Blacksmith of the Apocalypse

"Then would you allow us to get an appraiser and check the item before we buy it?"

Besides people buying and selling wares, there were also service providers like independent appraisers or craftsmen that made their money by appraising items for others. Seth agreed but put away the better items.

These two were well-off if they could opt to hire an appraiser before buying something. The mediocre stuff was more than enough for people like that. Help the poor and soak the rich. This was mysterious, humble, Merchant Seth's code of honor.

This was not how he had imagined his day, but if fate forced money onto him, he would not say no. The pair soon returned with a tall, skinny man. He wore a badge that apparently identified him as an appraiser that could appraise up to uncommon items.

He started sweating when he looked at the table filled with items. They were all common, but the enchantments were better than the few uncommon items he had ever seen.

"Before you speak," he said to the appraiser and looked at the girl. "Choose 5 items to appraise. What you get to buy will be among those items.

"Eh? But-"

"My items, my rules. You wanted to get an appraiser. So you only get to look at 5 items."

She was a little bummed out but still chose the 5 she liked the most based on looks. They had all kinds of temporary buffs. Though they were nothing special in Seth's opinion the appraiser stuttered as he read out the effects of the 5 items.

Even the stoic companion looked slightly surprised, while the girl could only stand there slack-jawed. To them, it was more about the fact that a common item had these kinds of effects when they knew similar ones only from uncommon items.

How skilled would the maker have to be to accomplish this?

"Where did you say did you come from?" she asked breathlessly.

"Delta," Seth said with a smile.

"And you got these there?"

"Yep, they were made by the Blacksmith Smith. If you laugh at the name, I won't sell anything to you."

"How much?" she asked with a crazed look.

"50k, take it or leave it," Seth answered.

"I take all of them!" she said and her eyes were almost spirals. She had instantly decided without talking with her comrade in the back.

"You only get those 5. That makes 250k," he said with a smug smile. She grumbled for a moment but took out a stack of cash.

"Nice to do business with you," he said with a big smile. He waved at their backs as the two left.

Once the two were gone and he managed to shoo away the appraiser who kept gawking at his wares, Seth broke up tents. He didn't come to make money, but someone actually ruined his business.

A skill that could make counterfeit items? Seth had not heard about something like this when he was abroad, but it did not mean it was impossible. The system was constantly changing and adapting with new worlds being added to the patchworks.

He was ready to believe its existence, but he was sure the reason why people couldn't recognize the fakes was the low appraisal levels. Seth was able to appraise any weapon, armor, and accessory below legendary.

" I will find those people who ruined my fun! No, I mean those scumbags who are scamming people and risk their lives. Yes."

~Pff, sure. Seth, the hero of justice. Go forth oh glorious hero. ~ the lich snickered in his mind.

"Are you doubting my intention?" Seth asked indignantly.

~ No. I would never doubt your intentions. I'm pretty sure you will make them suffer and regret their actions and maybe their existence. What I'm doubting is your motivation, dear ally of justice. "

Seth grumbled a little but didn't really answer her provocation. His eyes wandered over the various stalls and their wares looking for anomalies. He doubted anyone on Urth had enough skill to fool his <Blacksmith's Eyes>

It did not take nearly as long as he expected. He soon found a stall with flashy-looking weapons. They looked very weird and more like the stuff you would find in excessively over-adorned fantasy games. Did people buy this stuff for real?

One of them looked simply like a giant hunk of steel with a handle.

<Cluster Sword (construct)

Uncommon

Damage: 135

Durability: 300

1. +95% Accuracy

2. Braver: A heavy attack dealing 480% damage

The weapon of the otherworldly warrior Clout. >

It looked like a real weapon, except for the fact that it seemed kind of weak for its size and rating. The important information was probably that it was called a construct. All the items on the table were a construct.

The owner of the stall was a well-dressed plump merchant with an amicable smile.

Now, how should he go about this?

"Hey, what's a construct?" he asked the merchant interestedly with a nice smile.

The merchant's face fell, it was a grimace of shock. It took a moment for him to recover his composure, but his face was still covered with sweat.

"D-Dear customer, I have no idea what you are talking about?" he fumbled with a tissue and wiped his forehead.

"Oh, really? But you are selling a whole lot of them here. No, actually all of these items are whatever a construct is." Seth leaned over the table and got really close to the merchant's face.

"No, I really don't-"

"Come one, you can tell me. Nothing bad will happen. We are friends, right?" Seth had activated <Voice of Seth> and his words crept into the other's ears. His eyes became slightly dilated. Seth kept talking to him using the skill as his mana rapidly depleted.

"Oh well, I don't think there is any harm. Constructs are the product of our racial illusion magic. They have a physical form for the time the mana lasts and vanish when the power runs out."

"Racial Illusion magic?"

"Yes, us weasel people are very good with illusion. Some might argue that foxes are better. But let me tell you, nobody can beat us."

Seth felt that his skill worked a little too well. Maybe this weasel?-person was just weak to mind tricks. That had to be the case. He kept talking with the merchant and he soon revealed the whole scope of the situation.

Weasel people had recently come to Urth through the pathworks and had spread in the underdeveloped Y-City. They could easily sell their constructs to the item-hungry barbarians in this place.

The more intimate Seth became with the merchant the more of its nasty personality came through. It talked about one of the adventurers dying after the construct vanished in his hand with a dirty laugh. How hilarious it was to have his companions come and complain tears and tell this hilarious story.

Off the record, it even told him how it and its company had ambushed that party and made it disappear. There were few people that could see through their fabulous illusion in this city. It was so much fun that they could do whatever they want.

Once it got into the groove it kept talking and talking. Now Seth was not really a hero or a Samaritan. And he had already planned to make people suffer for ruining his fun. But this was simply aggravating.

He kept listening to the beasts monologuing about their exploits in the city since they came here. The merchant had a completely different air now. His act had completely crumbled, and it talked to him like he was some sadistic friend of his that would laugh along with it.

"How about we grab a drink and keep talking? I can introduce you to the boys."

"That would be awesome," Seth said with a calm smile. The weasel did not notice how waxen his face was and the cold glint in his dark eyes.