that soon Ed would bring something unbelievably world-changing.”
I couldn’t help but glare at Marina.
What has this woman done!
“Is it better to do it sooner rather than later? Plus, Fiana has accepted a commission to build a Wing Crest Beast Carriage. With the payment for that, she’s getting quite close to her goal.”
“Seriously!? Wait, Fiana looks surprised too, as if she didn’t expect this.”
“It’s true. Moreover, with a 10x enchantment using Mirroring, the payment for Fiana this time will be at least 100,000 El.”
Amazing.
To receive such a large payment at once is comparable to a high-rank Crafter.
And again, it’s related to those guys. Even though it’s a formal commission, it feels a bit staged.
Well, Fiana getting freed up earlier is something I hope for as well.
