Tyler looked at the woman, a slight frown tugging at the corners of his mouth. The swift change in her deanor from helpful to sales-pitch was jarring. *Well, that was a quick change. What is this, custor service?* he mused. Aloud, he said, "What kind of barrels do you have?"
The woman bead, her smile wide and practiced. "Well, as you've seen before, we have all kinds of sizes. Which one are you interested in? Small, dium, or large?"
"How much is the biggest one you have?" Tyler asked, his tone neutral.
"Right," the woman said, her smile unwavering. "The largest barrel costs fifteen gold, but I can let you have it for fourteen. How about that?"
Tyler raised an eyebrow. *This is a knockoff. How can a barrel cost fifteen gold? It's a freaking barrel.* He said, "You know what, is there anywhere else around here that sells barrels?"
The woman's smile faltered, replaced by a look of clear disappointnt. Her shoulders slumped slightly. "No," she said, her voice losing so of its earlier cheer. "Why would you want to buy barrels anywhere else?"
"Well, the price is too high," Tyler explained, "I don't have that much money on right now."
The woman's expression shifted again, a mixture of appraisal and sothing akin to pity replacing her disappointnt. She leaned forward slightly, her gaze assessing him. "All right, so you're poor. I an, you kind of looked like you had quite a bit of money on you, and you're a C-rank hunter. But I guess even those kinds of hunters don't always carry a lot of gold on them, huh?"
"What the hell are you talking about?" Tyler said, his voice sharper now. He sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "All right, I'll buy the barrel."
"Really?" The woman's face brightened considerably.
"But," Tyler added, "I'm going to buy it for thirteen gold."
The woman hesitated for only a mont before nodding. "Give the gold, and it's sold."
Tyler reached into his pocket, thirteen gold coins materializing in his hand with a faint shimr. He counted them out carefully before handing them to the woman.
The woman received the money, her fingers closing gently around the coins. Her eyes sparkled as the gold reflected in their depths. *She really likes gold, huh?* Tyler thought, watching her.
"Alright, good sir," she said, her voice bright. "Right this way." She led Tyler back into the room they ca from. Barrels of varying sizes were stacked haphazardly against one wall, a chaotic pyramid reaching almost to the ceiling. Tyler spotted the largest barrel, its height easily reaching his shoulder. It was impressively wide, too, and he found himself wondering how they managed to stack them so precariously. *How did they stack these two on top of each other like this?* he thought, studying the precarious arrangent. The barrels were stacked so high they almost touched the ceiling.
"It's a lot easier with no water inside," the woman said, seemingly reading his thoughts.
Tyler looked at the towering stack of barrels. "Oh, well, okay then," he said, "but how do we get one? It's not like we're going to remove the ones supporting the others to get one from up there."
"Well, you're a hunter, aren't you?" the woman replied, a knowing smile playing on her lips.
Tyler sighed. "Yeah, but…" He trailed off, looking at the barrels, considering his options. He studied the stack, trying to determine the best way to access the largest barrel. Suddenly, one of the barrels near the top shimred blue, then vanished, appearing in Tyler's inventory.
"Oh," the woman said, her eyes widening slightly. "Was that so type of skill?"
"Yeah," Tyler replied, a hint of pride in his voice.
The woman's smile vanished, replaced by a serious expression. "You better not be thinking of taking all of these," she said, her voice firm. "I'll call the guards."
"Hey," Tyler protested, "I thought you had better custor service than this."
"Now you're talking to as if I'm so kind of thief! Why would I steal all this?" Tyler exclaid, his voice rising in frustration.
"Oh," the woman said, her expression softening slightly, "it's not my fault you have a suspicious-looking face." She eyed Tyler's necklace, a glint of sothing unreadable in her eyes. "Plus, you're an assassin. You guys are known for being shady."
Tyler sighed. "You know, you're supposed to say sothing like, 'Thank you for shopping with us,' but as soon as you took my money, you went back to your rude attitude."
The woman folded her arms across her chest. "Excuse ?"
Tyler started walking out, muttering, "Anyways, I got what I wanted, so I'm out of here."
The woman followed him out of the room, her steps surprisingly light and quick. As Tyler walked through the shop towards the exit, she called out, "You can co back again when you need to buy any type of wooden furniture or more barrels, okay?" She offered a surprisingly genuine smile.
Tyler smiled back, a little surprised by her change in deanor. "All right," he said, then turned and walked away. *That has to be one of the shittiest custor service experiences I've ever had,* he thought. *Wait, probably only in this world. The custor service back in my world is much, much worse, isn't it?*
He reached Hector's shop, relieved to see it was open. He pushed open the door and stepped inside, imdiately catching the eye of Emily, who was standing behind the counter. Her expression, initially unreadable, quickly shifted to one of relief and happiness. "Sir Tyler," she said, her voice bright, "welco back!"
Tyler smiled. "Hey, how have you been?"
Emily smiled, her cheeks flushing slightly. "I'm fine," she said.
Emily continued, her voice calm and steady, "I've been trying hard to sell these weapons and armor, and as you can see, I've thoroughly cleaned the shop already."
