Gnome's General Store.
Returning to the city, Kael didn't immediately go back to the Soma Familia, but instead took a detour to this place.
With all adventurers in the labyrinth and no one selling loot, he carefully knocked on old Bom's shop door.
"Who is it, so early in the morning?"
"Grandpa, it's me!"
BANG—
The door flew open as old Bom leaped forward, grabbed Kael's collar, and glared at him with bristling whiskers.
"So it's you! I still haven't settled accounts for the 10,000 Valis you owe me!"
"Hehe, I'm here to pay you back." Kael placed the gnome elder on the counter with a mischievous smile, then pulled out a bag of coins, "Look, I'll pay you back tenfold."
Old Bom watched suspiciously as Kael took out ten holy gold coins and placed them on the table, "You... have you changed? Doing favors without reason... definitely not good news."
"Hehe." Kael scratched his face, "I do have a small favor to ask of you, sir."
Bom's expression turned serious, but before he could refuse, Kael quickly continued.
"Nothing big! Can I store something here?"
"Store... what? I only take items of questionable origin, and they're all unredeemable pawns."
"Look, it's something good that you'll definitely like. Perfect for traveling or keeping evil spirits away from your home. Plus, it's a one-of-a-kind treasure!"
"Really?"
"Absolutely genuine!" Kael pointed to the large package behind him, covered with reverse veil cloth, "Take a look. How many Valis would this be worth?"
As he lifted the cloth, a pitch-black scale covered in golden patterns was revealed before the gnome.
"This... this... this is!!" Bom's eyes widened, his chest heaved, and his breathing quickened.
Then his tiny body sprawled across the scale.
Kael held the old man in his arms, "Yes, it's a scale from the Black Dragon. What do you think? Even the Zeus and Hera Familias couldn't get their hands on this. They say monsters won't dare approach when this is nearby."
"What a treasure, what a treasure!" The gnome's collector instinct awakened. Beyond protecting residences, it would also make an excellent piece of armor.
Though not the strongest drop from a monster's body, anything from that final being possessed strength far exceeding all currently known materials.
Even if it was just a thousand-year-old fossil, as long as the Black Dragon itself remained undefeated, this scale would stay unbreakable.
At least in the current Orario, no one could shatter this thing.
"It's a pity, such a pity." Bom shook his head.
"What's the pity?"
"Pity that no one can forge it. At least Orario doesn't have anyone capable... even Goibniu or Hephaestus would need years to carve it properly."
"Uh..."
His words were quite reasonable. In the battle with the Black Dragon, the city's strongest Level 6 Adventurers probably couldn't even qualify as supporters.
And in that battle, even Level 9 Adventurers couldn't make the Black Dragon lose a scale or claw, demonstrating its immense power.
Kael scratched his face, "Maybe a Level 7 would have the ability to damage it a little?"
"Huh, easy to say. Level 7... where in Orario is there a Level 7 now?"
"I was thinking it could be used directly as a shield, or worst case, as a throwing weapon."
The old man shook his head, "That would be a waste of a treasure."
Kael lifted his head, "I don't care!"
Old Bom pointed at him speechlessly, then finally pushed the Valis toward him.
"Hey, old man, don't be so stingy. It was just a joke, no need to refuse business."
Bom's whiskers stood up as he pointed at Kael.
"You... when you need something I'm 'Grandpa', otherwise I'm 'old man'. This is a gift from my grandson, how could I take your money?" He sighed, "Ah, those bastards from Evilus have been getting more and more outrageous lately. Keeping it here will be like protection for my safety."
His eyes then curved into a smile.
"More importantly, this old man has never slept on the great Black Dragon's scale before. Hehe... But is it really okay to leave something you worked so hard to get with me?"
"Having a sword you don't use is different from not having one at all. As long as you agree." Kael said casually, "When I find a suitable craftsman, I'll consider how to use it."
The Black Dragon Scale wouldn't be safe anywhere, but Spirits, as the most special race in the lower world, were at least pure in heart and had a very neutral alignment.
Although this gnome elder was a bit shameless, his character wasn't a problem.
More importantly, maintaining good relations with Spirits had many invisible benefits.
As for the craftsman issue... How about Living Forge skill from Ornn (LoL)?
Ahem, as for when he might randomly obtain it... It depends on fate, depends on fate.
If all else fails, the gnome elder probably knows many Spirits. Perhaps he's familiar with that blue horse Finegas.
After visiting the gnome elder's mysterious treasure vault again and placing the dragon scale in the largest warehouse, Kael returned to the surface...
"Why aren't you leaving yet?" Bom asked.
"I want to chat more with Grandpa."
"Just spit it out."
Kael narrowed his eyes and slowly reached into his pouch.
"I warn you, don't be scared, old man."
"I've weathered many storms and been professionally trained. Nothing scares me!"
"Then take a look at... this."
Kael slowly pulled out his hand, revealing a completely jade-green orb before Bom. Inside, a green fetus with tentacles growing from its head curled its fingers, sleeping silently.
The old man's breathing stopped, his pupils contracted violently, and the hall fell into an eerie silence.
The fetus in the orb, seemingly sensing the presence of its kind, suddenly opened its tightly closed eyes.
"Eeeee—Quick! Take it away! Take it away!"
Despite his claims, Bom was clearly terrified by what Kael had brought out.
What was that thing? A mutated spirit fetus?
There's a theory that humans fear ghosts because they resemble humans. The more distorted one's own kind appears, the greater the fear it provokes.
Bom trembled under the table.
"Mother of all, what is that thing? It's terrifying! Absolutely terrifying!"
"Hey, wake up." Kael said, "You don't seem to be human yourself."
Bom clutched his head and shouted, "You turtle's grandson! Do you know what you're doing? It's like showing a living, bloody, immature embryo to an old man — one that's been contaminated and deformed by disease!"
Kael imagined a radiation-contaminated aborted baby suddenly opening its eyes and staring at you with an eerie smile...
"Wow, that would be quite horrifying."
He lifted the orb with the fetus again. To him, this creature looked more like a little fish-man, the kind that would speak with a rural accent.
Kael bent down and looked at Bom under the table, "I just wanted to see if this thing could still be saved. After all, it's your fellow Spirit. I originally thought about leaving it here temporarily, but now I see I was too naive."
"..." Bom bristled his whiskers, and after a moment, heaved a deep sigh, "Where did you find her?"
"In the Dungeon." Kael excitedly described the battle, "You wouldn't believe how powerful this thing is — at least Level 6 standard."
"Bullshit. How could you possibly handle a Level 6?"
"I have accomplices... I mean, teammates." Kael blinked.
Bom thought for a moment, "Did you bring Ottar with you?"
"No, not him."
"Then who did you bring?"
"Secrets make a man more manly." Kael straightened his collar and turned his back to Bom, leaving the gnome to figure it out himself.
"Hmph, you've always been peculiar. Even Lili doesn't know she's selling loot through my shop."
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