Rose took the form, glanced at it, and frowned.
Noah Sifel, Human, Male, Seventeen years old.
That was it. Birthplace blank, background blank, everything else blank. Honestly, just like that girl.
Rose's gaze towards Riveria silently conveyed this complaint. But she could only accept it helplessly and skillfully stamped the parchment with the acceptance seal.
As long as they weren't spies, anyone, regardless of origin, could become an adventurer. That was the rule of the labyrinth city.
...
After finishing the registration, Riveria and Noah left the Guild. But then, Riveria did not continue walking on the main road. Instead, after passing several stalls, she suddenly turned into a back alley. After winding through a complicated alleyway that made Noah certain he would get lost on his own, the two finally arrived in front of a stone bungalow.
"Noah-kun, you know the general difference between the production-type Familias and the exploration-type Familias in the city, right?"
"More or less. Exploration Familias, like our Loki Familia, primarily focus on entering the Dungeon to explore and acquire resources. I don't know many production Familias, but they mainly include the Demeter Familia, who provide most of the city's agricultural products; the Hephaestus Familia, who have a significant presence in weapons manufacturing; and the Dian Cecht Familia, who provide potions and medical services."
Riveria couldn't help but nod at Noah's analysis, a hint of a smile in her eyes. It was hard to say if it was because Noah said "our Loki Familia" or because this child also understood the city's overall structure.
Most adventurers only knew the locations of weapon shops, taverns, medical clinics, and the entertainment district; they didn't care where the vast amount of food needed for the city's population came from.
The fact that Noah ranked the Demeter Familia first showed he had some strategic thinking. No wonder Finn wanted to train him after just one meeting.
"The largest forging Familia is the Hephaestus Familia, which is quite good, but the Goibniu Familia, which has a priority partnership with our Loki Familia, is also excellent." Pointing to the emblem with three hammers adorning the door, Riveria pushed it open and explained to Noah.
The Goibniu Familia is a forging Familia that creates and repairs weapons and armor, and also undertakes construction projects. Although their fame and influence are far lower than the Hephaestus Familia's, the performance of the weapons they forge is comparable.
They could be called a simple and resolute Familia. The main difference between the two is that the Hephaestus Familia forges a large number of finished products and stocks them in weapon shops throughout the city, while the Goibniu Familia only starts forging after receiving commissions from adventurers. To be more precise, they specialize in custom orders, and their prices are generally lower than the Hephaestus Familia's for the same service. Therefore, among first-class adventurers, the Goibniu Familia is more respected.
The Loki Familia has a priority partnership with the Goibniu Familia. Simply put, the Goibniu Familia must prioritize providing weapon forging and maintenance services to the Loki Familia.
The precious forging materials obtained by the Loki Familia from the Dungeon should also be offered to the Goibniu Familia first for selection and purchase. This privilege is exclusive to the few powerful exploration Familias, like the Loki Familia, that can delve deep into the Dungeon and obtain rare materials.
In addition to Familias, some adventurers also sign direct contracts with specific blacksmiths. For example, Gareth collaborated with Tsubaki Collbrande of the Hephaestus Familia and exclusively used weapons forged by her for publicity.
"Excuse me, is anyone there?"
Entering the building, which perfectly suited the name "Forge," Noah could feel the burning heat coming from deep within, completely blowing away the winter wind outside. Riveria shouted, her voice cutting through the loud hammering sound.
Soon, a shirtless, muscular man walked out, wiping sweat from his head and greeting Riveria. "Oh! Isn't this Lady Riveria? Eh? Who's this young man?"
"A new member of our Familia."
Noah saluted at the right time. "I am Noah Sifel. Please take care of me."
"Um, is Lord Goibniu here? I'd like to ask him for help with something."
"The old man is inside. Please come in."
"Thank you very much."
Riveria led Noah through a door curtain and into the room inside. It was a room with sparse furniture, but it didn't look shabby due to the various weapons hanging on the walls. Inside, a god with the appearance of an old man sat contemplating a long sword.
Although his face was covered with wrinkles, he was still handsome. His burly figure had no excess fat, his muscles firm, vaguely reminiscent of a dwarf.
Neither Riveria nor Noah had entered stealthily, but the god kept staring at the sword, not even glancing at them. Riveria didn't say anything, so Noah could only stand quietly, looking at the weapons on the walls. They weren't gorgeous, but he instinctively felt their excellence.
After about three or four minutes, the white-haired old god, Goibniu, put down the sword and looked at Riveria. "What is it?"
"This is a new member of our Familia. I'd like to commission weapons and armor for him."
"Hm?" Noah, who originally thought they were just here to meet someone, turned and looked at Riveria in surprise when he heard this. "I don't have a single coin..."
Riveria blinked, a hint of playfulness appearing on her delicate face. "It's okay. I'll lend it to you, and you can pay me back later."
