After a period of careful examination, the Workshop Owner lifted his head, his expression slightly odd. He asked hesitantly, "Young man, what Star Hunter are you?"
Gordon was stunned by the question but still honestly replied, "Two-Star."
The Workshop Owner's expression immediately became even stranger.
"This Burst Blade is very well done in terms of metal smelting and forging, and its internal structure is strong enough. It looks like it's been in use for a while, and there are no major problems overall.
However, there are traces of high-temperature scorching on the blade. The Great Izuchi's breath can't reach that level of high temperature, nor is its impact force that strong. It's more like a Rathalos... Did you use it to block a Rathalos's breath?"
Gordon's eyes widened in surprise upon hearing this. He could tell that?
"It did help me block a Rathalos's breath; otherwise, I would have been blown to bits then," Gordon answered truthfully.
The Workshop Owner opened his mouth, but in the end, he swallowed his complaint—So why did you, a Two-Star Hunter, go and provoke a Rathalos??
"The problem with this hook claw is also quite serious. It must have been impacted by some immense force; the hook blade is a bit deformed, and the internal mechanism is somewhat dislocated, which is why it got stuck.
To be honest, I really don't understand this battle damage. From the chipping marks on the hook blade, it seems to have collided with some kind of small, blunt object, yet the force was quite astonishing.
It doesn't look like a monster's claw. The Great Wild Boar King's tusks? But its tusks aren't this shape either?
Wait, you didn't happen to be sparring with another hunter, did you? An Insect Glaive could potentially cause similar marks. If you really did such a foolish thing, this old man will beat you, alright?"
The Workshop Owner raised his fist, his expression unfriendly. He hated such reckless damage to weapons the most.
Gordon quickly waved his hands. He couldn't take the blame for this. Whether it was a conflict or a playful spar, for whatever reason, a hunter directing their weapon at a human was a very serious offense.
"No, no, I would never do such a thing. It was the King of the Gajalaka. I clashed blades with the King of the Gajalaka, and he used a bone scepter to smash the Burst Blade into this state."
"Cough, cough, cough... The King of the Gajalaka..."
The Old Wyverian choked on his pipe tobacco. After a fit of coughing, he irritably shouted, "First a Rathalos, then the King of the Gajalaka! Can you, a Two-Star junior hunter, not pick some more normal monsters to fight?!
Even if you can handle it, can your weapons and armor handle it?!"
"..."
Gordon hunched his shoulders. After the old man, who valued equipment more than people, had vented, he somewhat aggrievedly explained, "They were all accidental encounters."
The Workshop Owner choked on his words. Seeing that Gordon didn't seem to be lying, his wrinkled face twitched severely, and he irritably said, "Then your luck is really bad. Remember to find a temple later and try to get a good luck charm."
Hearing the Workshop Owner talk about "luck," Gordon suddenly remembered something. He reached into the satchel at his waist, fumbled around, and pulled out a bronze-colored ancient coin.
It was the foreign ancient coin that Hayata had given him.
"What's that? Your good luck charm?" A familiar female voice came from behind him.
Gordon subconsciously turned his head and found that the newcomer was none other than the Light Bowgun User, Oshura.
"It's you, Oshura Grea—"
"Hmm?"
"Cough, Eshu La Senior." Gordon chuckled, changing his address, and then continued, "This was given to me by a very lucky friend. She said she'd share some good luck with me."
"Oh? A male friend or a female friend?"
"...A female."
"Oh ho! A girlfriend? A token of love? Who is it, who is it? Is she a hunter? I know all the female hunters in Minagarde!" Oshura instantly became interested, pressing him with questions.
Gordon helplessly said, "Just a normal friend I just met, Eshu La Senior, please stop talking nonsense."
"Don't try to fool me, a normal friend? This thing doesn't look cheap at all. Tsk, tsk, sharing good luck with you, tsk, tsk, tsk..."
Just as Gordon was helplessly fending off Oshura's continuous teasing, the Workshop Owner suddenly spoke, "Young man, may I see that coin?"
"Please!"
Finally finding an opportunity to escape the questioning, Gordon quickly turned to the Workshop Owner and handed the foreign gold coin into his hand.
The calloused thumb rubbed the ancient coin for a while. The Old Wyverian looked up and said, "A very nice ancient coin. From its style, it's a relic from the last era, likely from the Ancient Shurete City ruins.
The smelting process for this alloy has been lost. I'm quite interested. I'll offer 6000z. Will you part with it, young man?"
Oshura, who was clearly quite familiar with the Workshop Owner, immediately put her hands on her hips and irritably said, "Hey! You unromantic old man, part with what?! Didn't you hear Gordon say it's a token of love?"
Then she turned her gaze unpleasantly to Gordon, as if she would scold him if he dared to say "sell."
In her opinion, such a precious good luck gold coin given by a girl, even if not a token of love, must have been a gift filled with sentiment.
Selling it for money would be too much!
Although Oshura's opinion was not within Gordon's consideration, he still decisively declined the Workshop Owner's purchase request.
On the one hand, he wasn't short on money at the moment, so he naturally wouldn't do something as frowned upon as reselling a friend's gift.
On the other hand, ever since Hayata had successively found the foreign ancient coin and the pure crystal in the Qimian Tribe's trash-filled satchel, he had started to believe in metaphysics.
Luck, chosen ones—they must exist!
He was still counting on this gold coin for good luck; why would he sell it?
Having failed to purchase it, the Workshop Owner, though somewhat reluctant, handed the ancient coin back, not forgetting to remind him, "Although coins made of this alloy generally won't corrode, they still need maintenance.
The dirt on it is quite stubborn; remember to take it back and thoroughly scrape and wash it. It's a good ancient coin; it's a shame for it to be so black."
Oshura also chimed in, "Right, right, wash it well. I see there's also a small hole on it; you can find a sturdy leather cord later and string it up to wear around your neck.
I'm telling you, things like good luck charms, the closer you wear them to your body and the longer you wear them, the more effective they become!"
Gordon helplessly agreed to everything. He had almost forgotten how the conversation had even turned to this foreign gold coin.
In any case, let's get back to the main topic. Gordon cleared his throat and looked at the Workshop Owner, asking, "So, can my Burst Blade be repaired, and how much will it cost?"
The Workshop Owner glanced at the Burst Blade beside him and casually said, "Of course, it's nothing major. Repairing the hook claw alone is 500z. If it needs full internal structure and blade maintenance, add another 300z, so 800z total."
"Repair and maintenance, then." Gordon readily paid the fee and didn't ask for a receipt or anything. The other party ran such a large workshop not far from the Hunter's Gathering Hall; he wouldn't lack even that much integrity.
"Come pick it up after noon tomorrow."
After stating a pick-up time, the Workshop Owner looked at Oshura beside him. "What are you doing here again, you girl?"
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/Kazenova
If you guys wanna check it out.