"Hey, boy , I've been getting beaten by my wife nonstop, and it seems my hearing's gone a bit dull. What exactly are you asking me to make with mithril ingots and an ancient elder treant branch?"

  "A fishing rod and a lure. Oh, and once you make the rod, please fuse it with the 'Proof of the Weak' and this scroll. As for the lure—"

  "That’s not the point!! Do you have any idea how rare these materials are?! What kind of joke is this?!"

  "But I just told you, a fishing rod and—"

  "That’s not what I mean!! Are you messing with me or what?!"

  Mithril and an ancient elder treant branch are indeed fairly rare materials.

  With these, you could craft at least a Css 5 weapon—maybe even Css 6 if you add more materials.

  "Listen up, monk. Since you don’t seem to get it, let me spell it out for you. Mithril? The moment it hits the market, any adventurer with coin would buy it on the spot, no matter the price. And an elder treant branch? You’re lucky if one shows up *once a year*! Do you understand what that means? You clearly don’t! If you did, you wouldn’t be asking for something as ridiculous as a *fishing rod*!"

  Using these ultra-rare materials not for a weapon, but for a *toy* like a fishing rod—no wonder Ganjii thought I was messing with him.

  "How rude. I’m being completely serious. I genuinely want a fishing rod made from these materials."

  But he took it the wrong way.

  I *really* need a fishing rod made from these two things.

  Despite Ganjii’s rising irritation, I stand my ground, meeting his gre with unwavering determination.

  "Ah… Sorry, kid, but this time, I gotta side with my husband. I don’t know how you got your hands on such rare materials, but wasting them on a *fishing rod*? That’s just insane. You could make one with way cheaper stuff. Why not go that route?"

  "No. I *need* a fishing rod made of mithril and elder treant wood."

  Even Ganjii’s wife agrees with him, but I have no intention of backing down.

  I hold their gaze without flinching. Maybe sensing my resolve, the wife lets out a deep sigh.

  "Sweetheart, what do you wanna do? I get it if you refuse this time. I wouldn’t bme you."

  Realizing I won’t budge, she gives up trying to persuade me and leaves the final decision to Ganjii, who’s still staring me down.

  "…Hey, monk. Why do you even *need* something like that? A normal fishing rod can be made with just wood and iron. There’s no reason to use such rare materials."

  "There is."

  "What’s the reason?"

  "I’d rather not say. That part’s a secret."

  "…This isn’t for something illegal, is it?"

  "No."

  After a long, tense silence—

  "*Sigh*… Fine. I can tell you’re not messing around. I’ll make it. Give me the details."

  "Thank you. Then—"

  He must’ve sensed my sincerity. With a resigned sigh, he finally relents.

  So I expin the rod’s design, how much mithril to use, and the additional materials for synthesis.

  "*Again*?"

  "Yep, again. Oh, and please fuse the steel and magic crystal weapons too."

  First, I request the usual "Proof of the Weak" fusion.

  "For the fishing rod, fuse this 'Angler’s Scroll.' And for the lure, use this 'Expansion Scroll.'"

  "You brought more weird scrolls, huh? Fine. What about the fishing line? You don’t wanna lose that fancy lure because the line snaps, right?"

  "Fuse the 'Proof of the Weak' onto the line too."

  "Got it. I’ll prepare some high-quality wire for you."

  The order slowly takes shape.

  "How long will it take?"

  "Mithril’s not something I can work with in just a couple of days. Give me at least a month. The steel weapons? About a week each. Same for the magic crystal staff."

  "So around two months total?"

  At this stage, I realize it’ll take longer than expected—but then I remember it was the same in the game.

  With bcksmithing skills, once you craft the first item, you can mass-produce replicas as long as you have the materials.

  But I still vividly remember how much of a pain it was to make that *first* weapon.

  I used to watch bcksmithing videos while eating, scouring upload sites for tips.

  "Alright, let’s go over the rest of the weapons."

  "Sure."

  Thanks to that, I *can* make weapons now, and higher smithing skill levels reduce crafting time—but even then, top-tier gear took *days*.

  Sometimes, it took multiple people just to finish *one* weapon.

  "The first one’s a give."

  "Oh? An unusual choice. Wooden shaft?"

  "Yes, but please make the butt cap from steel."

  As I reminisce, I start pcing my orders.

  I *could* make them myself, but compared to a dedicated crafter, the quality would suffer.

  I pn to stick with combat-focused skills anyway, so it’s better to leave this to a professional.

  The give I’m requesting isn’t a standard spear—it has a sickle-like bde near the base.

  A give. For me, this is the ideal spear.

  "The second one’s a full-steel halberd."

  "That’ll be *heavy*. You sure you can handle it?"

  "Not for me—it’s for Nell."

  "That girl? Even *more* reason to doubt she can lift it!"

  "Rex. She’s stronger than me. It won’t be a problem."

  "Just to be sure—girl, try lifting that axe over there."

  "This one?"

  "Yeah."

  The halberd for Nell is a hybrid between a spear and a battle-axe.

  Despite its axe-like appearance, it benefits from spear passive skills.

  Once Nell learns axe passives ter, her damage output will skyrocket.

  For a combat merchant, the highest damage comes from heavy weapons like axes and hammers.

  I’ll allow dissent—but I’m confident I can shut it down.

  Ganjii points to a steel battle-axe on dispy—not some lumberjack tool, but a proper war axe.

