Ringo arrived in front of Bradd's store with Ames and Aesop just as Austin and Ringo's clone began talking.
The streets, with their dilapidated wooden houses and uneven cobblestone streets, looked exactly the same as when he first left.
Bradd's shop east of the small town remained the same, not much different from the surrounding houses, except for the same wooden sign with the simple words: "Bradd's Alchemy and Enchantments".
Ringo was ready to enter the store, but he was surprised even before that.
The wood door opened with a click, and Bradd, still wearing a blue robe, appeared, all dressed up, his long hair and beard neatly combed, and he had a grin from ear to ear.
-Welcome, guests, to Bradd's humble shop of alchemy and enchantments.- He said in the softest voice the old mage could muster.
Ringo blinked, blinked again, looking at Bradd who seemed like a completely different person, but Bradd didn't even look at Ringo, his eyes focused on Ames with evident "kindness".
Ringo's lips trembled as he rolled his eyes, that old man was truly two-faced.
Ames stared at Bradd with evident curiosity, she hadn't been very involved with mages, especially those with artisan professions. Aesop, on the other hand, had been involved with many, he had even had a complete set of equipment forged by a mage friend that would make a Grade A envious.
So Aesop simply looked at Bradd calmly, completely unimpressed.
Ringo ignored the two-faced man and spoke directly. -I need help forging something.
Bradd finally turned his gaze to Ringo, a soft glint in his eyes, he seemed very relieved to hear this. -Of course! Of course! I'll forge the best equipment for you, 30%... no! 50% off! After all, you're an important client!
The trio fell silent, each lost in their own thoughts, but Ringo felt that the next time he came, he should drag Ames along again.
Bradd made way for the passage and the three finally entered.
Aesop glanced at the antiques around the shop with little interest, Ames followed suit, clearly curious about everything. If it weren't for Ringo needing to speak with Bradd, she would have already dragged the old Mage along to find out what each of these things did.
Bradd swallowed hard and stepped back a little with Ringo. A small spell shone over them, preventing the sound they made from escaping, and he spoke softly and quickly. -Friend, I know I was a little... careless the last time we saw each other, but you didn't need to drag the Dragon Emperor to my shop!
Ringo chuckled lightly, speaking. -I didn't bring her here on purpose. She came to visit Austin, and when she heard I was going to ask for help with a weapon, she wanted to come. It was completely coincidental.
This seemed to relieve Bradd somewhat, but he was still nervous so close to Ames, shaking his elderly head, he asked. - So tell me quickly, what do you want this time?
Ringo didn't say much, he took the pieces of his old bow and presented them to Bradd. - Is there any way to fix this?
Bradd stared at the pieces, his eyes gleaming with magic before his lips trembled. - Boy, this is scrap metal. I couldn't even use it to make the simplest Grade E equipment. It's better to just throw it away.
Ringo frowned, he had expected this. The mineral looked the same on the outside, only its energy was extinguished, but its properties had already been lost.
This made Ringo sigh slightly, sadly putting the fragments away.
He then took out the items he had brought this time, the piece of white wood, the ice core, the heart of the Volcanic Dragon, Maktru, Void Dragon bones, and various other supplementary materials—placing them all in front of Bradd.
-Can you make a new bow with this?- Ringo asked.
Bradd began to calmly assess the items, they were all of good quality, but in the end he shook his head. -Most of the items are good, but they have incompatible properties or little synergy. Ice, fire and stone, void, life... it's a big mix.
He picked up the heart of the Volcanic Dragon and spoke. - This is a good thing, if it were a Void Dragon heart it would be enough to upgrade your spear into a living weapon, unfortunately it's just a Volcanic Dragon heart.
Ringo narrowed his eyes, unhappy. -So what? Am I going to have to get more materials?
-Not necessarily. You could choose to make a bow with some of those materials. The Maktru can be converted into a metallic bow using the ice core or the volcanic dragon heart as a power source. The other two materials are incompatible.- Bradd shrugged. -Although it would be a waste to use the volcanic dragon heart for that, that thing would be great for building a battle golem.
-Battle golem?- Ringo asked curiously.
-Yes, a very strong one, it's practically a magical version of mechanical troops, but much more expensive to make. Besides, you'd need a soul compatible with the core, the rest of the materials are easy to obtain.- Bradd explained.
Ringo thought for a moment. -How strong are these Golems? Are they loyal enough?
Bradd scratched his chin, seeing that Ringo was interested, and spoke. - It depends on the soul used, to be honest, golems have their own types, you can choose a purely magical golem without a soul, but it's not very strong, the golem with a soul, on the other hand, is stronger and has independent thought.