Unlike most of the shops in the ramshackled maze of a town, the blacksmiths stood alone and obvious. It was situated to one side of an open plaza, it's own weapon and armour shop built next door. It was not the only blacksmiths in Julip town, there was another located in what Mino dubbed as the 'new' town, the showy side of the town that outsiders were more apt to visit and tour. That blacksmith was hidden behind the facade of its own large shop front, which displayed all of its expensive wares in all of their glory and had to be paid a small fortune for custom goods. It would never lower itself for common goods such as horse shoes and door hinges.
Mars' blacksmith displayed his common swords in a barrel near the entrance and had a few pieces of chain mail armour displayed on a wooden mannequin. There were a few odd ornaments on a table, probably just to show what else was produced there. However, on one wall, just behind the counter, were set a display of exquisite swords that had Jin Li practically drooling over like a child in a pastry shop.
The boy behind the counter, who had been polishing a small piece in hand, looked startled by his appearance then somewhat wary. Jin Li ignored the clear distrust upon his face, too busy examining the swords with a fairly well trained eye.
"Ah Aren," Mr Clawse called to the boy as he and Leon followed Jin Li into the store. The boy visibly relaxed upon seeing the apothecary. "Is your Master available for a few minutes." The boy nodded and ran out of the side door to find him.
Mr Mars was stout, though there was not an ounce of fat on his muscular body. His height or there of lack of and his huge biceps and shoulders and chest simply made him look stout. His skin was bronze in tone and his hair untamed. He had a puckered scar running down the side of one arm and he observed them with a sharp eye. He welcomed Mr Clawse with great warmth, slapping the taller man on his back, to which Mr Clawse was thrust forward with every large tap.
"What can I do for you, Clawse?" his voice was as rough and as grizzly as his looks.
"I came to see how you were faring," Mr Clawse told him. "And also to introduce you to someone. This is Leon. He requires your assistance." Leon blushed immediately beneath the scrutiny.
"N-nice to m-m-meet you," Leon greeted nervously. Jin Li tore his gaze away from the interesting swords and moved so that he was standing directly behind the boy.
"Huh," Mr Mars thoroughly scrutinised the skinny lad. "And what exactly is it that you want?" He hoped it wouldn't be for an apprenticeship or something. He had no time for a weak kid like this.
"D-d-door hinge," Leon blurted under the intense gaze.
"Speak clearly boy!" Mr Mars growled loudly.
"Mars.." Mr Clawse attempted to calm the man, he had forgotten that the blacksmith lacked patience and social skills. This was why he had gotten into trouble with the practioner in the first place.
Leon shivered, getting more and more flustered and simply unable to speak. Jin Li placed a hand upon the boy's shoulder, his body stilled instantly. "Our hut was broken into," Jin Li said, shortly. "The door needs a new hinge."
"Why didn't you say so in the first place?" Mr Mars' voice boomed through his shop and Leon let loose an almost inaudiable squeak.
"It's not as if you gave him a chance to," Mr Clawse sighed. He paused, before questioning them further; "Wait, I thought you were an alchemist student of Ascending Mountain Academy." Leon nodded to confirm that he was. "So why is the school not assisting you, at the very least they should be investigating this!"
Leon shuffled on the spot for a moment. "D-d-don't w-want to m-move again," he said finally. "And... um... th-there w-w-were b-bribes in-involved l-last time?" Mr Clawse sighed loudly and pinched the bridge of his nose. Of course he had heard of this sort of thing occurring. He'd heard many a student complain of bullying and wealthier students using money as a solution to everything. He could clearly tell that Leon was a tiny fish in a large pond when it came to his behaviour. But surely his talents would have him stand out and protect him somewhat?
"Aye, I can have one of my own deal with that," the blacksmith dismissed the whole matter with a wave of his hand. "I'll send one back with you. I don't see why I had to deal with this personally." This last sentence was said directly to Mr Clawse, who in turn offered a small smile and replied;
"Oh, I thought you might like to meet the one that created the improved pill that saved your life," Mr Clawse said offhandedly. Mr Mars' jaw dropped.
