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After passing through the illusory door and walking for a few relaxing minutes, I find myself in Danes City, in front of a shop I know well.
[Hammer Without Limits]
Today I've come to visit the rehabilitated old womanizer, according to Melisa's information, to collect or inspect whatever he's managed to gather or make for me.
As I walk into the shop, I immediately spot the old man, who doesn't look quite so old anymore, sitting behind the counter.
Gerald has an air of inner peace and relaxation about him that's quite at odds with the attitude I'm used to seeing in him.
But I suppose that's to be expected.
"What's up, old man?" I say with a carefree smile.
"Old are the bones! I'm in my prime," says Gerald, grinning cheekily, his blue eyes seeming to sparkle slightly against the contrast of his silver hair and pearly-white teeth.
"Hahaha... Sorry, but it's just a habit," I say, raising my hands in a gesture of peace.
"It's all right. I understand, my boy. I could never get mad at you, considering all I owe you," says the old man, moving one of his arms as if he were stroking something at lap level.
I can't see what he's touching because of the counter, but I can guess.
"I'm glad I was able to help you. No one should have lived as long as you did with that sort of condition," I say as I move a little closer to the counter.
"Yesss… That's amazing… But I haven't seen you for months. Do you want to see what I've been using your money for?" says the old man, his expression tightening slightly for a moment.
"Exactly," I say, finding the old man's expression slightly strange, so I stop moving closer.
His face is far too relaxed.
"Haah! That's fine. It's incredibly fine, in fact…" says the old man after letting out a rather strange sigh.
"… But that also means we'll have to wait until later for me to give you your well-deserved reward, beauty."
Gerald utters the last words while looking down, and I'm left speechless as a stunning blonde with green eyes rises from behind the counter.
The woman looks to be in her twenties or thirties and has an incredible figure, barely covered by two pieces of semi-transparent lingerie that leave little to the imagination.
'Son of a bitch... I can see you're making the most of having recovered from the curse.'
"Don't worry, Daddy. For now, I'm happy with what you've just given me," says the woman in a honeyed voice as she affectionately pinches the old man's cheek after swallowing noisily.
"Emir, this is Jennifer. She's the little gem I've been keeping myself entertained with these days. Jennifer, this is Emir. He's… He's almost like a son to me. So I hope you two get along…" says the cheeky old man, introducing us as if what I know just happened hadn't just happened.
The woman waves at me with a shy smile and I wave back, but with a neutral expression.
'What the fuck?...
I can see why Melisa is so annoyed with him...
He doesn't seem to have a shred of shame'
"... Now please leave; we men need to talk about some boring stuff."
After uttering those words, he gives the blonde a slap on the bum; she giggles foolishly as a blush colors her cheeks and obeys the old man, beginning to make her way somewhat clumsily towards the exit.
As the blonde scurries barefoot towards the shop exit, I get a better look at her figure just before it's hidden behind a red one-piece dress she's picked up from somewhere on the floor behind the counter and slips on.
'She's not as perfect as I thought...
She doesn't measure up to Alessia, neither in bust nor in bum...
And she doesn't seem particularly bright either...
Even so...
Wow! Who'd have thought the old man would have what it takes to catch the eye of a woman like that'
When the woman reaches the door, before leaving the shop, she turns to look at Gerald and blows him a kiss, after which she says, "I'll be back later, Daddy. I hope you miss me, because I'm certainly going to miss you down here."
"Haha… Yes, darling. Of course I'll miss you," says the old man, blowing a kiss back through the air.
'What did I just see?'
I watched the whole exchange without quite knowing what to say.
But now that the woman has left, I look at the old man with a mocking smile and say, "Really? At your workplace?"
"Ha! You're in no position to criticize," says the old man, and I can tell from the movement of his hands that he's pulling up his trousers behind the counter.
"Haha… You're right…" I say, moving a little closer once I reckon there's no longer any danger of seeing more of the old man's anatomy than I'm interested in seeing.
"… Best get back to business. What have you got for me?"
