Great Journey: Whims of Fate

Bastion purchased the Whispering Owl for a few gold coins and promptly used the Summon Familiar skill book, gaining the ability. He then formed a contract with the owl, who accepted after a few bribes in the form of treats.

The Whispering Owl was green with brown talons, making her perfect for camouflaging among the trees. After becoming a familiar, she gained a wind affinity, and Bastion named her Zephy.

He noted the updated status:

Summon Familiar (Zephy) 1

Then continued on to their final destination for the day, the Crafters Guild.

Its lobby resembled a massive shopping mall, with goods displayed in shops throughout the space.

There were weapons and armor for days, materials of every kind, repair services, magic devices, potions, armored carriages, and even tents spacious enough to fit a mansion.

The sheer variety, quality, and utility of the goods on display was genuinely impressive.

With the magic items sold here, living out in the wild and traveling from place to place would no longer be an inconvenience. It would be like living in a mansion whose scenery changed every day.

'Living the life of an adventurer would be quite pleasant with all the conveniences they sell here,' Bastion thought as he continued his window shopping.

"What do you think about giving up the life of nobility to travel the world as an adventurer, Eli?" Bastion suddenly asked.

"So long as I am by your side, Master, any life is worth living," Elyra replied without hesitation.

'I don't deserve this woman,' Bastion thought honestly.

"Tell me honestly."

"I am being honest."

"You must have a preferred life, so long as I'm with you."

"Being with you is my preferred life."

Bastion sighed, feeling the weight of her honest devotion. It wasn't guilt, it was responsibility. He felt like he had to become a Master truly worthy of her loyalty, and at this point, nothing short of godhood would seem enough.

"Let me change the question then. Would you rather be with me every day at the castle, safe and comfortable surrounded by our children, or travel to unknown lands, growing stronger together?"

"Hmm… Master would be safer at the castle," she said thoughtfully. "But growing stronger sounds good too. That way, I can protect Master better."

'No mention of children... so all she cares about is me? I really don't deserve this woman,' Bastion thought with a deep sigh.

Suddenly, Bastion's senses detected the aura of the woman he had seen yesterday. He turned just in time to see the cloaked figure slip into a materials shop.

Curious to get a closer look at what kind of person she was, Bastion followed her inside.

The shop was lined with raw minerals for sale, available either in pieces or in bulk.

Bastion browsed casually, genuinely interested in their stock. 

He remembered reading about some of these materials during his youth at the library, particularly magical variants of steel that might serve as excellent gun barrels.

He wasn't interested in becoming a sniper, cowboy, or bounty hunter, but the idea of creating a gatling cannon to mow down weak monsters without spending mana or stamina intrigued him greatly. His older brother, who served in the duke's army, could certainly make use of such a weapon.

"Thank you for the purchase," the shop clerk said as the woman finished her transaction.

"Excuse me, miss," Bastion called out, trying to grab her attention.

The woman suddenly froze, and without even glancing at him, bolted for the door and disappeared into the crowd.

"Whaddya do to her? She took off like a horned rabbit meeting a dire wolf," the shopkeeper asked.

He was a dwarf, standing around 5'6" (1.67 m) tall, with an impossibly broad build that made him appear shorter than he actually was.

"I don't know. I just wanted to get to know her. Any idea why she ran?" Bastion asked.

"Nope. You a noble?" the dwarf asked, squinting at him.

"Noble's son, yes."

"That might explain it. Nobles don't exactly have the best reputation with common folk."

"I suppose so," Bastion said, a bit thoughtful.

"Well, what're you looking for?"

"Got anything stronger than iron or denser than tungsten?"

"I'll do you one better," the dwarf said, raising a blood-red bar of metal.

"This here's Blood Iron. A Rank 1 metal, stronger than steel and denser than tungsten. It's iron that's absorbed decades' worth of blood from Rank 1 and 2 monsters. Got plenty of it if you're interested."

"What about Rank 2 metals?"

"Wouldn't recommend it unless you're a smith. Can't melt the stuff with a regular fire. Blood Iron's your best bet."

"Any composite recipes to go along with it?"

"Won't find any. Blood Iron's perfect as it is, and no one's wasting money researching something stronger when they can just use Rank 2 metals directly."

"I'll keep looking around then."

"Just don't scare off my customers," the dwarf said, smirking.

"Sure thing," Bastion replied with a shrug.

He continued browsing until he spotted a sign for Fire Crystals. These Rank 1 crystals would serve as an excellent replacement for gunpowder. The crystals explode when exposed to enough heat or pressure.

