Ever since I arrived at the sect, I have seen no other weapon than sword. I had no hope that the sect weapon vault would have any kind of sabre (sword is straight and sabre is curved). The only way to get one would be to buy one.

When I brought my story to the master, the senior had already been there. Tian Zhong disagreed with me at first. To him, everyone is capable of using every weapon as long as they put their heart into the training. Thus, he believed it is wiser to use my time on sword practice instead of looking for a suitable weapon. It was a sound argument if I didn’t already have a background with other weapons. I couldn’t tell him that, of course. 

He also mentioned that weapons are expensive, and the sect is unlikely to cover for my request. It was not like I didn’t expect this, that was why I came to the master for the permission of going to the nearby towns and for procuring a loan.

Luckily, the master was on my side. He even said he would provide me with what I wanted. When it was set, the senior proposed that we went together, voicing his concern about my wounds.

I didn’t see a problem with that, so here we were.

After visiting the local blacksmiths, I was a bit disappointed. They sold only swords. Those were also the ornamented type. The kind that is not much better than plain swords but is more expensive because of accessories and decorations. Knowing the background of a number of sect disciples, I understood why. Surely those rich kids are more drawn to the attractive designs.

We tried the surrounding towns to no avail. The first day was wasted just like that.

On the second day, we found one shop that sold sabres.

I take a look at the sabre on my hands. This wouldn’t last longer than the sword the sect gave me. Five taels of silver for this piece? If what I heard from senior Tian Zhong was correct, one tael (37.5g) of silver is 1,200 big coins or 36,000 coins. This typical blade costed 180,000 coins? That was three myriads (thirty thousands) of my firewood stacks. 

I know the royal court limits and heavily taxes iron to control the number of weapons. It's the same practice as my world. I was not shocked about that. 

I was shocked about the exchange rate. My world only has one type of coin. Approximately a thousand of such coins are one tael. The difference between 1,000 and 180,000 is massive.

I put the sabre back to its shelf.

This is troublesome.

I asked for other sabres.

The blades were getting bigger, but their resilience barely went up and was definitely not proportional to their price.

The one I need still hasn’t been in sight.

The attentive apprentice in charge of serving us probed. “Excuse me, customers. May I know what kind of sabre you are looking for?” His impatience was justified. He wasted quite a lot of saliva in answering my enquiries, and the only thing he got back was my rejection for the ninth time.

“I need the strongest sabre you have.”

“Strongest!" His eyes flickered. "Oh, I understand! Please follow me!”

I…

...was disappointed, really disappointed at what he showed to me.

“This is the best of our store, the great sabre of strength, as you can see the imprinted golden letters. It weighs 30 kg. The length is 88cm. Can I get your attention at the guard? This, here, is pure silver. At the end of the hilt is the tiger tassel  made by a popular artisan in the region. Just by holding this weapon in hand, I guarantee you will feel powerful instantly. For this masterpiece, the price must also be equivalent. Normally, it costs two hundred taels, but since my master allowed me full authority, I will only ask one hundred and fifty. What do you think, customers?”

The most expensive we have looked at were only forty taels. This blade was almost four times as pricey. If I have to speak from experience, this guy was ripping us off. From the overall appearance, its material, and the care it was given, the sabre was above a hundred taels but even one hundred twenty was pushing it.

There is only another way. I have to commission a blade. I don’t want to do this if I could avoid because a commission will take time and there were only three days. Looking at this store, it was very likely they had other commissions scheduled. My order would be delayed. Paying more to have my order being prioritised is an option but this is not my money. I don’t want to be in debt to my master too much. Let just hope for the best.

“Excuse me, but can I commission your store?”

“Oh. A customised work! Yes, we do!”

“What I need is a very sturdy blade. You don’t need to put any ornament or make it attractive. It’s fine if you don’t sharpen it. I just need it to be strong. That’s it.”

His eyes melt from excitement to mockery. He scoffed. “Well, I don’t understand what you are trying to say. Our blades are strong. No one has complained about our product before. If you just need an unsharpened piece of junk, then any clump of metal would do, wouldn’t it?”

“What ar-”

I interjected. “Senior. It appears they don’t have what we need. Let’s go.”

He probably thought we were there to cause trouble. Stepping into that shop was a mistake. They along with other shops we had visited cater to a specific group of customers, the young masters of the high class. When we came asking for an unremarkable sabre, he probably took us as a pair of poor kids. Not that he was wrong.