With the girl's guarantee, Andrew became interested too; he was quite eager to see what the weapons of this world were like.
"In that case, let's look at the tachi first. The bigger, the better."
As he spoke, Andrew used his hands to gesture the approximate size.
"Preferably half a meter wide, about two meters long including the hilt. The whole thing should be made of refined iron. Most importantly, the spine of the blade needs to be thick, at least five centimeters or more."
Listening to the demands Andrew listed one by one, Sweety's face grew increasingly flushed, until finally, beads of cold sweat began to form.
Belle, however, thought of the giant tachi stored on the second floor of the video store. The dimensions Andrew was gesturing were actually a size smaller than that one.
"My deepest apologies, sir, but our store does not carry tachi of that size. May I ask, sir... are you certain you're talking about a tachi? With those parameters, I would recommend trying a greatsword-type weapon instead."
Seeing the expression on the girl's face grow strained, as if she were dealing with a troublemaker, Andrew realized his weapon request was indeed a bit out of the ordinary for this world, so he didn't insist.
"In that case, please just bring out the largest size you have."
Faced with a return to a normal request, Sweety couldn't help but sigh in relief. She quickly retrieved the largest model of tachi from the shelf and placed it before Andrew.
"This is the same standard-issue equipment used by the Public Security's Criminal Investigation Special Response Team. This is the largest model. For many ordinary people, its size and weight basically make it a two-handed sword."
But as soon as she finished speaking, Andrew, who had walked over to a cutting post, had already drawn the blade from its sheath with one hand. After a casual flourish with his right hand, the sword was sheathed again in the next instant. At the same time, his once-casual stance had unknowingly shifted.
Andrew stood with his legs apart, knees slightly bent. The tachi was sheathed at his left hip, his right hand never leaving the hilt. His upper body was slightly bent, his entire form like a coiled spring. The next moment, the blade was drawn, and the hardwood cutting post, wrapped in thick iron sheets, was instantly sliced in two.
"Drawing Slash!"
Just as Andrew was about to follow up with a Spirit Blade Drawing Slash, he noticed that the tachi in his hand had already sustained a small chip from the first strike.
"Uh... Sweety, if I keep testing this, I think this weapon is done for."
Taking the tachi back, Sweety was dumbfounded. She looked at the cutting post, now in two useless pieces, and the nicked blade of the tachi, feeling like she could cry.
Seeing Sweety, who had been so confident moments ago, now on the verge of tears, Andrew, the cause of it all, felt a pang of guilt.
"How about... I just buy this weapon?"
At his words, Sweety's eyes lit up, but they dimmed again in the next moment.
"No, sir. No matter what, I can't sell you a damaged weapon. Besides, I told you when you came in, 'Use it as you wish during the trial period; any damage will be covered by the store.' Sniffle... "
Looking at the weeping girl before him, Andrew had to change the subject to distract her.
"How about this: you show me the bows first. If one of them is decent, I'll buy that bow and this tachi together. However, I want a new tachi, and at a thirty percent discount."
Hearing this, Sweety immediately perked up. After all, if she could sell a new one, the loss wouldn't be so hard to bear. It was better than a total loss.
She quickly led the two around a couple of corners to a counter and carefully took out a mechanical bow made for humans.
"Sir, this is the bow with the highest draw weight we make. The body is made of high-strength carbon fiber, making it lightweight yet extremely powerful. You can go to the shooting range next door to try it. There are free training arrows there. Please, feel free."
Belle watched as Andrew walked into the booth. He picked up the bow, stood at the edge of the range, casually took three arrows from the counter, held his breath, and in the next second, the arrows vanished from his hand.
"Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!"
The sounds of three impacts came almost simultaneously. Three new holes appeared on the wooden target 150 meters away.
Except for the first arrow, a test shot that hit the 8-ring, the other two were dead center.
The unexpected accuracy made Belle applaud lightly.
"Amazing, Andrew! To be so accurate on your first try with a new bow! I didn't know you were so good with bows!"
But even though the test was a success, Andrew didn't look very happy. He put the bow down with regret.
