HC:Pacifist | Ch. 119 - Meek (Patreon)

Things were busy, as always, in the Peace Corps building. Officers ran to and fro, delivering peace to the city.

The trip back to Hilsford had been uneventful for the most part. The sheep thief hadn't appeared again, and Roth rediscovered the joy of being able to enter the city through the front gate. After so many trips between the Green Woods and Hilsford, Roth had to admit that he had grown fonder of the city since he had unlocked his class and mask.

After a large investment in the [Green Pastures] quest, it was time to reap the fruit of his efforts. The amount of resources he had spent on this quest had been no joke! He'd spent well over 300 gold securing the necessary items and had lost at least two days of gaming while fulfilling the several steps of the quest and preparing for the journey. Fortunately, after doing the trade run in the Green Woods, the animal monarchs had refilled his pockets. He was now a level 11 broker and had 190 plus gold coins to his name.

Officials passing by Roth nodded respectfully, acknowledging his presence. His assistance to the Peace Corps had become known, and he could walk around the building as if he were one of the officials. After unlocking a friendly relationship with the Peace Corps, Roth didn't need to ask for permission to knock at Commissioner Jack's door. Before he entered, he sighed, thinking of how much trouble and sacrifice had been invested into this sheep's quest. He sure hoped it would be worth it.

"Commissioner!"

"Oh? If it isn't my lucky charm." The man stood up radiantly and seemed more relaxed inside the precinct. The commissioner had started his term on the right foot. Compared to the first time that Roth met him, there was a more substantial commanding presence in him. "How did it go with the sheep?"

"I'm happy to say that every single one of them is safe and sound."

"That's fantastic. I can't thank you enough. Did the cube help?”

Roth resisted the urge to shout at the commissioner. When the commissioner had offered to sell him the cube for 50 gold, Roth had hesitated. But when he told him that energy was expensive and charging the cube cost another 50 gold, he had to hold himself back so he wouldn’t go on a rampage inside the precinct. Roth forced a smile, trying to forget the hole that the commissioner had left in his pocket. “Yes. It helped plenty.”

“Would you like to charge it again?”

“I think I’m OK for now.” There was no way he was spending all his hard-earned money here!

“Feel free to come and see me whenever you want to use the containment cube again. By the way, I have some good news! Thadeus has decided to cooperate with us and told us what happened and how you found out about his clandestine lab.”

"That’s great news."

"It is.” Jack went to one of the shelves in the office and pulled a book from it. “Anyway, I found this book in his office when we searched the place. I don't think he deserves it anymore, and I thought you might like to have it."

[Green Pastures] complete.

Completion Rate: A-

Quest rewards: +30 righteousness; 500,000XP(+50,000XP); +60 reputation with the flock; +30 reputation with the Peace Corps; [Ecotailor's Ledger].

Bonus rewards: +20 righteousness; 300,000XP(30,000XP); +20 reputation with the flock; +10 reputation with the Peace Corps.

[Level Up!]

Congratulations! Your alignment is now [Meek].

[Kind Hearted] has upgraded to [Good Character].

Good Character (Stat Bonus)

Description: You never stop trying to help others, and everyone can see how you’re a good man. You earn the respect of others.

Bonus effects:

+3 to all stats;

Causes a favorable impression with righteous NPCs.

Restrictions: Meek.

Finally, he’d been able to break through and achieve a new stat bonus related to his alignment. From having only +1 to all stats, he now had +3! Since he had nine stats, this was an increase of 27 stat points in total, or the same as gaining five levels. It wasn’t anything to scoff at.

Also, going from causing a slightly favorable impression to a favorable impression was a significant upgrade. He checked the amount of reputation points he had made in the quest and nodded appreciatively. Roth was grateful for the boost. Roth had been reminded of one thing after this last quest and his exchange with Oli. The more powerful an NPC, the more difficult it was to gain reputation with them. Every bit of help counted. Who knew how hard it would be to befriend higher-tiered races as the game progressed? For example, he couldn’t expect it to be as easy to befriend the Magister as it had been with the ratans and snakes.

The completion rate for the quest was slightly below what Roth expected. He guessed the system had deducted points from his final score because the refuge he had found for the sheep was only temporary. An A was still good enough, though.

Although the experience was good, and the reputation points were well appreciated, the reward that got Roth the most excited was the manual that appeared in his inventory. What was this? He took it out. It was made of leather. Was this snake leather? He studied the item.

Ecotailor's Ledger (Unique)

Item description: It is made of snake leather, and the pages are of fine quality. It possesses knowledge and insights into the art of being an ecotailor.

Item effects:

It cannot be dropped or sold once you bind it;

Contains skills and recipes.

Would you like to bind the manual to you and take up the [Ecotailor Profession]? [Y/N]

Roth studied the manual and reread the notifications. Was he being offered a new profession? He hadn't expected to have to make this kind of choice now.

This quest started when he tried to become a tailor. But he had left tailoring on hold when he saw how different shops sponsored skinning animals, what they did to the silkworms, and how they had been running experiments on sheep. Now, suddenly, he was being offered the possibility of becoming a specialized type of tailor.

After receiving the call from Drake, Roth had promised him that he would try hard to become a tailor so he'd have something to present to the squad at the next briefing. It seemed that helping those sheep and sticking to his principles hadn't been in vain.

