Chapter 282: The Tavern and the Workshop — The Concept of Three Pairs of Feet and New Armor

After Jier and the guard Kelike left the garrisoned Jiedian, he retrieved his own handcart. Having arranged the next martial arts lesson, he pushed the cart back to the Fox Tail Chamber of Commerce. After several trips back and forth in the chamber's backyard, he finally moved the important items from the handcart into his room. As for some daily supplies needed for life in the wild, he just left them on the handcart; they were not important items anyway.

He temporarily placed the captured battle knife on the wooden wall in his room. He had not practiced with this weapon and it was not easy to use it rashly; it was not as satisfying to use as his long sword.

Zhao Ji felt that only after practicing in his spare time would he carry this weapon on his person.

After dark, there were not many people left in the chamber of commerce. Aside from some people patrolling, only the kitchen staff remained. Jier lingered in the dining hall for a while before he managed to persuade the cook, Huini'er, to heat up some food for him. The price, naturally, was the fresh stories of what he had experienced after going out this time.

While eating, Jier talked about what happened during his trip to Bingxun Pass.

The Simons Chamber of Commerce, bandits, mountains and forests, the bandits' lair in the Shandong, imprisoned civilians, escaping, fighting, providing cover, the Shikeng, Bingxun Pass, being ambushed during the celebration, the bloody street battle of retaliation, fighting the Bandit Leader, hiding in the Simons Chamber of Commerce, visiting the injured civilians, and returning.

Jier tried his best to tell these things simply to the cook Huini'er, who had taken good care of him, and his wife, Aunt Dilu.

The two looked at Jier's young face in surprise. They knew Jier was not a person who liked to boast, and since he was not drinking at the moment, what he said was naturally some things he had truly experienced before.

After a long while, the two watched Xiao Ji'er leave while patting his stomach. While tidying up the dining hall, they whispered that Xiao Ji'er had only been here for half a year, yet he had truly grown up and become a brave Warrior.

Then, the cook Huini'er happily patted his own fat stomach and laughed, saying that Jier had not wasted the food he made. Aunt Dilu also teased her husband. The two happily finished cleaning the kitchen, then left the Fox Tail Chamber of Commerce and went home.

Table Corner Tavern.

After finishing his meal, Jier strolled over to have a drink. After entering, he ordered a mug of ale, then found Todd, who was planning to rest. Carefully, in accordance with the commission agreement, he handed Todd his share of the coins.

"So much? What have you been doing these days? Tell me quickly. Oh right, keep your voice down; regarding this matter of Mr. Kendo, he said it must be kept secret." Todd no longer had any intention of sleeping. He pulled Jier to a corner of the tavern, moved over a small wooden table and two small beer barrels, and the two sat down to talk.

While drinking ale, Jier whispered about some of the things that happened between him and the bandits near Bingxun Pass this time.

"So, you cut down one of the Bandit Leaders of Luodai Cave? That sounds really impressive." Todd rarely drank himself; he brought over some pickled vegetables from the kitchen and ate them in small bites, expressing his admiration.

Jier could never bring himself to like these pickles and could only barely use them to accompany his drink. Compared to these pickles, he preferred to use meat to accompany his drink. However, he had just finished eating before coming, so he really could not eat any more meat; having some pickles to cleanse his palate and whet his appetite was not bad.

With a *crack*, he bit off a pickled cucumber and Jier said: "Those bandits are truly too excessive. Innocent civilians were attacked by them, and even those fleeing were attacked by them at the pass inn. They are completely a pack of beasts that devour people for their own sake. Hmm, perhaps beasts are even more noble than them."

Todd had not seen the cruelty of the bandits with his own eyes, so naturally, he could not develop the same hostile attitude toward the bandits as Jier. He shrugged and wiped his hand, which was stained with sour juice after eating the Pickled Radish, with a rag.

