a few minutes later
A man with graying hair, a goatee, and tanned skin emerged from the back of the store.
The man, wearing a soot-stained white sleeveless sweater and old blue pants, was surprised to see Evans.
"Those features, he looks a bit like the Duke..."
-My most sincere apologies. -The old man said, bowing and then looked at the woman and said urgently: -Deranged woman, what are you doing? apologize
-But...
The woman did not understand, and yet she was going to follow the orders of the gray-haired man. However, Evans looked at the man respectfully and said in a firm tone:
-I have come as a client; not as a capricious nobleman; Keep it in mind and let's be professional when negotiating. You can get up.
The man stood up and tried to be formal:
- My name is Bernand, I am the blacksmith in charge; It is an honor to meet you, young Mr. Qualty.
As Bernand did not know which of the two eldest sons it was, he did not say the name, although due to his increasing fame he suspected that it could be Evans.
-It's an honor too, I'm Evans Qualty.
Since the place was modest, the man could only offer a simple metal chair. Evans didn't care, he sat down and asked bluntly:
-Have you seen the puppets that move through the strings?
-Yes, I have seen them. -Bernand responded somewhat confused.
-In order for them to move efficiently, puppets need adequate flexibility and mobility, that is, their crucial point is the joints. I want you to make a puppet arm with joints similar to those of a human arm, use a material that allows the efficient and constant flow of mana, it is a big job, I will give you a year as a deadline. How much will the entire job cost?
Hearing Evans' words, Bernand hesitated, and began to think.
"A prosthesis; you want a prosthesis, but if you want a puppet arm that allows the flow of mana, do you plan to move it? A useful arm? It is crazy, it required very precise control of mana; but, it is what the client asks for, although I cannot deny that it will be a great and difficult job; to make a piece of that size and with the requested characteristics, I will need to acquire Megiac ingots"
Megiac was a metal that was found in moderate quantities in mana stone mines or in areas with a high concentration of mana, which made it a quite expensive metal.
Evans, who had been waiting, saw Bernand looking at him cautiously.
-15,000 gold coins. -Bernand responded.
Evans sighed, even the woman running the place seemed disappointed.
-I said I would pay the price for your work. That price only includes the cost of materials. Include everything, the amount you say will be final, in return I expect a quality product.
-25,000 gold coins in total. -Bernand answered, straining his voice and closing his eyes because he feared they would execute him for offending the duke's son.
Evans placed on the counter a bag of 25,000 gold coins he had taken out of his ring.
-I'll be back in exactly one year.
Evans left the store with his group and Bernand sighed.
-I thought I was going to be executed. -Bernand said in a relieved tone.
-You're not exaggerating? -asked the woman.
-You're just saying that because you don't know Duke Qualty's reputation, why do you think this city is like that? -Bernand said as he stood up to go to the back of the blacksmith's shop.
Jump! Jump!
Evans moved among the trees, infusing mana into his body and activating enhancing spells that strengthened his physique and senses in a constant but balanced manner, only increasing the expenditure of mana at the right moment.
"I must make the most of every drop of mana; I cannot waste a single movement; I must get used to it until the flow and consumption of mana becomes as natural as the circulation of my blood."
In the end Evans jumped to the ground, and walked towards the mansion to go to his room.
"He is an impressive young man; despite what happened, and having lost an arm, he did not flinch, he has only continued training to compensate for his weakness; it is a shame that his potential has been diminished by those criminals," thought Khan, who had been observing Evans from a window of the mansion, to send periodic reports to the Emperor who did not want his daughter to marry someone weak or incapable.
In his room, Evans was moving the harlequin puppet he had bought, coating it with mana so that it would resist the movements with which they imitated the warrior of the fourth rank. Although Evans was focused on the harlequin puppet, there were dozens of moving toys and stuffed animals around him, all with magical strings that were connected to the strings around Evans' fingers. Magical threads that extended, branched to connect to the targets that would be animated.
For Aria, that view was every child's dream, a world of toys, so she played with some of the toys and enjoyed watching the rest of the toys jump, walk and even dance.
"My mastery of puppet manipulation magic is at the right level to be able to move the arm I requested, now I just have to wait"
A month later, a carriage escorted by dozens of guards at the top of the fourth rank left the Qualty dukedom. Henry was heading to Stariar Academy, for the last month he had secluded himself until he formed his first mana circle, so he could enter one of the privileged classes.
Evans watched his brother's carriage from the mansion.
"Apparently Henry is not as mediocre as I thought; if he takes advantage of the resources and education that the academy offers him, he could become a bit of a problem; I must keep an eye on him; I will kill him if necessary."