Mission in another world with my transformed best friend

For Wang Kai, weapons are definitely the first choice, but those exquisitely designed swords, spears, clubs and the like inlaid with magic stones are just a matter of "durability" in his eyes.

Putting aside the fact that a single weapon costs at least 1 gold coin, considering its practicality, it's probably only powerful adventure guilds and noble adventurers who buy it to show off.

Therefore, Wang Kai abandoned the choice of weapons and turned to look at some jewelry, as these small pieces of equipment would make it easier to run away.

He quickly noticed a "Recommended by Adventure Teams" label on the shelf. Below the label were several sets of dozens of rings with the same design, each inlaid with a magic stone that looked like white jade. He couldn't help but feel curious and asked...

What are the effects of these rings?

“Oh…” John glanced back casually. “Those are called ‘sensing rings.’ They’re used to help members of an adventure party sense each other’s location and provide mutual support among adventurers in unknown dungeons.”

"Wow, something this nice must be very expensive."

"It's not expensive at all. The cheapest price starts at 1 gold coin. If you buy a lot, I can give you a 10% discount..."

"Wow, really? The most important communication and support tools in teamwork are this cheap?"

John stopped what he was doing, turned around, and asked with a serious expression.

"Young man, you're not joking with me, are you? 'Sensing Skill' is a skill that every support class can learn, while the 'Sensing Ring' is only for novice adventurers in the early stages of team exploration to replace that skill."

"Ah, I... well, I really don't know much about this."

"Hey, when I first met you, you looked like a complete novice adventurer, yet you managed to get such a huge bag of magic stones that might belong to a 'Dungeon Headhunter.' Let's leave aside how you did it for now. Besides, I dare say that you don't even really understand the concept of an 'adventurer.' It feels like you're just using the identity of an 'adventurer' for some other purpose, planning to do something completely unrelated to it, right?"

"Damn it, this old fox has easily figured out my true situation again. Looks like I can't stay here any longer. I'd better just give him a quick answer and get out of here..."

A thought flashed through Wang Kai's mind, and he immediately changed the subject, pointing to a group of more than ten "sensing rings" on the counter and saying.

"No comment. Pack these up for me. Also, do you have any... those kinds of jewelry with 'resurrection skills'?"

"'Resurrection'? I've lived for over a hundred years and never heard of it. I have heard of the high priest's 'ultimate healing spell', but magic stone rings with this 'ultimate magic' are a bit pricey. They're all one-time use, 20 gold coins each!"

"No problem. Didn't you say you could give me a 10% discount? Then give me ten 'Sensing Rings' and two 'Ultimate Healing' Rings. That should offset 50 gold coins, right? By the way, what are you holding in your hand?"

Wang Kai strode forward and saw that the other person was holding a metal rod that was half a meter long, two or three centimeters in diameter, and had a pitted and uneven surface, resembling a stick.

John paused for a moment, looked at the stick in his hand, thought for a moment, and replied.

"You mean this iron rod? A few years ago, I went out to buy some goods and encountered some bandits. After defeating them, I took this from one of them. In my hundred-plus years of life, this is the first time I've ever seen an iron object with such hardness. It's extremely hard but can't be forged. The bandit said he fished it out of a lake at the foot of a volcano and usually uses it as a crowbar. As for me, I used it to hammer magic stones to check for cracks that might affect their quality..."

"Such a long story with so many details, it can't be another lie..."

After silently complaining to himself, Wang Kai concluded that the stick was not ordinary cast iron, but rather "alloy steel" that had been smelted under high temperature and pressure to remove impurities.

Given the level of industrial forging in this world, it should be impossible to manufacture or forge such a product; it can only be formed naturally...

If what the robber said is true, then it must have been molten iron that was constantly being squeezed in the lava, which then cooled and formed naturally after it erupted from the volcano.

Although it is called "alloy steel", it is a pity that it cannot be forged. After all, it is impossible for humans in this world to create temperatures of several thousand degrees. But is it possible to use magic?

