I returned to the weapon store that I couldn't afford before.
"Excuse me."
"What, you again? If you just want to chat then get lost."
"No, today I've brought some money."
"Ho...?"
"I'm looking for something around 50 silver."
"That's an impressive change from yesterday."
"That's just how things happened to work out."
I went closer to the rude dwarf shopkeeper.
He had the face of a stubborn old guy, but was only about one meter tall. About the same height as that friendly goblin.
"You know how to use a sword?"
"No way."
"Then what can you use?"
"Actually, I wanted to ask you what weapon would be good for a beginner."
"...you want something small for self-protection, then?"
"Yes, more or less."
"OK. Wait here for a minute."
He went to a room behind the counter, probably to look through his inventory.
After a few minutes, he returned with a sword.
"This should do."
"...rather normal, isn't it?"
"That's because it's a normal short sword."
"I see."
(It's called a "short" sword, but it's actually about 80 cm long.)
I had no experience with anything bigger than a kitchen knife, and to a standard corporate wage slave like me, it looked more than dangerous enough.
He handed it to me.
(What am I supposed to do with this? It's kind of scary.)
"Is this made of iron? Steel?"
"Iron? What's that?"
"It's a kind of metal..."
"This is made with Dennis ore from a Dwarvish mine, and I smithed it myself."
"...I see."
(Huh? What kind of mineral is that?)
(Eh, whatever it's made of, it's still a sword.)
"How much is this?"
"20 silver."
(That's cheaper than I expected.)
Most of the price tags I'd seen for similar items had higher prices.
(He must put the fancier stuff out front, but it seems like he has good taste.)
"...something wrong?"
"Eh?"
"I understand. 15 silver, then."
"...OK."
(Nice, I brought the price down!)
My sophisticated negotiation technique was basically the same as saying the wrong price by mistake.
"I'll buy it now, then."
"Do you want a belt and scabbard for an extra silver?"
"Ah, yes."
With that, my search for a weapon was done. I paid with some silver coins and took the sword. I put the belt on, and the sword in the scabbard on that. As I started to leave, the sword was surprisingly heavy, so I stumbled slightly.
"...it doesn't really suit you."
"Yes, I know."
(There's no way I can actually use this thing effectively.)
(But still, it's probably better to have this than nothing. There's some deterrence value in just having a weapon. Like with the Cold War, or nuclear weapons.)
"Thanks. I'll be leaving, then."
"Bring it back here if you chip it, and I'll fix it for one silver."
"Ah, OK."
(Apparently I'll need money for maintenance, too. And it's kind of expensive.)
(If I think about it like car maintenance, then does that make sense? No, it's just a solid piece of metal. When I think about it that way, maybe I paid too much for this sword. Anyway, I'll try not to have to use it. I don't know how to use it properly, so I'd probably nick it immediately.)