14 Weapon Exchange

He said goodbye to the queen and head out to find Kotaro. The guards become lenient when they see him even though they can sense the scourge's stench in him since the queen said that he is a candidate of becoming the Einherjar.

Jack see Sigrun looking at him with eyes full of awareness. Even though he is innocent, being alert from danger are there jobs. He shrugged his shoulders and came to her.

"What is it, Mr. Jack? If you want me to apologize to you then so be it? I'm sorry." Sigrun said with a little bit of sarcasm.

"Although I didn't expect that, I accept your apology." He said and continued. "To tell you the truth, I'm not familiar in Fields of Elysium. I can't imagine that there is a city inside of Underworld, can I ask you to tell me where does Kotaro lived?" He asked the valkyrie and being not a petty person, she tell him the exact direction in Kotaro's house.

He walked and observe the city carefully. He somehow noticed that there is a bank that exist here.

'Since there is a bank here, there exist a currency and I can buy things that it might not exist in the living world.' He was somehow happy, he wants to try looking if there is items that good enough or maybe useful to him.

"Welcome in Pluto's Bank. How may I serve you?" One of the personnel welcome him.

"Do you have a service where I can convert one of my items into your cash?" He inquired.

"Of course we are. So long as the item has a monetary value, we can trade it." The personnel said.

Jack hurriedly get the bronze short sword and let the personnel see the item. To the personnel's shock, he realized that the item is one of property of Queen Persephone.

"Uhmm. Sir, I sorry to inform you that we don't have an authority to exchange your item into cash since it is against in the bank's protocol. I hope that you understand." The personnel wants to accommodate him as best as he can, but he didn't imagine that a property of there queen will be subject as a form of exchange.

Jack somehow become quite sad since he expects that he would get atleast enough currency to buy a new dagger.

*sigh*

'So much for the bank, huh. Oh well, I guess I have to find Kotaro.' While he was going to go out in the bank, he finally saw Kotaro with a check in his hand.

"To think that we will meet here huh? Come on, tell me. What do you need in the bank? Maybe I can help you." Jack was glad that his friend are here to the rescue.

"Actually, I want to exchange this sword into a cash. But the personnel said that it is against there protocol." He carefully explains his problem to his friend and mentor without making the personnel look like a villain. There just doing there jobs, so being an irate customer is not his attitude.

Kotaro suddenly whisper to the personnel and for some reason the personnel become more accommodating to him and he give him a 100000 drachma.

"Tell me Jack, where did you get the short sword?" With a serious look, Kotaro ask him if he steal it or not.

"Hehe some guard actually gave me a short sword, she's very friendly to me. If you want to verify, why don't you try to ask Sigrun about this." Obviously, he is lying about the sword. To think that he is using Sigrun to join in this conflict, what a shameless individual.

"Never mind that. Since you have money, what will you buy? There are only items, clothes and weapons here. Oh and you can buy a tea if you want." Kotaro just set aside this matter since he knows that he lied. Right now, he's willing to cover his theft if this problem suddenly arise.

'Giving yourself some trouble when you're a candidate as an Einherjar? Be careful for now.' If only he is not a friend, he might abandon him and let him go in the Fields of Punishment.

"Actually, I want to buy a new dagger since the two daggers that you gave me have cracks. Well, I can also ask to repair it or make it an upgrade." He doesn't know when the trial will start, so he wants to be prepared as soon as possible. The short sword is nice, but having two daggers is like his wings, he can't abandon it.

Kotaro didn't object in his friends request and went to his friend blacksmith that was expert in making a powerful weapons with cheap metal. A very talented blacksmith indeed.

"Old man Brok, are you there? Can I ask a favor?" He called the old man once there inside his shop.

The shop is of course full of deadly weapons, but something is amiss. This is not an ordinary weapons, some are holy weapons others are cursed weapons. There are a lot of stuff here that probably might use to him, the only problem is what to buy.

The old man and Kotaro are talking to themselves, but Jack thinks carefully and didn't mind them. Being surprise to different weapons, a sudden idea struck to his head.

"Mr. Brok, actually I'm not here to buy your weapons." The moment he said it, the old man's face become sour and look at him with eyes full of disappointment. "I came here so I can become your apprentice. Please Mr. Brok, teach how to become a blacksmith"

Jack suddenly make a dogeza in the floor and wouldn't bulge until he accepts him as an apprentice. Kotaro seeing this make a facepalm and tell to the old man to give him some chance.

"Old man Brok, maybe you can consider accepting him as a blacksmith. I know that he is not very knowledgeable in weapons, but he can help you in the shop atleast." He tried to his friend since seeing Jack still doing the dogeza in the floor is somehow awful.

*sigh*

"Listen lad, you can't become a blacksmith just because you want to. There are qualities that you must have so you can become a Blacksmith, strength so you can hammer the steel properly and imagination of how shape your weapon would be.

But becoming a great blacksmith is a different matter, you must have a talent in this area." Old man Brok tried to explain that if you really want to become a blacksmith, you must have a lot of determination and will of fire to achieve this.

"Don't worry Mr. Brok, my talent is I'm very patient when I'm doing something. And I can assure you that I can learn your expertise and become a great blacksmith." He said with eyes full of determination.

With the help of Kotaro's recommendation and his charmspeak, the old man accepts him as an apprentice.

"For now, go back here tomorrow so you can start as an apprentice. Regarding for your tuition, since Kotaro said that you just exchange an item in the bank, give it all to me." He didn't waste any time and produce the drachmas inside his Duat.

Jack gave him a lot of drachmas in exchange of apprenticeship in Blacksmith. Right now, he doesn't care about the money since he wouldn't buy it with food. Buying a new clothes is not his priority since he's satisfied in his black attire and he doesn't get unpleasant odor.

"Uhmm... I have a request Mr. Brok, can I live here? Since I already gave you all of my drachmas, I don't have any money to spend." He shamelessly said to the old man with expectation.

"What if you stay with us, my wife also want to meet you?" Kotaro offered his home since he doesn't want Jack to disturb the old man any further.

"Come to think of it. Okay I going to become a freeloader for the time being." He said goodbye to the old man and head out to Kotaro's house.

What he wants to do is to have a full access in the blacksmith shop so he can observe the holy and cursed weapons. But seeing that his friend already offers his home, he didn't refuse him and instead accept his offer.

For the most part, he also want to see his wife Beatrice. She will deliver there child soon. And Jack was somehow intrigue on how did they met. Having a relationship when you're in afterlife, to think there is also a possibility here. But still, being alive is also has benefits. He will not cower in becoming alive again.