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Vur yawned as he stretched his arms above his head. Beside him, on a fluffy down bed, Tafel was beginning to awaken as well. They were inside the cave that the fishmen had given them to spend their time. The fishmen had insisted on the two staying until their master artisan had finished refining the leviathan skin and scales into armor as thanks for treating them to leviathan flesh. Their future generations would be stronger thanks to Vur and Tafel as the leviathan’s mana was incorporated into their bodies. The beast’s bones could also be used to imbue artifacts with abilities. Tafel had been fascinated and was a bit upset she couldn’t summon her sword to have it improved, but Vur didn’t care since Lust had been broken and never replaced.
The pearls hanging from Tafel’s neck glinted as she sat up and cracked her neck. When she asked about them, the fishmen had called them sunrise pearls. They heated up when the sun rose, and provided a warm light to start the day. Other than that, the fishmen hadn’t discovered any other function for them. “They said the armor would be done today, right?” Tafel asked and nudged Vur who was still bleary-eyed.
Vur yawned again. “Mhm.”
“You sound so excited,” Tafel said and frowned. She pinched his cheeks, causing his eyes to widen. “Leviathans should be close to wyverns and phoenixes in rank. Do you know what that means?” She released Vur’s cheeks and placed her hands on her hips.
Vur rubbed his face. “They’re weak?”
Tafel sighed. “You’re an adventurer who doesn’t care about getting good equipment. I’m almost ashamed for you.” She scratched her nose. “It means we’re getting top quality armor that rivals what people in Fuselage wear. Do you know how expensive that kind of armor is? I could only afford a nice sword and a decently made robe after a decade of hunting. And I couldn’t even bring them here because someone botched my teleport.” She sighed. “There’s also the cost of mana potions, health potions, accessories, repair bills, lodging fees, dismantling fees, storage fe—“
Vur placed his hand on Tafel’s shoulder, causing her to fall silent. He stared her in the eyes. “You can borrow stuff from Grimmy’s hoard. He has a lot.” Vur nodded before standing, leaving Tafel with a blank expression on her face.
“That’s different! It’s not earned,” Tafel said and furrowed her brow. “I could raid my kingdom’s treasury and buy myself top-class gear, but there’s no satisfaction in doing that. Being an adventurer is about the journey, not the end result: Killing rare beasts, gathering materials yourself, finding someone to make your hunted items into armor. That’s like the number one reason why people become adventurers.”
“Huh. Really?” Vur asked as he slid on a pair of pants. “I thought it was for the money?”
“Well, maybe. But the people who aren’t in it for the money are in it for the adventure,” Tafel said. “And you definitely don’t need money. Didn’t you want to go on an adventure with me because of the adventurer lifestyle?”
“I wanted to try new food,” Vur said and glanced at his stomach. “Oh, and because you asked me too.” He nodded at Tafel who sighed.
“I don’t think I’ve met anyone who adventured just for the food,” Tafel said and pursed her lips. “Well, the fishmen worked hard to create that armor for us. You should accept it, alright?”
“Okay,” Vur said. “I’ll use it even if it’s not as good as the clothes Auntie makes.” He paused. “I wonder what she’s doing anyways.”
“She’s watching over the three kingdoms because both of us are irresponsible,” Tafel said and dressed herself. She wasn’t sure what material her clothing was made out of, but it was comfortable and soft to touch. “It’s because she’s there that I’m confident in leaving the continent whenever I want.”
Vur tilted his head as he exited the cave. “But I thought she knitted all day?”
“Don’t let her hear you say that,” Tafel said as she squinted her eyes due to the light. The pearls by her collarbone seemed to increase in temperature once again.
“Ocean crossers!”
Vur and Tafel turned their heads. Carl waved at them and gestured behind himself towards the cluster of fishmen before saying, “We were just on our way to deliver the armor to you. They’re Johnson’s highest quality works he’s ever created.”
A fishman with gray gills stepped forward and laughed. “It’s because you two provided me with such wonderful materials to work with,” he said and waved his hand. A few children ran forward, holding a package in their arms. “They’re as light as cloth, yet they are slash resistant. The scales also provide high resistance against piercing blows and some moderate resistance to blunt weapons, but that’s not even the best part about the armor.” His eyes glinted. “Try inserting your mana into them.”
Vur slid on the armor first. It was like a skintight piece of blue film that merged with his skin. If it wasn’t for the fact that he had just put it on, he wouldn’t have believed he was wearing anything. He focused his mana into the armor. Blue scales made of mana formed a layer around him, causing him to nearly double in size. A translucent blue tail extended from his rear, elongating and flattening into a blade at the tip. It swished a few times as Vur turned his head to inspect it. “I could already do that.”
Tafel shushed him and put on her armor. It was similar to Vur’s, and her transformation after inserting mana was also the same. She wasn’t as adept at controlling the tail though.
“Well?” Johnson asked, stroking his gills with one hand. “What do you think? It’s definitely comparable to the dwarves’ orichalcum plate armor. It’ll allow you to breathe underwater as long as you keep inserting mana, and you can even manipulate the shape of the barrier to improve your swimming speed.”
“I love it,” Tafel said. “Thank you so much.”
“It’s alright,” Vur said as he deactivated the armor’s barrier. “Thanks.”
Johnson chuckled. “I’m glad you two like it. I’m a bit ashamed I couldn’t make it more useful for land combat,” he said and sighed. “But leviathans are beasts of water. It only makes sense that their materials improve your underwater capabilities.”
“No worries,” Tafel said, her eyes shining. “Just by their defense alone, they’re comparable to the higher quality armors back home.”
Vur scratched his head. He didn’t know Tafel felt that strongly about equipment. Maybe he should raid Grimmy’s hoard for her and give her a shiny weapon as a birthday gift. Grimmy had a lot of those lying around.
One of the elder fishmen, who acted as a judge a few nights ago, cleared his throat. “I don’t suppose you could spend any more time here and hunt a few more leviathans?”
Tafel blinked at Vur. “Wow, usually strangers want you to leave,” she said, recalling her honeymoon with Vur. “Has anyone sincerely asked if you wanted to stay longer before?”
Vur shrugged before glancing at the fishman. “We won’t be staying. I’ve already tried everything there is to eat here,” he said with a nod.
“Ah, a shame,” the elder said and stroked his chin. “I wish you well on the next steps of your journey.”
“Thanks,” Vur said.
A few fishmen children ran up to Tafel and handed her seashells. “Bye, big sister! It was nice meeting you.”
Carl and George stepped forward, handing two bundles over to Vur. “Here are some provisions we prepared for you. It should be enough to last a week. Take care, Vur. Tafel.”
Tafel and Vur stared blankly as the fishmen retreated just as quickly as they came. Tafel glanced at Vur, seashells in her hands. “I guess they didn’t want you to stay after all.”