"That... You did that? But how is that possible?" Lukas asked as his face twitched.
Rory smiled as he saw the young blacksmith's expression.
Vicente said. "I won't go into details, but it has to do with my magical form. Anyway, I assure you that I am not lying. I made this armor, but I must say that I have no knowledge of forging, and I did not make it for defensive purposes."
Lukas didn't understand the last part of what Vicente said, but it was obvious that this black-haired guy did not know forging. There were several flaws in the structure of the armor, not only things that would prevent one from taking the armor off and putting it back on but also things that would make it weak defensively.
But it didn't matter what problems there were with this armor. If he made it himself, he definitely has potential as a blacksmith. Lukas thought and said, "I see. Well, since you don't have a master, I can refer you to some acquaintances.
I'm only an apprentice, so you won't have any advantage with them because of me. You'll have to convince one of them by showing your skills. Whether you get a good master will depend on your skills.
Rory liked what he heard. "That will help us a lot. What do you want in return?"
"As I said, I want friends and contacts who are willing to do business with me in the future. For now, I don't want anything, just remember me. If we are compatible, we will certainly do something together in the future."
He didn't know how to use his contact with these two to improve his position. From what they had said, they did not belong to a powerful family and were on their own.
In that case, even if they were talented, they would have to develop on their own before they had the potential to positively influence Lukas' forging journey.
But that could change quickly, so Lukas wanted them to be available to him.
Vicente considered this and agreed. He sincerely preferred to pay his debts, but debts had to be made in a society like this.
To get deals and access to certain places, he would have to have a lot of influence or resources. But at the moment, he had nothing, so he could only promise Lukas.
"All right, we'll keep our doors open for you in the future, Lukas. Who do you have in mind to help me?" Vice asked.
Lukas said without hesitation. "About that, I know 5 blacksmiths who take students in Millfall."
Not every professional teaches. There were many who learned and would not have disciples for long, either because they lacked the aptitude to teach or because they had no interest in passing on their knowledge.
"Of these five, only two are Mages, and the rest are level 4 and 5 Acolytes. One of those two is my master, but I'm sorry to tell you that he's not accepting new disciples at the moment. Otherwise, I would refer him to you.
I also heard that Mr. Wood would be out of town for the next few months, leaving 3 names.
The first is Landon Fraser, a level 4 Acolyte, my master's first apprentice. He is said to be one of the most talented 2nd-stage blacksmiths in the city. But he is also the weakest of the three I can name.
The second is Zane Smith. He's been at the peak of the 2nd stage for several years now, so he can become a Mage in no time. However, as a member of a renowned blacksmith family, he is naturally more selective with his students.
Last but not least is Benson King. He is the second 3rd stage blacksmith in the city, a man who is said to have grown up on his own as a blacksmith and does not get involved in local disputes.
Anyway, those are the names. Other blacksmiths in Millfall accept students, but my master considers these to be the most talented, the only ones he would pay attention to as rivals or potential elders in the association.
Lukas smiled and added, "Landon would be my choice, but I am suspicious of saying that."
"Hmm, thanks for the information. I'll look for these people and see who has more affinity with me." Vicente said and put the names in his head.
"Right. If you need potions and magic pills, look for Ava in the Oak Supply Store and mention my name. She will help you." Lukas said before saying goodbye. "Anyway, look me up if you manage to get into the association, Vicente. We can exchange information and favors."
"Sure. See you later."
As they said their goodbyes, Vicente and Rory quickly returned home, chatting about it.
"What do you think of him? Reliable?" Rory asked.
"I can't say for sure, but given his sincerity, I don't see any problems for now... When we get home, have our men do some research on these blacksmiths. Let's see who they are and where they live." Vicente said just before they entered his house.
"Lukas seems to be the kind of person who knows a lot of people like us without the support or with the willingness to work with people outside their own family. Having contact with him won't be bad."
When they got home, they would soon have dinner with Eve and Nina and talk about what they had done in the previous hours.
Vicente would spend some time with his little sister until she fell asleep and then focus some of his time on meditating. With his magical powers under control, he needed to begin increasing the mana in his being.
The easiest way to do this was to use his energies in training and then rest or eat resources with mana.
He would spend some time doing this while Eve would use some of her time off from her responsibilities with Nina to give orders to some of the personnel in her group.
Rory had told her about the deals he and Vicente had made with the two brothers earlier, so she immediately gave the orders to the men who would be working in the tavern the next day.
...
The night passed, and another day dawned in Millfall.
Vicente awoke from his hours of sleep just as dawn broke and hurried down to the kitchen of his house to grab something to eat before heading out.
Today, he would meet Aaron to talk about the Irwin family!
Rory was up too, having slept there last night, and when he saw Vice coming to get something to eat, he asked. "What are we going to do with this family?"
"We're going to look for business. We are merchants, after all." Vicente smiled before biting into an apple.
"What about the robbery?" Rory asked in a quiet voice.
"We'll see about that after we gain access to this family's residence. Anyway, with my skills, I think it will be easier than we thought to break in and steal."
"Really?"
"Don't worry. We'll have time to think about it. Over the next few weeks, we'll work on the robbery plan while we develop our operations in this tavern and other places. This is just the beginning, my friend."
Vicente smiled before they finished up and headed out for another day of trying to do business but also to get in contact with the Irwin family.