Seeing Wang Kai staring intently at the "iron rod" in his hand, John's face flashed with the cunning of a businessman. He continued his work and casually tossed out a remark.

"This tool is not for sale..."

"Ah, not for sale, it's just a 'steel bar,' what's so special about it..."

Upon hearing this, John's eyes suddenly flashed with a keen interest in money. He stopped what he was doing and asked a question in return.

"Young man, do you know this?"

“Uh…” Wang Kai stroked his chin. “I guessed. It’s everywhere where I’m from. It’s not much more expensive than regular iron, and there’s more than one kind. Some of them are even rust-resistant. Oh, right, there’s also stainless steel and stuff like that…”

“Stainless steel?” John stroked his beard. “This is the first time I’ve heard this word. Does it mean steel that doesn’t rust? I’ve never heard of it in all my years… Young man, you’re not kidding, are you?”

Wang Kai paused for a moment, then quickly went through his superficial "modern knowledge" in his mind. Sensing that something was going to work, he nodded calmly, then crossed his arms and slowly said.

"Boss, if you want to know more unknown information, it seems to go against the principles of business if you don't offer some reward, don't you think?"

John, who had been outmaneuvered, was not in a hurry. After thinking for a moment, he laughed a few times and casually tossed the iron rod in his hand over. Wang Kai caught it and found it to be heavy. It was indeed some kind of alloy steel, and its hardness (durability) was stronger than any weapon he had used before.

“Young man, there’s truth in your words, but I believe you won’t lie to me about this one thing. My request isn’t high. If you find the forging technique for this kind of iron in the future and tell me the truth, I will give you a 50% discount on all the items in my shop… but the condition is that you can only tell me.”

"Oh, you want to monopolize the forging patent technology? That's quite an achievement. But our 'Electrical Engineering' major didn't mention 'how steel is made' at all."

Moreover, alloys require even more advanced smelting techniques. In a world where travel is currently by horse-drawn carriage, it would take at least several hundred years to reach that level of industrial sophistication.

But since the words were already spoken, and the other party readily provided a "divine weapon" that suited him perfectly, let's just go with the flow. After all, you've lived for over a hundred years; who knows, by this time next year, the grass on your grave will be several feet high...”

So, Wang Kai casually tucked the iron rod into his waistband, extended one hand to indicate "the contract is done," and John also extended one hand to shake it, casually saying something.

"Hey buddy, don't break your promise! If I find out you tricked me, finding someone on the whole continent won't be a problem..."

"Yes, no problem at all. Oh, right, what about the ring we agreed on, and the 50 gold coins?"

John dropped his "professional smile," ran to the side of the container, took out a small package containing gold coins and rings, and tossed it over. Wang Kai opened it and saw that the number of rings was correct, but there were only 20 gold coins. He looked puzzled.

John pretended not to see and made a "shh" gesture, meaning to listen carefully...

Wang Kai pricked up his ears and, sure enough, heard the sound of more than a dozen iron boots pacing closer and closer.

He recognized the voice clearly; it belonged to the Imperial soldiers, and the sound was almost at the door of the shop. A sense of foreboding immediately arose in his heart.

"Young man, judging from your expression, you probably don't know that a large number of magic stones gathered together will naturally generate special magical fluctuations. A mage with high magic power can easily detect them, even if the magic stones are only in a small bag. You must have been spotted by some 'spies' on your way here, and besides, the higher-ups have secretly issued a considerable bounty for the 'Dungeon Hunters.' But don't worry, it's definitely not me who tipped them off. I'm just doing business and looking for ways to make money; that small bounty is less than a tenth of the value of this bag of magic stones..."

Hearing this, Wang Kai's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, relaxed a little. With the sound of knocking on the door and the clanging of metal parts of the soldiers' armor coming from outside, he really couldn't find a way to avoid a conflict. Helpless, he could only look to John for help.

"So," John said slowly, having achieved his goal, "the 30 gold coins I'm giving you less are to pay you for holding off the Imperial soldiers and preventing you from getting into trouble, plus I can provide you with another exit... Do you accept this deal?"