HC: Handyman | Ch. 40 - Dinnerware Set (Patreon)

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Stoneware required a lower temperature to bisque fire but a higher one to glaze fire. Jack stared nervously at the high-temperature kiln. The ten bowls he had painstakingly thrown and glazed were undergoing the final stage in the crafting process. 

This was the first time he crafted using this new kind of clay or kilns and the first time he used anything other than slip as a glaze. In hindsight, he should have experimented with using the new glaze in a prototype before painting all ten bowls, but it was too late now. Finally, the bars finished filling, and Jack pulled the tray before the bowls overheated and cracked. 

You’ve glazed-fire [Turmeric Yellow Stoneware Bowl].

+100 pottery XP.

You’ve glazed-fire [Turmeric Yellow Stoneware Bowl].

+130 pottery XP.

You’ve glazed-fire [Turmeric Yellow Stoneware Bowl].

+100 pottery XP.

You’ve glazed-fire [Turmeric Yellow Stoneware Bowl].

+150 pottery XP.

Jack opened the description of one of the bowls.

Turmeric Yellow Stoneware Bowl (Uncommon)

Crafting Grade: C

Durability: 34

Artistry: 5

A vital utensil in any kitchen, or chemistry lab. Can be used for everything from cooking to mixing chemicals.

Effects:

Used in a variety of recipes.

Compared with the previous dark red color, the ten shiny bowls were a vivid, shiny yellow. In places where loose turmeric grains had stuck to the surface, there were orange dots giving it a beautiful sunburn, freckled pattern. The bowls were much more durable than earthenware ones and even came with a new stat Jack knew nothing about. Just what did artistry do?

Jack inspected the crafting grades of each bowl and furrowed his brow. The results were below his expectations. He had given it his all, and the best he got was a C plus. Where had he gone wrong? He had even spent so much time watching Felix work to ensure the best result possible. The result was, to say the least, disappointing. What had he missed? Was there a problem with the glazing? 

Receiving such a poor rate, however, put a damper on his motivation. He would like to find out what he did wrong before making pottery again. Thankfully, the experience was still generous, maybe because he had used a better glaze and a higher-leveled clay. Felix wasn’t around in the workshop, but Jack checked if he was online. He was. Jack texted him. 

“Hello, Mr. Felix, how are you?” This time, Jack ensured he only wrote complete sentences. 

“Hi, JackofDiamonds. I am well, and you?”

Relieved that the old man was responding, Jack typed his question: “I just finished making ten bowls. The best I got was a C.”

“And what is the matter?”

“I did everything just as you do. Why did the grade turn out so low?” 

“What level are you?” Felix asked.

“I’m level six.” Thinking back at how he had lost a level after being killed by the allosaurus, Jack clicked his tongue. 

“Okay, and how high is your agility?” 

”The same as when I started the game. Five.”

“That’s why then. Although earthenware clay doesn’t require agility for a good crafting grade, your attributes for stoneware clay and above are factored in. This is a game after all. Numbers count.” 

Jack bit his lip. “If I want to get an A-grade, how much agility do I need?” 

“At the very least, twenty and the craftsmanship has to be exquisite. You would need at least thirty agility before you can get consistent As with stoneware clay.” 

“Thank you for your time.”

Jack’s shoulders sank. On the one hand, Jack couldn't get better crafting grades after working so hard. On the other, it was a relief to know that it wasn't necessarily his fault or that he'd done a bad job. He simply had to improve his attributes in the game. 

Finally, [Touch of the Potter] started making more sense as a skill. 

Touch of the Potter (Common)

Description: After touching many ceramics and spending time molding clay, you develop a sensitivity toward the craft and can make better pots.

Effects: Passive. The quality of your products scales with agility.

If quality scaled with agility, he only needed to increase his stats. Jack looked at his attribute points and, shrugging, used all six free points into agility. With this, it went from five to eleven. Hopefully, its effects would already be reflected in the next batch of ceramics. 

It wasn't all that bad. After making ten stoneware bowls, his experience bar climbed by fifty percent. If he made ten more, he would level up. However, the next thing the restaurant required for him to craft was ten plates and ten cups. He didn't have a recipe for either of them. He went online and found that the cup recipe could be purchased from the association. Plates required him to level up to eight. 

He decided to seek out an NPC to purchase the cup recipe. Hopefully, by the time he fired all 10 cups, he would have gotten to level eight and become able to craft plates. 

*

Congratulations!

[Restaurant Dinnerware] completed.

See Chef Gustaf for your reward.

Jack wiped the sweat off his brow and admired the complete dinnerware set: ten plates, ten cups, and ten bowls, all in sunny yellow with specks of orange.

The plates especially had been surprisingly tricky. Achieving a perfectly flat and even surface was harder than it seemed. He had to discard three plates away and craft three more after they got an F grade.

After this quest, his experience bar was at 16% of level 8. Since Felix had spoiled the surprise for him, he already knew the rewards for leveling up before he even got them.

You’ve reached level 8 in [Pottery].

You’ve learned a new recipe: [Plate].

You’ve learned a new skill: [Pottery Carving].

[Clay Drying] has been upgraded.

Clay Drying, lvl. 2

Skill description: Pots you make dry easily.

Skill effects: 

You can dry pots in your inventory;

Pots dry slightly more quickly;

Pots go from the wet stage to the leather-dry stage and then to the bone-dry stage.

