Chapter 28

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Chapter 028: Swordsmanship Teacher

In the afternoon, Jesse and Greed met near The Gilded Rose carrying the herbs they had collected. They borrowed a scale from a nearby trading post to weigh how much they had gathered.

Greed took bundles of herbs out of the bags and Jesse weighed them.

In the end, they weighed 7 pounds of Silverleaf, 0.6 pounds of Kingsblood, 2 pounds of Peacebloom, 5 Briarthorn plants, 2 pounds of Bruiseweed, a suspected Earthroot plant, and around 1 pound of Grave Moss.

"It feels like we gathered less than we thought." Jess held the whole bag and said, "Maybe we dropped some on the way?"

"It’s more likely that they dried out a bit." Greed took a bunch of Silverleaf, shook it and said, "Look, these leaves have already hardened."

"Stop shaking them." Jesse reminded, "If you shake them like that, you might lose a few copper coins."

"You’re scaring me now." Greed put the herbs away and asked, "Should we calculate the total price?"

Jesse unrolled a scroll and read, "2 silver for Peacebloom, 2 silver and 50 copper for Silverleaf, 1 silver for each Earthroot plant, 2 silver for each Briarthorn plant, and 7 silver for Grave Moss. These are the prices she gave me. She didn’t tell me the price for Kingsblood or Bruiseweed."

The dwarf gestured a seven with his hand and said, "Forget about the prices for Grave Moss and Kingsblood. You take those. I want a three-sevenths share."

"No problem." Jesse began to silently count, "Twenty-seven, seventy-four, fifty-seven, thirty-five…"

"What are you counting?"

"Don’t talk… Thirty-two silver and fifty copper. There might be some discrepancies. We need to ask at the Alchemy Room for specifics."

"How are you calculating so quickly?" the dwarf said, "Are you sure you’re right?"

"It should be close enough, it’s just an approximate number anyway," Jesse said, "Don’t you learn arithmetic at Aerie Peak?"

"Of course we do," the dwarf quickly said, "Let’s hurry up and go. Otherwise, these herbs will dry out in the sun, which is poisonous during Harvest Festival!"

The two of them lifted their bags and walked towards the canal. Jesse asked, "Have you asked about the prices of weapons? Are the craftsmen in Dwarven District willing to buy elven weapons?"

Greed said, "Six silver for a long one, twelve silver for a short one. Are you planning to sell them or keep them for yourself?"

Jesse said, "I can’t even use a sword properly, how can I use a dagger? What about you, do you want to use them for yourself?"

"I don’t really know how to use elf stuff," Greed said. "So, let’s just sell it."

The two walked onto a temporary wooden bridge. Jesse asked, "By the way, why are shorter ones more expensive than longer ones?"

Greed pulled out the dagger from behind his waist and said, "Look at the patterns on this. This dagger isn’t a standard weapon, it was specially crafted by a skilled artisan. The dwarf who wanted it for his collection was willing to spend more."

Jesse asked skeptically, "Is it really worth 12 silver coins for a collection?"

Greed explained, "How much do you think it’s worth selling for? Do you think it’s made of mithril? Honestly, the craftsmanship isn’t that exceptional, the higher price is just because elf weapons are rare. The longer one isn’t even made by elves, a Bronzebeard Dwarf over there said it was made by craftsmen in Dalaran. I think they’re similar; items from Dalaran tend to imitate the elven style. I had said I would sell it for a dozen or so silvers at most, and I wasn’t wrong."

"I’ll go with your advice," Jesse said. "Did you inquire about that black stick?"

Greed shook his head, "They couldn’t determine the stick’s material and wanted 3 silver for it. I didn’t agree – it’s not made of pine! I suspect it might be crafted from some exotic Draenor material, brought over the Dark Portal. Selling it for half a month’s rent? Am I a fool? We don’t need that money right now."

He shifted the load on his back to the other shoulder and said, "By the way, I’m planning to move recently. I’ll be relocating to the Dwarven District, as a Wildhammer Dwarf settled in Stormwind wants to rent me a room at a very cheap price. I’ll bring that stick to your place tonight for safekeeping. Since it belonged to that Orc Warlock, if you get the chance, ask around your Mage Quarter folks to see if anyone recognizes it."

"I dare not ask," Jesse said. "If it’s really some unholy item, I might get caught."

"Is it not too dangerous?" Greed chuckled, glanced at the distant wizard tower, and said, "You should keep it safe for now. Go check their library for any related records, figure out what it really is first before selling it."

"It’s probably an Orc’s magic wand. Remember to wrap it in cloth when you bring it over, don’t let others see it," Jesse said, suddenly realizing that he might have to move to the Mage Quarter soon.

If he moved in, wouldn’t his hidden Orc Warlock belongings easily be exposed?

There are many things in the Mage Quarter that can detect dark magic. Who knows what might trigger unexpectedly, and then he would be discovered. He felt that if he wanted to further study Shadow Magic or other warlock knowledge, it would be better to continue living outside. After all, it’s just a half-hour run.

Besides, now that he could earn a little more money, the monthly rent of a few silvers was not such a big burden. He decided to tell Amy Malin tomorrow that she didn’t need to help him look for a mage apartment anymore.

It was the dwarf’s first time entering the Mage Quarter. He was mesmerized by the beautiful houses on both sides all the way.

"Did you sell that bow?" Jesse asked. "The elven bow."

"No," Greed replied. "I plan to keep it myself. I quite like it."

Jesse asked, "Did you inquire about the price?"

Greed said, "There’s a hunter who wants to buy this old bow for 7 silver coins. I think it’s better to keep it for hunting to relax and improve our meals."

Jesse said with a smile, "Take me with you next time. I also want to learn how to hunt."

"That’s fine," Greed suddenly said, "but I was thinking, would you be interested in learning how to use a sword? I think you have talent for it."

"Talent?" Jesse asked, "Do you mean sword fighting?"

"I haven’t seen you use a sword, I meant in terms of fighting."

"Um…"

Greed said, "What, do you think I’m not good with swords? I am an experienced swordsman. Humans think dwarves prefer hammers because they mostly see dwarves who are hired by human nobles as blacksmiths."

What he said was true, dwarven warriors are actually very skilled with swords. Prince Arthas Menethil of Lordaeron was taught swordsmanship by Muradin Bronzebeard of the Bronzebeard family. How well Arthas learned is another story, but at least Muradin’s sword skills were recognized by the royal family of Lordaeron.

"I would be happy to teach you whenever you’re free," Jesse said. "When should we start?"

"We can start tomorrow night," Greed said, "Tuition fee is two silver coins per month."

"Are you making money at my expense?"

"Ha, you think you can learn for free? I’m not your father!"

Joking aside, after the journey through Duskwood, Jesse felt it would be hard to find another teacher like Greed who was willing to teach him swordsmanship for so little money.

Hiring a former Gryphon Rider for two silver coins a month to teach swordsmanship seemed unbelievable to anyone who heard about it.