"The Hammer of the War God" rapidly became a booming business. Although in the past month they had sold only one knight's longsword, one knight's lance, and a set of heavy knight armor (which was all of Fess's production capacity), they had not only recouped the initial investment of ten thousand gold coins but also earned an additional three thousand.

The afternoon sun lazily bathed the quietly flowing Pus River, gilding the wide surface with shimmering golden ripples. A squadron of halberd cavalry in gleaming armor was leisurely patrolling along the riverbank. The lead knight wore an emerald-green breastplate, while the others donned the standard earth-yellow cavalry breastplates of the Faerburg Knightly Order.

The knight in the emerald-green armor was none other than Kait, wearing the dark elf knight's half-armor that had made him proud for so long. This armor had been soaked in dark elf blood and enhanced with a shield spell, making it exceptionally strong in various forms of defense, particularly against dark magic. Since arriving in Faerburg, Lord Vennington, the commander of the Knightly Order, had treated Kait well, entrusting him with leading a ranger cavalry squad. A Faerburg ranger cavalry unit typically consisted of fifty to sixty riders, whereas, as a squad leader, Kait would normally have commanded no more than twenty. Ranger cavalry fell between heavy and light cavalry in terms of equipment—usually wearing half-breastplates and wielding versatile halberds suitable for both stabbing and slashing, hence their frequent designation as halberd cavalry. These units patrolled within a radius of about three hundred miles around Faerburg, spending roughly a week independently surviving in the wild during each mission. If they encountered small bands of bandits or magical beasts, they would gather and eliminate them; if confronted by larger enemy forces, they would retreat to the fortress to report. However, Faerburg had not seen battle in decades, so the ranger cavalry had largely become a training exercise for the knights.

Since arriving in Faerburg two months ago, this was Kait's third time leading the ranger cavalry unit. With the bright sunshine, a few fishing boats drifted on the river, their songs occasionally floating across the water. Green fields lined the riverbank, and even the distant Demon Domain Forest appeared tranquil and peaceful. Kait felt content—it was practically a vacation! The only drawback was the complete absence of bandits; everywhere was a picture of prosperity. After tallying that they had been out for five days, Kait waved his hand and called out, "Brothers, time to head back!" The squad of halberd cavalry turned their horses and began the leisurely ride back to Faerburg.

The Faerburg Knightly Order consisted of seven thousand men—two thousand cavalry, four thousand infantry, and one thousand support personnel. As a secondary military force, having lived too long in peaceful times, Lord Vennington's knightly order was only of average combat capability.

Rogue and his companions had long since adapted to life in Faerburg, which meant they had thoroughly explored the local brothels and taverns. Naturally, there had been a few skirmishes with adventurers and mercenaries along the way. Except for Lord Trist, with Lord Vennington as their patron, they didn't fear offending anyone. Business-wise, the reputation of "The Hammer of the War God" spread rapidly after several high-quality magical items were sold, particularly when the Blue Crystal Battle Armor was purchased by a duke's younger son for ten thousand gold coins. Seeing that the dwarves were far too idle, Rogue coerced and tempted them into crafting non-magical equipment for sale. Being dwarven-made, these items were naturally of exceptional quality, and each batch sold out immediately.

On the third floor of "The Hammer of the War God," Rogue was in the midst of a heated argument with a squad of adventurers, his face flushed with emotion. This group consisted of nine individuals, a standard adventurer's party configuration with one or two members each of warriors, rangers, archers, mages, priests, and thieves. They had just returned from an expedition into the Demon Domain Forest and were now exchanging their loot for equipment.

What made Rogue's eyes gleam was a bag containing a full two pounds of magic silver, along with some even rarer metals and gemstones. One particular ore caught his attention—a deep black stone dotted with shimmering golden stars. Rogue recognized it instantly as high-grade Star Gold Raw ore. Unlike ordinary gold, this metal possessed a mysterious affinity with the power of celestial stars, was extremely rare, and was indispensable for crafting artifacts related to spatial magic. As for the cores and pelts of magical beasts, though valuable, they paled in comparison to these precious metals. A fiery red bird feather worn by the female mage in the party also drew Rogue's attention. Through spiritual sense, he detected a highly obscure yet lively fluctuation of fire magic within the feather.

The adventurers had set their sights on an exquisitely crafted magical bow (a common hallmark of all "Hammer of the War God" products), adorned with rose vines intricately woven from platinum and purple gold threads. Accompanying the bow were three pale green magic-piercing arrows, each featuring two white dragons entirely cast from mithril, their four wings spread out to form the arrow fletchings. The young female archer's eyes sparkled with desire as she clutched the bow tightly, refusing to let go.

The female mage, on the other hand, was captivated by a mana-amplifying bracelet. Crafted through the combined expertise of the dwarves, Fess's superior craftsmanship, Fraggio's artistic sensibility, and the keen understanding of human desires by both Lance and Rogue, this bracelet seamlessly fused Sky-Iron with magic silver. The entire bracelet was a transparent deep blue, with starlight points flickering on and off under the influence of mana. Wearing it was like adorning oneself with the night sky. The female mage's eyes deepened to match the night sky's depth. Though, of course, simpler inlay techniques could have achieved the same mana amplification effect.

The women, consumed by shopping frenzy, were beyond reason. Fortunately, while these adventurers were skilled fighters, they weren't very discerning about quality. Rogue, sweating profusely and trembling with fat (since when could all of Rogue's fat tremble at will?), put on a show of extreme reluctance, gradually lowering the price. After adding two sets of half-armor, four longswords, and thirty armor-piercing arrows, the deal was finally concluded, and the red feather became Rogue's prize.

In all fairness, what Rogue sold was genuinely high-quality and worth the price. Where he really made his money was by acquiring the adventurers' loot at low prices. For example, this single piece of Star Gold ore was an invaluable treasure, worth far more than the tens of thousands of gold coins. The bag of magic silver alone was worth about ten thousand coins, and the magical beast parts were worth at least another ten thousand. Not to mention the other unknown metals and that mysterious red feather. Rogue's intuition told him that the more something baffled him, the more valuable it usually was.

Rogue had finally understood the saying, "A horse doesn't fatten without night grass."

After barely seeing off these Big Spenders, a few more people strolled into the VIP lounge, with Lance bowing and scraping behind them.

Rogue was just forcing a professional smile, preparing to greet them, when the leader removed his hooded robe. A cascade of golden hair sprang forth, illuminating the entire room. His smile, as radiant as the sun after the snow's first clearing, was so brilliant it almost hurt Rogue's eyes.

He extended a hand and said:

"It's a pleasure to see you again. I am Ophirock von William."