Tyler looked at the gleaming mopped floor, the polished counter, and the neatly arranged weapons. "I can see that. You're doing pretty good. So things have kind of changed, huh?"
"Yeah," Emily said, a pleased smile touching her lips. "I've changed a few things. I rearranged so things to make space for more items, as you can see." Tyler noticed the swords and daggers grouped together in one corner, separate from the armor and shields, which were displayed on their own rack.
"I categorized the cutting and piercing weapons," Emily explained, "and then I put the defensive materials on their own. That way, it won't be harder to find things when we're looking for them. Plus, I cleaned all of them."
Tyler nodded, his gaze lingering on Emily. "Yeah," he said, his voice softer now, "speaking of change, you've changed as well. I an, wow. You look totally different. And that dress… it totally suits you."
Emily's cheeks flushed a delicate pink. "Oh, thank you," she murmured, her voice barely above a whisper. "I bought new clothes, as you suggested. I'm glad you… you find it appealing. I an, uh, it… you find it… great," she stamred, her eyes downcast.
Tyler chuckled, a warm, genuine sound. "Yeah," he said, his smile widening. "Where's Hector? Is he in the back?"
"Yeah," Emily replied, her voice regaining so of its composure. "He's in the back. He's sharpening so tools."
"Right," Tyler said, "I need to have a talk with him." He passed Emily, as he was entering the crafting room heading towards the back.
*So he does find it appealing,* Emily thought, watching him go. *He thinks this dress suits . I have to wear it more often.*
Tyler walked into the back room and saw Hector seated at a workbench, a gleaming silver blade held delicately in his hands. He was using a whetstone to sharpen the edge, the silver reflecting the light as he worked. The blade looked incredibly sharp, honed to a razor's edge.
"Oh, hey Hector," Tyler said, his voice casual.
Hector looked up, his eyes widening slightly in surprise. "Oh, Tyler," he said, setting down the whetstone and blade. "So you've returned."
Tyler smiled. "Yeah, I ca in to check in, you know."
Hector's surprise deepened as his gaze fell upon Tyler's black necklace pendant, a clear indication of his C-rank status. He also noticed Tyler's new armor – dark brown leather, well-crafted and seemingly a perfect fit.
"Must have been quite the hunt," Hector said, standing up from his chair and placing the sword carefully onto a nearby tal table. "You're already C-rank."
"Yeah," Tyler replied, "it really was quite the hunt. I actually fought so boss monsters while I was gone. I had planned on returning yesterday, but I was busy with sothing else, which forced to co today."
Hector bead. "Well, I've got so good news. The shield you had crafted… Emily managed to sell it."
"Oh, that's great," Tyler said, a genuine smile spreading across his face.
"But wait," Hector continued, his voice brimming with excitent, "I'm not finished. Looks like your shield is now in demand. People ca in here wanting to buy it – there were about six or seven hunters who ca in before you." Tyler's eyebrows shot up in surprise at this unexpected news.
"Six or seven?" Tyler asked, clarifying. "Were they all looking for the offense shield?"
"Yeah," Hector confird, "they all wanted the offense shield. Looks like your shield has grown pretty famous, so you're gonna make a lot of money from that."
Tyler grinned. "Yeah, I an, I knew it looked good, but I didn't think it was going to get this much attention."
"Right," Hector said, clapping Tyler on the shoulder. "I have to give you the money for the other offense shield you gave to sell."
"Yeah," Tyler replied, a smile spreading across his face.
Hector walked past Tyler, exiting the crafting room and heading into the main shop area. He spotted Emily behind the counter. "Hey, Emily," he called out, "where did you put the money we got from selling Tyler's shield?"
"Oh," Emily replied, "I put it in with the other money from things we sold yesterday."
"Right," Hector said, "I want you to give seven gold."
Emily opened a drawer revealing three pouches: one containing gold coins, one silver, and one copper. She carefully counted out seven gold coins and handed them to Hector.
Hector then turned back to Tyler. "Here," he said, offering the gold.
Tyler took the seven gold coins, a faint blue shimr enveloping them before they vanished into his inventory.
Emily watched, a thoughtful expression on her face. *Right!* she thought. *I almost forgot he had that skill. He can make things vanish sohow and return them at will. It really is incredible.*
"Thanks," Tyler said, already considering his next project. "So I should probably craft more shields, huh?"
"Absolutely," Hector replied to Tyler. "If anything, I advise you to craft them now if you have the materials."
"Yeah," Tyler said, "I've got so materials. Co here." He started walking back into the crafting room, Hector following close behind. Tyler stopped abruptly, a thoughtful expression on his face. He muttered under his breath, "Craft three offense shields."
A translucent system interface appeared in front of him, displaying the ssage: Craft three offense shields? Yes/No
Tyler ntally selected "Yes," a small smile playing on his lips. *So it does an I have enough materials to craft three shields,* he thought. *It was just a hunch, but I guess it worked.*
The system interface updated: Crafting… A circular loading bar appeared, filling at a steady rate.
"Did it work?" Hector asked, watching the process with interest.
"No," Tyler replied, "seems like it's still processing it, but don't worry, it'll be done in no ti."
