บท 24: Chapter 24: Taking Orders

Lucas exited the workstation and arrived back at the waiting lobby with the revamped short-sword in hand.

Once he appeared, everyone in the room stared at him, or to be specific, the short-sword. Even though it was still encased within its sheath, they peered at it, trying to uncover its secrets with their eyes.

"Complete." Lucas said as he placed the weapon atop the counter and called for the owner.

In fact, there was no need to do so, as the owner was already headed towards him. The man took the sword out of its sheath and looked at it. A simple glance showed that it looked almost no different from before except the fact that the notches were absent and it seemed to shine a bit more. However, having had it in his possession for months, the man knew the short-sword like the back of his hand. He could see that the runes on it were quite different from what they used to be, suggesting that Lucas had changed them entirely. Even the new matrices on it weren't the same stellar matrices previously.

"This..."

"There's a room by the side for testing out vestiges. You can go have a try there." Lucas pointed at a door on the side.

Apart from the work-station and lobby, the ground floor had two more rooms; a restroom and a spare room used for testing vestiges. The testing room had a simulation feature which made it great for combat testing, and from the checkout counter's monitor, Lucas could easily control the changes in the room.

The man went in the direction Lucas pointed, but he wasn't the only one as over half of the guests remaining did the same.

It didn't take them long before they returned, with the man displaying a pleasantly surprised expression on his face. Without a doubt, everyone could easily guess that the advanced repair was well worth it.

"Are you really a vestige-smith?" The man couldn't help but ask.

Like the others, they had come to the store in hopes of finding a vestige-smith. However, when the identity of the owner was revealed to be a human and a young one at that, he had given up that idea and hoped for Lucas to be a good blacksmith or at least, in contact with one or a vestige-smith.

But from what he had just seen, there was no way a blacksmith could make something as good as what Lucas had done while still being so fast with it. This showed that Lucas was definitely not an ordinary individual.

"Why can't a human be a vestige-smith?." Lucas looked at the man before turning towards the others.

"Next please."

With a calm tone, Lucas called out the next individual on the list.

The guests were currently shocked, but in a pleasant manner. Although some still had their suspicions about Lucas' true occupation, the fact that he could still work on vestiges was what they were interested in. It seemed like their gamble paid off. Now, what they needed to know was the limit of Lucas' skills. After all, the vestige the man gave Lucas was a Grade 1 vestige. Top class blacksmiths could fix them without too much of a hassle.

The black haired man was next and he walked towards the counter with a smile on his face. Compared to the others, he wasn't visibly bothered.

"Grade 2. Damaged stellar matrix. I'd like to go for an advanced repair." The man said.

Lucas nodded and took the vestige. This time around, it was a gun-type vestige with the shape of a pistol. Compared to cold weapons, vestiges based on hot weapons were complicated. This was because the vestige-smith would have to be versed in the technology and design of hot weapons before they can make or fix such.

The black haired man was clearly testing Lucas' knowledge with this task.

"Is that all?" Lucas asked, unbothered by the request.

"What are your rates?" The black haired man asked.

Lucas was surprised. Truth be told, he didn't expect anyone to actually ask for a service apart from maintenance today.

"Due to the obvious lack of pricing system in this world as well as to prevent undervaluing, the system would designate prices for all services and products in the store."

The system's voice sounded in Lucas' head before he could say a word, stunning the latter.

Following that, a series of words and numbers appeared in his head, and a price list also popped up on the monitor.

"System, what is the meaning of this?" Lucas was astounded.

The prices the system gave for each product or service was eschewed. It would either be too expensive or too cheap. For example, the basic repair cost less than that of other stores. The advanced repair was different as its price depended on the grade of the vestige as well as the runes and sigils Lucas used on them. Generally however, it was slightly cheaper than that of stores who happen to offer advanced repairs just like him.

However, when it came to crafting vestiges, whether they be custom-made or standard, the prices were insane. Standard products simply referred to vestiges that were made in large copies. Based on the system's pricing, standard products would cost at least fifty percent more than the other stores while custom-made vestiges were an almost 200% increase compared to other stores.

Lucas couldn't help but curse inwardly, wondering how he would make money at this rate.

"Hello?" The black haired man called out to Lucas.

"Take a look."

There was a display screen on the counter facing the direction of the customer. With his attention being brought to it, the man glanced at the screen and raised his eyebrows.

"This..."

"Our prices are fair." Lucas said.

Since the system had already decided on the price with no way to negotiate, Lucas decided to settle with it. Also, his skills were at the peak in his last life. Even if this was a new world, he could definitely compete with high level vestige-smiths. Hence, the prices were fair in a sense. As for why the basic repair was cheaper, it could be some sort of advertising or maybe the system just looked down on such activities.

The man was stunned that Lucas defended these prices and he almost had the urge to curse out. These prices were so insane that only the vestige-smiths at the Central prefecture district of Baylands City could compare.

The black haired man hesitated, but decided to change his strategy in the end.

"Are there any completed works?"

Buying a created vestige was a much safer option than asking for one to be produced. The latter required one to have trust in the skills of the vestige-smith, hoping that the completed product would be of high quality. In the case of the former, one could ascertain the quality of a vestige on the spot, as even in every grade, there were still differences between each vestige. For instance, the vestige used by the kidnappers was a Grade 1 vestige, however, it couldn't compare with the short-sword Lucas was given to repair.

"Sure. Take a look at the side." Lucas gestured.

The lobby area was divided into two, and while the second side still served the same function, it had a few items on display already. The black haired man had noticed them, but each vestige was encased in a special glass that prevented him from sensing the energy level of the items, so he couldn't determine their grades.

With permission from Lucas, he walked towards the area along with a majority of the guests as this was an opportunity to see what Lucas was capable of.

"Whichever one you intend on screening, just tap on the glass." Lucas' voice sounded from the checkout counter.

The group nodded and did as he said, following which a series of exclamations sounded in the store.

Their eyes were wide open as they stared at the vestiges in the glass. The view suddenly became breathtaking as a few freelancers were stunned silly on the spot, their eyes frozen on the vestiges before them.

There weren't many vestiges, but they were all of different grades. From Grade 1 to Grade 3, there were vestiges of high quality. Most of them already surpassed what could be found in mainstream stores in the West Wing district. Only vestige stores in the Central Prefecture could compare, but even then, there was still a slight difference.

The black haired man stared at a certain vestige. It was a black trench coat with a belt on the waist. The energy from the trench coat signified that it was of Grade 2, but the stellar energy was so pure that the man was convinced that the trench coat could even rival a standard Grade 3 version.

"This... how?"

Not just the black haired man, but the others were similarly stunned. The owner of the store was a human. Common knowledge dictated that humans couldn't achieve much in matters related to stellar energy. But what they saw before them broke this belief.

If it were true that Lucas made these, then his skill wasn't even lacking compared to most vestige-smiths. Heck, he could even rival the best Baylands City has to offer.

While some were thinking of this, others had a strange glint in their eyes.

Before them were multiple treasures valued at hundreds if not thousands of federal coins. Just one of the Grade 3 vestiges here could feed an average family of four for two years, and there were five of them. This was but the financial aspect of thesd weapons. In terms of power, they could improve the strength of these freelancers by at least fifty percent.

If they could own one of these vestiges, their freelancing lives would be easier. However, the cost would definitely be hefty.

But...the owner was a human.

When they recalled this fact, a certain thought began to lay a foundation in their minds.