Chapter 70 Wide Grin

Suzuka had just finished her business at the alchemic shop and was now making her way back to Walter, the blacksmith, to check on the status of the gambeson she had ordered. As she entered the armor shop, she noticed Walter standing at his worktable, admiring his latest creation. He was giving it the final touches, ensuring that every stitch was perfect and every seam was straight.

Walter spotted Suzuka as she entered the room and greeted her with a warm smile. "Hey there! You're back just in time," he said cheerfully. "I have it ready, I'd like you to try it on and see how it feels."

Suzuka eagerly accepted the item from Walter and changed into a new gambeson. After putting on her armor once again, she spent a few minutes moving and testing the fit. "Wow, this feels even better now," she said, her voice filled with excitement. "There are no restrictions to my movements at all. Thank you so much, Walter!"

Walter spoke to Suzuka, "Oh no, thank you," he said, a wide grin spreading across his face. "And I would like to extend another offer to you. I offer a monthly gear maintenance service for 20 silver pieces a month. It's a great deal for adventurers like yourself. Let me explain how it works. Normally, maintenance costs start at 10 silver pieces per visit, but if you choose me as your go-to armor smith, I will be available to perform maintenance anytime you need it, as many times as you need it, all for just 20 silver pieces a month." Walter's eyes sparkled with excitement as he spoke about his offer, eager for Suzuka to take advantage of it.

"Ooff, Walter, the deal sounds good, but I am really running low on funds, I don't know," Suzuka said with a noticeable concern in her voice.

"Look, I know you spend a lot of silver in my shop. I don't try to rip you off, but how about this? 20 silver coins for 2 months? Eh! You won't find a better deal in all of Rockmine town. Think about it, just by visiting for blade sharpening you will pay at least 40 silver per month and I don't even want to start on armor repairs." 

Suzuka found herself becoming increasingly restless as she considered Walter's offer. Despite the allure of the deal, she was aware of the need to be financially cautious. Yet, she found it difficult to resist the temptation, as the deal seemed too good to pass up.

 After much consideration, Suzuka finally gave in to her desire and agreed to the terms proposed by Walter. She couldn't help but feel a mixture of excitement and anxiety as she made this decision. She is down to 81 silver coins and 294 copper coins.

But Walter was good at offers and he pushed even further beyond, "By the way, I was thinking. You look like such a strong woman and considering you are a human dwarf, right? Wouldn't you want a bigger weapon to go along with this shortsword? I mean it's not my place to tell you what to like or not but that seems a bit too small of a weapon for you." Oh, this old coot, he smells the money and desires to squeeze her dry. 

"Yeah, I was thinking it is a little bit small, but what do you have in mind, of course, I am not buying a new weapon, please don't torture me with tempting offers. Just tell me what you have in mind." Suzuka asked Walter in a defeated tone.

Walter let out a laugh, "Haha! Do not worry, you don't need to buy it today. So, I was thinking about a battle axe, the short sword is great to dispatch small enemies, but for bigger opponents, the great battle axe might be a good option. Just imagine yourself griping a hard, strong, girthy, long pole with a huge head, gently stroking the handle while swinging it around."

Suzuka couldn't help but feel a rush of excitement as she remembered the cool and confident appearance of Bill the Minotaur, wielding his massive battle axe.

The blacksmith keen eye noticed her beautiful face shift with excitement, and he kept pushing, "But wait, there's more hehe... for such a fine adventurer like you, a simple axe would be plain looking. You need a foldable great battle axe. Let me paint a picture for ya, the foldable double-sided blade great axe is a unique and impressive weapon. The blade is crafted with intricate designs, featuring ornate etchings and a gleaming finish. The handle is designed to be sturdy and comfortable to hold, with a sleek and modern look. When not in use, the blade can be easily folded with one turn of a handle, making it compact and convenient to carry. The weapon is both deadly and cool-looking, with a stylish design that is sure to turn heads." 

Suzuka turns at Walter and looks him in the eyes, "How much, Walter?"

Walter is rubbing his hands happy in his thoughts as he is ready for a final push, "Well, weapons like that are custom made, they are not the ones out of the mill. They are a tad bit more expensive. But you can buy them by paying in multiple payments. You can take a one-year plan with monthly payments as an example. The full price can range from 25 to 150 gold coins."

Suzuka's jaw dropped and all of her dreams about the giant axe shattered, "Well, no axe for me then." 

But Walter didn't get disappointed after hearing Suzuka say that, he planted a desire now he just need to wait for her to come up with the money. He noticed that she was a promising adventurer and that he needs to milk every penny he can out of her before she perishes on some dangerous quest.

"Oh! Don't lose hope, one day at a time and you will save up for a new better weapon, also you can browse my wares, and maybe you will see something you like. But I will not push you to buy anything, today. just go home and have a thought, that's all. Oh, and don't forget, I offer the best deals in the town."

"Yeah, I will not buy any weapon, for now, thanks for the information though. I will keep that in mind when I get enough gold." She said as she walked out of the armor shop.

 The time was already late, and the night was creeping up, she was done with all of her shopping, tomorrow she will look for the first quest. 

