Chapter 84: Changing Clothes

Life is always full of surprises; when Li En received this "check," he truly thought a zero had been accidentally added.

"Uh, that's what she said." Miss Shaliman, somewhat mentally exhausted, didn't bother with rhetoric anymore.

The Princess is upstairs? She got the money just by having a meal?

"How about we just get it done?" Li En also felt the round trip was too troublesome; paying the money and getting the job done would be so simple.

"... She said she doesn't want to see you in the short term."

Alright, then let's call it a day for now.

Li En did not refuse the money; he didn't have the leisure, and there were simply too many places where money was needed and spent.

He also casually inquired on the side about roughly how much damage his destruction that day had caused.

"No need," and Miss Shaliman not only saw through it but politely declined.

"At least, let this be a token of my gratitude." Li En still wanted to try.

"This of yours isn't even enough for the change." Miss Shaliman spoke the truth.

Hearing this, Li En shut his mouth obediently; perhaps it was better to just forget it.

In a sense, the Sudar family truly lived up to being an old noble house; at least the artworks and decorations displayed in the hall, courtyard, and corridors were all treasures.

After eating, Li En took his leave immediately.

And he noticed the maids seemed to have delivered food upstairs as well; it appeared Dai Niya was quite unwelcoming toward him.

He didn't rush back; coming to the Radiance District was no easy feat, so he simply went to the Mage Street again, preparing to spend money.

"Go shopping! Go shopping!" Kukubi was even more excited than Li En,

"This is all my money! The Emperor's money!"

"First, buy a Modern Alchemy Guide, then get a steam engine assembly!"

"By the way, those alien enchantments are interesting; maybe we should research them..."

If Kukubi really spent the money, this "huge sum" wouldn't last two days of messing around.

"Emergency first..." After much persuasion, Li En finally made Kukubi give up the plan to squander it all in one day.

At dusk, Mage Street was brightly lit; various magical lights, steam lamps, and flickering electric lights made the street more beautiful than during the day, leaving the "country bumpkin" Li En stunned.

Especially the bank where he withdrew the money; it not only had an outrageously large lamp but also used steam-powered conveyor belts, highlighting a luxurious and useless golden conveyor belt that transported people to the counter, saving customers how much effort?

Li En vaguely realized that magical civilization was not backward; it just seemed to have nothing to do with most ordinary people.

After withdrawing the money, the mage shops were still open, so Li En went to pay the tuition first.

This inevitably made the senior brother look at him with higher regard; a wealthy mage doesn't necessarily go far, but a penniless one certainly moves slowly.

Thus, that senior brother, who was originally preparing to clock off, enthusiastically promoted some of the shop's products.

Including some mid-tier spell scrolls, staves, custom robes, and meditation incense, most of which were actually useful and not too rip-off.

But after Li En hinted that he currently had no interest, they didn't push it.

After all, right now it was still a stage of mutual selection; too many people who desperately wanted to become casters remained apprentices their whole lives.

And those with talent eventually turned to other paths for various reasons.

Before confirming one's talent and path, one indeed cannot invest casually; to put it bluntly, don't buy gym equipment and textbooks that will just gather dust at home!

Li En was very clear-headed; before truly knowing what he needed, training classes and self-study courses were basically ineffective investments.

Whether you get rich in the future is unknown, but the course sellers definitely get rich.

"What I need most right now is always immediate combat power."

Li En was very realistic; he didn't think his future would be peaceful; even without considering the Purple Rose commission, he still needed immediate combat power.

"How much for the full plate armor here?"

With money in his pocket, naturally he wanted the best; Li En confidently stepped into the equipment shop marked with Dwarven script.

Dwarven equipment was famous for being sturdy and useful; they were willing to use materials and had excellent craftsmanship, so apart from being slightly heavier and more expensive, there were hardly any negative reviews.

"Uh, full plate knight armor from other places is 40 to 60 gold coins; yours starts directly at 70 gold coins? Good quality ones are 80 or 90, and they casually go over a hundred?"

It seemed the price was a bit ridiculously high.

But touching the armor's unique metallic texture, Li En couldn't take his eyes off it.

Unlike the unchanging equipment tiers in most legendary stories, the equipment manufacturing industry in fantasy reality was also constantly progressing.

And in this overly long era of cold weapons in this multiverse, the three core areas of "smelting technology," "enchantment technology," and "material technology" were constantly evolving.