"It's too light. I spent more energy making sure my strength wouldn't break it than I did aiming. To me, this is more of a toy than a weapon. A fragile one at that."
Hearing such Ann evaluation from a new customer for the second time, Sweety, who had just claimed her wares were more than enough, felt her face burning.
While a girl's blush might surpass all the world's sweet nothings, a blush of embarrassment certainly did not.
After some internal debate, and seeing how Andrew looked like he was pulling back air when he shot the bow, Sweety finally made a decision.
She pushed a cargo cart to the deepest warehouse in the shop and, after a short while, brought out a large recurve bow with a wingspan of nearly 1.8 meters.
Although the bow's body was made of lightweight material, its immense size made its weight completely excessive for a human. However, it came fully equipped with a sight, stabilizer, arrow rest, and other accessories needed for a recurve bow.
"This is a recurve bow the workshop originally designed for a Bear Thiren. The increased size and limbs boosted its draw weight by 60% compared to the last bow. In exchange, even though the lightest materials were used, its weight is 200% heavier than the last one."
Though reluctant, Sweety couldn't deceive her customers and spoke truthfully:
"Because the increase in strength and weight was a bit too drastic, it became almost exclusively for Bear Thirens after it was produced. So, for some special reasons, it has never been sold and could only be stored deep in the warehouse."
"Special reasons? You mean there's a design flaw? Can you tell me more?"
Hearing the bow had a story, Belle's curiosity was immediately piqued.
"It's not some scandalous secret. Before I explain, let me ask you two a question. Have you ever seen a Bear Thiren use a bow and arrow?"
Sweety's smile became very strained, and she looked at the bow as if it were a dark, shameful part of her history. Hearing this, Belle suddenly realized.
"That's right! Bear Thirens love heavy melee weapons. Even seeing one use a gun is rare, but I've never seen one use a bow!"
"Exactly, ma'am. So the Bear Thiren customers who come to our shop only ever ask for gauntlets, heavy hammers, and clubs. Some even want ones shaped like concrete blocks. But a bow? Never been requested!"
As she spoke, Sweety looked like she was about to break down. She should have realized something was wrong when she saw how overjoyed the seller was when she took it off their hands back then.
Unfortunately, there's no medicine for regret in this world.
But looking at Andrew again, Sweety's eyes lit up involuntarily.
"And now I realize, all its past neglect must have been for this fateful meeting today. This must be a destiny ordained by the heavens for you."
Hearing Sweety's forceful sales pitch, Belle couldn't help but retort:
"What destiny? It's completely because nobody wants it."
"Hey now, customer, no need to be so harsh. If you're willing to buy it, I'll give you a thirty percent discount! No, wait, forty percent! That's already cost price."
This introduction piqued Andrew's interest again. To Sweety's surprise, he picked it up directly with one hand, casually hefted it a couple of times, and lightly plucked the bowstring with his right hand before commenting:
"Say what you will, at least the size is usable."
Returning to the edge of the range, he took the three large arrows Sweety handed him, held his breath to aim, and fired. It was another swift three-shot volley, and this time, his accuracy was even better than with the previous bow.
Only one hole appeared on the wooden target this time, right in the center. Using this bow, Andrew seemed to have found his comfort zone. His powerful archery skills were on full display, making Belle's eyes widen in surprise.
"The accuracy actually improved after increasing the weight and draw weight!"
"Because while it can't withstand a fully charged shot, I can at least use it normally without worrying about it breaking if I use a little force."
Andrew looked at the bow. Although not particularly satisfied, there was no harm in comparison. After trying the last one, he had lost hope, so finding a bow that was at least usable was Ann unexpected surprise.
Sweety, who was already amazed seeing Andrew use it like a normal bow, was even more flabbergasted when she heard his reply to Belle, her jaw dropping.
She thought the bow she could finally sell was going back to the warehouse again. And this time, it wasn't because the draw weight was too high, but because it was too low.
At this, Sweety was on the verge of tears again. She thought she had a big sale today, but instead, she'd wasted half the day and lost a cutting post and a tachi. But despite her sadness, she maintained her professional ethics and offered a final piece of advice.
