A farming master in Stardew Valley

Chapter 164 An unexpected gain
After leaving the clinic, Leon rode his bike directly towards Clint's blacksmith shop.

There was basically no delay along the way, and Leon arrived outside Clint's blacksmith shop.

Just before entering, Leon noticed that the lid of the trash can Clint placed next to the blacksmith shop seemed to be unlocked.

Out of kindness, Leon stepped forward to help Clint cover the trash can, but before he picked up the lid, Leon noticed that there was a metal ingot with a bright silver metallic luster buried in the black slag in the trash can, which was very conspicuous.

Leon picked it up curiously, and the system prompt followed.

"Iron Ingot (Resource): One pure iron ingot."

"."

When Leon saw the iron ingot, he thought that Clint had installed a bug on him and knew that he needed an iron ingot, so he prepared it for him in the trash can in advance.

But thinking about it, it seemed impossible. Lyon picked up the iron ingot and hesitated for a moment, but still did not choose to take it for himself. Instead, he knocked on the door of the blacksmith shop with the iron ingot.

"Leon, come in." Clint opened the door and saw that it was Leon. His expression was obviously much more relaxed.

"Are you here today to open a crystal cave, or have you gathered the materials for a semi-automatic crystal sphere opening machine?"

As he met Leon in the blacksmith shop, Clint asked him why he came.

"I was originally planning to buy an iron ingot from you, but before I knocked on the door, I saw that the trash can at your door was uncovered, so I planned to cover it for you. However, I found this iron ingot in the trash can, so I asked if you accidentally threw it away." Leon handed the iron ingot he picked up from the trash can to Clint.

"Oh, I was wondering why there was a piece of iron ingot missing. It turns out it was mixed with the slag and thrown into the trash can." Clint looked at the slag still remaining on the iron ingot, as if he suddenly realized something.

Clint then wiped the iron ingot clean, but did not take it back. Instead, he handed it to Leon.

"Here you go, Leon. This was originally an order from the mine in the east, but I couldn't find the lost iron ingot, so I melted it down and replaced it. Now this ingot is just excess stock, and there's no use for me keeping it."

"Just tell me the price. I can't take advantage of you. You also said that you had to pay for a replacement after you lost it, so you have to pay for it yourself." Leon said to Clint seriously.

"Really, there's no need. An iron ingot is not worth much, and I didn't provide the materials. The eastern mine gave me the raw iron ore and asked me to process it. Normally, it takes eight pieces of iron-containing raw ore to melt into a pure iron ingot, but my furnace can melt five pieces of iron ingots of the same purity, so for me, it's just a matter of taking out five more pieces of the remaining iron ore and melting them." Clint explained.

"So this is how you get kickbacks for the mineral products in your store?" Leon was stunned when he heard that. He really didn't want to fight. Clint, this seemingly honest guy, actually had this kind of talent for being a profiteer.

"It's not a kickback, it's compensation. The client knows my smelting consumables, but my smelting process is much more advanced than theirs. So, rather than using eight pieces of metal ore to smelt an ingot themselves, they'd rather hire me to use seven pieces of ore to make one. The result is that they save one piece of ore, and I earn two extra pieces as processing fees."

Clint waved his hands repeatedly to indicate he wasn't a profiteer, and explained the ins and outs of the matter to Leon in detail. Leon understood, and at the same time, he realized that the man who provided Clint with seven pieces of ore should have also gotten a piece of ore himself, otherwise the deal wouldn't have been successful.

“Who will provide the coal?”

Thinking that smelting still requires coal as fuel, Lyon asked.

"Of course it's them, and the price is two pieces of coal for one ingot," Clint replied.

"Is that also their request?" Lyon asked.

"That's what I requested. After all, my furnace is quite powerful and requires a lot of coal to smelt metal ingots in batches," Clint explained.

Lyon gave a thumbs up when he heard that. It's necessary to say that Clint looked honest and had some talent in business. No wonder there was only one blacksmith shop in the whole Pelican Town.

Seeing this, Clint scratched his head awkwardly and added to Leon, "Don't tell anyone about these things, or it will be very troublesome. So you know, an iron ingot is not a big loss to me. If you need it, just take it. I don't sell metal ingots. I usually only provide ore or processing."

"Then I'll use it first. Next time I come, I'll bring you five pieces of iron ore as compensation, even if you helped me process them." Although Clint said so much, Leon still wouldn't consider taking advantage of others. A debt of favor is much more troublesome than taking a small advantage.

"Hey, Leon, make your own decision."

Clint didn't know whether to be happy or sad about Leon's behavior. After all, Leon was so serious about an iron ingot. While he admired Leon's character, he was also helpless that Leon didn't seem to think that their relationship was good enough to give each other gifts.

After solving the problem of the iron ingots, Leon did not leave in a hurry. Instead, he chatted with Clint for a while and stayed in the blacksmith shop for a while before saying goodbye.

When people get along with each other, they pay great attention to some details. If Leon runs away after getting the iron ingot, it will seem too utilitarian. If he chats with others after completing the goal, the feeling will be different.

This is a valuable experience that Leon learned from his previous job. Although it is troublesome, it is very practical, especially in maintaining relationships, which often brings Leon some benefits beyond his original purpose.

For example, during this chat, Leon got an extra opportunity, which was to help Clint with OEM.

Because the mine in the east often needs Clint's help to smelt metal ingots, and Clint does not stay in the blacksmith shop and stare at the furnace every day. He is a human being and he also needs rest and entertainment time, so if there is a large number of smelting orders, Clint will entrust Leon to help.

The reward for helping is also very simple, just like Clint, one iron ingot will cost seven pieces of ore, and two iron ingots can get three pieces of coal as fuel consumption.

In addition to going to the mine, there is another channel to obtain minerals. All it takes is some time. For Leon now, what he lacks the least is time.

(End of this chapter)