Zane realized that the most effective means of going out and getting gold was very simple. Grinding the tens of thousands of undead that still remained within the former boundaries of Carson City. And sell the excess materials and junk items he scavenged from them via his auto loot feature.
After selling the variety of junk items that he had in his inventory, which apparently was a substantial amount. Zane had roughly 6,500 gold altogether. Meaning he had enough to buy once recipe for his armor set. Because of this, Zane did not hesitate to buy the recipe for the piece of armor that would protect his vital organs. Which was the cuirass.
Immediately upon buying the recipe for the Stalker's Cuirass, it appeared within his inventory, where Zane immediately looked at it. The letters for the name of the item were written in blue, to distinguish it from other items of differing quality.
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[Recipe for Stalker's Cuirass]
[Learn: Y/N?]
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Without hesitation, Zane used his thoughts to click on the button that allowed him to learn the recipe, and immediately his mind was flooded with the knowledge he needed to craft the item. As well as its stats, and what effects it would have once he equipped it.
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[Stalker's Cuirass]
[Item Quality: Rare]
[Item Type: Medium Armor]
[Item Slot: Chest]
[Item Effects:
+50 Armor
Improves your chance to get a critical strike by 2%
Improves your chance to dodge an attack by 2%
Increases Stealth by 20%]
Still, Zane admired the appearance of the armor, which he genuinely thought made him look like an assassin build character that one could commonly find in RPGs. Especially if he were to put the hood of his Death's Shroud over his head, which included a portion to conceal the lower half of his face.
He was genuinely curious what the rest of the armor would look like once he had completed crafting the entire set.
Nevertheless, Zane did not let his excitement take hold of his mind. Nor did he really have the time to. After all, after equipping the body armor, he was immediately approached by Madison, who noticed the change in his equipment immediately.
The pink-haired bimbo quickly made a comment about Zane's new armor and demanded to know where he got it.
"Holy... Zane, you look so freaking cool with that armor! Where did you get it?"
Zane looked over at the girl, who refused to let him free her from slavery, and scoffed. He supposed he had time to waste, since the day's work was over, and he was now simply waiting for nightfall to take place.
Thus, he went into great detail about his recent discoveries, something he had yet to actually explain to the women by his side at an appropriate amount of length. When Madison realized that she too could get some sick looking gear, she was quick to grab hold of Zane's hands, and beg him to craft her some too.
"You mean, I can get some awesome equipment as well? Zane, my birthday is coming up soon. I totally like want an awesome chest plate like what you have! Please, will you craft some for me? Pretty please!"
Zane didn't know how to respond to this... He didn't have enough gold to purchase another recipe at the moment, nor did he plan to craft any armor for his companions until after he had gotten his full set. Because of this, Zane shook his head, and denied the girl's request, instead asking her to think of something else for her birthday present.
"I'm sorry, Madison. I don't have enough gold to purchase another recipe at the moment, and it is unlikely that I will have that amount by the time your birthday arrives. You will have to think of something else for me to get you..."
Madison pouted when she heard this, and would not look at Zane for several moments, at least not directly. Instead, she glanced at him from the corner of her eye repeatedly, blushing as she did so. Why she did this, Zane did not actually understand. Nor did he care to do so.
But just because Zane did not comprehend her thoughts, it didn't mean that there was no rhyme or reason for these actions. After coming to a decision within her own mind, Madison bit her lip before finally agreeing to Zane's statement.
"Alright, fine... If it's not possible, I won't like, throw a tantrum over it or anything... But I now have something else I want for my birthday!"
Zane's brow raised slightly as he quickly interrogated her about what kind of birthday present she wanted.
"And what might that be, exactly?"
However, surprisingly, Madison wore a confident smirk as she outright refused to tell Zane, leaving behind a cryptic response as she walked away, with a hint of pep in her step.
"I'll let you know on my birthday, and not a moment sooner!"
Zane, of course, could not understand how this made any sense. Wouldn't he need time to procure the present for the girl? Especially in today's age, when it was more difficult than ever to get your hands on things like food, water, and toilet paper, let alone something like a gift for someone's birthday.
Regardless, Zane chose not to think about it. By now, he knew better than trying to comprehend the mystery that was a woman's thoughts. And instead he got back to planning how he would most easily procure the gold and materials that he needed to craft his armor and weapon set.