Of Arms and Arcane Chapter 104

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In my search for transportation into the deeper parts of the capital, I found myself making arrangents with a caravan master for transportation. Could I have hired my own private transport? Sure. Was I going to waste money on sothing I could get for free? Not a chance. So I hitched a ride with the delivery caravan that had just finished offloading their goods at the academy.

Not being one for fashion, I was in my school uniform with my Mana Steel sword hanging off my side, but this ti, instead of just my plain uniform, I was wearing a set that I had my house’s coat of arms sewed on like the rest of the nobles.

As for why? That was because I planned to go around window shopping and most likely do so hands-on examination of enchanted items, and I highly doubt the rchants are going to allow so random kid to go around touching their stuff willy-nilly, even if I was in normal uniform, this left with two options. Either I buy and dress up in so expensive and outrageous 1600s style poffy getup that shouts ‘Look at , I have money!’, which I would rather die than be caught wearing, or stick to the more form-fitting academy uniform and use my house emblem to get preferential treatnt. In order to preserve my self-dignity in my own eyes, I chose the latter.

Personally, I did not like the practice of showing off I am a noble, to , it feels like the common folk are walking on eggshells the mont they see the house emblem and I would not get any genuine interactions with any of them, but to more easily achieve my objective today, I will just have to bear with it.

It was mid-afternoon by the ti the caravan reached their destination, which was just where I wanted to be, the center of the rchant district in the capital. This is supposedly where all the good stuff is.

I thank the caravan master and I am on my way after asking for directions for where arms and armor are being sold and a recomndation for which shop I should visit.

After an hour of leisurely walking while window shopping and munching on so snacks along the way, I ca upon the place the caravan master recomnded to , it was a three-story tall building with a brand crest that looked like two swords crossed with a helt on top of it, and beside the brand crest was a shop’s na, “Bronson Armory”.

I quickly finished my snack and made my way inside. When I entered, I noticed the clientele on the current floor were either the well-ard and dangerously looking adventure type or what I assu were well-dressed rchants.

Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed a man with the Bronson Armory crest emblazoned on his chest making his way to , and I turned to him as he reached .

“Welco” the man said, and the mont I faced him, his eyes locked on my family emblem “Young Master. Welco to the Bronson Armory, I am Arno, how may I assist you this fine day?”

I give Arno my best business smile and a nod, “I am Luke, son of Baron Ironcrest, Pleased to make your acquaintance. As for what you can help with today, I am looking for so enchanted equipnt as a present for a relative of mine who has taken up adventuring.”

Arno gave an understanding nod, “Of course, of course, adventuring is dangerous business after all, you can buy protection, but not life, I always say, and at Bronson Armory I am sure you will find what you are looking for. May I know what Young Master Luke is looking for? Arms? Armor? Protective charms or trinkets? We have them all.”

I put on a face like I am contemplating what I wanted, “I… am not so sure what I want, enchanted equipnt for sure, but I am still uncertain of what type of equipnt to get… are you able to guide around? I am not so familiar with all this weapons, armor, or enchanting business.” I lied and saw the greed in Arno’s eyes at the prospect of an easy mark.

“Of course, Young Master Luke, if you would follow .” Arno said as we began walking toward the stairs, and soon we were on the second floor of the showroom, and what I saw was a thing of beauty.

Along the walls, hung the weapons on a backdrop of polished old wood, and in front of that wooden backdrop, were glass cases displaying the smaller weapons like knives, daggers, and specialized arrowheads, along with those were different jewelry, all enchanted.

Behind and above the wooden backdrop and glass cases of weapons, were different emblems, and I noticed a partition between the different wooden backdrop and glass cases. “What is with the different emblems?” I ask Arno.

“Ah, those are the different workshops we are affiliated with, each section along the wall has goods from their particular workshop, sa goes for the armors in the center of the floor.” Arno said as he gestured to the center of the floor where rows of armored mannequins were on display with the sa emblems hanging from the ceiling displaying the respective workshop the armor ca from.

This… this place seems to be the Walmart of arms and armor.

I then turned to Arno, “Let's start with sothing basic, which of these brands do you recomnd for weapons that are enchanted with elental effects?”

Arno nodded and led to a section that had the emblem of a flaming bird with a golden eye on its chest. He then picked a beautifully engraved scimitar off the wall and laid it before atop the glass case, “This was imported from the great Nar’Esh workshop from the desert empire in the east, when it cos to weapons with fire enchantnt, accept no equal.”

“May I?” I asked before picking up the scimitar and Arno nodded.

I picked up the scimitar and pushed mana into my eyes as I traced my fingers along the enchantnts engraved along the flat of the blade, and what I saw and felt as my mana poured along the engraved enchantnts… it was beautiful.

Where Professor Bixby’s style of enchantnt was beautiful in the depth of logic that I could barely comprehend, the enchantnts on this scimitar held a beauty that spoke to the deeper aning of fire, not in the technical sense, no, it was sothing deeper, sothing esoteric about the aning of fire that I did not understand.

Failing to understand anything deeper than that the scimitar could produce fire, the only thing left to do was to try it. I pushed mana into the scimitar and it ignited. As I felt my mana flow through the weapon and I studied it, I failed to detect any mana leakage from the weapon, truly a work of art.

After returning the scimitar to Arno, we moved on as I tested the enchantnts of many different arms, armor, and trinkets, and when I felt saw all I needed to see, I left the place empty-handed and saw a grumpy Arno out the corner of my eye.

Maybe I would make it up to him by buying sothing next ti, but for now, I have a lot to think about regarding the direction I want to take my enchanting that would elevate it from just any other enchantnt to a work of art.