Leaving all the data collection, measuring body dimensions, recording personal usage habits, and noting special requirements, to his grandson Arman, the old smith turned to the other two with his hands behind his back.
"Are you two also here to have new equipment forged?"
Isis shook her head rapidly. She did want to change to a new weapon, but her purpose for coming today wasn't to place an order.
Nymera blinked, hesitating for a few seconds before asking, "Master, do you know any smiths who can forge Armor for a Palamute?"
She kept her question intentionally vague.
This wasn't Kamura Village. In the eyes of outsiders, especially those who lacked understanding of Palamutes, they might just be seen as giant dogs.
Although they were hunting partners, Palamutes lacked the human-like wisdom and intellect of the Lynian races. To some extent, they might be perceived as similar to pack animals like Popo or Aptonoth.
An ordinary smith might not care, but asking a master craftsman of such high standing and reputation as the one before her to forge a set of Armor for Hibiki might be taken as an insult.
The old smith was sharp for his age; after glancing at Nymera for a few moments, he saw right through her concerns. "There is no need to be so cautious. I have hosted quite a few Hunters from Kamura Village, and I know how important Palamutes are to you.
"However, to be honest, I have never personally forged armor for a four-legged creature like a Palamute. The quality of the final product would hardly compare to that of an experienced artisan.
"There might not be a suitable candidate in Metapetatto either. If you want to forge equipment for a Palamute, you might try going to Minegarde Town or Harth.
"The former has established routes with Kamura Village, so there are relatively more Kamura Hunters passing through. The latter is a village of the Troverian race; their forging techniques are unrivaled in the Old World, and there is nothing they cannot handle."
"I see. I understand now, thank you very much," Nymera said, feeling a bit disappointed but still giving a polite thanks.
The old smith nodded and looked at the eager Isis. "And you, tall young lady?"
"I'd like to ask for some advice!"
Isis quickly unslung the Defender Gunlance from her back and showed it to the old smith. "I feel like now that I've entered 4★, this Gunlance is a bit insufficient. I wanted to ask what kind of new weapon would be suitable to switch to!"
The old smith scrutinized the Gunlance Isis had set down, occasionally taking out a small hammer and tapping on it. After a long while, he looked up. "Remarkable craftsmanship. May I ask which master forged this Gunlance?
"To create a weapon of this caliber using only a few relatively common ores is not something an ordinary smith could achieve. Even I could not match it."
Isis scratched her head. "It was a friend of my parents, a wyverian artisan Uncle Smithy in Val Habar."
"A Wyverian artisan from Val Habar? I know who you mean. No wonder." The old smith nodded slightly. "The Defender Gunlance is an excellent weapon, a masterpiece of mass-production technology.
"It still has strength to spare against 3★ Monsters, but it is indeed a bit lacking for hunting 4★ Monsters." "However, that master used his own skills to force the performance of this weapon up a grade, making it exceed the average level for a 4-star Hunter's weapon.
"Logically speaking, it should still be enough for you. After all, hasn't it been less than two months since you were promoted to 4★?"
He still had some memory of the Basarios Armor Set Isis was wearing.
"O-our luck has been rather poor," Isis said, unable to think of a better reason and forced to blame fortune. "We've encountered 5★ Monsters several times in these past two months."
"..." The old smith fell silent.
Generally speaking, those who said such things were usually those fond of overextending themselves, but he decided not to press for details.
"If you are looking for a Gunlance crafted from 4★ Monster materials, there aren't many choices. I only recommend two. Compared to your current Defender Gunlance, any others wouldn't offer a significant improvement, so there's no need for a specialized build.
"The first is the 'Princess Panoply' crafted from Rathian materials. This model is a prime example of a shelling-type Gunlance. If you choose this weapon, I suggest hunting multiple Rathian repeatedly to select the finest materials and upgrade it into the Ortlinde series. That is one of the best shelling Gunlances.
"The second is the 'Violet Cannon' crafted from Plum Daimyo Hermitaur materials. The most prominent advantage of this model is its sturdiness (Defense +40). It could be called the strongest defensive Gunlance obtainable during the Low Rank period. Its disadvantage is that the Plum Daimyo Hermitaur Subspecies is extremely rare, making materials very difficult to acquire."
Isis looked a bit fidgety. "They both sound like great weapons, but I feel like they don't quite suit me."
"Don't quite suit you?" The old smith seemed to misunderstand her meaning. "Don't look down on them just because they are made from 4★ Monster materials; their potential for future upgrades is immense.
"The upgraded Great Ortlinde and Violet Buster are top-tier weapons that even high-rank Hunters use."
"How should I put it?" Isis struggled to organize her thoughts to explain. "I'm not exactly a Gunlance user who focuses on shelling, nor am I a pure heavily armored hunter."
"I see." The old smith tapped his chin.
The Rathian and Plum Daimyo Hermitaur Gunlances both belonged to models with very distinct advantages. If the user could not fully utilize those strengths, they would indeed not be considered a good fit.
"In that case, we can only set our sights on 5★ Monsters."
The old smith swept a deep glance over the clearly restless young Hunters. "For 5★ Monsters, the choices are more varied. The Tigrex Gunlance, Rathalos Gunlance, Glavenus Gunlance, and Seltas Queen Gunlance are all quite excellent options."
Having said that, the old smith paused and added, "These are all models that emphasize offense and are not limited strictly to shelling."
"Thank you, thank you!" Isis bowed repeatedly in gratitude.
The young girl's polite attitude pleased the old smith, making him willing to offer more guidance. "These types of Gunlance also differ from one another. Which specific model suits you depends on your personal habits.
"Can you describe your preferred fighting style? The blade of that Defender Gunlance of yours seems longer and heavier than the standard model. Was it custom-made?"
"Mhm! I like to use my Large Shield to block the Monster's attacks, shove them back, and then use the Gunlance to hack and bash them! Bashing while firing shells at the same time!" Isis said straightforwardly.
"...That is certainly... a courageous way to fight." The old smith was somewhat baffled. "So why didn't you try the Great Sword or the Charge Blade?"
Isis gave a dry laugh. "There are a lot of reasons for that."
"Fine." The old smith took off his reading glasses. "The 'Tigrex Gunlance' crafted from Tigrex materials has the highest destructive power among these choices, but it has no blade, only a tip made from a Wyvern Claw.
"Though the heavy body can still be used for bashing, the power of those strikes will always be hampered.
"The 'Red Rook' crafted from Rathalos materials has a similar issue. That Gunlance is shaped like a traditional knight's lance, which also isn't very suitable for hacking and bashing.
"The Seltas Queen Gunlance has two branches, 'Monsieur Gore' and 'Madame Butcher.' The difference between them lies mainly in the type of Shells. However, this model is very thick and heavy with many jagged edges on the surface, so it works perfectly fine as a mace. I've heard little Balina say you are very strong; you might find it fits your hand well.
"But if we're talking about the best one for hacking and bashing, it would have to be the 'Burning Kabeira' crafted from Glavenus materials, wouldn't it? Rather than a Gunlance, that weapon is more like a Large Shield paired with a Great Sword that can fire shells..."
As the old smith spoke, he pulled out a pen and paper from the counter and sketched a simple outline of the Gunlance's shape.
"A Large Shield plus a Great Sword that can fire shells?!" Isis's eyes visibly lit up.
This was it! This was exactly what she wanted!
(Translated by yourtl.app)