Outskirts of Tattle Town. Sunlight shone on the grass. A gentle breeze carried the scent of soil. Not far away, several blue slimes bounced around in the grass, their round bodies wobbling.
Lin Naiyue stood on the grass, wearing a new set of silver armor. The armor fit perfectly, the breastplate polished to a shine, and the shoulder guards and skirt were engraved with exquisite patterns. She held a longsword in her hand, its blade glowing with a faint purple light—this was the Moon Sword.
This set of Smoky Purple Grade equipment was procured by Cecilia through Yuna.
Cecilia had Yuna immediately use the special teleportation array at the Golden Rose Inn to return to the Royal Capital. She reported to the King about the arrival of the Goddess and the Hero, then rushed straight into the best blacksmith shop in the capital and forcefully took this prized set from a Dwarf craftsman.
All of this was completed in a very short time. By the time Primrose and Lin Naiyue finished bathing, Yuna had already returned with the equipment.
This equipment on Lin Naiyue, combined with her legal loli appearance, looked completely incongruous. When others wore armor, they looked majestic; when she wore it, it was like a child sneaking into adult clothes, very clumsy.
Cecilia and Yuna stood to the side, serving as sentries and guards, quietly watching the Goddess instruct the Lord Hero.
Primrose cleared her throat and began to explain.
“In this world, the grades of equipment like weapons and armor are the same as Talent Grades, divided into eight levels.”
Primrose extended her finger and gestured in the air.
“The lowest is White Grade, then upward: Green Grade, Rice Yellow Grade, Smoky Purple Grade, Crimson Grade, Miracle Grade, Myth Grade, and the highest is Original Grade.”
Lin Naiyue listened very attentively and repeated after her.
“White, Green, Rice Yellow, Smoky Purple, Crimson, Miracle, Myth, Original—got it!”
“The armor you’re wearing now and the Moon Sword in your hand are both Smoky Purple Grade.” Primrose looked at the blade of the Moon Sword. Purple light flowed along the edge, and the material felt cold and hard to the touch.
“Smoky Purple Grade… For teaching a newcomer the basics, it’s barely enough.”
Primrose muttered to herself. In her previous life, she had been used to seeing Myth Grade and Original Grade divine artifacts in games. Equipment like Smoky Purple Grade was just scrap metal for starting new characters, stuff she wouldn’t even bother to pick up.
Now using it to let her mother practice was just barely acceptable.
“Huh?” Hearing Primrose’s words, Cecilia and Yuna exchanged a glance, both startled.
“Miracle? Myth?”
“Original??”
“Smoky Purple Grade barely enough?”
They had never heard of these grades.
“What’s wrong with you?” Primrose looked at the two who had exclaimed.
Cecilia quickly explained, “Goddess, the Kingdom’s historical records only document equipment up to Crimson Grade. We… have never heard of the three grades above that—Miracle, Myth, and Original.”
Primrose placed a hand on her lower lip. This must be a phenomenon of cultural loss due to some unavoidable factors during the passage of eras.
“So that means Smoky Purple Grade is already very precious?” she asked.
Cecilia nodded.
“Goddess, in the Kingdom of Aezera, Smoky Purple Grade equipment is already the ceiling of combat power.”
“This set of armor and the Moon Sword are masterpieces that the chief Dwarf Master in the Royal Capital spent three years forging.”
“If it weren’t for the needs of the Lord Hero and the Goddess, that Dwarf craftsman would never have been willing to give away his proud work for free.”
“As for the higher Crimson Grade equipment or magic items, the entire Kingdom only has a few pieces.”
“Those are sealed away as national treasures, great killer weapons specifically aimed at high-ranking officers of the Demon Race. They will never be used unless the Kingdom is facing life or death.”
Yuna’s expression returned to calm, and she bowed slightly.
“As expected of the Goddess. The perspective of a deity is truly beyond us ordinary people.”
‘Did she have to flatter me like that?’ Primrose felt her embarrassment acting up.
“By the way, aren’t there any Hero-exclusive weapons or armor?” Primrose asked.
“Actually, there has always been a legend in the Kingdom.” Cecilia paused to organize her thoughts before continuing.
“Rumor has it that in the Miracle Snowfield to the northwest of the Kingdom, there is an ancient ruin where the Lord Hero’s Holy Sword and exclusive armor are stored.”
“As for the grade, I believe it is at least above the Miracle Grade you just mentioned, and might even be Myth Grade.”
Primrose raised an eyebrow.
‘Clichéd RPG setting. Monster leveling, map transition, getting exclusive divine artifacts—standard game flow. As for Myth Grade? Reasonable guess. After all, to the people of this world, it’s a myth.’
“Then why not go get it?” Primrose asked.
Cecilia sighed, a regretful expression on her face.
“It’s not that we don’t want to, it’s that we can’t.”
“That Miracle Snowfield has an extremely harsh environment, covered in blizzards year-round, and it houses powerful high-level monsters. There’s even said to be an Ice Snow Dragon with a very strong territorial instinct—no one can get close.”
“The previous Heroes… all died young. If the legend is true, then the Lord Hero’s Holy Sword and armor must still be in the ruin to this day.”
Cecilia looked at Lin Naiyue, her tone becoming respectful.
“Mo—”
“Mom?” Yuna was puzzled.
“No, nothing. I just bit my tongue.”
“I mean, until the Lord Hero obtains the Holy Sword and armor, we’ll have to trouble you to make do with these Smoky Purple Grade weapons and equipment as a transition.”
“Once your strength increases, we will immediately organize the Knights Order and escort you to the Miracle Snowfield to retrieve the Holy Sword and armor!”
She also didn’t want more people to know about the relationship between the Goddess and the Lord Hero. The more people knew, the more would covet the position by the Goddess’s side. Even Yuna was no exception. So, without any prior discussion, she and the Goddess were of one mind and decided to keep this matter a secret.
“…Okay.” Lin Naiyue listened back and forth—Holy Sword, Myth Grade—it was too confusing. In the end, she nodded half-understandingly.
“Ahem, then next.”
“Lord Hero, look at those slimes ahead.” Primrose, wearing her gorgeous divine attire, pointed forward.
Lin Naiyue groggily looked in the direction of the finger, then suddenly her eyes lit up.
“Wow, such cute jelly! Can I eat them?”
Primrose almost spat out an old mouthful of blood.
‘Eat? These are monsters!’
“You can’t eat them! Those are monsters—enemies you need to defeat.” Primrose quickly corrected.
“Huh? I have to fight them? But they’re so cute…” Lin Naiyue was a bit reluctant.