I waited for Katheryne's shock to settle before continuing.
"Why are you that surprised?"
She stared at me like she was silently asking if I was being serious.
"Mr. Kane, this isn't as normal as you think. And you don't seem injured at all. How did you manage this?"
She'd said she could sense lies.
Let's see if that's actually true.
"It was actually pretty simple. It didn't even take a full minute to clear the camp.
There were six club-wielders, three archers, and one shaman.
If you're asking how I did it—those elemental orbs, you know them, right? I had two Hydro and two Electro ones.
I threw one Hydro–Electro combo at the archers. Instant death.
Then I did the same to the club-users.
As for the shaman—I climbed the tower it was standing on, pushed it off, and then jumped on it and crushed it."
I intentionally described everything in graphic detail.
Normally, when someone gives you this many details, they're lying.
Let's see what she says.
"…I know you're not lying, Mr. Kane.
Using elemental orbs this way is very creative.
Elemental orbs usually appear where elemental energy accumulates. They're not rare, but they're almost never used."
Huh? What?
You don't use these?
You have this kind of tool lying around and you just… ignore it?
…Well, I guess this is normal for people who have Visions.
I don't.
There's not even a guarantee that I'll get one someday.
…Great. Now my mood is ruined again.
"I see.
So, are these elemental orbs something I can buy? Like… can I just purchase them?
And speaking of money, I'd also like to sell these Hilichurl items if possible."
Katheryne inspected the items on the counter and responded:
"Yes, you can buy elemental orbs from Blacksmith Wagner.
As for these Hilichurl items—they're not in very good condition, so I can buy them for 5,000 mora."
Five thousand?
Nice. I answered instantly.
"They're yours.
I'll take the 15,000 mora reward then. And could you show me where Wagner is?"
Katheryne handed me the money and gave me directions.
She gave the payment in a pouch, so I put it in my pocket and headed toward Wagner's forge.
After walking a bit, I could hear metal being hammered.
I followed the sound and found him—a short-haired, bearded man hammering hot metal on an anvil.
"Hello. Are you Wagner?"
I already knew it was him thanks to the game.
We were about the same height.
He kept hammering as he looked at me.
"Yes, that's me. How can I help you?"
"I want a shield strong enough to protect me from Hilichurl arrows.
And I want to buy some elemental orbs."
Hearing that, Wagner gave me a quick once-over and replied:
"A shield, huh?
Alright. And you're one of the rare people who actually want elemental orbs.
Most people don't bother buying them."
I still didn't understand why—but honestly, it wasn't my problem.
"I can see you don't have a Vision.
If you want the shield to make things easier for you, I can add elemental resistance runes."
Huh?
Elemental resistance what?
That definitely didn't exist in Genshin.
"Elemental resistance? What's that?"
He looked at me like he was trying to figure out if I was messing with him.
Then he explained:
"If elements exist, runes that resist those elements also exist.
So I'll ask again—do you want elemental resistance on your shield?"
…Nice explanation, but Wagner, my guy, I'm broke.
"If I can choose, then I want Pyro and Electro resistance on the shield.
But my budget is 15,000 mora at most—I still need to buy elemental orbs."
That was the smartest choice.
Pyro and Electro were the fastest at damaging living tissue.
Upon hearing my budget, he stroked his beard and answered:
"Normally, just the shield would cost 15,000.
But I've got extra elemental orbs lying around, so I won't charge for them.
How many do you want, and of which type?"
"I want ten Electro and ten Hydro."
We shook hands, and I gave him the 15,000 mora.
Once again—dead broke.
He quickly crafted the shield:
metal on the outside, wood on the inside.
Not too big, not too small.
He also added leather straps so it would stay fixed on my arm.
For the final touch, he broke a Pyro and Electro defensive orb onto the shield's surface.
Unlike mine, these were covered in a white shell—must be the defensive rune material.
Interesting.
Then he crafted a belt with two pouches attached to the sides and filled them with the elemental orbs.
He handed me everything.
"This should work for now.
I don't know why, but I feel like we're going to be doing a lot of business in the future.
What's your name?"
I smiled, took the belt and shield, and shook his hand again.
"My name is Kane.
Nice to meet you, Wagner."
His palm was rough—clearly someone who works in a heavy trade.
Mine wasn't any softer.
My hands were calloused from gripping metal bars.
…Maybe she wouldn't hold my hand…
But metal does.
I said goodbye to Wagner and went back to Katheryne for another commission.
It was getting close to afternoon.
I still had a few hours before nightfall.
Looked like today was going to be a long day.
The commission was the same as before—just in a different area.
I couldn't wait to test my new gear.
After a while, I reached the Hilichurl camp.
Because of my new shield, I could act more aggressively.
Time to test it.
This camp had four archers, three club-users, and a shaman.
I held my shield up to protect my upper body and sprinted toward the archers at full speed.
My axe was in my other hand.
Right now, I was a fully equipped barbarian.
"Hiiakk!!"
With their disgusting cries, the Hilichurl's released their arrows at me, but the shield held perfectly.
Some arrows stuck shallowly, failing to fall off, but it didn't matter.
I kept charging.
Once I got close enough, I swung my axe and sliced one of their necks cleanly.
I repeated the same for the others.
The club-users made the mistake of rushing in.
I blocked their attacks with my shield—
Then suddenly felt that disgusting pulling sensation behind me again.
You being able to use elements instead of me is starting to piss me off.
I threw my axe directly at the shaman's head.
A clean hit—it went down immediately.
With the shield's help, the remaining club-users were easy.
Even my bare hands were too much for them.
This time, there was no chest in the camp.
So I returned to the city, collected my reward, and sold the Hilichurl gear—
since they hadn't been fried by Electro this time, the price was higher.
With the money, I bought a pocket watch, matches, candles, a cooling container for food,
a better wood-cutting axe, a hoe, a hammer, several buckets, hinges, and nails.
Then I went home and attached the door using the hinges.
Finally, a real door.
I reinforced the weaker parts of the walls with nails.
Stored the meat inside the container with an ice-element crystal beneath it—
pretty sure that works as a fridge.
Placed candles in the corners so I wouldn't be blind at night.
Put the axe, hoe, and buckets under the table.
The sky was getting darker.
"What a productive day."