Pottery Carving, Lvl. 1

Description: You can create beautiful patterns by scratching and scoring the surface of a piece of ceramics.

Effects:

Depending on the result, increases artistry.

He had no idea what artistry did, but he would check it out later.

After investing all his free attribute points, he found no significant increase in the quality of the ceramics. The plates and cups were mostly Cs with the occasional D and F. The slight increase in agility had probably only slightly offset his lack of experience. He hadn't watched Felix craft cups and plates, but he was sure he could do a better job with some guidance.

He wished that the crafting grades were better. The subpar results were all slightly annoying. At the same time, making this dinnerware set and using the wheel were strangely satisfying. Jack imagined a restaurant crowded with patrons serving steamy, mouthwatering meals using his dinnerware, and he stood a little straighter with a puffed-up chest.

He checked his inventory to see how much money he had left. After buying stoneware clay and ingredients for glazing, purchasing the recipe for crafting cups, and paying the rental fee for using the workshop, Jack only had 1 gold and 40 silver left. He just hoped that the rewards for this quest would pull him off the red. Jack’s eyes landed on the system clock as he closed the inventory, and he gasped.

“What? 5 pm?! W-when? How?” He’d been so focused on finishing this quest that he had lost track of time. He had been in the game for eight hours! His stomach was probably growling, and his bladder bursting.

“O-oh now. W-what if…” Jack’s heart raced, and he felt the corner of his vision darken. A deep sense of terror and urgency took over him. What if he had wetted his bed?! “No! No! It can’t be.” He looked at his pants. They felt dry. But what guarantee did that give him that, in the real world, he hadn’t become a twenty-two-year-old bedwetter?!

“Relax, Jack. You sleep over 8 hours every night and wake up with dry pants. Don’t freak out! Game system. Pause!”

Jack groaned as he forced his eyes open. The slanted rays of afternoon poured through the window, illuminating his bedroom. The air was heavy and smelled of sweat, but there wasn’t any ammonia. He hurriedly removed the helmet, sat up, and sighed in relief. His bladder had held strong. He stood up, hurrying to get to the toilet, but was forced to lean on the bedside table.

His vision was fading into pixels, and his head was spinning. “Too many hours lying down,” he managed. “Easy, Jack. Easy.” He sat with his head between his knees until the wave of dizziness passed, giving way to an overwhelming hunger. He grabbed a water bottle and drank half of it in one go. He used the bathroom and went downstairs. There was a plate with plastic wrap over it. 

“Love, mom,” he read. How long had it been since he’d seen his mom? It felt like weeks, but it hadn’t been more than three days. That was sucky of him. He heated the plate in the microwave, but the pain was too strong, and while the food heated up, he wolfed down a granola bar to appease his empty stomach.

Ding!

Jack brought the plate to the table and desperately ate lunch. His mom made rice, fries, and grilled chicken breasts. She had also left him a tomato and lettuce salad on the plate. He had forgotten to set it aside before he heated it, but he was so hungry that he didn’t care. Hunger was the best seasoning. Everything tasted amazing, from the hot lettuce to the tough chicken breast.

After satisfying his gnawing hunger and thirst, he realized he was slightly feverish, and his leg muscles were sore. The jogging session was beginning to show its effects on his untrained body. At least, by being in the game, he would escape most of the pain and discomfort in the next couple of days.

He looked at the clock. His mother would wake up in a while. He felt like going for a walk, but he was too curious about the rewards of his finished quest. He finished eating and ran back to bed.

He put on his helmet and was back at the Pottery Association. Jack ensured he had the full dinnerware set in his inventory and followed the coordinates for the Sold&Proper restaurant. On the way there, he spotted a marketplace. He decided to go in and figure out how much this set was worth.

“1 gold and 63 silver? Aaw! Only this much?!” His enthusiasm deflated as he converted the gold to real-world currency and divided it by the hours he spent crafting. It amounted to only a few cents an hour. If he were to make a living from making dinnerware sets like these, he would need 500 days to pay his father his rent.

To make matters worse, he had spent just as much making these, and the system had already warned him that he would be paid less money and, in exchange, gain more experience. 

Jack felt a dark cloud hang over his head, but he slapped his face a few times, and tried to put himself back together. This was just a common quest! The real money was on the reward for the rare quest. Besides, these pots were already much more valuable than the ones he made in Bright Hill. He was progressing! A few more days and his income would increase even more.

Hoping that in the end, turning in the quest would be worth it, Jack raced toward the Sold&Proper restaurant. The restaurant turned out to be closer than expected. It only took five minutes to get there.

Sold&Proper was a small restaurant in the middle of a busy street filled with NPC shops. Its black-and-white awning made it easy to spot and provided shade to the patrons under it. The restaurant had no indoor seating area. Three NPCs and a player sat on tall stools facing a long mahogany counter. It was a restaurant catering to the local businesses, providing quick meals. Jack watched as one of the NPCs put down his bowl, left it on the counter, and crossed the street, entering a Chemist.

Behind the counter, a tall, large chef moved quickly. His agility was impressive given his size. He moved back and forth, managing and tossing different pans. Bursts of flame, flying ingredients, splashing oil, and an irresistible aroma lured passersby. Jack approached the counter and inspected the NPC: Chef Gustaf. 

Ch. 39 - Felix

INDEX

Ch. 41 - Water Under the Bridge