As she made her way back home, a creeping sensation of being observed washed over her. Despite her efforts to shake it off, the feeling only grew stronger. She cautiously glanced over her shoulder, hoping to catch a glimpse of who might be following her. As she did, she saw a face that was all too familiar to her. It was David.

She couldn't believe it, "What? Him again? Uhggh Jeez. What he wants."

He had been tailing her since she left the armor smith, and she couldn't shake him off. The familiarity of the situation made her quicken her pace. But he was persistent, she could still feel David's gaze upon her.

As Suzuka walked, she was completely absorbed in her thoughts, her mind consumed by the presence of David. So much, so that she failed to notice the three adventurers walking directly in front of her. In her distraction, she gently collided with the middle one of the trio. These three men were tall and strongly built, with an imposing presence.

The man that Suzuka had bumped into was quick to react, his voice raised in anger as he confronted her. "Hey, you! Pay attention to where you're going! Or did you just try to pickpocket me?" he shouted, his grip tightening on Suzuka's jacket as he spoke. "Hold on a minute, I need to check my pockets." The man's tone was confrontational and accusatory.

Despite the man's aggressive behavior, Suzuka remained calm, her hands raised in a gesture of surrender. "I'm sorry," she said, her voice calm. "I wasn't paying attention and I didn't mean to bump into you. I definitely wasn't trying to pickpocket you. So, please, let me go." She hoped that the man would see reason and release her.

David saw what happened from far away and hastened his steps toward Suzuka out of his hiding.

But the man Suzuka bumped into wasn't one of the brightest, "Shut up, bitch! When I'm sure you didn't steal anything I let go! Until then, shut up and wait! Before I slapped that pretty face of yours!"

The other two men were aware that their companion was about to make a serious mistake. They attempted to intervene, hoping to stop him before he made a serious mistake. However, Suzuka was not in the mood to wait. She swiftly grabbed the man's wrist, which was clutching her jacket, and tightened her grip, causing the man to feel a sharp, intense pain in his wrist.

David stopped approaching and went back into hiding as he saw how Suzuka disabled the man. 

The man crumpled to the ground, a pained expression on his face as Suzuka applied firm pressure to his wrist. His companions quickly stepped forward and offered their apologies for their friend's behavior, "We are sorry for our friend here, we don't need any trouble with another adventurer, I assume the same goes for you too. No harm done, let's just part our way." 

 They asked Suzuka to release their comrade, the two men seemed eager to avoid a confrontation. Despite the situation, their demeanor was polite and respectful, indicating that they were not looking for a fight, but simply hoping to resolve the situation peacefully.

Suzuka just said, "Sure, nobody got time for this, bye boys!" She walked away after releasing the man.

Suzuka was on her way back to the Mystic Oasis, her thoughts lost in reflection. David was stalking her every step of the way. Although Suzuka was aware of David's presence, she was only mildly annoyed by it and didn't feel threatened in any way.

 Despite David's persistence, Suzuka remained calm and continued to walk, her mind focused on other things. As she approached the entrance to the Mystic Oasis, she couldn't help but wonder what David's intentions were and whether his stalking was a cause for concern. 

Suzuka had a long and exhausting day, and all she wanted was to unwind and relax. She decided to visit a hot spring downstairs to soothe her weary body. Always cautious, Suzuka brought along a throwing knife, just in case anyone tried to peek at her again while she was in the water.

She made her way to the first floor and entered the dressing room, where she stripped down to her towel and covered herself up. As she walked into the hot spring area, she saw that she wasn't alone. Several other women were already there, soaking in the warm water and relaxing.

Suzuka approached the hot spring and looked around for a comfortable spot. She finally found one and settled in, letting the warm water envelop her body. She closed her eyes and placed a towel over her head, relishing in the peace and quiet. The heat from the water was a truly relaxing experience.

Suzuka's gaze shifted to the same tree where she had spotted the peeping person last time. As the moon shone down, she noticed a faint shimmer in the distance. Without hesitation, she realized that the person was back and that he had brought along a spyglass. 

She wasn't alone this time, she didn't want to make a scene considering that the peeper was far away. The woman started to get up and wash themself giving the peeper the show he come to see.

 But Suzuka decided to ruin his fun, "Hey! I think I saw a glint in that tree, someone is peeping with a spyglass!" Suzuka shouted while pointing to the tree in the distance.

All the women abruptly ceased their movements and turned their heads to gaze toward the tree. Peeper, noticing Suzuka pointing in his direction. He fumbled with his spyglass, desperately trying to hide his presence, but in his haste, he accidentally redirected the lens toward the moon. The reflective surface of the spyglass caught a beam of moonlight and reflected it, giving away Peeper's position with a tiny glint that was impossible to miss.

"She's right! I saw the light shine in that tree, there is someone," one woman said, then another continued, "I saw it too! Let's get out of the bath." 

The woman entered the building, while Suzuka stayed outside. She rose, grabbed her throwing knife, and launched it at the glint in the tree with immense power. Although she struck the tree, she missed her target - a man - as evidenced by his shout as he tumbled from the tree.