MMORPG: Rise of the Primordial Godsmith
chapter-1191

"Can you… huh?" As the man looked at him with a slight twinkle in his eyes, Valyr gave a confused look to the man in response. "Where did that come from?"

Hearing those words, the man looked back at him with a smile that made it seem as if he'd been caught red-handed. Of course, as he had no idea nor clue to the reason behind their current conversation, such a smile only left Valyr more confused than before.

Fortunately, the man picked up on what Valyr was feeling, swiftly giving the latter an explanation behind the reason why he wanted to learn blacksmithing from him.

Though, by the time the man was done with his explanation, the young man still found it slightly absurd.

"So, you're saying that you want to learn blacksmithing from me… just because you watched me forge items one time? Haven't you already learned blacksmithing from someone else?"

"I did." The man nodded, getting the feeling that Valyr was going to reject him from the tone he spoke. "But the way of blacksmithing I learned pales in comparison to the world you showed me that day."

At those words, the man briefly thought back to the time both he and William entered Valyr's shop, only to find the latter forging multiple items at the same time.

Though most of it was a blur due to the massive difference in their stats, the man was more than certain that Valyr had touched upon a realm of blacksmithing he dreamed of achieving in his entire life.

Then again, that was also the reason why he requested to learn how to forge from the young man.

"…Man." Getting the feeling that the middle-aged man in front of him wouldn't stop until he got a yes from him, Valyr briefly pinched the bridge of his nose as he let out a faint sigh.

Then, returning his focus back to the man, the young man faintly let out yet another sigh. "And here I thought you came up to me to talk about the thing with the smithy."

"After all, my shop has been taking away a lot of the attention your smithy would have been getting," continued Valyr, feeling a bit guilty that he was encroaching upon another person's livelihood. "A lot of those guys need equipment, after all."

"Well, you wouldn't be wrong," replied the man, backpedaling for a bit as he continued on the topic Valyr brought up. "I would be lying if I said I was happy about the situation."

"…Then again, I would also be lying if I said I was angry about the situation either."

Saying those words, the man began to explain what happened at his smithy during the two days Valyr was out of the village.

Unsurprisingly, with the young man's shop closed, most of the players began to swarm the man's smithy instead for equipment, wanting to use the money they've earned from doing various jobs to improve their individual strengths.

Of course, this situation forced the man to interact with a customer base that was at least tens to hundreds of times larger than he would usually deal with, allowing him to earn far more money than he would in a month in less than a day.

However, although there was a part of him that felt satisfied and wanted the situation to continue, the man felt overwhelmed for the most part since he was not used to handling so many people at once.

"I guess that's also the reason why I came to meet you." The man looked at him with a wry smile. "From what I've heard before coming here, you've been dealing with the Players for the entire night."

At those words, Valyr faintly nodded, the gears in his mind turning as he pondered over everything he and the man talked about so far.

'First and foremost, he wants to learn how to forge from me. Although I don't really mind, I still feel a bit guilty for cutting into the profits his smithy would've earned if I hadn't set up shop in this village.'

'I wonder if there's some sort of middle ground we could agree upon…' As this thought lingered in his mind, Valyr soon felt his thoughts click into place all of a sudden, prompting him to look at the man with excitement.

"Hmm?" Noticing how Valyr was looking at him, the man raised his eyebrow in slight curiosity, oblivious to the thoughts in the former's mind.

Fortunately, the young man did not take long to satiate the man's curiosity, opening his mouth soon after. "You said you want to learn blacksmithing from me, right?"

"Yeah?" The man nodded, unsure of what Valyr was getting at.

"Well, let's say I agree," replied Valyr, causing the man to look at him in disbelief.

Though, just before the latter could voice out his excitement, Valyr raised his hand to tell him that he wasn't finished. "I teach you how to forge, but in exchange, you'll be doing something for me."

"And that something would be?" the man asked back.

"Managing my shop with me," replied the young man with a serious expression, prompting the man to mull over it for a bit.

Seeing the man in a pensive state, Valyr decided to strike while the iron was hot. "Of course, I'm not expecting you to always help me out in managing the shop. After all, you have your own smithy to take care of."

"All I ask for is for you to manage the shop in my stead whenever I'm away," continued the young man, causing the man to look at him in response. "If possible, I'd also like to get your help whenever there's more people in the shop than I can handle."

"In exchange, not only will I teach you how to forge just like you asked, but also give you a share of the profits for the days you help me."

"How much of a share are you planning on giving me?" asked the man in response, eliciting a faint smile to appear on Valyr's face.

"How much is fine for you?"

"Is 80-20 too much? After all, you'd also be teaching me blacksmithing."

"Nah, that's fine. 80-20 was actually a bit lower than I thought you'd ask for."

"No need to give me more, I already feel guilty for asking this much from you out of the blue." The man shook his head.

"Well, that settles it." Valyr nodded as he extended his hand out. "I teach you blacksmithing and give you part of the profits, you help me tend to the shop from time to time."

"Do we have a deal?"

At the question, the man looked at Valyr for a bit, only to then shift his gaze towards his extended hand soon after.

"We have a deal." Eventually, the man reciprocated the action, shaking Valyr's hands as he began to grin.

"I'm sure you know me more as Ylvar, but I'd like it if you were to call me Valyr from now on."

"Juno. The name's Juno. Glad to be working with you."

"Glad to be working with you as well. To a fruitful partnership."

"To a fruitful partnership, indeed."