If he could form them into casings and pair them with Blood Iron bullets, he could create ammunition capable of tearing through most Rank 1 monsters with ease.

'I'll still need something stronger for the barrel if I'm using Blood Iron for the bullets,' he thought. 'Definitely need a stronger composite. Maybe charcoal made from Rank 1 Blood Trees could help turn it into Blood Steel.'

"Are Fire Crystals in demand?" Bastion asked.

"Can hardly move the stuff," the dwarf replied. "Enchanters already whip up explosive arrows without using them. That lass just now bought out my whole batch. Got it off me for cheap too."

Bastion nodded before exiting the store to continue his window shopping.

He wasn't planning to work on this personal project anytime soon. He needed to graduate from the Royal Academy before thinking about it any further, and that was still five years away, as far as he was concerned.

For now, his priority was improving his skills and mastering free-cast magic to the peak of Apprentice Rank before leveling up with the Diamond Knight class and advancing in rank.

The next store he visited was an armor shop.

Inside, there was a wide variety of armor on display, from cloth armor, heavily enchanted and favored by mages, to leather armor, available in pieces or full-body suits, preferred by agile fighters. There was also medium armor, popular among warriors for offering protection without sacrificing too much mobility.

Then there was heavy armor, sold either in separate pieces or full-body sets, designed to be so secure that even a dagger strike couldn't slip through unless the attacker was strong enough to pierce it outright. Even then, any damage would be greatly reduced.

The one that caught Bastion's eye was a full-body knight armor. Sure, it would restrict his range of motion and dull his senses somewhat, but the enchanted versions had flexible joints and sensory enhancements to compensate.

The set Bastion was eyeing even had interior temperature control, keeping him cool during battle. It cost about ten platinum coins for a full set of enchanted Apprentice Rank full-body heavy armor, while the Rank 1 version cost roughly ten times as much.

It seemed cheap to him at first, until he considered how commoners, who mostly dealt in copper and silver coins and rarely touched gold, would find it nearly impossible to afford.

Even adventurers would have to work hard for an entire year just to buy a set, only to wear it out within a month of regular use.

'So, full-body knight armor is unrealistic for most people. They're better off wearing individual pieces where it matters most,' Bastion thought.

Having gotten an idea of his future expenses for armor, Bastion moved on to a weapon shop, and was mildly disappointed.

Most of the weapons were basic, with enchantments focused on cutting, durability, and self-repair. He had been hoping to find magic weapons imbued with active skills, but perhaps those required higher-ranked enchantments that wouldn't be sold here on the public first floor.

Still, he did find an impressive variety of whip swords. Apart from their retractability, they could come with elemental effects, binding enchantments, paralysis effects, or enhanced cutting power.

More importantly, he found his ideal shield: a narrow, full-body shield shaped like a tall diamond. As far as Bastion was concerned, it offered the perfect amount of coverage, and it even featured a rotating arm strap, allowing the user to stab with the pointed bottom edge.

Any self-respecting shield user knew the advantage of a full-body shield: it allowed you to plant it against the ground for leverage, cutting the strain of blocking attacks by more than half when using proper technique.

It was the same reason Bastion had switched from a kite shield to a full-body shield back at the training grounds. It allowed him to resist knockbacks, unless the enemy used a skill specifically designed for it.

Choosing a diamond-shaped design with a pointed base also let him pivot around it smoothly, without the need to lift the shield each time he turned. It made fighting mobile opponents much easier and conserved precious stamina.

Having finished his personal agenda for the day's window shopping, Bastion decided it was time to head back. However, on his way out, he spotted an herb store with an elf working as the shopkeeper.

Elves, true to their fantasy roots, were known as nature lovers with a talent for cultivating magical herbs deep within their forests. If an elf was selling herbs here, it was a strong sign that the merchandise was legitimate.

Curious, Bastion decided to take a peek before leaving.

The shopkeeper remained silent as he browsed through the selection, and eventually, he found exactly what he was looking for: Manaleaf, a magical herb that boosted mana regeneration when smoked like a cigarette.

Bastion had smoked quite frequently during the most stressful years of his life. He had always kept it away from home, limiting the habit to work, but he still remembered the rush of relief it gave him.

Now, these herbs could be used to accelerate his free-cast magic training each night.

In the end, Bastion bought out the shop's entire stock for a single mithril coin. He would have to roll it himself, but he didn't plan on smoking more than one each night for training anyway.

Thus, ended his time spent window shopping in Aurenthal City. 

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