A few minutes later, the door opened up as a man barely half a head taller than Samuel walked out, his long beard covered under a layer of soot. Putting aside his glasses, he took a look at the guests, startled.

His gaze landed on the boy walking behind, taking in full view of his crafty expression. On remembering his broken grinders, his brow twitched. In merely an instant, the crafty expression on the boy’s face disappeared, replaced with one full of endless remorse. The swiftness of change startled the man, adding fuel to his rage.

Just as he was about to speak, the boy beat him to it, “Uncle Kyle! I am back! I brought help! You wouldn’t have to go hungry ever again. Last time I asked you to make a sword, that material broke your tools. Listening to your sorrowful tone, I wanted to pay you back on the spot. But… as you know, I am penniless.

“I, Samuel, don’t own a thing to my name. Even the clothes I am wearing, my parents gave them to me. I wasn’t the one who earned them. So, how could I pay you back? I thought about it for a long time. A very long time. But I couldn’t come up with anything. So I didn’t have any courage to see you eye to eye.

“But don’t worry. My teacher, this magnanimous gentleman in front, will help me pay you back. I remember the last time you told me it was a few coins. I talked to my teacher about it and he said it was pocket change for him. So please, I implore you, tell me the price so I can pay you back.”

Kyle’s gaze landed on the man to the side of Samuel, his decayed face displaying a crafty smile.

‘Wait a second, are the two bastards trying to con this… Mr. Moneybags?’

Kyle walked forward, his back facing Zhu as he faced Samuel.

Following a strong pat which sent pain shooting down Samuel’s shoulders, two sturdy arms came closing with a potent force, squeezing the air out of his lungs. Samuel’s eyes almost popped out of his sockets, but his expression remained an expanse of calm.

Turning his head up, he saw a sinister grin flashing across Kyle’s face, chilling his heart, as well as filling him with a strange sense of excitement. Following Kyle’s lead, a smile flashed across Samuel’s face, a warm smile hiding a craftiness beneath.

With a voice shaking from the urge to laugh, Kyle responded, “C-can I, really? Will he… Will he really h-help me?”

However, since his back faced the other two men, his voice and actions seemed like those from a person moved to the point of tears.

Feeling moved, Zhu asked, “So, sir blacksmith, how much did it cost?”

Kyle turned back awkwardly as he replied, “9 Mythril coins.”

Flabbergasted, Zhu asked, “Sorry, I think I didn’t hear clearly. Mind repeating once again?”

With his expression turning more awkward than it already was, he replied, “Uh, 9 Mythril coins. Only 9 coins.”

Zhu looked at the air in front of him blankly as he calculated the cost.

Common folk use the currency that circulates in Bronze, Silver and Gold. Above Gold Coins ranks the coins made of White-Gold, a hundred gold coins being equivalent to one white-gold coin. Moving a tier higher, Adamantium coins come into the picture, one Adamantium coin equivalent to a thousand white-gold coins. As for Mythril coins, they rank a tier above Adamantium coins, the former equivalent to a thousand of the latter.

Zhu blinked as a figure appeared in his mind, ‘N-ninety million golds…’

His face paled as he rubbed off the sweat covering the top of his head.

With a smile, Samuel said, “Teacher! It’s only nine coins! You said it will be pocket change. Just nine coins is nothing to a sage like you, right?”

Hearing Samuel’s words, Kyle jumped in shock, “W-what? That bald—*cough*, I mean, this gentleman is a Sage? If he’s a sage, then why can’t I…”

Zhu’s brow twitched as he replied, “Yes, I am a sage. One of the current sages, bearer of the title of Weapons’ Sage, Shi Ke Zhu. As for this matter, let me find where I put that pocket change and then settle it quickly.”

Kyle’s brows furrowed as he turned to William, asking, “William, is this that drunk bald bast—”

With a wry smile, William cut him off, replying, “Kyle, don’t worry. He said it’s just pocket change. He will pay for it.”

Zhu’s brow rose as he asked, “What’s this about, huh?”

William retorted, “Nothing that concerns you. Focus on finding that pocket change.”

Zhu wanted to retort, but he was aware that after his previous words, saying anything would be equivalent to slapping his own face. Gritting his teeth, Zhu gave William a stern glare, to which, latter responded with a shrug.

Feeling an ever growing sense of dejection, Zhu couldn’t help but sigh as he consoled himself. ‘A smart man doesn’t fight a losing battle. I shouldn’t have said a thing.’

Out of nowhere, nine coins made of a translucent purple metal appeared in Zhu’s hand. Giving the coins a look, he thought, ‘I got duped. I expected William to try to pull something like this. But his son as well… just what and how did he teach that brat? Just damn it. Well, it’s just ninety million gold. I can make it after selling a few tens of high-level beast corpses. Just ninety million. Not a lot. Not a lot. I shouldn’t have come here.’

Inwardly, Zhu couldn’t help but feel dejected. Heaving another sigh, he threw the coins towards Kyle, which the latter caught before examining closely.

After a moment of silence, Kyle cursed loudly, “Damn! This bastard is rich! It’s all real Mythril. This bastard must be loaded with cash! Nine hundred million gold is nothing to him. As expected of a sage! If I knew, I would’ve asked more.”

Hearing Kyle’s words, Zhu’s eyes turned to pinpricks.

‘Wait, did I calculate wrong? Nine and hundred and thousand and… nine hundred million… just… just… screw you, William! Shameless fucker.’

Zhu’s face paled. His body swayed slightly as he clenched his fists under his sleeves. On the surface, he maintained a smile, a smile that was all form and no substance.

Surprised, Samuel exclaimed, “N-nine hundred million?! And that too gold coins?! Not silvers?! You mean that those nine coins in your hand are…”

Grinning, Kyle said, “Yeah, each of them is a hundred million gold. Brat, you want one?”

Hurriedly, Samuel nodded, “Yes. I won’t ask for the cost. Just split the profit.”

Kyle laughed, waving one of the nine coins in his hand. However, a moment later, his smile vanished, a grim expression replacing it, “Brat, you better scram before I kick your ass and send you to chat with birds.”

Samuel’s brow twitched. The smile on his face vanished. With heavy steps and a grim expression, he walked behind Zhu before opening his mouth.