Jacob stopped short as the man stepped into his path. The lane was narrow enough that he would have had to brush past the adventurer to continue, and the man clearly had no intention of moving.
"Easy there, kid," the man said, lifting one hand in a loose half wave. "Didn't mean to spook you. I just wanted a word about that sword on your hip."
Jacob's hand drifted toward the hilt out of habit. "What about it?"
The man let his eyes track the blade openly now, weighing it the way a carpenter weighed a length of timber.
"That is not some village toy. Whoever made or worked on that knows what they are doing. Are you selling, by any chance?"
Jacob hesitated, then shrugged one shoulder. "Maybe . . . for the right price."
The man paused, thinking better of himself.
'I basically stopped this kid dead in this narrow path, he is probably scared, and I didn't even introduce myself. . .'
"Sorry for the late introduction, kid, but I am Carlos Weaver. I am the leader of a strike team sent here to evaluate the new gate. I noticed the trace of magic from that sword and figured I would follow up on it . . . do you know where it came from?"
"It is nice to meet you, Carlos. I bought this blade from our blacksmith," Jacob said. "I am the one who enchanted it."
That gave Carlos pause.
A faint prickle ran along his neck, the familiar sensation that marked his passive Combat Insight reacting.
Threat Assessment nudged him, not with danger, but with interest: Equipped item exhibits abnormal performance for current environment. Further evaluation recommended.
He did not argue with that feeling. He let his gaze rest on the sword for a moment, then deliberately triggered the other skill, an active skill that needed his direct action to work.
Appraisal activated.
Item: Iron Shortsword, Unnamed.
Quality: Uncommon high.
Properties: Edge retention, structural reinforcement, progressive self-repair, target-seeking.
Origin: Base blade, village forge. Enchantment source, unknown.
Estimated market value: Minimum three hundred gold crowns.
'Three hundred,' he thought, keeping his face still through habit. 'From a village blacksmith and a boy . . . and what is with the target-seeking enchantment? I thought that only worked for thrown weapons and projectiles? Also, I have never seen an unknown enchanting source for the appraisal skill . . .'
Then, just to further point out the rarity of this find, the system chimed with a familiar and welcome tone.
Level Up! Appraisal: 42 --> 43
This caused him to tense up a second before putting him in a good mood. One more level toward an elite skill.
Out loud, he asked, "You did the enchanting yourself?"
"Yes," Jacob answered.
The man felt the reflex to mention guidance, to ask what kind of starting quests had handed a child patterns like that, to say that the system usually waited until . . .
His throat snapped shut on the next word.
"What did the cuh!"
The air in his throat was squeezed shut, the words choked off before he could even mention the system a little.
'Geas, that is impossible though,' Carlos thought to himself, 'an enchanter of such caliber that it triggered Combat Insight, and he lacks the guidance of the system, having not even reached 12 years old . . .'
He looked Jacob over properly now, seeing the narrow shoulders, the still-soft lines in the face, the way the sword belt rode a little too high. A pre-system child had laid an enchantment that tripped Appraisal hard enough to price it higher than some D rank dungeon drops.
Jacob was looking at the man warily, a bit spooked by his odd behavior.
Carlos, though, was thinking to himself. Evaluating his options in trading with the child.
'I could probably offer 50 gold coins and get this nice piece of equipment. But it does sound like it has a self-mending skill, which means I could easily upgrade it with some mithril later for cheap. That would indeed be worth spending a small fortune on.'
So, Carlos asked, "I've got 150 gold that I can offer you for the sword, how does that sound . . . what was your name?"
"My name is Jacob. I am part of a farming family that has been in this village for a long time."
That caused Carlos to pause for another second.
'A farmer's kid of all things? Not some hidden master but a farmer? What the fuck have I found here?'
Carlos cleared his throat, slower this time, and chose his words with more care. "I am interested," he said. "That sword is worth real money. I am willing to pay one hundred and fifty gold coins today, for it as it is. That is more than most farms around here see in a decade."
Jacob's eyes widened for a moment before he pulled his reaction under control. The number slammed into him, rattling around every worry he had about seed, tools, and ruined soil.
He kept his hand on the hilt and met the man's gaze. "That is a lot of gold," Jacob said. "But for this sword, I want something gold cannot buy in this village."
Carlos thought about what the kid just said.
'Does he really know what he is asking for or is he playing hard to get or something . . .'
He evaluated the boy, seeing the resolute look in his young eyes. Eyes that reflected intelligence and wisdom beyond the frame of a pre-system child.
'Ah! I see . . . a magic blessing. That almost explains everything . . . I thought those were just a myth but I am seeing something unexplainable right here in front of me. Never have I seen a kid like this, even from wizard families and royal bloodlines. This kid is going to break the system . . .'
Carlos started rubbing his chin as he thought about what to offer, and noticed the kid still had fairly rugged clothes, but they gave off the familiar feeling of magic.
'So, still poor, but lots of power to make many enchantments. He will need gold, as for something gold can't buy . . .'
"Look, Jacob", Carlos began, "Things that gold can't buy are rarely traded like this. But I suppose that weapons like yours aren't either, and it seems like you know this already despite your situation."
Carlos motioned to the state of the young man to speak for itself as he talked. Jacob understood his meaning as well.
"Here is my offer. 100 gold coins for the sword right now, and a personal favor to you in the future that can't surpass 200 gold coins in value."
Jacob was a bit shocked by that offer. He wanted to dismiss the offer right away, but something about the man felt a bit off. Jacob could tell this guy was more powerful than the caravan guards he had seen before.
'Being sent out to evaluate the gate must mean that the gate is below his ability. I bet he is exploring larger, more dangerous gates with his team, then . . . this could be worth it.'