In the ancient era, perhaps it was still mithril heavy armor or adamantine armor, but the metallic texture of modern armor was far from that pure; various alloy armors were the mainstream.

"What material is this?" Li En couldn't tell, but the feel was impressive.

"Teslo-17 synthetic steel, with an adamantine content of at least 3%, paired with a full set of Dwarven rune-inlay technology..."

Compared to blacksmiths of other races, Dwarven craftsmen, who inherited part of the "Giant technology," were very good at "playing with stones."

Their unique craft added special stone materials to the synthetic metal, which could greatly enhance the quality of the armor.

Li En touched this armor worth 120 gold coins, haggling with his mouth while inwardly not thinking it was too expensive; this was far better than the 60 gold coin standard military issue he had obtained earliest.

"What about the weight?"

"Uh, it's roughly 1.3 times that of an equivalent specification, but good armor is always like this; if you want hardness, you can't have too much hollowing out." Being a bit more expensive and a bit heavier is a common flaw of Dwarven products; if you don't like it, don't buy it.

The one promoting to Li En was not a Dwarf, but a "bunny girl" dressed lightly.

Wealthy and technologically advanced Dwarves were either working in the back or waiting at the counter to collect money; the main workers in such shops were still local Orcs.

"What are the stats?" Li En looked at the labels but didn't understand them.

"Magic resistance 67 Fudar, slashing average 88 Sudar..." The salesperson listed a bunch of numbers; Li En still didn't understand, but it seemed very impressive.

"It has magic resistance."

"Of course! For all you melee warriors, the most troublesome thing is various spells."

The salesperson was already used to buyers asking about magic resistance.

In these days, full-body armor with anti-magic properties sells best, even if the anti-magic that can be imbued onto such armor is rather subtle.

Whether it's useful, and how useful it is, is one thing; but you must have it. This market lacks cost-performance, yet it remains the mainstream.

After all, users of full plate armor do not wish to be roasted or electrocuted.

"No anti-magic, none at all, pure physical resistance only." This customer was somewhat different.

Li En recalled Larry's set of armor, laden with various resistances; perhaps it suited ordinary warriors or knights well, but

"I am a Paladin." The faint Jin Guang on his hands was proof.

"Paladins also need a bit of resistance." The salesclerk still seemed puzzled; although Paladins have slightly higher resistance, low-to-mid-tier Paladins still pursue armor with various magic and elemental resistances.

For Paladins, spellcasters and magical creatures are the true enemies; in a sense, they, who always hunt evil, need anti-magic even more than warriors.

Li En smiled, offering no further explanation; the presence of a Oathbound Paladin had increased once more.

"Then try this one: Number 21 alloyed steel, over 5% adamantine content, no mithril, paired with a magical obsidian coating." The salesclerk led Li En directly to the rear warehouse.

Li En quite liked the design style of this armor, adorned with small spikes; it should feel particularly satisfying when ramming.

The metallic texture felt quite substantial; without the anti-magic and elemental protections, the weight was also quite light, except that

"Black, huh." Black Knights are cool, but black doesn't suit Li En well.

"We can provide coloring services, free of charge. Do you want gold, silver, or white with an aged finish?" This request was quite standard; over ninety percent of Paladins choose these three colors.

"Silver, make it pale, don't make it reflect under the moonlight."

The salesclerk nodded; it seemed he was a true knight rather than a noble knight's young master. Those young masters, attending various public events, feared they weren't shiny enough.

"Very well, combat-grade paint coating. Is this Number 18 silver shade acceptable?" As he spoke, he produced a color palette.

It was overly professional, making Li En feel a bit strange, but he was quite satisfied with the armor and the service.

The result was that Li En spent only ninety gold coins to obtain this armor, which felt quite excellent.

When asking during the order placement, he learned this was a slow-moving item; after all, warriors who could afford armor at this price point basically all demanded anti-magic and elemental resistance.

Li En wasn't without need for it, but he felt the elemental resistance this equipment could provide was likely truly inferior to what a Oathbound Knight possessed inherently.

He had managed to snag a small bargain; the armor's cost was nearly this amount, and its initial selling price had even exceeded one hundred twenty coins.

"Boom!"