"So what do you think? Do you want to take them on again? The Militia's winter training will begin in a few days. According to what you said, after those militiamen finish their training, they will definitely go specifically to deal with and wipe out that Bandit Group that has survived for quite some time."

Jier smacked his lips after a sip of ale and shook his head: "Although I don't know how capable the militiamen are, that Bandit Group couldn't possibly not have thought that their Shandong lair would be discovered one day. They definitely have contingency plans or something similar. I think the militiamen's careless attack will suffer a setback."

Todd glanced at Jier sideways: "So? You want to deal with that gang of bandits alone, thinking you are more capable than a large troop of militiamen? Are you drunk and talking nonsense here?"

Todd tapped the table, making a *thump-thump* sound: "You can watch from afar when the Militia trains to understand just how capable the Kendall Militia really is. Anyway, they train on the Baron's fields outside the city. You had better take a look before making a judgment."

Jier rubbed his nose, feeling too embarrassed to say anything else, and nodded.

"Right, there was another commission before. Do you have any relevant news about that commission?" Jier changed the subject and asked about another matter he was interested in.

Hearing Jier ask this, Todd looked at the others in the tavern and spoke to Jier in a low voice. His expression was strange, as if he felt fear: "Didn't I tell you before that besides us taking the official commission, there were others in the city who wanted to try and become famous for this?"

"You did say that. What happened? Did something go wrong?" Jier picked up a sour cucumber and ate it in small bites.

Todd's voice was very low, as if he did not want the people around them to hear and join their discussion: "Something did go wrong."

"Besides us being active in the city, there is actually a team of Hunters organized by Knight Ranisha. They are more numerous and are a team of Hunters specifically for Knight Ranisha to deal with the large number of Wolf Packs ravaging near Umi Lake Cunzi."

"They are more famous and have been organized by Knight Ranisha since the year before last. It is said that Knight Ranisha's strength is insufficient, and she cannot lead a team to wipe out the large-scale Wolf Packs near the village."

Jier gave a hum, signaling for Todd to continue.

"While you were getting involved with the bandits at Bingxun Pass, this team of Hunters sent out three veterans to set off and investigate the disappearances on the Shanglu to the west."

"And then?" Jier raised his eyebrows and looked at the silent Todd.

Todd whispered: "And then, several days later, those Hunters lost their tracks and news. When a Caravan passed through the area of the disappearances at full speed, they only found three pairs of feet." Speaking of this, his body began to tremble.

"Three pairs of feet? Shoes?" Jier was increasingly confused.

"Not shoes! No, wait, there were shoes. No, it was in the overnight camp in the wild, only three pairs of feet wearing shoes were left!" Speaking of this, Todd stretched out his legs and feet to show Jier the wooden shoes he was wearing, gesturing to the position of his ankles. Now Jier understood.

"So you mean, at that time, the people in the Caravan only found the shoes and feet from the ankles down of three people? Nothing else remained at all?" Jier smacked his lips over his ale, imagining the scene at that time in his mind. Then, a smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

"That's a bit interesting. Right, since you describe it so detailedly, were you in the Caravan at that time?"

Todd waved his hands hurriedly: "How could that be? My home is in Kendall City; why would I go to those remote villages? I describe it so detailedly because the Caravan brought back the feet of the three missing Hunters at that time. After they returned to the city, I heard the news and went specifically to take a look. Eww, it was too terrifying. Many people were scared out of their wits after seeing it."

Jier blinked and paused before asking: "Then the head of that Hunter team, that is, Knight Ranisha, what action did she take regarding this?"

Todd curled his lips: "Suddenly dying—no, disappearing—three experienced Hunters had quite a big impact on the Hunter team. But it seems everyone was scared by the three pairs of feet brought back by the Caravan, so no one expressed any opinions. I guess they are waiting for Knight Ranisha to make a statement, but that female Knight hasn't had any news these days. I guess she was probably scared. After all, she is only twenty-something years old, not much older than us."

