The following day, Jared and Lucy went out to find the blacksmith shop after their long night of bonding.

So far, Paimon had not updated Jared on anything regarding Ravana's chief, which meant she hadn't made contact with him yet.

Other than Olsen, this would be the first time Jared would be meeting another village's leader.

Which begged the question:

Would they have the same mentality as Olsen?

When it all came down to it, the northern region was still a place where the survival of the fittest thrived.

Those who were weak and unable to stand up for themselves either struggled to survive every day or were forced to follow those who were stronger.

It was just the way the world they lived in worked.

The only reason Sikone was partially spared from this hell was mainly because Jared's father worked hard to preserve peace in the village.

He did all he could so the villagers wouldn't start feeling the hit of the harsh reality they had never experienced.

The same couldn't be said for the other leaders governing successful villages.

In order to achieve the success they had, many others had their dreams broken, freedom snatched, and blood spilled.

Those who could not defend themselves, of course, had to surrender. In the end, strength and power were all that mattered.

But the real mastermind behind any successful village would always be the leader.

They carried the sins and happiness of the people under them—that was bound to shape their mentality.

'I wonder if this one will be more ruthless,' Jared thought to himself, standing at the entrance of a blacksmith shop.

Deep down, Jared hoped Ravana's leader would be someone with integrity and honor.

But that might be wishing for too much—not that he could blame them if they turned out to be the opposite.

The world isn't so easily moved, but a human heart is.

"Lord Jared, is this the shop? The old woman said it was the second shop to the left."

Lucy pointed at the next shop.

Both shops belonged to blacksmiths. The only difference was, the one Jared was looking at paled in comparison to the one the old woman told them to go to.

It was well designed, with see-through glass, statues positioned at the entrance, and even magic glowing stones as a decorative touch.

The other was just a small shop made with broken wood and ripped fabric.

One could call it a shack and be right.

Still… something about the shop drew him in.

"Let's check this one out first," Jared replied before walking into the store.

Lucy stood there for a while, glancing at the beautiful shop. She couldn't help but wonder why Jared wanted to walk into the one that looked like a self-made toilet.

Since she couldn't leave him to wander into such a place by himself, Lucy followed him in.

The moment Jared stepped into the shop, he ran into a small, goofy-looking creature.

It looked to be a dog with only two legs and a spring-shaped tail. It didn't have fur; instead, it had blue glowing skin, like a ghost trapped in a human body.

Right after that, he heard the sound of iron falling to the ground, and then—

Aaaaahhh!

There was a scream from behind the counter.

'...I should probably check that out…'

That was his initial thought.

It quickly changed when he realized there could have been a chance he just witnessed a murder.

Turning around just as quickly, he was ready to step out of the store with Lucy.

"W-wait! D-don't just turn and leave!"

A male voice echoed behind him.

Still facing the entrance, Jared noticed the surprised expression on Lucy's face, her hand covering her mouth in a gasp.

Slowly, he turned around to check.

There, standing on the other side of the counter, was a man. He looked to be in his 20s, with black hair wrapped in a ponytail and wearing a white shirt.

That wasn't what caught Jared's attention.

Walking out from behind the counter, the man had a dagger halfway through the back of his neck. Blood dripped and trailed behind him with every step he took.

"So sorry about my pet. He can be a bit clingy around strangers. I promise you she meant no harm, so you don't need to run."

'Yeah, but I was running from you.'

The bleeding man bent down to pick up his pet creature in his arms before rising back to his feet.

"So. What can I do for you? Need a new blade? Armor? Or perhaps you want something more specific?"

The man was way too carefree for someone with a knife sticking out of the back of his neck.

"Uhm… t-there's a knife—"

Lucy finally did something Jared didn't want to address.

Pointing at where the knife was, the bleeding man gaped at it.

The moment he saw the hilt of the knife and the blood running from it, his face turned pale.

"EH?"

He first dropped his pet to the ground, and then, it was followed by a scream.

"AHHHHH! There's a knife in my neck!!!"

The man fell to his knees, mouth opened wide as his voice got even louder.

Lucy quickly acted, moving close to the man to help him.

Jared, on the other hand, stood there, a disgusted look on his face.

"How on earth do you explain a knife in your neck and not feel it there?"

To which the man hastily replied, "I am a blacksmith!"

Jared's brow twitched a bit.

"What does that have to do with you being an idiot?!"

By then, Lucy had already gotten a firm hold on the blade.

"I'm going to pull it out now…"

And with that, she tugged the knife out of the man's skin.

The man gave a loud, painful gasp. Luckily, Lucy was quick to place her hand over the injury to heal him.

"AHHH~ I feel so much better. Y-you are an angel, pretty maid lady," the man said, touching her hand.

"Don't touch me."

"Sorry."

Jared shook his head.

'Here I thought I'd meet someone dedicated I could recruit here, but this guy is a total idiot. Then again…'

[You are currently using the God of Information.]

[Character profile:

Name: James Oliak

Abilities: Crafting, visualization, stamina, hard work.

Special abilities: None.

Rank: 4 stars.

Occupation: Blacksmith

Current mood: Motivated, hurt.]

'He's an average blacksmith, that much is certain. And yet—'

Jared took a second to look around the shop, eyes falling on every weapon that was being showcased.

[Name: Long sword.

Profit: 2 gold eres.]

From the price the system was willing to offer him if he traded the weapon, Jared could determine the quality of said weapon.

In this case, every single weapon Jared laid his eyes on was over 1 gold eres in market value.

This blacksmith was skilled.

Now, watching as Lucy was healing James, Jared asked,

"Is business down?"

James locked eyes with him, a slight chuckle leaving his mouth.

"W-what do you mean?"

"It doesn't look like you have customers in here—nothing compared to your next-door neighbor. And seeing as this place is just a strap of wood put together, I'll assume you don't have money… which then leads to my first question.

Is business down?"

For a brief moment, Jared could see James trying to force a smile on his face. It didn't go as planned.

James, now biting his fingernail, with a hint of frustration on his face, started ranting—

"Yeah, no shit, business has been ass. Can you believe this shit? I made five high-quality weapons for some hunter, and he said he wasn't going to pay more than 45 silver for it."

"...Did he now?"

"Right? He told me it was because this place looks bad. Why would he pay anything more than a silver in this kind of place? MOTHERFUCKER! I need your money to actually make this place better!"

James' face had turned red, veins pulsing at the side of his head.

"...Is that so…"

"Oh, and don't get me started on the customer-stealer beside me. I was here first, and somehow because he has flashy magic stones, everyone floods over to his side. His crafting isn't even good. Who makes a sword with uneven balance?"

Jared suddenly went low, "You can tell a poorly made weapon just from seeing it?"

"Well yeah, I am a blacksmith."

Reaching into his pocket, Jared stylishly pulled out a bronze knife from his inventory and stretched it toward James.

"Here. Is this knife well made?"

James took a look, his eyes shrinking before a deadpan look played on his face.

"This is not a knife. This is just metal. Don't insult other knives with this rubbish."

Jared gave a silent smile. He had made the right choice entering this shop.

"What if I told you there's a way you can showcase your talent while also getting your work's worth?"

"Eh? What do you mean?"

"Come work for me."

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