Right then, I'll be off," Mr Clawse informed them, with a slight bow. "I don't like to leave my store unattended for too long."
Leon and Jin Li had negotiated a price for one of the apprentices to fix the door for 2 silver, parts and labour. It was not cheap, but it was quite the trip to the hut up on the mountain. Leon had also purchased some nails and a hammer, in order to fix his shed, but the hammer was unwieldy, not sure how great a job he could do with it. Mr Mars had also agreed not to spread word of who exactly created the special pill, not that anyone would believe him, he reckoned. The kid was just a student!
"Ye wantin' t' go back now?" Mino asked them once they had completed their business. The apprentice would meet them at Mino's place first thing in the morning.
"A-actually," Leon had thought about this for a while, "I-I was w-wondering where I c-can b-buy seeds."
"Seeds?" Mino echoed. "Like 'erb or vege-tables?"
"Erb..I-I m-mean herbs," Leon blushed at his mistaken pronounciation, while Jin Li smirked into his fist. "B-but I sh-should get v-v-vegetables to."
"Well 'erbs and the like are usually sold in tha' there new town," Mino told them. Herbs could be bought in their neighbourhood as well, but they were mostly for cooking and he didn't think that was what Leon was looking for. "Come on, I'll be 'avin' you there in a jiffy."
The 'new' town section of Julip town was located across a wide, fast flowing river, effectively separating it from the ramshackled townhouses where Mino lived. They had to cross an arched stone bridge to enter that half of the town and from the moment that they crossed it, looks of disdain came their way. Mino nervously guided the wagon over the brick paved streets, the people were clearly unimpressed with the Ox beast moving down their roads. Several arrogant youths even blocked their way, making their journey more difficult than it need be. They only moved along when Jin Li stood up and released that potent aura of his. Leon had forgotten how effective it could be and was soon quaking in his boots along with Mino and the foolish young men.
Jin Li slumped back down in the wagon and Mino muttered to him; "Oi, oi! What sor'a level you be a'? Seriously!"
This made the man insufferably smug.
The buildings in this part of town were at first, simply larger versions of those in the old town, just cleaner and the streets twice the width. As they trailed to the heart of this area, the shops and houses became less clustered, less detached and more individual of build. The shops had large glass windows in which to display their wares, reminding him of his previous world.
Leon nudged his glasses upon his nose, removed a diary from his interspacial bag and flicked through it, trying to memorise some of the seeds that he required. He didn't want to purchase too much, especially of seeds that he was unlikely to use anytime soon, but he also did not want to grab seeds of very common, quick growing herbs that he could get from the Herb Hall easily.
By the time that they arrived at the shop, he had a rough list in his mind and hoped they had what he required. The seeds that he had picked were not overly expensive, with the exception of the red lantern seeds; he wanted to plant these to obtain fresh red lantern flowers and make his blood pills better and the Marsh Devil Ivy, which was a difficult plant to grow, but extremely hardy once it took root and it was used in a number of pills. He spent a little more than a silver and 800 brass on these seeds. He also bought a few clay pots as the ones he had had all been broken. They cost just a couple hundred brass.
As they left the shop, they noticed a crowd gathering further up the street, where the large shops parted to reveal a large open space, much bigger than the old town's pavilion. "Wh-what's g-going on?" Leon asked.
"Ah be the skool," Mino said dismissively. "Tis recruitin' time agin."
"Oh," he said aloud, but then a thought popped into his mind and he tugged at Jin Li's sleeve.
"Do you want to go and look?" Jin Li asked him, his eyes narrowed slightly when Leon nodded. "Alright." Mino declared that he would wait with the wagon as the pair approached the crowd. People parted for Jin Li. They did not for small Leon. With a 'tsk', Jin Li grabbed Leon by the hand and pulled him through the mass of gathering people, causing Leon to blush over the physical contact between them.
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