Chapter 166 – Let Me In.

“That must be the actual store for adventurers.”

Alexander murmured, narrowing his eyes as he watched a rugged-looking man flash an adventurer card and get waved through an inconspicuous side door.

“It is? Then what’s all this supposed to be?”

Asked Rusty, now slightly perplexed. To him, keeping the better weapons out of the main store seemed counterproductive.

“Seems kind of backwards, doesn’t it? Hiding the good stuff?”

“Not really. Places like this often keep their best wares tucked away. It’s a sort of unspoken rule a lot of stores follow. It’s just mostly for safety reasons and saves them time dealing with people that don’t have money.”

Alexander replied.

“Is that so…”

Rusty had never run a store before, so this was new to him. It seemed that the humanoids preferred to separate the cheap weapons from the expensive ones. He had only caught a brief glimpse inside after the adventurer stepped through, but he noticed an armed guard stationed within. The weapons on display were clearly radiating mana, which meant they were probably enchanted. The ones out here, on the other hand, were simple iron and steel, only suitable for F and E rank adventurers.

“…Huh. That actually makes sense… but it’s annoying when you’re the customer…”

From a customer’s perspective, such treatment would likely feel a little humiliating. It suggested they weren’t even worthy of looking at the better weapons. Rusty wasn’t entirely sure if he wanted to implement the same system, at least not before seeing what was inside for himself. He could also create enchanted weapons and wanted to understand how to price those items appropriately. While he could probably ask Rolo or the people inside the shop, he still preferred to see it with his own visor.

Soon he made his way to the side door and mimicked what the adventurer had done, giving it a few solid knocks. With a metallic click, the slit opened, revealing a pair of watchful, unimpressed eyes.

“Who are you? Haven’t seen you around here. Do you have any identification?”

The voice asked while scanning Rusty’s gear. His current body bore no enchantments and he looked like an ordinary adventurer wearing standard steel-grade armor. Still, Rusty confidently pulled out his adventurer card and held it up to the slit to showcase it. The card shimmered in the light, displaying his current name, Edmund, and his rank of an E-rank adventurer.

“…”

There was a long pause. The guard didn’t move. Then, without a word, the slit snapped shut. Rusty stood in stunned silence and could hear the man muttering curses behind the door. But he knocked again, refusing to give up. The slit slid open once more, but this time the guard looked much angrier.

“Beat it. This isn’t a place for E-rank adventurers. Either show me something worth my time or don’t come back.”

“Worth your time?”

“Are you slow or something? Read the rules!”

The opening slammed shut again, leaving Rusty standing there, confused. He looked around for a moment, then finally spotted a weathered, rusted sign with faint words etched into its surface.

“Entry Restricted.Verified D-rank and Above or Proof of Merit Required.”

Rusty stared at the barely legible sign and felt frustrated. Although he had become a D-rank creature, the adventurer card he carried belonged to someone who had died before advancing beyond E-rank. Fortunately, there was one saving grace: the proof of merit, which offered another path forward.

“What is this proof of merit?”

He asked, and Alexander quickly answered.

“Probably something like a down payment. Some shops make customers pay a large sum just to view their better wares, kind of like an insurance fee.”

“…And people are okay with that?”

“Most won’t bother, but if you’ve got plenty of money, wasting a gold coin or two doesn’t really matter. Well, in their eyes, you’re an E-rank adventurer. Just another greenhorn trying to sneak a peek at gear you can’t afford.”

It seemed the down payment existed to filter out casual browsers. It was likely meant to discourage those with hidden agendas or anyone who couldn’t afford the merchandise and would only waste the store’s time.

“I see…”

Rusty turned his attention to the person behind the store counter and walked over. After asking a few questions, he found out that obtaining the proof of merit would cost him a single gold coin. It wasn’t a huge loss, but it still felt unnecessary. Given his current skills, he believed he could pass the D-rank adventurer test. Heading to the guild might be a better option.

“This is annoying…”

This felt like a setback since he had planned to examine the store’s wares to understand what was selling. He also wanted to study the magical enchantments the humanoids were purchasing. That would help him decide where to focus his efforts and which materials to invest in. The twilight steel that made up his body was too rare to use for trade, so he preferred to keep it untouched. Instead, he hoped to observe where his competitors were putting their resources. As long as the items were made of metal and he had the necessary materials, he could theoretically replicate the weapons he had crafted.

“I wonder how the other blacksmiths are handling things…”

Although continuing here was no longer an option, there were still a few other shops and merchants he could visit within the district. After making sure Aburdon had memorized the general layout and all the prices of the regular items, he headed out.

He spent the next few hours slowly walking through the settlement, examining equipment prices. Some of the smaller shops only offered standard weapons, most of which were unremarkable. Others, however, had hidden chambers where they kept their best wares. These merchants also refused to reveal anything without proper identification or a heavy coin purse, neither of which he had at the moment.

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

As he continued to look around, a few things became clear. Some of the workers in the blacksmith shops and throughout the merchant district were slaves. Many dwarven individuals were forced to work in the smithies with collars around their necks. This was a common sight that no one seemed to care about.

“What am I giving you food for?”

“But Sir, there are just too many of them.”

“I don’t care. You’re not getting any food until you sharpen all of these!”

“Please, n-no…”

While walking around, he came across a troubling scene between one of the dwarven slaves and the merchant who owned the smithy. The dwarf looked malnourished but was still forced to sharpen weapons in exchange for scraps of food. The owner showed no concern for whether the slave worked all day or through the night.

The scene reminded Rusty that these people were capable of cruelty too. There was a strange darkness about them, a tendency to ignore uncomfortable truths or hide them beneath the surface. Others nearby could hear the exchange, but no one turned to look, as if even acknowledging it would bring trouble. Eventually, he reached one of the stores that sold raw materials, but another problem came up.

“My what?”

“Your buyer permit. You expect me to sell raw materials to you without the proper papers? Leave now before you get me into trouble.”

Rusty stood in stunned silence outside the shop. The door slammed shut behind him again and more curses came his way.

“First I’m too low-rank to buy a proper weapon, and now I need papers just to buy some ore? Where do I get this buyer permit?”