267: Iron Spear

“Haha, actually, unless a weapon has a name carved on it, the rest are named by the Soldiers themselves who consign them for sale. You don't have to take it seriously, honored guest,” the fat boss said.

“Ah? Boss, you’re so honest, can you actually sell anything?” Yao Siyu asked, puzzled.

Upon hearing this, the fat boss’s face creased into a smile, his eyes narrowing into a line as he said, “I’m just telling the truth. Business is always a matter of mutual consent.

Does this honored guest prefer heavy weapons like this?”

The fat boss immediately discerned the middle-aged man’s preference; this spear was heavier than the others.

“Hmm, light ones aren’t easy to handle,” the uncle nodded, carefully selecting one.

“I wonder if a fifty-jin spear would suit the honored guest?” the fat shopkeeper asked, his eyes lighting up.

“Fifty jin?” The uncle’s eyes also lit up. “Let me see it.”

“Alright, honored guest, please wait. I’ll go get it for you right away,” the fat shopkeeper said with a smile, his plump body nimbly running to the back.

The fat boss was overjoyed; not many people wanted a spear of this weight!

There was actually a misconception here: that big meant fierce, heavy meant strong, and outrageous was a manifestation of a Military General’s strength.

This was not the case. While a larger weapon offered a wider attack range, it also sacrificed some flexibility. Ancient battlefields were not one-on-one. If even one person got close to you, a mere dagger could take your life.

And the heavier a weapon, the stronger its impact when swung, rendering an opponent defenseless with one blow. However, a typical battle could last for several hours, and a heavier weapon was also a burden for a Military General.

On the battlefield, the emphasis was on how to kill the enemy with the least cost, and Soldiers were mostly ordinary people. Therefore, the lighter and more flexible the weapon, the better!

For example, the three-foot sword of a Ming Dynasty noble unearthed weighed only 800 grams. The long spears equipped by the Ming Dynasty Qi Family Army, twelve feet five inches long, weighed only three jin.

In reality, the largest bottle of soda is less than five jin. If you swing two bottles in your hands, you’ll get tired in a few minutes, let alone fighting for several hours in ancient times!

Moreover, this spear was consigned for sale by an important figure two months ago. Because it was too heavy and for some other reasons, it had not been sold. Now that such an opportunity presented itself, how could he miss it!

Soon, the fat boss came running, holding a long case with both hands.

He placed the long case on the counter, wiped his sweat with a handkerchief, and then opened it.

A spear, entirely black with a gleaming cold tip, appeared before everyone’s eyes.

“The esteemed guest who consigned this spear didn’t leave a name, so I’ve been calling it the Iron Spear.

This spear was captured by Colonel Lin of the Great Wall Legion from a High-level Military General during a campaign against a Xiongnu tribe two months ago. This spear is of the Profound-tier Mid-grade, entirely forged from black iron, mixed with some other substances. However, my old eyes are dim, and I’m not sure what those specific substances are. But it makes the spear exceptionally heavy, unusable by anyone without Heavenly Strength!

Come, honored guest, give it a try.” The fat boss pushed the long case forward.

“Oh, it’s from my own family,” the uncle said with a laugh, but his eyes gleamed. Then, with a powerful lift of both hands, he firmly gripped the spear!

Seeing this, everyone stepped back, leaving space for the uncle to maneuver. Fortunately, only spears were displayed in this room, so there was enough open space in the middle for guests to try them out.

The uncle first weighed it in his hands, then simply swung it around, performing a spear flourish, and found the weight to be just right!

“Uncle is so amazing!” Yao Siyu exclaimed, her eyes sparkling as she looked at the uncle.

“Haha, really?” the uncle chuckled, somewhat flustered, scratching his head.

“How is it, honored guest?” the fat boss also asked.

“Not bad, not bad,” the uncle said. Then, pointing to the middle of the spear, he asked, “What is this?”

“This spear was cut in half by Colonel Lin’s blade during a battle, so it was broken.

Gentleman of the Household Lin left this spear here, thinking it would be a shame to discard it, hoping that someone destined for it would discover it.

However, some time ago, I found someone who could repair this spear. He said it couldn’t be restored, so he modified it to be retractable for easier carrying, though it is now a foot shorter than its original length,” the fat boss explained.

He then demonstrated it for the other party, and the spear instantly shortened by half.

“This function is great!” the uncle exclaimed with a laugh. When retracted, the spear was just over a meter long, making it much more convenient to carry.

Xiao Bai stepped forward, touched it, and said with a look of surprise, “What a sharp long blade it must have been to cut a spear of this material!”

“I think this is the one. Our uncle is also a High-level Military General, it suits him perfectly!

Shopkeeper, how much does this spear cost?” Yao Siyu asked.

“Oh? Is this honored guest actually a High-level Military General?” the fat boss asked, somewhat surprised.

“Hehe, I just became a High-level Military General a few days ago,” the uncle chuckled.

“Then I’ll take the liberty of doing you a favor, honored guest. Our shop will waive the ten percent consignment fee.

Gentleman of the Household only wants one hundred taels of silver for this iron spear, but because of its special material, the craftsman who repaired and modified it cost our shop fifty taels of silver. Originally, our shop needed ten taels for the consignment fee, but I see that this item is fated with the honored guest, so I will only charge you one hundred and fifty taels of silver.

Honored guest, you should know that not to mention one hundred and fifty taels of silver, even fifteen hundred taels cannot buy a Profound-tier Mid-grade weapon,” the fat boss said with a smile.

The original seller had consigned it with the intention of selling it for whatever money he could get. Otherwise, for a spear of this quality, fifteen hundred taels might be an exaggeration, but seven or eight hundred taels of silver could certainly be fetched!

After all, among the Heaven, Earth, Profound, Yellow, and Mortal five-tier weapons, most of the long blades used in the Great Wall Legion were of Yellow-tier Low-grade, and even that made the Soldiers of various commanderies envious.

Once a weapon reached Yellow-tier Low-grade, the price would multiply several times, even dozens of times, with each increase in grade!

Because the importance of weapons to a Military General is self-evident, between two people of equal Martial Power, a good weapon can instantly cut an ordinary weapon. For such life-and-death matters, Military Generals are very willing to spend money on them!

“This is a bit expensive, isn’t it?” The uncle was somewhat hesitant. He had originally intended to spend a few taels of silver on a usable spear, but this was a hundred times more than his budget!

“Buy it!” Li Lin directly took out the money and handed it to the fat boss.

“Stop, this is too expensive,” the uncle snatched the money back and then placed it in Li Lin’s hand:

“Although silver isn’t as valuable as it used to be, this can still be exchanged for nearly one hundred thousand dragon coins. You’re still young; take this money back to your parents and save it for buying a house later.”

“No need, Uncle,” the two pushed the money back and forth.

“Wait!” At this moment, Yao Siyu suddenly let out a delicate cry, then domineeringly slammed one hundred and fifty taels of silver onto the table:

“Stop arguing, I, this young lady, will pay for it!”