"Quite a few things… But let's start with the things I've made myself," says the old man, and he begins to materialize a series of various objects on the counter.
"I see you've been quite busy," I say, surprised by the variety of things on the counter.
"Yes, but I don't talk to anyone about my private life. Not even you. Although I can give you some advice, if you like," says the old man with a cheeky smile.
"That's not what I meant," I say, exasperated.
"Hahaha... I'm joking, lad. Yes, I've been experimenting with various objects and I've managed to make some rather interesting things…" says the old man as he taps a few of the objects.
"...Two of them could be quite dangerous in the wrong hands, but there's one I don't even know how well it'll work."
"Let's start with what looks simplest. These clothes... What have you done with them?" I say, pointing to a pile of at least a dozen shirts and trousers.
"That was the easiest thing to make and the first thing I experimented with. It's impervious clothing. I chose those garments because I think they'll be useful to both you and your women," says the old man dispassionately.
"You'll have to explain yourself a bit better. What exactly do you mean by impervious?... " I ask curiously.
"...And why does it seem like you don't give a damn?"
"Haa... It's just that it was too easy to achieve. I'd thought it would be harder, considering I'd never seen anything like it before…" says the old man as he pulls out a lighter and a candle.
A moment later, he lights the candle and places it beneath a section of the fabric of one of the shirts.
"... This is what I mean by impervious. The fabric is completely fireproof, waterproof, dirt-proof, and... Well... basically proof against any substance. They also can adjust and adapt to the body of the person wearing them, but that last bit isn't anything new."
"That's quite interesting... I suppose you could sell them quite well," I say, impressed.
It's not the defensive clothing I'd imagined the first time I heard about clothes with free slots, but it's pretty close.
"Yes, but not as much as you might imagine. Most people still prefer garments with self-cleaning, self-perfuming, and self-repairing functions. But that's to be expected… After all, there's a reason they're the standard," says the old man with a sigh.
'Yes… I suppose those capabilities are valuable to most people…
But in my case, my inventory already takes care of that.'
"This other thing is also quite useful and interesting, but it hasn't been very successful either…" says the old man, tapping a gnarled wooden staff a meter long.
"…It's a light staff."
"Which means?" I say, raising an eyebrow.
"It means it can generate orbs of light to illuminate an area for a few minutes…" mutters the old man.
"… But it seems people don't like having to regenerate the orbs every few minutes. So I came up with these …"
After speaking, the old man tosses me a pair of simple-looking glasses.
"...With those, you can see in the dark just as clearly as you're seeing me now."
"That... could be a bit dangerous in the wrong hands. I see what you meant," I say, looking at the glasses in surprise.
It's not that they're much use to me, as thanks to the Eagle's Eye upgrade, I can see in the dark.
But the idea that anyone could have access to that sort of advantage…
'I suppose it doesn't have to be a bad thing, as long as it's common knowledge.'
"Nah... Those aren't really dangerous. And they sell like hot cakes..." says the old man, playing it down, before picking up a pair of very short, straight-bladed daggers.
"... These are a bit more dangerous, but they're not that bad."
"What do they do?" I ask once more.
"You throw them at someone and they pursue their target until they reach it. You can't dodge them, but you can block them," says the old man with a wry smile.
"And that's not a big deal?" I ask, puzzled.
"They're not that great. It's an original idea, but they don't give you much of an advantage in a real fight. At least not for people with average skills..."
'I suppose they're not really capable of doing any real harm to someone who has a few levels in any combat class...
If they just chase the target they're thrown at...
Although things would change quite a bit if you added the Edge rune to them'
"… But it does bother me a bit that something like these beauties is within reach of any idiot with money. So I only made this pair, and they're for you. They work quite well, but their offensive capability isn't very good."
"Yes. That's exactly what I was thinking… Anyway, if those daggers weren't among the two 'really dangerous' items you made, what are they…?" I say, noticing there are only two things left on the counter that I still don't know what they're for.
"…You're not going to tell me you meant that pair of boots and that innocent-looking leather belt, are you?"
"Well, yes, those are precisely the objects I was referring to."