After hesitating for only three seconds, Noah gave up arguing and proceeded to salute Goibniu.
Just accept the help. It's not like I can't pay it back. I can't just throw away the chance for good gear for the sake of pride, right? If I really can't pay it back, then I'll have to...
"Your Familia always manages to find good seedlings..." After looking Noah over for more than ten seconds, Goibniu uttered these few words, as steady as iron ingots.
Faced with this kind of praise, Noah, didn't know whether to accept it or refute it, so he remained silent.
"What's the budget?"
"This child's growth rate is likely beyond imagination. It would be a waste to get ordinary armor. So let's just build a set based on a budget of 50 million Valis."
Goibniu, who had been calm until now, couldn't help but raise his eyebrows. He looked at Noah again. "Hmm, so you think he's that promising? I recently acquired some good materials, enough for armor, but as for weapons..."
After hearing "50 million Valis," Noah felt a little dizzy and quickly interrupted Goibniu. "Well, armor is enough. I think my weapon should be sufficient."
As Goibniu glanced over, Noah pulled the sword out of its gray scabbard. With a clang, the silver-white blade shone brightly, and a cold light spread across the room. Goibniu's face suddenly widened.
"Boy, can you let me see your sword?" When Noah hesitated, he added, "I'll give you a discount on the armor. 40 million Valis, how about that?"
Seeing Goibniu offer a 20% discount so readily, Noah instantly understood how much profit was involved.
My goodness, you look honest, but you're just as much of a profiteer as the Hephaestus Familia! Sooner or later, I have to learn how to smith. It makes money so quickly.
...
"Hmm!" Goibniu reached out with one hand, but as soon as he held the sword, he frowned. Although Goibniu's forging skills were still divine, his sealed Arcanum meant his physical strength was indeed within mortal limits. "...It's unexpectedly heavy. It's probably much heavier than Orichalcum, right? No, given the same volume, it's likely heavier than any other metal I've ever seen."
So Noah had to place it on the workbench next to him. Goibniu came over and turned on the magic stone lamp, which shone brightly as it was refracted and focused by multiple mirrors. Under its light, Riveria was able to see the sword in its entirety.
Except for the hilt wrapped with ordinary hemp rope, the sword was silver white all over, even having a crystal clear quality under the light, as gorgeous as a carefully carved work of art. Both sides of the blade were engraved with patterns resembling intertwined lightning and flames.
Upon closer inspection, these patterns were made up of tiny runes. Anyone seeing this sword for the first time would probably think it was just a decorative one-handed sword due to its gorgeous appearance. But the blade was at least 70cm long, and including the hilt, it was probably 90cm. It was undoubtedly a greatsword meant for slashing. And Goibniu had just mentioned it was denser than Orichalcum... Riveria speculated that the weight of this sword was probably no less than that of heavy weapons like claymores and axes. This conflict between its exquisite appearance and brutal nature gave Riveria an ominous feeling.
"What a wicked creation..." With a sigh full of emotion and astonishment, Goibniu finally took his eyes off the sword and looked at Noah. "Boy, if I were to ask you where this sword came from, you wouldn't tell me, would you?"
Feeling Riveria also looking at him curiously, Noah thought for a while and shook his head. "I don't know much else about it. I just heard that the sword was made from a piece of meteorite iron, melted in a volcano using fire from the earth's core to form its original shape. But it was soon lost. I found it on the top of a mountain that is struck by lightning year round."
Noah didn't lie, but he only told half of the story he knew. The material of this sword included not only meteorite iron but also the downfall of a race and an empire.
Thousands of years ago, to defeat the demons, the king of an empire that conquered most of the continent received an oracle and led his army overseas. He searched for meteorites in foreign lands and sent them to the dwarves, promising half the material in exchange for their help forging a weapon.
The meteorite iron was hammered in the fire of the earth's core for months but still could not take shape. The king, lost in desire, massacred the entire dwarf race, and their endless blood helped the sword finally form. However, the king who obtained the magic sword died in an attack on his way back, the army collapsed, and the empire fell apart.
The sword disappeared in the chaos until Noah discovered it again. In Noah's world, this sword was known as the Sword of Betrayal.
"What's its name?"
"Some call it Sword of Betrayal, but I prefer to call it Sword of Eternal Flow."
Staring at Noah with deep eyes, Goibniu nodded. "This sword truly possesses a terrifying power. I don't know whether to call it a holy sword or a demonic sword."
At Goibniu's wave, Noah stepped forward and put the Sword of Eternal Flow back into its sheath.
"Boy, a weapon that's too powerful can hinder the user's growth and even harm the wielder. You should have experienced this yourself. You've been using this weapon for a long time, right?"
Thinking of something, Noah's eyes couldn't help but wander. Riveria frowned slightly when she saw his expression.
Goibniu closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. "The budget of 40 million remains unchanged. I will do my best to create armor that matches this sword. Of course, I'll only do my best..."