"All right," Hector said, returning to his workbench and sitting down. "Tell when it's done." He picked up his whetstone and blade, resuming his sharpening.
"Hector," Tyler said, "I've been aning to ask you sothing."
Hector looked up, his attention fully on Tyler. "What is it?"
"How long have you been a craftsman for?" Tyler asked.
Hector considered this for a mont. "Oh," he said, "I've been a craftsman for about three years now. Why do you ask?"
"Oh, three years?" Tyler said, surprised. "Did you start your crafting in this town?"
Hector shook his head. "Yes. Actually, I once worked for Old Man Ron back in the day, before I had my own crafting shop."
"You worked for Old Man Ron?" Tyler asked, intrigued. "What kind of person is he exactly? He's also a craftsman, right?"
Hector's face clouded over, a mixture of disappointnt and anger flickering in his eyes. He took a deep breath, composing himself before speaking. "Well," he said, his voice carefully controlled, "he's not the best person, I can definitely tell you that. But his crafting… his crafting is the best in this town. He's very good at it."
"Oh, right," Tyler said, thoughtfully. A sudden thought struck him, but before he could voice it, the system panel appeared in front of him, displaying the ssage: *Crafting Successful.*
"Well," Tyler announced, "it's done."
"Really?" Hector asked, his interest piqued.
"Yeah," Tyler confird. He held out one hand, and the first newly crafted Offense Shield materialized, its round form and spiky outshell gleaming. It was identical to the one they had sold previously.
Hector stood up, his eyes wide with amazent. "Wow," he breathed, "looks like it really is. Hand it here." He extended his hand.
Tyler handed him the shield. Hector examined it closely, his fingers tracing the sharp spikes on its surface. "Impressive," he murmured, clearly impressed. He then said, "Let's see the others."
Tyler then produced the remaining two Offense Shields one after another.
"Perfect," Hector said, examining each one carefully. "They're all perfect. That's the last one." He paused, then added, "Tyler, your crafting skill… it really is sothing else. You know that? You don't really put in much work crafting, but it always cos out remarkable."
Tyler laughed, a little embarrassed by the praise. "Well," he said, "I *do* put so work into looking for the items to craft these things. Those spikes there… they're actually hex-horn tusks."
"Hexhorn tusks?" Hector said, a hint of surprise in his voice.
Tyler nodded. "Yeah, these are all hexhorn tusks that make up the spikes. Seems like the iron is covering them. That's why they're so hard."
Hector examined the shield more closely. "Now that I look at it," he said, "they *do* kind of look like them, and they're all different sizes. But I never really thought they could be used this way."
"Yeah," Tyler said, "it turns out they can. It kind of surprised , to be honest."
"Surprised you?" Hector asked, raising an eyebrow. "But aren't you the one who crafts them?"
"Oh, yeah, I am," Tyler admitted, "but this always cos in a series of recipes that I receive to craft. I don't know how to explain it, but it's sothing like… I always get recipes of what to craft every ti I finish a quest, as a reward."
"Recipes?" Hector said, turning the shield over in his hands. "So you get a list of materials you need to craft after completing a quest? Who gives them to you?"
"Oh, it's that system thing I told you about that ti," Tyler explained. "It's a bit complicated."
Hector shrugged. "All right," he said. "I don't need to understand it. As long as you can craft, then it's fine."
"Well," Tyler said, "you said there were about six or seven people who wanted the shields, right? Well, next ti I co back, I'm going to have enough materials to craft more than ten of them."
Hector smiled. "then I wish you luck."
Tyler replied. "Yeah," he said, "I'm about to go et up with Grone. I have to do this fast, otherwise I'm going to miss him."
Tyler exited the crafting room and headed back into the main shop area. He approached Emily, a smile spreading across his face. "Right," he said, "I almost forgot. I really want to thank you for selling that shield, Emily. You did great, so thank you."
Emily's cheeks flushed slightly. "Oh, don't worry about it, sir," she replied, her voice soft. "I was just doing my job. Thanks to you, I can even work here. So there's no need to thank . I should be the one thanking you. Honestly, I should be doing more than just thanking you. I just don't have enough I can give right now, but I promise I'll pay you back soday."
Tyler was a little surprised by the intensity of her gratitude, but he understood the sentint. It echoed his own feelings about wanting to help Grone. He responded with a warm smile. "Don't worry about it," he said. "That smile and thanks are just enough for ."
Emily blushed even deeper, her eyes downcast. "Oh no," she murmured, "this can't simply be enough. I… I… thank you," she stamred, unsure exactly what she was thanking him for.
Tyler chuckled. "Alright," he said, "I'm heading out. But I'll co back with more materials."
"Sir!" Emily called out, her voice a little louder than she intended. "When are you coming back?"
Tyler turned to look at her, a playful glint in his eyes. "Hmm," he mused, "I don't know… probably at sunset. Yeah, I'll definitely return today at sunset."
Emily watched him go, a thoughtful expression on her face. *But we close at sunset,* she realized. *That ans I'll just have to see him again tomorrow.* A slight wave of disappointnt washed over her, quickly followed by a more confusing thought: *Why do I slightly yearn to see him?*
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