"You..." Tatsuo fixed him with a sharp gaze. "Sir, I spoke to the shop owner, and he has agreed to discuss the sale of his shop with us," Ragnar reported.
"Okay, let's go." Tatsuo and the others headed to the shop. Inside, the owner was already seated, a man of about fifty with the aura of someone who had forged thousands of blades. Ragnar greeted the owner, and Tatsuo took a seat.
"Good afternoon, sir. Thank you for coming. Let's get straight to the point. How much do you want for your shop?" the owner asked.
"Yes, I'm considering it. I have some questions first. After these, I'll give you a price." Upon entering, Tatsuo had scanned the weapons. They were all of decent quality, and some were high-class. He was puzzled why this man was here; he should have been in the capital for better business. This was why Tatsuo decided to buy the shop, but he had a few questions.
"Sure, go ahead," the owner replied.
"Who made all these weapons? How many years have you been making weapons? And why did you open a blacksmith shop here?" Tatsuo asked.
"I made all these weapons with my four apprentices. I started making weapons when I was twelve, so it's been forty years. It's complicated why I opened a shop here. It's a bit confidential, but I am from the capital," the owner answered.
Tatsuo took something from his pocket, placed it on the table, and asked the owner, "Do you recognize this crest?" The owner saw the crest and was shocked, but he immediately knelt and greeted Tatsuo.
"Your Highness, forgive my rudeness."
"So, you're from the castle. No one knows this crest unless they're in the castle. So, tell me why you opened a shop in this small town?" he asked again.
"Twenty years ago, I killed a knight because he slept with my wife. Knowing my punishment, I decided to run and hide here," he answered honestly.
"What is your name?"
"Mosuke, Your Highness," he answered.
"Mosuke. By the authority vested in me as a prince of this empire, I, Prince Tatsuo Ryujin, grant you a pardon! Mosuke, from now on, you are no longer a criminal," Tatsuo declared.
Mosuke, who had been kneeling the whole time, didn't dare to stand before Tatsuo. He began to cry. "Thank you, Your Highness. From now on, I will be your servant. If you command, I will do it!"
"Good! You may rise and sit again." Mosuke sat nervously. "Old Kie, I'll call you that from now on. This is 300 gold coins. Is this enough to buy your shop?" Old Kie was shocked again.
"No, no, no, no, my prince, it's too much. I was just hoping you could give me fifty gold coins, but now, knowing you are Your Highness, it's an honor for me to serve you and be your servant," he said, rejecting Tatsuo's offer.
"How dare you reject me!" Old Kie shivered in fear. Tatsuo laughed. "I'm just messing with you, Old Kie. I have a very important mission for you." He took another bag from his pocket and said, "This is 2000 gold coins. I want you to build power here in this town. If you can, you can also run to be the town mayor because I need weapons in the future. Can I trust you with this mission, Mosuke?"
Now Old Kie understood why Tatsuo was giving him such a large sum. He knelt again and said, "It is an honor to be your tool, Your Highness. I will do my best to accomplish your command."
"Good. You better not disappoint me. Also, don't tell anyone my identity, not even your apprentices. And I'll write a letter of pardon for your sins, so we won't have any problems in the future." Tatsuo wrote a letter of pardon for Old Kie.
Tatsuo and Mosuke talked for a while. Afterward, Tatsuo felt tired. "Old Kie, do you have a room here that I can use?" Tatsuo asked. "Yes, Your Highness, I'll take you there." Before heading to the room, he commanded Ragnar.
"Ragnar, prepare your squad and weapons for Rota's squad. Ask Old Kie if you need anything. We will attack as soon as we get the information."
"Yes, Your Highness," Ragnar replied.
Tatsuo followed Mosuke to the room, entered, and lay down on the bed. He was curious about Mosuke's stats, so he checked them. "Steve, display Mosuke's stats." Yes, Master, Steve answered.
Name: Mosuke (Old Kie) Age: 52 Title: Commoner, Former Imperial Blacksmith Level: Sky Gate Realm, 2nd Level Fame: 50 Special Skills:
Melting Heat
Iron Hand
Tense Up
Magic Skill: Volcano Heat, Earthquake
Attack Skill: High Rank Warhammer Technique, Advanced Rank Volcano Sword Technique
Ability: Divine Immunity to Heat
Impressive, even though he's just been smashing iron, he has skills. What a harvest! I'm starting to believe I'm a lucky star, he laughed to himself. At the same time, the system chimed.
Ding! Master, please check the quest menu. There are new quests.
Tatsuo opened the quest menu.
-- Quest Menu --
Line Quest: Join the army and become a captain. -You cannot reveal you are the prince, or the quest will fail.
Reward: A Class Weapon
Line Quest: Annihilate the Iron Slavery Company
Reward: ???
Side Quest: Have your first 100 subordinates
Reward: ???
Side Quest: Learn 3 more Attack Skills
Reward: 1 Special Subordinate
"Steve, what is the meaning of the question mark in the rewards corner?" Tatsuo asked.
"Master, from now on, the system will reward you after the quest based on your performance," Steve answered.
"What the heck! Are you messing with me, Steve! What if I don't do much in the mission?"
"The system will give you a lesser reward!" Steve answered.
"Arghhhh!!" Tatsuo was in his childish mode.
After a while, Tatsuo calmed down. After thinking about the missions, he decided to rest for now.