Speaking of this, Todd whispered: "I heard that this Knight Ranisha's skills are not high; otherwise, she wouldn't be unable to deal with the Wolf Packs ravaging around her territory. Now that she isn't speaking out on this matter, I guess she definitely doesn't have the skills to deal with the culprit who caused the disappearances and deaths."

"Then, what does everyone think caused these things? Cruel, scattered bandits? A Monster? Or something else?" Jier asked curiously.

Todd answered without hesitation: "Of course it's a Monster. After all, I heard that although the missing people disappeared entirely, their luggage and such showed no signs of being touched. When the most recent Caravan brought back the three pairs of feet, they even brought back the Hunters' financial luggage together."

Jier drank the ale in his mug in one gulp and said with a smile: "I am becoming more and more interested in this matter now. Where is the previous commission slip? Give it to me. We will officially take on this matter. I will rest for these two days and then set off to take a look. I'll go meet this 'Monster' you mentioned."

Todd stared at Jier with wide eyes: "Are you tired of living?" But seeing that Jier did not look like he was joking, he still searched the inner pocket of his clothes and handed Jier the commission left behind when the Steward of the western village came earlier.

"Come back alive!"

"Don't worry, if it feels wrong, I will run away—no, I will retreat."

"If the situation is wrong, then run early!"

The next morning, after Jier finished his training with various weapons early in the morning, he disregarded the winter cold, wiped his body with the icy Kendall River water in the chamber's backyard, packed up properly, and went out.

He took out the simple design for the new-style armor he had been preparing from his room, along with various metals he had obtained at Bingxun Pass, brought the semi-finished Metal Shield and the damaged abdominal part of his armor, and headed to the Armor Craftsman's workshop in the Craftsman District.

The Craftsman District was lively regardless of the season. The *ding-ding-dang-dang* sound of metal being struck and the noises made by apprentices working in other various workshops gathered together, giving one a feeling of being complex but busy and full of vitality.

The door of the Armor Craftsman's workshop opened, and the new craftsman inside, Ganna, was repairing and maintaining a guard's leather armor. Looking at the skilled movements of his hands, Jier felt that Ganna was worthy of being the only apprentice specifically chosen to receive the superb armor-crafting skills brought by the Kendall Baron.

Although Ganna was still very young now, he was already a formal Armor Craftsman.

As soon as Jier entered the Armor Craftsman's workshop, he looked left and right but did not see Ganna's master, who was always writing or compiling something in the workshop every time.

"I don't see your master. It's good he's not here; it saves him from just watching without working, which is quite annoying." Jier said after putting down the things he brought.

Only then did Ganna notice Jier entering and hurriedly stood up to welcome him: "Haven't seen you for a while. My master thinks the workshop is a bit cold and not as warm as the house the Baron arranged for him, so he hasn't been coming much lately."

He patted Ganna on the shoulder, and Ganna also patted Jier on the shoulder. The two found two chairs in the workshop and sat down.

"Are you here to maintain your armor? Or is there something else to do?" Ganna saw the large bag Jier brought, which seemed to contain quite a lot of things. He rubbed his hands excitedly; clearly, the usual maintenance of guard armor could no longer make him improve or feel interested.

"I need to repair some armor parts, and there are other things to do. I'll tell you one by one." Jier smiled and first took out the abdominal part of his armor and placed it on the ground.

He pointed to the breach in the armor cut by the battle knife and said: "I had a fight with some bandits before. Look, under the circumstances where I barely defended, the opponent's battle knife still slashed my abdomen. Fortunately, the opponent only cut in more than halfway and failed to cut through the armor completely."

Ganna picked up the abdominal part of the armor and felt around inside the gash caused by the slash with his fingers: "That was close, you were almost gutted." He inspected this abdominal part, fiddled with it for a few moments using the tools he carried on him, and removed the damaged piece of Hard Cowhide Armor.

