HC: Pacifist | Ch 248 - Union Quest (Patreon)

Roth sat at the trading square of Sapphira’s auction house and, for the tenth time, checked the Leafies status window, ensuring they were OK. Nothing had changed. The number of eggs and larvae had slightly increased, meaning they were active. He wished he could get the clock to tick faster so that those gardeners would leave and he could talk to his colony.

Nevertheless, he couldn’t do anything about it, and all signs seemed to indicate that his colony was safe and sound, so he decided to keep himself busy and productive while he waited. He operated the auction house and readied the items to sell.

Roth had 49 pieces of leather equipment in his inventory—23 pairs of greaves and 25 helmets. Out of the almost fifty pieces of equipment, 15 had light traps. The auction house calculated the market price of the haul to be 15 gold. It was slightly disappointing. He made so much more money from trading than he did from tailoring. 

As he checked the individual figures, he saw that the trapless leather equipment sold for, at most, 80 silver a piece. Light traps helped the equipment fetch a slightly higher price of 1 gold. Truth be told, the profit margin was incredible for equipment of this level. Each rock lizard hide only cost him one silver, and each glue jar was roughly that much, too. He was getting ten-fold the amount.

Roth disagreed with the prices determined by the system. True, he was just getting started with light trapping. True, ordinary players of the level this equipment was meant for could hardly afford to pay more. Still, he was the only one in the whole game with the light trapping profession. This was an exclusive item!

Roth scratched his head, pondering his next move. He felt tempted to leave the crafting thing and just focus on trade routes. That would mean much quicker character development. At the same time, perhaps light trapping and ecotailoring were late-blooming professions, only showing their true potential at later levels. He might also be partly disappointed because he was already used to handling thousands of gold, and 15 gold seemed like a drop in the ocean.

He wasn’t done giving this ecotailoring, light-trapping combo a chance; he just had to play it smart. After some thought, Roth operated the market’s controls and only put for sale the items with lighttrapped items. He made the starting bid for each one at five gold, with minimal increments of 10 silver, and made it so that only after one auction was over would the next begin. He sent a message to H explaining his plan, and after a few moments, he got a thumbs up.

Roth browsed the market, looking for plant-based glue and crafting supplies. Just as he was about to purchase lizard hides, he stopped himself. He had a better idea of where to get leather this time around. 

That led him to his next purchase. Roth visited the skill section in the market. [Blessing of the Lion King] offered him two skill slots, meaning that it occupied no slots in his skill set and allowed him to learn an extra one. He browsed the different skills for sale and found one he liked, so he purchased it. Now, all of his skill slots were full.

Happy with all the arrangements, Roth headed back to the lower levels of Sapphira. It was time to visit White Onyx Inc. Ruth should be able to fetch him a higher price for this leather gear.

*

Emmanuel, or as he was known in the game, ML, arrived at the auction house and took a seat on one of the benches. 

He had first tried carpentry but ended up giving it up. It just wasn't for him. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't get crafting grades higher than C. That's when he read in the forums about a guy in the Fire Pits who had also struggled with carpentry but then shifted to tailoring and found his calling. Inspired by this account, Emmanuel decided to do the same and changed professions two months ago. He didn’t regret his decision. He enjoyed tailoring much more.

Whenever he got tired of running dungeons and hunting bosses, he took a day off to craft equipment. ML found that between knitting, working with hemp or linen, and leather working, he preferred the latter. There was something special about using the chisel and stamps. Also, at more advanced levels, leather workers got to dye their armor in amazing patterns and colors. 

He had been crafting leather chest pieces and boots to level up his profession. Once he ran out of supplies, he went to the auction house to sell all his designs. Even though tailoring supplies weren't as expensive as those of other professions, there were days when he barely broke even. About one in every ten items he crafted failed, and when that happened, he took a significant loss. To worsen matters, good-quality leather was expensive. 

Quality lizard hides sold for ten silver a piece, and elite lizard hides for over thirty silver. Items crafted from the materials only sold for twice as much. Since he didn't have a lot of cash, he often had to come here and dump the supplies, go hunting, and wait for them to sell before he could buy new ones to progress in his craft.

After listing all his leather chest pieces and boots, he inspected what his fellow tailors were making more of. He enjoyed seeing what was hot in the market so that he could plan accordingly and increase his profit margin. There was no point in selling chest pieces if everyone else did the same. 

He sorted the listing price from top to bottom to see the highest prices that leather equipment level 20 and lower was selling for. The first item on the list was a helmet. Even though he knew the basic design well and the craftsmanship was serviceable, there were no stamped patterns on it or dies. 

Still, the craftsman was selling it for five gold, and there were already two bidders. What had this craftsman done to improve the pricing of this item so much? He inspected it and found the reason. At the center of the leather helmet, there was a bright square. Its fluorescent, eerie glow made it look more modern and cool. It was as if someone had managed to install neon in the leather 

As he opened the details, he found that it wasn’t just an aesthetic bonus.

Rock Lizard Layered-Leather Helmet (Common)

Description: A leather helmet with a simple design fashioned from the shed leather of rock lizards.

