"What kind of weapon do you want? A sword? Or maybe a dagger?" Maya asked as she pulled Ren Isana along.
Seeing her enthusiasm, Ren thought for a moment before replying, "Maya, I want a Tang Dao."
When it came to choosing a weapon, Ren didn't actually have a strict preference, but he favored the Tang Dao. For no other reason than simply liking it.
Hearing his request, Maya looked at him in surprise. "A Tang Dao? That's a pretty niche weapon. Very few people use them. Wait here, I have a good one in stock."
With that, she let go of Ren and headed toward the storeroom. It wasn't long before she walked back out carrying a long box. "See if this suits you!"
Maya walked over to a nearby counter and opened the box. A straight-bladed Tang Dao, about three feet long, came into view.
The silver-white blade gleamed with a cold light, and the hilt was wrapped in some unknown premium material.
This Tang Dao clearly wasn't some ordinary item. His first thought upon seeing it was: *Could a broke guy like me even afford this thing?*
After all, one look was enough to tell that this sword was absurdly expensive. It absolutely wasn't the type of thing someone from a poor background like him could buy.
"Maya, let's pass on this one. I can't afford it!" Ren bluntly stated his awkward financial situation.
Maya knew his circumstances better than anyone. Even though she had said she wanted to gift him a weapon, Ren couldn't possibly accept this.
"You silly kid, I told you it's a gift. Who said anything about buying? It looks like you're quite satisfied with it. In that case, this sword is yours." Saying so, Maya took the blade out of the box.
Pointing the blade downward, she handed the hilt directly to Ren. "Give it a try. If it feels right in your hands, take it home."
Watching Maya's actions, Ren felt numb. However, he didn't reach out to take it. Instead, he said very seriously, "I'm sorry, but I can't accept this. I shouldn't even try it. I'll just pick a random, cheap one."
As he spoke, Ren shifted his gaze to the rest of the shop. The store wasn't particularly large; he could take in all the weapons at a single glance.
He quickly locked onto a relatively cheap Tang Dao, walked right over, and took it down. "Maya, I want this one."
This Tang Dao was only two thousand Valis, which was considered quite cheap. For Ren, it was more than enough.
Saying that, Ren pulled out his phone, scanned the shop's QR code, and directly transferred the money.
Seeing Ren's actions, Maya immediately rolled her eyes in exasperation. The next moment, her figure instantly appeared right in front of him. She snatched the cheap Tang Dao from his grasp and shoved the premium one into his hands.
"I said I'm giving it to you, so I'm giving it to you. Don't be so stubborn. A good weapon will be a huge help to you. Listen to me, and no refusing!" Maya said as she hung the weapon she had swapped from Ren back in its original place.
This scene left Ren somewhat shocked. *This lady's strength seems incredibly high. I couldn't even react!*
Looking at the Tang Dao in his hands, Ren felt utterly baffled. "Why are you forcing a sale on me?!"
At this moment, Ren felt truly helpless. It seemed she was dead set on shoving this Tang Dao onto him.
Holding the blade, Ren could also feel its extraordinary quality.
The weight in his hand was just right, and the grip was incredibly comfortable. It would have been fine if he hadn't touched it, but now that he had, Ren was genuinely tempted.
"Well, today I'm forcing a sale! Alright, don't overthink it. Just take this sword and use it. Later on, when you get stronger, if you manage to get your hands on any materials, you can sell them to me. Just consider this my investment in you." After putting away the two-thousand Valis Tang Dao, Maya spoke to Ren with a completely serious expression.
Hearing this, Ren immediately fell silent. He knew that Maya's shop purchased materials, as all the weapons here were forged by her husband.
Aside from selling weapons, she also bought all sorts of materials. Ren guessed that this particular weapon was likely forged from materials gathered inside the Dimensional Rifts.
After pondering for a moment, Ren quickly made his decision. "Alright, then I won't be polite with you, Maya. From now on, whatever materials I get, I'll sell them all to you!"
If it was framed like that, Ren could accept it. With his current funds, he obviously couldn't afford this Tang Dao. Barring any surprises, this sword probably cost tens of thousands, maybe even hundreds of thousands of Valis.
"Then I'll be looking forward to it. Make sure you study hard at school. Once you become stronger, you'll realize that making money is actually quite simple. So don't let this weigh on your mind, understood?" Seeing that Ren had finally agreed, she breathed a sigh of relief in her heart and offered the boy some advice.
She told him not to take it to heart because she understood exactly how young people thought. Kids his age had strong pride and hated accepting charity from others.
But this wasn't charity; it was an investment in the future. The fact that Ren had been assigned to the Special Class proved he had exceptional talent. By helping him now, wouldn't she also benefit when he brought back high-quality materials in the future?
It was a win-win situation. Even if Ren failed to grow into a strong fighter, to her, it was just the loss of a single Tang Dao. What did that matter?
Besides, she had high hopes for Ren. When he used to work part-time at her shop, she had seen his work ethic firsthand.
"Wait here a second, let me grab something for you." Maya looked at Ren, suddenly remembering something, and walked back into the back room after instructing him.
A moment later, she came back out, holding a scabbard and a blade cover. Ren recognized the cover—it was slipped over the blade to prevent accidentally cutting someone during sparring.
Maya handed both items to Ren. "You're no stranger to these. They go with your Tang Dao. Remember to put the blade cover on during training so you don't hurt yourself."
Hearing this, Ren nodded. He didn't refuse again, simply accepting them and equipping his new weapon.
After sorting that out, Ren remembered something. He immediately pulled out his phone and finished typing in the password he hadn't completed earlier.
"Maya, I'm not taking this sword for free. I don't have much money on hand right now, so I'll give you two thousand first. I'll pay off the rest in the future!" After transferring the money, Ren made a solemn promise.
Hearing this, Maya rolled her eyes again and said in exasperation, "Alright, fine, we'll leave it at that for now. Just pay me whenever you have the money. There's no rush."
She was truly helpless against him. This kid was just too stubborn. Sighing, Maya didn't argue further. If she actually refunded the money, Ren would probably return the sword as well.
"Thank you, Maya!" Holding the Tang Dao, Ren bowed to her, then turned and left the shop.
Seeing this, Maya didn't stop him. Instead, she walked him to the door. She had done what she needed to do; now, she was simply looking forward to seeing how much Ren would grow in the future.