"It's a good thing this piece isn't large; I'll find a piece of cowhide just like it to replace it for you, but I'll have to charge you seventy copper coins for the materials and labor." Ganna handed the removed, damaged Hard Cowhide Armor to Jier, and Jier scratched his head, then gave the thing in his hand to Ganna.

"What use do I have for this piece of junk? You take it."

Ganna smiled and gestured at the damaged piece of Hard Cowhide Armor in his hand: "This isn't a piece of junk. Look, only this damaged part is unusable, but the other good parts on both sides can still be used."

"Is that so? Then cut it off for me. My glove could use some reinforced defense on the back of the hand, and I feel the size is just right." Jier gestured at the back of his hand and said.

Ganna rubbed his hands together: "No problem! I'll only charge you a small labor fee."

Jier rolled his eyes: "Make it cheaper." He wouldn't ask Ganna to do it for free, after all, the other party was already an official Craftsman. Although the other party's status in the Craftsman District was partly based on their individual skills and works, the regular workshop income was also an important part of how the Craftsman God Church judged the ability of each Craftsman.

Being able to make friends with a skilled local young man like Ganna, Jier naturally wanted to give his friend a certain amount of support, and supporting the other party's work was also a way to provide help.

Next, Jier took out the Metal Ingot he had obtained from dismantling the weapons of the Bandits captured at Bingxun Pass, along with the simple blueprint for the new-style armor he kept in the inner pocket of his clothes.

"This is the metal I've managed to get during this time. I told you before that I wanted a set of iron armor, so I'm preparing to start making it now. Look, this is the blueprint I drew recently." Jier handed the items to Ganna.

Ganna excitedly took the simple blueprint, looked at the blueprint, and then looked at the various metals Jier had given him: "Although the new armor you drew looks great, I'll have to spend some time studying it, but these metals..."

"Aren't enough, right? I know. The new armor can be made bit by bit. Look at the blueprint. We can manufacture the various parts of the armor little by little." Jier pointed at the various scattered armor parts on the blueprint, and he pointed at the Helmet and Chest Armor.

"Considering the importance of each part, how about we start with the main parts of the Helmet and torso? These dozen or so kilograms of metal will definitely be enough."

Ganna nodded: "It's definitely enough, but such a suit of iron armor will be very heavy. Let me calculate: this, this, this, and these. Added together, it comes to this much."

Ganna gestured a number with his hand, and Jier pursed his lips without saying a word.

Seeing Jier's persistence, Ganna shrugged: "Alright, you are the customer, you are the employer. Once the item is made, how to use it is something you should consider."

Ganna looked at the blueprint in his hand and said: "The design complexity and manufacturing complexity of this set of armor far exceed your current armor. To get it made, I estimate it will take quite a bit of time."

Jier pointed at his Hard Cowhide Armor parts set aside: "Actually, the main structure can refer to this armor. It's just replacing the parts originally made of Hard Cowhide for defense with hard iron armor of a certain thickness. It shouldn't be that difficult, right?"

Ganna shook his head: "It's not as simple as you think. Look here, here, and here." Ganna pointed at several connection points of the armor and the main load-bearing body parts on the blueprint in his hand.

"Although the full-body Hard Cowhide Armor has some weight, it is still within a certain limit. The original connection parts of the armor were some built-in leather straps, which served as fasteners to keep the armor from falling apart, and that was enough. But if you replace the protective parts with iron armor, the greatly increased weight is not something these leather straps can withstand."

Shaking his head, Ganna stood up and performed a demonstration for Jier: "Even if it barely works, it's only okay for normal walking. Once you engage in intense combat, what if the connecting straps break during the fight? It's a small matter if it just hinders your movements, but if the armor you're wearing falls apart, then you're done for."

Jier swallowed his saliva, imagining in his mind the scene of his entire suit of armor suddenly falling apart during a battle.

"Good heavens! Then can we increase the width of the connecting straps? If the width increases, the strength of the straps will definitely increase too, right?" Jier tried to come up with a solution.

Ganna shook his head, and with his next words, dispelled this idea of Jier's.