Effects:

+30(+1) hp;

+4(+2) strength;

+3(+1) endurance.

Requirements: Lvl, 14.

Light trap effects:

+1 to all equipment stats;

+1 to equipment’s highest stat.

He hadn't realized that such a tailoring technique existed. Was it some special skill someone had unlocked from a quest? If so, this artisan was set for life. Being able to add this cool effect added real aesthetic value. 

Sadly, the stats it granted weren't anything special. A good die or stamp would have generated the same result. He wasn’t interested in buying it, but for the fun of it, he copied the link to the listing and shared it with his buddies in the guild. 

“Check this out! Super cool effect on leather headgear.”

He then scrolled down, comparing what was for sale and trying to decide what he would craft next.

*

Pierre proofread the report he had just written for Pheeny and Eksus. The twins wanted to know how things were going in the Union and required him to send a daily report. He had to say that being Union was more fun than he had expected. Their library was very respectable, and he had picked up a few insights he didn't know about. 

However, the best thing about it was, by far, the crafting battles. Having an environment where top craftsmen could compete with each other and compare notes was addictive. it already helped him progress greatly in this profession. After being stuck in a bottleneck for a month, he had leveled twice after a week and was now a level 62 tailor.

How unfortunate that Pegasus was attacking the organization. Pierre had always known that this organization wouldn't last. It couldn't without the support of a major guild. No matter how good the benefits they offered, it was too juicy a target, and it had no muscle to back it up. 

The notification alarm rang. 

There’s a new order for tailors in the Union Collective!

As was his custom, Pierre opened it, hoping it was worth his time.

Customer: Anonymous

For: Tailors

Request: A guild that wishes to remain anonymous has asked the Union to find out if anyone knows about ‘light traps.’ These boost the stats of existing equipment and have just appeared in a listing in the auction house in Sapphira, Rock Canyon. Our customer is willing to pay 10,000 gold if you have any information about them.

Attached to the order is the description of the item.

No deadline

Payment: 10,000 gold.

Pierre let out a whistle. Even to him, a seasoned veteran who wasn't lacking in funds or resources, 10,000 gold was a very considerable sum. He felt tempted to give the information and make a quick buck. His jaw dropped as the item's details expanded, and he inspected the post. 

Was this what he thought it was? He immediately called Pheeny. 

“Hey Pierre, to what do I owe the pleasure? Everything alright in Hilsford?”

“Mam, I think I just discovered what you were looking for. It’s the first hint of an enchanter profession in the game.”

“What? Where?”

“Sapphira. Someone is selling leather equipment that is boosted by something called a light trap. I think it’s the equivalent to imbuements in New Earth.” 

“Are you sure?”

“Yes. Some guild issued a quest to tailors here in the Union, asking for information.”

“I'll get down to it. I'll contact all our agents in the auction houses of Rock Canyon to ask around. Good job, Pierre. I’ll reward you for finding this information in your next paycheck. See you.”

Pierre rubbed his hands contentedly. Not only was the Union a place where he could progress steadily, but he learned juicy secrets that interested his guild every day. 

Any respectable top guild had at least one agent working in the Union nowadays, keeping an eye and ears open for any exciting news. 

Calmer after sharing the news about this light trap thing, Pierre turned his attention to the recipes he knew, trying to determine what he would craft next. He had seen a tailor from Cerberus make an interesting stamping pattern in one leather chest piece he wanted to try. 

He got another notification. 

All unionized workers have received a quest.

“Quest?” He opened the window again, and this time, his eyes practically popped out of his sockets. 

All Union members are invited to join the following quest.

City Renewal Project (Epic)

The city of Hilsford has hired the Union to renew several infrastructures in the city. Although rewards vary depending on the contribution of each Union member, the city promises to pay a fee of at least 100 gold per worker. 

The Union is looking for:

500 blacksmiths

500 tailors

500 tinkerers

500 engineers 

500 chemists

500 carpenters

…”

The list went on. Pierre’s heart raced as he saw that they amounted to 10,000 workers! He carried on reading.

“While you undertake the quest, you’ll be protected by the city. Any interested parties should contact management.

Note: Only unionized workers approved by management can participate in this quest.

Rewards: Depend on your contribution.”

As far as Pierre knew, this was unprecedented in the game's history. A city had issued a quest involving 10,000 players exclusive to craftsmen and had given control over it to the Union. Just how had the Union Collective pulled this off? 

The most important note in the quest description was the line saying that the city would guarantee protection during the works. That meant that while craftsmen undertook this quest, Pegasus wouldn't be able to reach them, or if they did, they would have to fight with the garrison soldiers. 

Ordinary soldier NPCs were at least level 60. Captains could go as high as levels 70 and 80, and the garrison general was at least a level 90 NPC. The Union had, in one fell swoop, made itself the most attractive destination to craftsmen and come under the city's protection. Pierre decided to call Pheeny again. This news was even bigger than the last one. 

Ch. 247 - Almost!

INDEX

Ch. 249 - Godsent