  The all-metal weapon looks ridiculously heavy, but Nell grabs the handle and lifts it one-handed without a second thought.

  "Well?"

  "Hmm… A bit light, honestly. Something heavier might be better."

  "…Guess it’s fine. Alright, second order’s a halberd."

  "Got it."

  She lifts it so effortlessly that Ganjii’s eyes widen, blinking repeatedly.

  And Nell even calls it *light*.

  Only someone with stats *far* beyond the weapon’s requirements could say that.

  "The third one’s a staff, but… can you make it in a… unique shape?"

  "Unique how?"

  "Yeah, I drew a sketch. Here."

  "…The hell *is* this?"

  Finally, I request Amina’s weapon—but this one’s a bit… unusual.

  It’s shaped like a *microphone stand*.

  The part with the magic crystal is where the mic’s head would be.

  "Are you *sure* this is a staff?"

  "Yes."

  "Doesn’t *look* like one."

  "It *is* one. Oh, and make the tripod legs colpsible."

  "*Seriously*?"

  He’s clearly skeptical, but since he agrees to make it, I confirm the order.

  Okay, maybe insisting it’s a staff was a stretch, but in the game, it *was* cssified as one.

  Even if it looks like a mic stand, it’s *technically* a staff.

  "Alright, order’s pced. One st thing—you’re *sure* about this?"

  "Absolutely. I’ll pick everything up at once. The cost?"

  As Ganjii tries to retreat to the back, I stop him. He jerks his chin toward his wife.

  "Talk to *her* about that. I’ve got work to do."

  With that, he disappears.

  "Calling me 'her'… Ugh. Anyway, thanks for the big order. We’ll be eating well for a while."

  Before I can even hesitate, his wife sighs, pulls out an abacus, and starts calcuting.

  "Since you’re providing the materials for the fishing rod, let’s say… 10,300 zeni. The steel weapons—4,000 for the give, 6,000 for the halberd. The staff… Magic crystals are in short supply tely, so prices are up… Let’s round it to 7,000. Add fusion fees, and…"

  *Click-cck* goes the abacus as she tallies material and bor costs.

  Finally, she flicks the st bead.

  "How’s 35,000 zeni sound?"

  "Let *me* handle this."

  "Oh? The dy’s taking over?"

  "Don’t underestimate a merchant’s daughter."

  "Don’t get cocky, rookie. I’m the one keeping *that* man in check *and* managing this shop’s finances. Don’t compare me to some random store’s errand boy."

  She smirks as she quotes the price, but Nell steps in.

  Looks like she’s found room to haggle.

  Getting between two women arguing is a bad idea in *any* world.

  "Take it easy, Nell. Amina, let’s browse the shop for a bit."

  "Sure, but the stock hasn’t changed since st time."

  Seeing this’ll take a while, I decide to kill time by looking around.

  Amina joins me, but this is a small, family-run shop—there’s not much to see.

  We’re done in two or three minutes, and nothing’s new.

  "See?"

  "Huh. Business that bad?"

  It’s all familiar weapons—at first gnce, it seems like unsold stock.

  But everything’s well-maintained, so maybe it *is* just slow sales.

  Gncing at Nell and the wife still haggling, I chuckle. Yeah, that tracks.

  "What now? Nell’s going all out—this’ll take a while."

  "If we leave her and go outside, she’ll sulk."

  "Yep. No doubt she’d hold a grudge for *days*."

  The thought of her pouting for ages makes waiting the only option.

  As I wander aimlessly, Amina tilts her head.

  "Hmm… Any hidden gems here?"

  "Hidden gems?"

  Being a weapon shop, it has all the standard fare.

  But everything’s mass-produced.

  No legendary bdes or holy swords—nothing *unique*.

  Still, the "hidden gems" I’m looking for aren’t the fshy, overpowered kind.

  "Y’know, things that seem useless but can be *crazy* handy in the right situation?"

  "Why’re you phrasing it like a question? Like *what*, exactly?"

  "Uh… stuff that makes you go, 'What’s this even for?'"

  "*Again* with the question?"

  "That’s the only way to describe it!"

  Items with unclear uses—things that seem like junk at first gnce.

  Most *are* worthless, but a tiny fraction—less than 10%—turn out to be *unbelievably* powerful in *very* specific scenarios.

  "Huh."

  "Not expecting to find any here, though."

  "Who knows? Maybe they’re buried in storage because nobody knew their worth. Like, 'Dunno if this’ll sell, so just toss it in the back and forget about it.'"

  "…That *could* happen."

  "The wife seems serious, but that bcksmith? Totally pusible."

  In the game, you couldn’t enter every building—some areas were off-limits.

  This shop’s storage was one.

  But this is *reality*. If I negotiate, I might get a look inside.

  Considering the possibility of undiscovered treasures, maybe I should keep this in mind for the future.

  "I’ll think about it."

  "Do that. Personally, I’m looking forward to whatever crazy thing you’ll do next."

  "Not sure if it’ll be *crazy*, but after getting the weapons, I’ve got *some* pns."

  "Your 'some' is *insane* by normal standards, y’know."

  The real treasure today might’ve been Amina’s comment—shaking me out of my rigid game logic and making me think more flexibly.

  "One st offer!!"

  "No way!! I can’t go any lower!!"

  "…How much longer’s *that* gonna take?"

  "No clue."

  As I muse over this, I watch Nell and the wife’s heated bargaining from afar, already thinking ahead.