"Crack!" The armor required adjustment. A one-eyed giant resembling a wild monster effortlessly dismantled the armor, allowing the dwarf craftsmen to perform further corrections and adjustments based on Li En's body measurements.

Li En looked around; within this dwarf shop named "Radiant Rock Shield," there were quite a few worker-dwarves of the small giant race.

When Li En first heard that dwarves were descendants of giants, he thought he had misheard, but now it seemed these shield-dwarves conducting business indeed inherited their ancestors' technology and civilization.

Since he could pick up the goods today, Li En did not leave; during the wait, he casually browsed other items.

"A spatial bag... uh, bring me the smallest one for a look."

He bought a small spatial bag with a maximum load capacity of around two hundred kilograms.

The "spatial bag weight increment" for matter placed inside, once converted, was roughly one-tenth; that is, a full load amounted to about twenty kilograms of burden, which was a very good compression ratio.

This was essential supplies for veteran adventurers and travelers, used to carry logistics and such, far easier than bearing the weight directly.

Li En intended to use it to carry armor and weapons, after all, ordinary spellcasters cannot wear heavy armor.

Next, he also bought a short dagger, a finely crafted crossbow, and a medical kit; paired with crossbow bolts (twelve enchanted), the total cost was only two gold coins.

Li En's Heroic Spirit Codex came with a spatial storage as well, but constantly retrieving items from it would only cause trouble for himself; if a true expert noticed and came looking, that would be major trouble.

This was actually a low-end small spatial bag; its volume was sufficient only for one set of armor plus one logistics box, yet it still cost one hundred fifty gold coins.

Having caught the shopping bug, he hesitated whether to simply get something better.

"Do you have speed boots?" Since trying them on, Li En had been thinking about them.

"Yes, yes, we have ones personally crafted by the Gnome Master Sdal for only fourteen thousand five hundred gold coins!"

Alright, I shouldn't have asked; I am not worthy.

After some thought, Li En went to buy an alloy longsword, still in the style of the Hero's Sword.

He specifically requested the appearance be made identical to the original, to be swapped out when necessary.

But to be honest, after taking it in hand and testing it slightly, Li En felt it was much more comfortable to wield than the genuine Hero's Sword.

"Dwarf craftsmanship?" The blade had undergone weight reduction, and the edge had clearly received a simplified sharpening enchantment.

When swung, it seemed to become faster and sharper.

This was no illusion; without activating the true power of the Hero's Sword, such a replica was indeed more practical than the genuine article.

The price was also acceptable; even with an additional scabbard included, it cost Li En only two gold coins.

Meanwhile, the salesclerk reminded him that the armor he purchased also came with a recommended "enhancement plan."

"This armor is suitable for the Number 165 Stoneskin enhancement plan. 'Fairy's Art' Enchantment Shop can provide high-quality permanent enchantments; this package starts at three hundred gold coins."

That is to say, if one was willing to spend another three hundred gold coins, one could add a "chargeable" Stoneskin spell (once per day) to this armor, capable of significantly increasing defense for a short time (at the cost of reduced speed).

This spell was not the fourth-tier spell of the same name (which would be much more expensive and require diamond dust as a casting material); it was more like a "petrification coating," with protective effects roughly equivalent to one or two rings, yet still capable of greatly improving combat defense.

Li En also noticed that prices for purely handcrafted, mineral products were still normal, but as soon as magic or enchantments were involved, the price was likely just the seller arbitrarily adding zeros.

Seeing that Li En was still somewhat tempted by the speed boots, the salesclerk offered an alternative plan.

"These boots come with a Feather Fall spell (activated); paired with this scroll of Jump spell, they can also significantly increase mobility for a short time, and the whole set costs only over one hundred gold coins."

Li En was very tempted, but he refused.

"Lord Lord Kuku can do better, better!"

"That Stoneskin armor... just give me the materials, and I will cast the true Stoneskin spell on it for you!!"

Although Li En didn't quite believe it, his wallet decided to pretend to believe it for a moment.

Once the armor was ready, Li En left directly.

He was certain that if he continued browsing, he could spend all one thousand three hundred coins in this shop.

And Li En, having changed his equipment, did not rush home; his surgery had wasted a day, and he had also missed the meeting appointment with Dimon and the others.

Of course, he also wanted to show off his new armor.

But just as they reached the dock area, Damon gave him another huge spending order that was hard to refuse.

(End of this chapter)