In the end, Lin Mo bought the Wolf Bone Sword for the discounted price of 30 Gold Coins.
Besides a weapon, he also needed to purchase some armor.
A good set of armor could play a huge role in battle. For example, during his previous fight with the Blood Sea Gang, their captain was wearing Iron Armor. This drastically reduced Lin Mo's viable targets, forcing him to aim only for the man's unprotected head and neck.
A smaller attack surface meant a lower margin for error, making his attacks easier to dodge. It also limited his available tactics, which had a huge impact on the fight.
Conversely, owning a reliable set of armor would increase his margin for error and unlock more high-risk, high-reward tactics, like trading blows.
However, just as Lin Mo had previously considered, heavy Iron Armor would hinder Agility—his most important Attribute—which wasn't necessarily a good thing.
Therefore, his best option was Leather Armor, which offered less protection but was much lighter.
The price of ordinary Leather Armor was far lower than that of Iron Armor.
A set of high-quality Iron Armor usually cost 30 gold coins or more, while a set of Leather Armor was only about 5 gold coins.
But that wasn't necessarily the case for higher-quality pieces.
...
"Can't you go any lower? This price is a total rip-off."
Lin Mo frowned, trying to reason with Edgar.
Edgar's beard bristled with anger and his eyes bulged. He pointed at the Leather Armor and boomed, "This armor is made from the hide of a Black Swamp Crocodile! Just acquiring the hide cost me 27 Gold Coins! I even added 6 gold coins' worth of materials during the forging process. Is selling it to you for 40 gold coins really so outrageous?"
He knew Lin Mo could recognize quality work, which only made him even more furious.
It took at least a full day to forge a piece of equipment like this. Earning only 7 gold coins as a labor fee for an Excellent Level item was already an incredibly fair price.
"Come on, a little cheaper. You already sold me the weapon for a great price, so what's one more piece of Leather Armor? How about 30 gold coins?"
Edgar tugged on his beard, scarcely able to believe his ears.
'His costs were 33 Gold Coins! If he sold it for that, he'd be losing 3 Gold Coins!'
'Is he for real?'
"39 gold coins... 38 at the most! I can't go any lower!"
'This kid... does he really think I'm free labor?'
"But I don't have that much money."
Lin Mo spread his hands and started playing shamelessly. "You wouldn't want the target of your investment to get wiped out by a Demon just because he didn't have suitable armor, would you?"
Edgar's bluster instantly deflated. He stammered for a long moment, completely unable to think of a retort.
Good heavens, the Dwarf Race had always been a straightforward people. Who among them was devious enough to out-haggle him?
"Then how much money do you have?"
Edgar looked at him with suspicion.
"32 gold, 21 silver, and 88 copper. Not a single copper piece more."
He reported the amount down to the last copper, making it sound completely genuine.
Lin Mo spread his hands. "You have to trust your own judgment, Mr. Edgar! When I become an Adventurer renowned throughout the entire Continent, you'll be famous too! The elders of the Dwarf Race will all know of a young Dwarf named Edgar who once forged a weapon for that great Adventurer!"
The corners of Edgar's mouth twitched repeatedly. He had the uncomfortable feeling of knowing he was being swindled but being unable to refuse.
"With a silver tongue like yours, you'd definitely have a chance at becoming famous across the Continent as a damn Minstrel."
The Dwarf Boss grumbled in his deep voice, "32 gold, plus that sword in your hand."
He pointed to the sword Lin Mo had picked up for 50 Silver Coins. He had a faint memory of it but hadn't thought much of it at the time. However, after seeing Lin Mo's uncannily sharp eye for weapons, he couldn't help but feel curious about what made it so special.
"No problem."
Lin Mo took out 32 Gold Coins and, along with the sword, placed them neatly on the table.
...
"See you next time, Mr. Edgar."
A moment later, the three members of Bain's party watched as an enthusiastic Lin Mo waved goodbye to the scowling Dwarf Boss. They were completely baffled.
'Didn't he go in to buy a weapon? How could he have made a deal and left the owner so unhappy?'
Though curious, they didn't press the issue. Every Adventurer has their secrets. They were merely acquaintances, not members of the same party, so it was best to maintain a respectful distance.
After leaving the forge and walking together for a while, Bain finally seemed to make up his mind and asked, "Lin Mo, would you like to join our party?"
"Yeah, yeah! Join our team! We can adventure together!"
Evan, who was standing nearby, also brightened up. After spending a few days together and growing closer through two life-or-death battles, he naturally hoped this powerful Adventurer would stay.
Lin Mo considered it for a moment. To be honest, he'd thought about it before, too.
He was still a newcomer, after all, and didn't know enough about this world. Joining their party, with an experienced Adventurer like Bain leading the way, would help him quickly acclimate to the life of an Adventurer.
But on second thought, now that he had good weapons and armor, his priority was no longer making money. The most important thing was to increase his strength by constantly killing monsters to grind his Skill Level.
This conflicted with the core goal of most Adventurers, which was to make money. Besides, if they teamed up to fight Demons, he'd have fewer monsters to kill for himself.
"Thank you for the invitation, but I don't have any plans to join a party for now..."
So in the end, Lin Mo shook his head and declined his invitation.
"Is that so."
Bain gave a helpless, bitter smile and didn't press him further.
"By the way, Uncle Bain, do you know of any inns suitable for an Adventurer?"
Lin Mo recalled the embarrassing situation when he'd accidentally wandered into a 'special' establishment. Although he now had the *Roland Town Map Guide*, which likely had relevant information, he felt that advice from a veteran Adventurer was more trustworthy.
"An inn? The Benlang Inn, where we're staying now, is quite good. The owner is a retired Adventurer, so it's safe, the prices are reasonable, and there's a discount for long-term stays..."
"Sounds good."
Lin Mo nodded. "It'd be perfect to stay at the same inn. That way, it'll be easy to get in touch if anything comes up. We could even team up again if a suitable quest appears."
"Great, no problem!"
Bain agreed at once. Millian was a rookie, after all, and Evan was still too green. Most of the time, they weren't much help and could sometimes even be a burden. With just the two of them, he only dared to accept sporadic or simple One-Star quests.
But with Lin Mo in the mix, things were different. He had great respect for Lin Mo's strength. With him along, they could consider taking on some One-Star quests of medium or even high difficulty.
Even though they'd have to split the reward, it would still be more profitable in the long run.