It was also the first time he heard about learning a profession by getting a book. But hadn't that been the case with the Pacifist class and the Broker's profession? The only difference was that he could sell this book while the others had been immediately bound to him. He liked the name of the profession and decided to learn it.

*

Gary had just finished riding his black horse through the streets around the auction house, hoping to catch sight of the Slayer. He knew it was like finding a needle in a haystack, but there was nothing else he could do. These last two months had been hell for him. His character’s progress and finances were now a shadow of what they used to be, not to speak of his relationship to the others in the team.

Whenever he talked to Wilson and Xana, he felt the air between them was so heavy that he could cut it with a sharp enough knife. As he galloped through the city's busiest streets, he received a ring for a notification. The ring stopped his heart for a second. It was a sound he couldn't ignore since it came from the top brass in the guild. In a moment of dread, he imagined that it might be Loki who had found out how he had lied to him. When he saw it was Xerxes, he couldn’t say he was much relieved. Xerxes was a cruel taskmaster; whenever he called, things didn’t go well for Gary.

To all Pegasus players in Hilsford and the surrounding area:

You're all summoned to a meeting on Wednesday at noon at the Crusher's guild tent in the guild camp of Hilsford.

Everyone's presence is mandatory. Failure to attend IN PERSON will involve permafrost service.

Sincerely,

Xerxes

What was this all about? Xerxes was coming to Hilsford? Why would he come from the capital to a mid-grade city? Gary felt his throat close and his heart race. Having someone like Xerxes around would only make finding Roth more difficult. If he had Xerxes in the city breathing on his neck, he wouldn’t be able to do anything. It was time to hurry. He called Xana.

"Xana, any news?"

"No. Can’t see him anywhere."

"I'm going to switch places with you. You are the one with the most range in your search skills. Try to run around town to see if you can spot him. Did you read Xerxes' notice?"

"Yeah..."

"We need to hurry. Xerxes is bad news."

“I know. He’s going to find the Slayer in a heartbeat. If he gets to him before we do…”

“You don’t have to remind me. Good work, Xana. Keep me posted.”

“Will do.”

Gary felt the urgency of the task hanging over him. Xerxes was bad news. Really bad news.

*

Congratulations! You're now an [Ecotailor].

+5 dexterity;

+5 intelligence;

Raw materials that aren't ecological are restricted to you. Nature thanks you!

+5% success rate when working with eco-fibers.

Your [Sturdy Toxicologist Boots] have been automatically unequipped.

Roth stared at the last notification. His boots had come off on their own. What was going on here? He tried to equip them, but the system didn’t let him. They were now restricted to him! He went through the notifications and discovered the reason for it.

Raw materials that aren't ecological are restricted to you. He would think that this only concerned what he crafted, but the system went beyond that and placed the restriction on whatever he chose to wear. He sighed. These boots were made of leather, and that seemed to qualify as a forbidden material to him now. He'd lost the second bonus from the [Basic Toxicologist] set. He equipped the [Plumber Boots] for now.

Besides this unexpected turn of events, everything else about this profession seemed amazing. From what he'd read in the rescue library, ordinary tailors only got +3 dexterity and +3 intelligence. He was given two more of each! Nature thanks you! What was that supposed to mean?

On the other hand, this profession seemed to have some restrictions. Roth scratched his chin. Raw materials that aren't ecological... what were those? Obviously leather. Was it silk from silkworms? If so, he would work under restrictions that most tailors didn't have. At the same time, this class seemed to reward the usage of sustainable fibers.

Roth laughed heartily. The truth of the matter was that he would have avoided any materials that made him feel upset or that disturbed his conscience. This way, at least, he got something good out of it. This profession was perfect for him. Getting a +5% success rate was also a good advantage over other tailors. From what little Roth knew, even a one percent success rate couldn't be dismissed lightly. Combining this with his ratan form made him a force to be reckoned with in the tailoring world.

Roth held the new book. He then paused. Why did my boots come out, but this book is still made of leather? Strange. He opened it. The information wasn't written on the pages but was embroidered with thread. How long would it take someone to write a book this way?

"Welcome to the noble path of a nature's weaver, an Ecotailor. Many who work with nature's fibers do it violently and aggressively, but ours is a different path. We observe the threads that bind the fabric of nature and learn from how they're woven together.

As an ecotailor, you take an oath not to abuse nature but to sit at its feet as a humble pupil. Remember, even the universe is made of strings, so reach for the stars with an open hand and a needle, and stitch together your existence with the green and blue around you."

It was all very poetic and profound. The sheep would have liked this kind of mambo-jambo. Roth leafed through the pages of the manual. It seemed that this profession worked quite differently from being a broker. First of all, he wasn't given any skills to start with.

The section occupied by trade agreements in the broker's ledger, in this ledger, was a section on materials and tools.

Materials:

Sheep's wool: 40%.

Tools:

Shearing Scissors;

Buckets.

There was very scarce information. The only materials and tools listed were the ones he'd learned about from Thadeus. He wasn't sure if the things listed here were limited by his level or the lack of guidance from a mentor. As for recipes, it was empty. Roth went to the Rescue Library and selected the beginner's guide for tailors. Jogging his memory, Roth selected his next destination.

Ch. 118 - The Kind Porter

INDEX 

Ch. 120 - Spindle