In the end, Bell chose to agree to the trade Welf proposed.
However, he felt that merely lending the weapon for the other party to look at and receiving a set of armor in return was a huge bargain for him, so he offered to compensate the other party.
"Well, if you feel I'm at a disadvantage, and you think my equipment is good, then let's sign a Blacksmith's Contract."
Welf suggested.
"Blacksmith's Contract?"
Bell subconsciously looked at Mei and Kiana, but neither of them had heard of it either, so they could only shake their heads in response.
"Actually, it means I become your exclusive blacksmith. It's a method of competition among blacksmiths, meaning I provide your equipment and become your long-term client."
Welf didn't hide anything, nor did he explain in great detail, as this was merely a competition among blacksmiths.
"In that case, it's settled then! Oh, by the way, what level are you now?"
Welf was as passionate as the color of his hair.
"I'm still just a newcomer, only LV1."
Bell said with a bit of embarrassment, but Welf laughed, patted Bell's shoulder, and then extended his hand: "Isn't that perfect? I'm also just LV1. Please take care of me!"
"Yes, please take care of me."
After the two shook hands, Welf said somewhat awkwardly: "Bell, since you're also LV1, do you know if any party needs a blacksmith?"
"Party?"
Welf: "Yes, actually, I want to go to the middle levels to adventure and reach LV2 as soon as possible to gain blacksmithing development abilities. But if I'm alone, I can't handle the dangers of the middle levels, so I want to find a party."
"Ah… as for a party, I also…"
Where would Bell find a party? He had always adventured with Takatsuki and them before, and after that, he explored the Dungeon alone. Although he recently met a tiny supporter, that couldn't really be considered a party.
"In that case, you and Bell should team up."
Kiana, who had been watching from the side, suddenly spoke.
She and Mei had not interrupted their conversation, as Bell should make his own decisions. As seniors, they only needed to ensure he wasn't terribly scammed.
But seeing this, Kiana couldn't help but speak. From her intuition, she felt that this person named Welf didn't seem like someone who would betray his teammates. If Bell insisted on adventuring alone, finding a teammate of the same level was the best choice.
"Eh? Me and Bell? But isn't he a junior from your Familia?"
Welf's words made Kiana a little embarrassed: "Ah, well…"
"Due to some reasons, Bell is currently exploring the Dungeon alone and isn't with us. And his level is the same as yours. Since you've signed a Blacksmith's Contract, teaming up together would be perfect."
Mei answered Welf's question for Kiana. Welf didn't think much of it, nodded, and looked at Bell: "In that case, Bell, what do you think?"
"If Mr. Crozzo thinks it's okay, I have no problem either."
"Great! Then it's decided. Also, don't call me Mr. Crozzo anymore, just call me Welf. After all, we're teammates in the same party!"
Although Welf was very enthusiastic and familiar, Bell still somewhat stiffly addressed him as Mr. Welf.
"You two are carrying packages here, are you planning to sell materials?"
Welf, feeling much better after solving a long-standing problem and gaining a client and a weapon with unknown craftsmanship to observe, looked at Kiana and Mei, who were carrying bags, and asked.
"Yes, why?"
"If you don't mind, could I see what materials they are? Judging by the shop you came to, they must be blacksmithing materials, right? I know a lot about these things. I can guide you and introduce some shops where you can sell them for a high price."
As a reciprocal gesture, Welf proactively offered his help.
Kiana and Mei didn't refuse and directly placed their backpacks on the ground and opened them.
Welf squatted down and took out something that looked like a tusk from it.
"Hmm? What is this? I've never seen this material before."
Welf frowned, looking at the material in his hand, while Kiana said from the side: "Didn't you say you're a blacksmith? You don't even recognize this?"
"Uh, cough cough." Welf awkwardly coughed twice and said: "Although I'm a blacksmith, I can't claim to know all the materials from the Dungeon. After all, I'm only LV1."
"Takatsuki said this material is called Valgang Dragon's Fang, and there are also Valgang Dragon's Scales that dropped with it."
Welf nodded: "So it's the Valgang… What?! Valgang Dragon! Isn't that a monster that only appears in the deep levels?!"
"Yes, it's a monster from the 58th Floor."
Since this batch of goods would eventually be sold, it was impossible to keep it a secret, so they just revealed it directly.
"Bell, so your Familia… is that strong?"
Welf looked at Bell in a daze: "Is it the Loki Familia, or Freya Familia? No, if it were them, they probably wouldn't be worried about selling."
"No, we're from the Hestia Familia."
"…"
Welf thought for a moment and then said: "These are all very high-grade materials. If you sell them all to one shop, there's a high chance they'll be undervalued. So it's best to sell a portion to each shop. Although running back and forth might waste some time, this is the way to maximize your profit."
Welf took a piece of gray cloth from his bag and wrapped some of the materials: "Come on, I'll take you to sell these materials."
Just as Welf said, he took them running back and forth to several shops that sold and bought back materials. Although he wasn't very familiar with materials for making potions, he was very familiar with how to sell blacksmithing materials for a high price and how to haggle.
"For these last materials, I'll take you to Hephaestus Familia to sell them."
After running for an entire afternoon, they had finally sold most of the high-grade materials in their packages. After packing the last of the materials, Welf took them towards Hephaestus Familia's territory.
"Hephaestus Familia, that's your Familia, Welf, right?"
Bell asked, following Welf.
"Yes. This time, I'll take you to meet our Familia's captain."
Welf said with a smile: "If you go to the Familia's counter to sell, you'll inevitably have to haggle. But these are all high-grade materials. If you go directly to the captain, she'll buy them directly. All your materials are very rare."
Welf didn't take them to a shop, but directly knocked on the door of a blacksmithing room.
Even through the wooden door, they could hear the sound of metal being hammered from inside.
"The door's unlocked, come in."
A clear female voice came out, but the hammering sound didn't stop.
Welf habitually pushed open the wooden door, and the others followed him into the stuffy room. The fiercely burning furnace constantly emitted heat, making the entire room feel as if it were inside a furnace.
A brown-skinned woman, her upper body only wrapped in cloth strips covering her chest, was continuously hammering the metal on the forging table in front of her. Sweat dripping from the heat instantly vaporized and evaporated when it fell on the metal.
"Oh, it's Welf. Is something wrong?"
Welf put down the package on his back: "Tsubaki, I have some high-grade materials from the deep levels here. Want to take a look?"