An important material for spatial equipment was starmetal, and that was also the main reason for the high value of such equipment. However, Xiao Lin happened to have starmetal with him, so if the material costs were ignored, the actual workmanship might not be that expensive.
Ibeiya’s words gave Xiao Lin a couple of ideas. He did not necessarily have to buy a finished ring, but finding someone who could actually make spatial equipment was difficult as it was very different from ordinary forging. Those who were able to do that must possess extensive skill, and since Xiao Lin was worried about wasting the material at hand, he felt that it was unwise to seek out a complete stranger.
“I can introduce someone to you, Uncle!” Ibeiya blinked her eyes and patted her slightly raised chest. She assured him, “I guarantee the quality will be good!”
“You know someone reliable?”
“Of course!”
“But didn’t you say that you haven’t been to Gold City for many years?”
Xiao Lin had casually asked her about it when they first entered the city. Although Ibeiya mentioned going there a few times during her early years of being a nomad, she said that it was a very long time ago. She claimed not to remember a lot of things as she was still young then.
Ibeiya’s tone froze up and she stomped her feet coquettishly. She pouted angrily and said, “Uncle, you did this on purpose!”
Xiao Lin’s only response was to sigh. He could not distinguish between truth and fiction when it came to Ibeiya. In fact, the past two days had shown him that Ibeiya was actually quite familiar with Gold City, as the hotel they lived in was on her recommendation too. Evidently, it was impossible that she had not been there for years and years as she claimed.
“Okay, okay.” Xiao Lin waved his hand. He was too lazy to get to the bottom of it, but he did not immediately agree to it. Instead, he said, “Bring me to meet with that spatial equipment maker you mentioned.”
In the afternoon, Xiao Lin followed Ibeiya along with a piece of starmetal that was only the size of a fingernail. In fact, he did not put his hopes high because his own piece was too small. He was also worried that the materials were not enough. If things did not work out, he would simply decide on it after going back to Dawn City.
Along the way, Ibeiya enthusiastically introduced him to the accessory maker. Planet Norma’s craft professions had long formed an extensive and rather fixed system in the span of thousands of years, such as blacksmiths, potion makers, and the like. The ranks of equipment manufacturers were also divided into ranks three, six, and nine, respectively. However, the rank division was not as obvious as strength ranks.
That accessory-maker had a very strange name: Hammerhead. When Ibeiya finished explaining, Xiao Lin cocked a brow in surprise and exclaimed, “An orc!”
Xiao Lin was no longer inexperienced, for the third monthly exam had given him a preliminary understanding of the orcs. It was all but certain that a Norman with such a distinctive name was an orc.
Ibeiya remarked in some surprise, “The orcs’ territory borders with yours, which means it’s also close to Silver Province. Uncle, you ought to know that there are a lot of orcs there, and since the trade between orcs is underdeveloped, they frequently have to obtain the necessary supplies from here.”
The war between the orcs and Dawn Academy a century ago sparked a hostile relationship between the two sides ever since. Although there were a considerable number of orcs who did business in Dawn City, the vast majority of them were unwilling to deal with anyone from Dawn Academy. At that point, they could only exchange goods in Silver Province to obtain their daily supplies.
The two of them walked for most of their journey, gradually deviating from the bustling city center and approaching the suburbs. The houses there were obviously much worse than in the city center, as they looked rather simple and crude. Their utterly asymmetrical shapes were often unsettling and they happened to be a typical characteristic of the orcs. They lacked skilled builders and their aesthetic preferences were clearly very different from Earthlings and even the local Normans.
“There aren’t many rich individuals among the orcs, so they can’t afford to live in city center houses,” Ibeiya explained.
“How do you know Hammerhead? Although I’ve never interacted much with the orcs, I don’t think they’re an easy race to get along with.” Xiao Lin was doubly curious and puzzled.
“I hate orcs too!” Ibeiya nodded in agreement and made no secret of her disgusted expression that appeared between her beautiful brows.” All that violent race knows is honor and war. Who would like them!”
She then stopped talking for a moment and flashed a grin. “But Hammerhead is different. He saved me once. He’s an orc with a gentle personality and he’s a mixed-race too.”
“Mixed-race? That’s really strange. Who would want to do that with the orcs?” Xiao Lin questioned in amazement. He had seen orcs before and their appearances were downright unflattering. He could not wrap his head around why men and women of other races would choose to be with orcs. A person like that was either mentally-ill or a complete lunatic.
Ibeiya herself was also a mixed-race, with equal parts vampire and Norman. However, she inherited not only the fine traditions of the Rosa Kingdom’s royal family, but also the vampire’s near heaven-defying talent. She could be considered a successful mixed-race individual and there was nothing too strange about it.
“Take a guess, Uncle.” Ibeiya kept him in suspense.
“It has to be one of those few races. Normans? Elves? Dwarves? Please don’t tell me it’s a dragon?” Xiao Lin guessed a few races in a row but Ibeiya denied them one by one.
The mischievous look in her eyes elicited a frown from Xiao Lin. He had a sudden thought and widened his eyes incredulously. “It can’t be one of us!”
“Bingo! You’re right!”
Xiao Lin was momentarily speechless. The corners of his lips twitched and the answer really did come as a shock to him.
Had it been a local Norman, Xiao Lin would have found it understandable if not a little surprised, since the aesthetic preferences of locals might be different. However, it was difficult to understand that an Earthling would do that with an orc, and—of all places—was from Dawn Academy.
Two scenes popped up out of nowhere in Xiao Lin’s mind: a hideous, fang-toothed male orc with an absolutely beautiful woman, or an insanely muscular female orc with a thin-bodied otaku Earthling.
Such visualizations were absolutely terrifying, and Xiao Lin could not help but feel a chill up his spine. He proceeded to desperately delete those images from his mind.
“Are you feeling cold, Uncle?” Ibeiya asked strangely.
“Ahem, a bit. Actually, a lot!” Xiao Lin laughed dryly before asking, “About Hammerhead’s parents, who’s the orc and who’s the human?”
“The father is human of course! The mother is the orc.” Ibeiya chuckled. “As I have mentioned when we first met, many of your people seem to have special fetishes.”
Her remark drew an angry response, “Don’t lump me in the same category as those people!”
Xiao Lin was reminded of Chen Dao, who wanted to have fun with beautiful women of different races all day long. The story might serve as encouragement for him once Xiao Lin went back and recounted told him about it.
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