"By the way, where’s Teresa?" Laine thought of something and asked casually.
"Teresa? Are you referring to Lady Trovik? She encountered a Mercenary Corps after you both set off, so she went with them," the Archbishop answered, then ended the communication.
"What a stubborn woman," Laine shook his head.
Casters are very powerful. A spell cast with full force by a caster of the same tier is enough to eliminate ten melee professions.
But casters are also very weak. The casting time is long enough for a melee profession of the same level to kill them ten times.
Therefore, casters particularly need protection.
As for why a Mercenary Corps would be willing to accompany that woman?
The answer is simple: having a caster in a team greatly enhances the squad’s strength and crisis response capability. For instance, comparing an elite-tier warrior to an elite-tier caster is like comparing a bricklayer with a monthly salary of 6000 to an advanced engineer with the same salary. Although the bricklayer and the engineer earn the same, the bricklayer can only lay bricks, while the engineer can do much more: various spells, a rich reserve of potions, plus extensive knowledge and profound wisdom. That’s why casters are so popular.
This is the role of casters; they are the darlings of the universe, known as "Master of Spells," and are the dream team members for all adventurers. Laine, who has traveled for many years, is deeply aware of this reality. For example, he knows that if a mission calls for an elite-tier caster to operate once, the expected reward must be at least ten gold dinars. Otherwise, there’s no way to persuade a Master of Spells to take action.
When Laine first crossed over, he also dreamed of becoming a Master of Spells. Unfortunately, it saddened him when tests showed he didn’t have enough Magic Affinity, and this lifetime was likely to be spent without becoming a Master of Spells. Reality isn’t a game; you don’t get to choose your career upon entering. Only a tiny fraction, 0.1% or fewer, truly have the talent to walk the Path of Aurora. Among them, nine out of ten can only be ordinary apprentices for life. Only those who break through the ordinary tier and enter the Elite Tier can be considered true casters capable of holding their own.
However, Laine extended his hand, his blue eyes gathering light, light blue strands of energy swirling around his fingertips, then disappearing without a trace.
Thanks to a mysterious mentor he met in the passage, Laine learned how to use the human brain for Spiritual Casting, making him a hidden caster himself. On the surface, he’s just a warrior, a Kingdom Knight affiliated with the White Wolf Knight Order of the Nord Kingdom.
Having gathered enough intelligence, there’s no need to keep visiting places. Laine headed directly to the blacksmith shop. He had experienced a fierce battle yesterday and needed his equipment repaired and his weapon maintained. Nᴇw ɴovel chaptᴇrs are published on nοvelfire.net
Many people, accustomed to playing games, naturally assume that once a weapon is equipped, it can be used forever, maintaining its sharpness throughout without needing maintenance. In RPGs, the protagonist can use the weapon from the start to the end of the game. Similarly, a piece of clothing can accompany the protagonist through countless battles and, despite being battered by knives, axes, and even the baptism of magic, remain clean and provide consistent protection.
However, games are games, and reality is reality. The fact is, swords used frequently will chip and dull, and armor that endures too many attacks will eventually become damaged and lose its defensive capabilities. Weapons and armor often need to be maintained and checked before battles, with various potions replenished regularly, such as regularly applying sword oil.
The blacksmith shop in the small town was located near the center. The old blacksmith had over twenty years of experience. Although he was certainly very skilled in forging, judging by Laine’s opinion, a blacksmith who had spent his entire life in this small town couldn’t be very remarkable...
Probably not that great, as Laine saw it, this blacksmith shop was probably like an RPG starter village, selling only basic, plain equipment.
Entering the blacksmith shop, indeed, what the old blacksmith could do was just help Laine check the damage on his chain armor’s inner rings and maintain his weapons. As for the equipment hanging inside the shop, Laine found none of it appealing. Casually picking up a standard fine iron longsword, Laine twirled it gracefully, the cold blade glinting within the room. Even from these few moves, it was clear that Laine had a high level of proficiency in swordsmanship. In his hands, the longsword seemed to have a spirit and mysterious rhythm, the blade reflecting cold light as it swayed around the room.
The old blacksmith was oiling Laine’s warhammer. Seeing the guest testing the sword, he glanced at a small face peeking from the door and shook his head slightly. But that small face, full of interest, continued to watch Lord Knight playing with the sword.
"Hmm, this is a good sword." Laine set down the standard longsword and said towards the door, "Stop just watching, come in!"
A boy of about fifteen or sixteen stepped in timidly, wrapped in thick, hand-made linen clothes, with a robe made of animal hide. His face was red with cold, "Uh, hello, Lord Knight!"