"Hey, isn't this Joey?"
As soon as Joey and Medes arrived at the city gate, the guards greeted them warmly.
"Brothers, it's been so long, have you missed me?"
Joey acted as if he knew his team well, leaving Medes behind him dumbfounded. How come his captain was so popular everywhere he went, showing no signs of being out of place?
"I thought you were dead! I haven't seen you go for a walk in so long!"
The older guard sized up Joey. It turned out that he was the one who said Joey was a smart man, and he was curious about Joey's whereabouts since he hadn't seen anyone for so long.
"It's better to live a miserable life than to die. Life is so wonderful, I have no intention of dying!"
Joey smiled, not taking the guard's joke to heart.
"Is life really this wonderful?"
The guard looked around; in the sandstone city that had already entered the dead of winter, it was hard to tell how wonderful life was.
"It's alright, haha!"
"By the way, I have something to discuss with the brothers today. The friend behind me left his sword here a while ago, and I've come to redeem it for him!"
Joey didn't want to waste any more words with the guards, so he directly stated his purpose.
"His sword?"
The guard glanced behind Joey and saw Medes standing not far away, also watching.
"It's gone. His sword isn't here. If you had come earlier, it might still be here, but it's probably in the hands of the city lord by now."
The guard spoke casually, seemingly having already recognized Medes.
That's it?
This is going to be difficult. If Medes' sword has really fallen into the city lord's hands, he probably won't be able to get it back anytime soon.
"Yes, the taxes and goods deducted from the entry and exit of Sandstone City will be sent to the city lord. I don't need to hide this from you; it's something that all the residents of Sandstone City know!"
"Oh, thanks for letting me know. We don't have much money here, brothers, take it and buy some drinks!"
After Joey finished speaking, he took ten silver coins out of his pocket and handed them over.
We can't skimp on the money we need to spend. Even though we didn't get the sword back, we still need to maintain good relations with these gatekeepers, just in case we need them later!
"How could I possibly accept that?"
When the guards saw Joey take out the silver coins, they immediately smiled broadly. After all, they really didn't have much to gain. Guarding the city gate was supposed to be a lucrative job, but their city lord was a miser who was too stingy with money, so all the profits went into his own pocket.
However, if someone offers them silver coins voluntarily, they don't have to hand them over.
Although the older guard made excuses, he had already taken the silver coins with his hand.
"Good brother, if you ever need anything, just let us know. We brothers have some connections in this Sandstone City!"
Even after receiving the money, it's still necessary to exchange a few polite words.
Joey didn't rely on their connections; all he valued was their ability to guard the city gate.
"Then I'll have to trouble you brothers!"
Joey responded with a word and then turned to leave. Medes was not happy and followed behind Joey with a gloomy face.
"Out with the old, in with the new! If you lose your sword, just buy a new one!"
"Isn't it a coincidence? I happen to know a blacksmith with excellent skills!"
Joey smiled at Medes and led him back.
With Joey's words, Medes' mood improved slightly.
"Isn't this the way back?"
Medes followed Joey for a while and discovered that this was the way to the workshop.
"Yes, that's right, we're going back!"
"What about my sword?"
“Cartel is the master blacksmith in this sandstone city, and the only one!”
Joey continued walking forward, while Medes was clearly disheartened.
While he was in the workshop, he had already taken note of Carter and the environment there. Although Carter was a genuine dwarf, and the muscles in his arms were enough to prove that he was a skilled blacksmith, the workshop was full of farm tools, and there wasn't a single weapon that he wanted to use in battle.
Joey saw through Medes' thoughts, but instead of continuing to comfort him, he kept walking.
Back to Cartel's workshop.
"You're back? Where's Sergeant Medes' sword?"
Seeing that Medes' hands were still empty, Catherine couldn't help but ask.
Joey playfully pointed into the fireplace.
? ?
Catherine frowned slightly, not understanding what Joey meant.
"It's in the oven, it'll be ready tomorrow!"
"Right, Cartel?"
After Joey finished speaking, he glanced at Carter, who was tidying up the charcoal fire.
"Since you've already said so, it looks like I'll be busy tonight!"
"But you'll have to provide some good ore!"
As Carter spoke, he walked towards the door and closed it behind him.
In Sandstone City, the forging of weapons now requires reporting to the city lord, so I need to close the door quickly.
"Of course, we must provide the best!"
Seeing that the door was closed, Joey reached into his waist pouch, and a pile of rare ores appeared out of thin air in front of them.
"Captain... Captain, are you... a mage?"
Medes was so flustered he could barely speak, his mind completely blank from Joey's antics. He was amazed at how this acting captain always managed to surprise everyone.
"Joey, are you really a mage?"
Catherine was also shocked. She had only seen this scene with Archmage Meld, and she was starting to believe that Joey was a mage.
"I'm sorry to disappoint you, I'm not!"
Joey shrugged and laid his cards on the table.
"But what you're talking about... Besides, these ores aren't ordinary ores; several of them are extremely rare!"
Catherine was a connoisseur; there were two types of ores that were not abundant even in Ashfurnace City, and Joey had conjured them up like magic, which made her very suspicious.
I'm not going to tell you that I have a kobold's living radar, which makes finding ore a piece of cake. It's best not to spread this top-secret information. After all, Catherine isn't my wife yet. Even if she were, I'd still need to give myself some privacy.
"I found it on the street. You know I'm never unlucky!"
"As for the magic trick, it was just because I found a spatial storage bag!"
Joey pointed smugly at his fanny pack.
"I found it? I don't believe you for a second." Catherine didn't think Joey was that lucky. If he didn't want to talk about it, fine. She was too lazy to ask any further. As long as Medes could get a new sword, she wouldn't feel so guilty.
"Alright, if you don't want to talk about it, then forget it!"
Catherine turned and went back into the inner room, heading towards Joey's original room, which Carter had arranged. He thought Joey would return to the tobacco fields, so he arranged for Catherine to rest in his original room for the time being.
That's great, it feels like my wife is coming back to warm the bed.
Joey was secretly pleased; it seemed he had a reason not to go back to Tobacco Field tonight.
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