Chapter 79: Rewards from the Territory

Just as the second Fang Dagger was about to be finished, Dory and Lyle happened to return together from outside the territory.

One of them was carrying a wooden basket filled to the brim with fibrous scraps, while the other was pushing a small wooden cart loaded with wood.

Both of them saw Su You by the workbench—and also saw Lake, who was staring longingly at Su You... or rather, at the workbench beside her.

Lyle instinctively frowned. He didn’t even bother to turn in his quest before heading straight over to Su You and Lake.

Just as Lyle was about to ask his big, somewhat clueless companion if he’d gotten himself into trouble again, a brand-new dagger appeared in front of him.

“Try it,” Su You said, tossing the Fang Dagger directly to Lyle. He hadn’t quite processed what was happening, but his reflexes kicked in and he caught the dagger.

He didn’t know exactly what was going on, but that didn’t stop him from noticing that this was a dagger of exceptional quality.

He spun the dagger skillfully in his hand, his satisfaction plain to see.

Because he was so pleased, when Su You asked how it felt and whether it suited him, his affirmative answer was almost instantaneous.

From the feel, to the weight, to the size, the curve of the blade, and the shape of the edge—there wasn’t a single thing Lyle was dissatisfied with.

If he didn’t know for a fact that Su You had never asked for his preferences, Lyle would have suspected this dagger was custom-made just for him.

“This dagger is great, it’s perfect for...” Lyle started to say something, but swallowed his words at the last moment and changed his phrasing: “It’s perfect for combat.”

Su You didn’t care what he’d originally wanted to say; she only cared whether the dagger was useful for Lyle.

“As long as you think it suits you,” Su You said, starting to tidy up the leftover materials.

...That’s it?

No follow-up questions or comments?

She was just giving him this dagger, just like that?

Her casual attitude, as if she were giving away a common weed or a wildflower from the roadside instead of a high-quality dagger, left Lyle at a bit of a loss.

...Even though he’d guessed Su You might be giving him the dagger, now that it was actually happening, Lyle found himself unsure how to react.

He couldn’t quite understand why Su You would suddenly give him a dagger.

Lyle tightened his grip, feeling how perfectly the Fang Dagger fit his hand... A weapon this handy and well-made was truly rare.

A weapon that fits is far rarer than a powerful one; after all, the latter can be crafted from countless rare materials, but the former is something you can only hope to come across.

“May I ask, my lord, what material is this dagger made from? I can feel a strange sort of...” Lyle paused, searching for the right words.

After a moment, he continued, “I feel a kind of indescribable... connection with it.”

“That’s the effect of refined magic ore. You could think of it as a kind of magic,” Su You explained. She wasn’t sure if Lyle knew what refined magic ore was, but that was about all she could say.

Anything else was either inconvenient to say to an NPC, or they wouldn’t understand it even if she did.

Lake didn’t know what refined magic ore was, but hearing the name and Su You’s explanation, he seemed to guess something and didn’t ask further.

“Thank you, my lord. So, about the price of this dagger...?”

“There is no price, because this is a reward from the territory to a resident who has contributed to it,” Su You refused his attempt to pay. If they were to actually discuss the price, this Fang Dagger was worth far more than Lyle could afford right now.

Even though the blade was made of simple copper, thanks to a stroke of luck, the refined magic ore Su You had added earlier gave the dagger a very special attribute.

Not only did this make the dagger much more effective, it also multiplied its value several times over.

“...” Su You’s answer was just what Lyle expected.

Since she’d said so, Lyle didn’t insist on paying. After thanking Su You, he dragged Lake away with him.

As he left, Su You could clearly see the loyalty and favorability values on Lyle’s info panel shoot up.

【Lyle】

Loyalty: 85

Favorability: 80

Though not as high as Lake’s, both values had reached the “double 80” standard.

...

After Lake and Lyle left, only Su You and Dory remained.

Dory had watched the whole dagger-gifting process in silence. When Lyle received the dagger, her eyes were filled with obvious envy.

But it was only envy—there were no other negative emotions.

And she wasn’t envious because Lyle got a handy weapon—she wasn’t a fighter, after all. Even if she got the dagger, it would be like using a legendary sword to chop vegetables—a total waste.

What she truly envied was that Lyle had received a gift from the lord on behalf of the territory.

Su You naturally noticed Dory’s feelings, but she didn’t say anything, acting as if she hadn’t seen a thing.

“Dory, I need your help with something,” Su You said as she opened Dory’s info panel.

Seeing the stats—an 81 and a 90—Su You felt a flicker of emotion, but quickly returned to her usual calm.

Throughout, her face showed no obvious emotion—at least, Dory didn’t notice anything.

“Yes, my lady?” Dory replied, looking quite happy to be asked for help. She didn’t hesitate, smiling as she answered.

“I need some tough, flexible wood to make something. If you see any such trees while gathering fiber in the forest, note their location and let me know.” The “something” here, of course, referred to the bow Su You planned to make for Doya.

Su You had already checked the nearby trees herself, but hadn’t found anything suitable.

To avoid wasting other materials, she decided to keep looking.

“Alright, no problem.” Dory nodded, then asked, “I remember willow, purple cedar, and walnut are all pretty tough and flexible... Is that what you’re looking for, my lady?”

(End of chapter)"

"Here is a fluent, natural English translation of your text: