Spreading Rumors Like Wildfire

"Have you heard the blacksmith in District 9?"

"I heard they can repair weapons back to its best state."

"There hardware is also cheaper compared to that in District 7."

Those were the sentences being thrown in the Hunting Guild, but all of it comes from one man. A blonde human in simple clothes went from different groups one at a time.

Usually, citizens of Soliel will ignore a human in any situation. However, this human was different from the rest. Not only does he come in a friendly manner, but there was also an air of nobility when he starts to talk.

Afraid that they might offend someone with high status, they listen to him even the topic was not what they were expecting.

The man deemed to be noble was Brian although he does not know the people he was talking to has that impression of him.

All he was doing was approaching them like he means serious business. Not knowing that his dignified presence came out because of it.

"Where is that blacksmith you're talking about."

"Farthest road of District 9"

"Eh! That's really far."

"I heard because it's too good to contain, the owner built it far from the center."

Brian lied as he was breathing air. He was more Bryan here rather than the knight who lives his life honestly.

He has been going back and forth between the Hunting Guild and Adventurer's Guild for the past three days. Besides early morning and night, Brian barely saw his daughter when he is away from their home.

And just to be safe, he avoided staying at the blacksmith for the meantime because he does not want the people he is discussing with to know he is the owner.

Of course, he already told Richi and Lucy about his influence so he instructed them to not share any of his details. Brian made Richi the face/owner of the blacksmith to avoid complications while he was away.

Because of this action, lots and lots of people have visited his shop and used their money. The influx of customers made Brian add three more gold for Ogz gathering group to mine more variety of metals especially rarer ones like Mithril.

He cannot stick to just selling steel as their armor and weapon.

The total profit for three days excluding the System has been 246 gold. That is a lot and Brian will have no problems with it if it was not for his quest.

'Four more days to go. I won't be able to succeed at this point.'

He was already working overtime, but it will just be barely half of his needed quota at the end of the week.

Although there was one thing that could really help him right now. And it concerns the fact that even with the number of customers he was poaching, no one still bought the Makaze.

'Is it too expensive?'

If only an individual dares to invest their money on a great weapon, then others will follow because results will speak for themselves.

Now, no one still knows the capabilities of Makaze besides the expedition group of Raju. And from what Brian heard, there were still five days before they will be back.

"What?! Why is Makoto's party here?"

The group Brian was with suddenly changed topic when a party consisting of four people entered the guild. Brian took notice of the people who became the center of attraction on their entrance.

Brian who has never seen this supposed to be famous party asked the wolf beside him, "Do you know them?"

"You have not heard the fastest party to reach Mithril Rank in our Adventurer's Guild?! Makoto and his group are considered to be one of the strongest parties registered and they are the youngest among their peers."

For the record, Mithril is the second-highest possible rank in the guild. Above Bronze, Silver, and gold. It is only below Orichalcum rank, and there are only three Orichalcum rank parties in Soliel City.

So the group led by a humanoid dragon is nearing the top of the food chain of strength.

"Were you able to kill the Pharsid Mantis this early?!"

"As expected of the group expected to be the next Orichalcum party."

Makoto was assigned by the guild to lead their side for the extermination of Mantises planning to invade the city. It seems like common sense to let Orichalcum parties have this task, but the guild strongest cannot be sent out that easily. Although that does not mean Makoto, a Mithril rank party, does not have the respect they deserve.

Unless a Calamity Grade issue comes out, the guild will likely prefer and use parties much cheaper to solve the problem. That means the guild does not see the Pharsid Mantis, the Variant leader of the Mantises as a threat that can endanger the lives of the whole city.

The king of the Soliel City was the first king in the continent to give the Adventurer's Guild this much power and responsibility for protecting the city. Other kings always have their own strong army of royal knights, instead of random mercenaries, dedicated to serving their monarchy.

However, the man who is said to be the leader of the extermination army does not have any good news showing on his face. His members behind him are also the same like all just ate a bitter bug.

"The Phasmid Mantis is still alive… And to make it worse, there are two of them. A partner for mating."

"Two?! Can that already be considered as Calamity Grade?" The crowd began murmuring to one another after the breaking news.

Some even were panicking and running out of the guild for reasons Brian does not know. Brian cannot gauge how scary a Phasmid Mantis is, but he can tell it was strong base on the rumors spreading around when he was also spreading his own rumors.

Actually, it was often the topic of discussion when he joins a conversation.

"Will the King give out the permission to send an Orichalcum party?" A half-dragon, half-elf that was close to Makoto asked the question many want to know the answer of.

Makoto felt miserable when he saw the people around him losing hope for their party. He can only bite the shame and said, "The guild is not moving so I assume the King is also silent for this matter."

"So why are you here leaving the frontlines if you're not going to report to the guild?"

"We were able to kill one of them, but it cost almost all of our weapons to break just to pierce through their thick exoskeleton."

Stating that fact gave some face back to Makoto as the dragon elf lost his disappointed tone. He then glanced over where Makoto and his teammates should be keeping their armament.

Their Giant party member who never parts with his hammer has no hammer tied on his back. Not only him but the rest did not bring any of their weapons except for the elf who still has her bow intact.

The dragon elf also saw how the hilt of the famous sword of Makoto was beaten up to shambles. He will not be surprised if only half of the sword remains when he took it out.

"That must have been a difficult battle. Good thing all of you left there alive…"

"We cannot stay here for long. When the female Phasmid finds that her husband is dead, most likely she will rush towards our gates without regarding the safety of her minions."

"… It will take days before the Head Blacksmith can forge something like your previous weapon."

Makoto understood what his friend was saying. His sword was one of a kind that was specifically made on his preference, and only the best blacksmith of the kingdom can create it for him.

This humanoid dragon was really choosy for someone as strong as him. That is one of the characteristics his teammates hate him for. They only came here to the guild because Makoto wanted to ask around if there are swords that fit his preference.

While Makoto and his group were discussing with their friend about a sword that can only be found in his imagination, a random person sitting nearby heard their conversation.

"If you're looking for a sword that fits your taste, I heard there is a new blacksmith in town that is comparable to the Head Blacksmith."

Brian who already lost interest a while ago looks towards their direction once again. He was chewing the meat kebab silently to hear what they were saying.

"I don't simply go to random places to pick my sword so not thank."

"God damn it Makoto! This is already our second day looking for a blacksmith! We are already wasting too much time because of you!"

The bow user in their team, a blonde elf with azure eyes, released all her pent-up frustration. Her shout has convinced, or better to say, threatens Makoto enough to hear what the random person has to say.

"So where is this blacksmith you're talking about."

"The farthest road in District 9"