"Sir, your strength is truly unexpected. For special weapon needs like yours, I suggest you go directly to a custom workshop. But that would probably take at least a month."
To her surprise, Andrew's reply was once again unexpected.
"No need. I'll take this model. I want two of them. And that tachi, two of those as well. Pack them all up for me."
Andrew's words were like a godsend to Sweety, who had already accepted her losses. Her eyes lit up, and she scurried over to Andrew with quick, short steps, grabbing his hand and shaking it vigorously.
"Oh, sir, you have such excellent taste! Your generosity and decisiveness are truly admirable! You know what, I'll throw in the 80 arrows that were made to go with this bow as a free gift. If you need to order new arrows or get your weapons maintained in the future, just come to me. I'll give you a discount~"
"Giving them away so freely... is it just because these arrows are custom-made for this bow, and only this bow can use them?"
Seeing Sweety holding Andrew's hand, Belle said with a hint of annoyance. Sweety wasn't embarrassed at being called out. The thick skin of a merchant allowed her to automatically filter out Belle's words, and she quickly and efficiently began to pack up Andrew's purchases.
"We offer home delivery! If you two could just fill out a delivery address for the purchased weapons, we guarantee same-day delivery within the city!"
Hearing this, Andrew realized he didn't actually have a place to live in New Eridu. Just as he was about to decline the delivery and carry them himself, he saw Belle had already written down the address of the video store on Sixth Street.
Seeing Andrew's stunned expression, Belle smiled brightly.
"What are you standing there frozen for?"
"Sending it directly to the video store? Won't that be too much trouble for you all?"
Hearing this, Belle puffed out her chest slightly and said:
"My big bro already gave the okay, so of course I agree too! You've just arrived in New Eridu, you don't know anyone or the area. Why not stay at the video store for a few days? You can move out once you find your own place."
Belle then leaned closer to Andrew and continued in a low voice:
"Besides, the fake ID we're getting for you will take a few more days. So just think of it as being our bodyguard. After all, as Proxies, we don't have much combat power. We worry about suddenly running into danger, you know."
This excuse, clearly made to accommodate him, warmed Andrew's heart. He silently marveled at his luck; every time he arrived in a new world, the friends he met were always kind and good-hearted people.
After agreeing to Belle's arrangement, the two left the equipment store. On the way back, Andrew thought about the shop owner's final suggestion and suddenly had Ann idea for his own profession.
"Belle, what do you think about me opening a blacksmith workshop on Sixth Street?"
"A workshop?"
Belle, who was driving, heard Andrew's proposal and started to think about the situation on Sixth Street.
"That could actually work. Sixth Street has never had a blacksmith. You can buy small ironware at the 141 General Store, but for things like pots and pans, you have to get them custom-made. But I think a blacksmith shop might be more popular in the Waifei Peninsula, maybe?"
Hearing Belle's words, Andrew chuckled lightly.
"What's so funny! I'm seriously considering your proposal and thinking about how to advise you!"
Seeing Andrew's smiling face, Belle couldn't help but feel a little exasperated.
"No, no, I'm not laughing at your suggestion. You just misunderstood one thing. Remember what the shopkeeper said about a workshop for custom weapons?"
At Andrew's reminder, Belle had a sudden realization.
"You mean, you want to open a workshop that makes custom weapons? I remember you said you had the skills for it, but if you want to open a legitimate one, you need to be specially registered! The main thing is, you have no life history in New Eridu. If you get investigated, your identity could be compromised."
"It's fine. Just like you two are video store owners but also Proxies, I'll just have it as a hidden profession on the side."
After thinking for a moment, Andrew decided not to hide anything from the siblings he would inevitably be working with long-term.
"It's more about researching the feasibility of making weapons from Ethereal materials. Besides, don't I have another identity as the legendary Proxy Phaethon's agent? As a blacksmith, I'd have a good reason to be away from the shop for long periods, right?"
"I told you, it's future legendary Proxy! You're teasing me again!"
-
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