Two hours later, they arrived at the Art Beats Castle.
"We will meet again here in thirty minutes, alright?" She smiled and waved her hand as she turned left, walking toward the market.
Meanwhile, Theo looked to his right as he planned to visit a weapon shop. He remembered the weapon shop from back then and had no intention to return there, albeit the situation was far worse than he thought.
He visited the first weapon shop he used to visit. Although the interior wasn't that much different from where he bought his Elite Rank Weapons, he realized how good that weapon shop was.
'Ugh. I am not someone who is good with weapons, but I can feel the difference between the weapons here and that shop's." Theo furrowed his eyebrows when he saw the first Elite Rank Spear in this shop.
The spear before his eyes looked good. With the white handle and some sort of patterns beautifying the spear, it was apparent that the quality was good even for an Elite Rank Spear. However, when he compared it with the spear he entrusted to his master, this one felt lackluster.
He simply lost the desire to wield this spear.
'What is the difference?' Theo thought before shaking his head, searching for another weapon, but to no avail. The result was the same. 'Why? Is there anyone that can explain it to me? Maybe I should ask Master later. For now, I need to search for another weapon shop to confirm my guess.'
Theo then visited around ten weapon shops only to find them lacking. He was kind of disappointed, but at least he sold his current Iron Spear to one of the shops, so he didn't need to carry it around.
In the end, he returned to where he brought his previous weapons.
He hesitated right before the door as he thought, 'Last time, I covered my face with a mask, so no one recognized my face. This time, I am buying as Theodore Griffith, so I think I will be fine.'
He gulped down and entered the shop. Once he entered the weapon shop after visiting eleven other shops, the difference became even clearer.
'This… I don't know what it is, but there is something that pulls me in. I really should ask Master later.' Theo sighed and went around the shop, finding a blue spear. Although there was a golden flower pattern on the handle, he liked the look of it. And the blade seemed to be far sharper than his Elite Rank Spear.
"I think I will take this." Theo nodded and took it to the counter, finding the same old man. "This one please."
Theo handed the spear to the old man.
"Sure." The old man nonchalantly nodded his head and took the spear before he saw who was buying it. Theo's appearance stunned him as he instinctively straightened his back as he became conscious of the pocket watch hidden underneath his shirt.
Not wanting to be known, the old man tried hard to keep his poker face and continued. "This spear is made of Radiant Blue Ore while the blade is from the horn of Stigmata Rhino. It is considered one of the top Elite Rank Spears and can be used for a long time. The price is 40,000 Zils."
Theo thought for a moment and nodded. "I will take this."
"Okay." The old man took out his Skylink.
Theo did the same and transferred the amount to him. Since he got every card from the hunt with his master back then, he had enough money to spare, so this spear was a kind of investment to himself, hoping that he could get stronger and get more money in the future.
After the transaction was completed, Theo exited the place before finding Alea in front of the shop.
"Ah, Theo. As expected, you are here. I forgot to suggest this shop to you since this is the best weapon shop in this place."
"Is that so?" Theo understood that the moment he compared this shop to the others, but he had yet to know the reason.
On the contrary, Alea's voice stunned the old man as he dropped his jaw. "Eh? My granddaughter is with him? How? Did someone arrange this? Wait, wait. Did I overthink this? That Theo is Theodore Griffith, right?"
His heart was full of surprise, but Theo and Alea had already left the vicinity. As the former head of the Eilric Family, he should still have the knowledge about what was going on with the other big families, including the Lange Family.
But… No one knew his objective yet as he facepalmed, thinking about Theo and Alea. "That's right. If I am not wrong, they are in the training camp right now. They must have formed a group… Haiz, I don't know if this is fate or simply coincidence, but things will get interesting soon."
Unaware of the old man's thought, Theo walked toward the castle's gate with Alea while asking. "That's right. Why did you say that shop is the best?"
"Hmm? Because the old man at the counter is my grandfather, so of course, it's the best."
"Eh?" Theo dropped his jaw, his heart skipped a beat, and sweats started to drench his back. "What did you say? Your Grandfather?"
"Of course, there is another reason. My grandfather loves to see good seedlings that have no influence backing them. Selling weapons there is the best way to get acquainted with them. And since he runs a shop, he will prepare the best things from a famous blacksmith. Though my grandfather can refine a weapon too.
"Not only are their skills guaranteed, but he also never sells a used weapon. In other words, if you found a weapon and sold it to that shop, that weapon would be reduced to metal before becoming a new weapon. This is very different from other shops that only repair the weapon and resell it." Alea explained the reason why he had a mixed feeling from the other shops.
"But if there is a shop that famous, why…" Theo narrowed his eyes.
"My grandfather doesn't use the family name for this. Besides, the location is deserted, so only a few people will come. And it's not like other people want to tell many people about it since the moment they know, the weapons will either be sold out or increase in price."
"I see." Theo's heart calmed down as he thought, 'I think that old man doesn't recognize my other identity, so I guess I am good for the time being. I should be more careful next time.'
"So, what did he say to you?"
"Eh?" Theo tilted his head in confusion. "He didn't say anything…"
"Really?"
"Yes. I just transferred the money without any talks."
"Is that so…" Alea felt conflicted as she doubted whether Theo was a great partner or not, remembering the praises he uttered about the "Joker".
Either way, no one was better than Theo in the group, so she decided to stick with him.