Mr. Wayne's face fell as he replied, "Miss, I'll be honest with you. When it comes to forging spirit tools, two things matter most: first, Mythril Ore; and second, craftsmanship."
Grace nodded. She knew that well enough.
"I dare say my skills aren't half bad," Mr. Wayne continued. "But... this shop, I swear, must be cursed. Three whole years—and I haven't found a single piece of mid-grade Mythril Ore. It's all low-grade stuff!"
Though Mr. Wayne's face was full of worry, you could tell he was a straightforward man. He gave a wry smile and said, "The shop next door is called 'Lucky Star,' but everyone in the business calls mine 'Unlucky Star.' So you'd better go somewhere else. I'd hate for you to waste your money here and leave disappointed."
"Huh? That's seriously weird!" Grace was surprised.
Mythril Ore comes in four grades.
Low-grade is gray, mid-grade is white, and high-grade is transparent.
And then there's the supreme grade—transparent with golden streaks inside. With that kind of Mythril Ore, you could forge a legendary artifact!
But Mythril Ore is wrapped in a bizarre kind of hard clay, and this stuff gives no clue about the quality inside. No matter how experienced or sharp-eyed you are, you just can't tell good from bad.
So when a spirit tool shop buys ore, it's all a gamble—sometimes you're lucky, sometimes you're not.
If you're lucky, a batch of Mythril Ore might turn up plenty of mid-grade, or even high-grade pieces.
If you're not, well, just like Mr. Wayne said, three years and not a single mid-grade piece. No wonder they call it 'Unlucky Star.'
"Told you, it's totally cursed!" Mr. Wayne sighed again. "So, Miss, you'd really be better off somewhere else!"
Grace glanced at Cutie Pie, thought for a moment, and said, "Mr. Wayne, I want to open a stone right here in your shop. Don't worry about me wasting money—I've got plenty, and I'm not afraid to spend it!"
Mr. Wayne looked at her like she was a rich, clueless big sister—totally helpless—and nodded, "Well, since you're set on it, I'll help you open a stone. But I'm warning you now, if you don't get any good ore, don't come wreck my shop! I'm barely scraping by as it is, and if you smash up my place, I'll be done for!"
Grace chuckled, "So people really have smashed up your shop before?"
"Oh, definitely..." Mr. Wayne shook his head.
"Alright, I promise—even if all I get are worthless rocks, I won't smash up your shop."
"Great! Just have a seat while I grab the stone-cutting tools." Mr. Wayne headed to the back, came out with a box, and started hauling out a bow, sand, and other gear.
Then he said, "Miss, the price for cutting stones is set—all shops charge three thousand silver taels per piece. If you get low-grade ore, you'll lose big. If you get something good, well, that's just your luck."
Anything connected to spirit tools is worth a fortune.
You could buy low-grade spirit tools with money, but when it comes to mid- or high-grade ones, no amount of cash will get you one.
Grace nodded, pointed to the stone the Antler Serpent was coiled around, and said, "Let's open that one!"
This time, Cutie Pie let go, rolling the stone over to Mr. Wayne's feet so he could cut it open.
Just then, a group of people burst in from outside.
Leading them was the manager from 'Lucky Star' next door.
"What are you doing?" Mr. Wayne's face changed.
"Well, well, Mr. Wayne the blacksmith! Trying to steal our customer, are you?" The manager looked furious. "You must have a death wish!"