The Engineering District.
This should refer to those industrial forged items. Sean suddenly remembered the flintlock Luke had given him earlier. Back then, Luke said he bought it in Koga City—this must be the place!
Since arriving in this world, Sean had been gathering information about it, but most people in Taylemian Town had never left the village. Only Luke had some knowledge.
Though Luke had only been to the Koga City area, the city felt like a major metropolis.
Being able to come to a place like this to study was already quite an achievement for an ordinary villager from a mountain settlement... Before leaving, Sean had imagined what kind of city Koga City would be, but seeing it in person was still overwhelming.
A city and a mountain town—such a vast difference!
Looking at the shop sign for the Engineering District, the stores here all looked similar. Most had their doors closed, requiring a push to enter.
Skov... Skov...
Sean noticed there really was such a shop. The store's sign was displayed out front, making it easy to find.
He pushed open the door, and a bell attached to it chimed with a "ding-dong."
"Welcome, customer!"
The voice greeted him before he saw anyone.
Scanning the shop, Sean finally spotted a young boy behind a counter. He didn't look much older than the girl selling peaches earlier. In this country, it seemed kids their age had to start working.
"What do you need?" the boy asked again, his expression far more enthusiastic than the girl's.
Watching the boy walk over with a smile, Sean suddenly had a thought.
What if this family already had children? Then using Luke's name wouldn't work... Sean stepped forward and examined the items displayed on the counter.
They were copper tubes and a dark, blackish stone.
Sean stared at the stone for a few seconds, and sure enough, the words [Flint] appeared on it.
Flint, or firestone, but not the alloy type he was used to in his past life. This was more natural. So Skov's shop was a firearms store.
"These are flint samples. Customer, take a look over here... We have finished flintlocks here." The boy opened another counter and pulled out several flintlocks of varying lengths.
"Check this one out—compact, easy to carry, and very powerful!"
Sean took the flintlock the boy handed him.
[Fine Flintlock, Ammo: 0, Damage: 90~800]
It was definitely better than the one Luke had given him. Back then, because he had to carry a grimoire and a magic staff, Sean hadn't brought the flintlock along, mainly because he thought its damage wasn't as effective as magic.
This one had a max of 800—one shot could kill a person. An ordinary person with 200 HP left would likely bleed out from that.
Sean fiddled with the trigger mechanism.
It was designed with a spring plate that struck the flint to create sparks. Load it with gunpowder and bullets, and it was ready to use. Craftsmanship-wise, it was quite refined.
"This is the best small flintlock in our shop. If you like it, it's only 300 gold coins, and we'll throw in a box of gunpowder pellets," the boy continued his sales pitch.
300 gold coins!
The girl outside was selling fruit for just one silver coin. The difference was staggering.
"I'm not here to buy anything," Sean said, setting down the flintlock.
"Then... is there something else, customer?" The boy looked at Sean curiously, especially noting the fruit in his basket.
"I'm looking for someone—a girl, about my age or a bit younger."
Luke hadn't mentioned her name, but since he was around Sean's age, the girl he liked was probably young too.
Since Sean planned to ask for their help later, he didn't intend to hide his identity. He came straight out with it. If the girl was already married and had kids, he'd have to find another way.
"What do you want with her?" The boy's tone suddenly turned cold.
His attitude dropped from enthusiastic [Friendly] to [Cold] in an instant!
Sean noticed it. The four-tier relationship system—from cold to friendly—could shift instantly. Just a few words had turned a friendly impression into the lowest point.
If it went to [Hostile], the kid might grab a flintlock and shoot!
Sean pulled out the box Luke had given him from his pouch and placed it in front of the boy.
"My name is Sean Vigil, from Taylemian Town. A friend asked me to find her and give this to her."
Perfect timing.
If she was already married, Sean would act on Luke's behalf and return the quill to her.
No point in holding onto memories. Better to end it cleanly. With Luke's qualities, finding another girl would be easy.
"You're from that forest town? Wait a moment—I'll go get my sister!" The boy was surprised when Sean revealed his identity, then hurriedly ran into a back room.
"Wait right here!"
He didn't even bother tidying up the counter...
So that girl was his sister!
Soon, Sean heard frantic footsteps on the wooden floor upstairs, and a girl rushed out from the doorway.
Her hair wasn't even combed...
"Are you Baron Vigil?"
Sean looked at the girl with wheat-colored skin and a well-proportioned figure. Her lips were a bit wide, but overall, she was pretty, especially her lively eyes.
"Yes, that's me," Sean replied.
"It really is Baron Vigil..."
"The one everyone's been talking about lately," came the younger boy's voice from behind her.
"Shut up, Claude!"
A single command silenced him.
"Why would Baron Vigil come here? Did Luke send you? How... how has he been all these years?" the girl asked hesitantly.
Sean briefly explained the situation, leaving out the wizards. He just said he'd originally come to thank Count Hamilton but had encountered other events along the way, so he changed his plans to visit here first.
"Oh, I see. But it's good that Baron Vigil didn't go to the Count's house," the girl suddenly said.
As if remembering something, she quickly told her brother to close the shop for the day and invited Sean into a room inside.
"You said it's good I didn't go to the Count's house?" Sean asked, puzzled.
"Yes... I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Esmeralda. And this little rascal is my brother, Claude. I said it's good you didn't go to the Count's house because I've heard that recently, whether it's Viscount Isaac from Xiaowan Town, the lords from Degu Valley, or those from Hakan City, they've all come. Koga City has never seen so many southern nobles gathered at once. I don't know what's going to happen."
Esmeralda looked at Sean.
"Rumors are everywhere that the Count is choosing an heir. The last Count was over sixty years ago, so I don't know if this has happened before, but now all the southern nobles are converging on Koga City... And there's talk that the Count is ill, which is why he's rushing to pick a successor!"