HC:Pacifist | Ch. 120 - Spindle (Patreon)

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Book 1 of Hidden Class: Pacifist has been moved over to Kindle Unlimited.

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Enjoy today's chapter, and have a nice weekend!

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Roth returned triumphantly to Golden Mountain Inc. In the couple of days that he’d been gone, the movement had once again been kicked up a notch. He noticed that this time around, instead of finding many players outside, they had managed to get in. They now interacted with the various NPCs that Soros had hired, hoping to gain the relationship that Roth had already developed.

Instead of going to the reception, he turned left so that he could go to the back offices. As he opened the door that said “Authorized Personnel Only”, after a few steps, laser guns popped up from the ceiling and shot a devastating beam that temporarily blinded Roth. Behind him, there was a scorch mark and an item on the floor. It looked like a player had seen Roth enter this restricted area and had tried following. He gulped. This security system that Soros had was no joke.

He was unsure of what to do about the piece of equipment, but he eventually picked it up and put it into his inventory. He went to Soros’ office and was ushered in.

“If it isn’t my favorite broker!”

“How many brokers do you know, Soros?”

The man flushed but coughed away his embarrassment. “Not important, not important. What do you have to show me?”

“I’m very excited about a new product I bought from the badgers.”

Smelling profit, Soros started rubbing his hands contentedly as if he were polishing an invisible gemstone he would buy using the money from this novelty that Roth was bringing him.

“Go on.”

Roth pulled out the stack of poems and handed them to Soros. He pulled one of them out and started going through it. His greedy expression softened as he went through each poem, and he went from looking like a wealthy sultan to a mellow grandpa.

“These are good. The badgers really are great artists.”

“They have asked me to sell these for them. Foreigners will love these poems. I’m sure of it.”

“Very well! Leave it to me. I’ll find the best place to sell these. These fine works of art have to be seen by the world. I’ll talk to Boris. There’s a caravan coming out soon. They can take some of these already. And they are so light! This is perfect merchandise.”

Congratulations on fulfilling a trade route between [Golden Mountain Inc] and the [Ratans].

+4000 broker XP.

3% of the profit (3 gold, 96 silver).

+77 reputation with Golden Mountain Inc.

Congratulations on fulfilling a trade route between [Golden Mountain Inc] and the [Foxes].

+3600 broker XP;

1% of the profit (5 gold, 14 silver).

+52 reputation with Golden Mountain Inc.

Congratulations on fulfilling a trade route between [Golden Mountain Inc] and the [Badgers].

+4000 broker XP.

1% of the profit. (8 gold, 94 silver).

+24 reputation with Golden Mountain Inc.

Congratulations on fulfilling a trade route between [Golden Mountain Inc] and the [Corvids].

+6300 broker XP.

1% of the profit. (13 gold, 56 silver).

+49 reputation with Golden Mountain Inc.

Congratulations on fulfilling a trade route between [Golden Mountain Inc] and the [Boars].

+1300 broker XP.

1% of the profit (4 gold, 91 silver).

+64 reputation with Golden Mountain Inc.

Congratulations on fulfilling a trade route between [Golden Mountain Inc] and the [Dwarf Exiles].

+100 broker XP.

1% of the profit (3 silver, 12 copper).

+4 reputation with Golden Mountain Inc.

Congratulations on fulfilling a trade route between [Golden Mountain Inc] and [Greenleaf Inc].

+100 broker XP.

1% of the profit (2 silver, 75 copper).

+3 reputation with Golden Mountain Inc.

Congratulations! You’re now revered by Golden Mountain Inc.

Even though it wasn’t as profitable as it could have been, Roth could still make almost 40 gold in this transaction. Hopefully, the next time he’d travel to the Green Woods, he wouldn’t have to escort any refugees and could fill his bags to the brim with goods to increase his profit margins.

Additionally, he had finally unlocked a new relationship tier with Golden Mountain Inc. That meant that his profit margin had just significantly gone up!

“By the way, Soros, I’m going to become a tailor.” After a few seconds, as he thought of the snakefruit in Solomon’s garden, he added, “I’m also pondering becoming an herbalist. Do you sell supplies for either?”

“I’m afraid I can’t, young broker. It’s against the law. For tailor supplies, you have to go to the tailor street, and for herbalist supplies, you have to go to the greenhouse or the suspended gardens. I can only sell finished products. I can buy whatever, though. You can come to me, though, with any goods you craft or harvest. I’ll get you a good price.”

“Thanks. By the way, did you say suspended gardens?” Roth had heard of the greenhouse where the quest to become an herbalist was unlocked, but he hadn’t heard of the suspended gardens.

“Oh yes. It’s beautiful up there. You should go.”

“Where is it?”

“It’s above the greenhouse.”

“How do I get there?”

“You have to fly up there.” Roth’s shoulders sank. How on Earth was he going to fly? He had nothing that allowed him to do that, did he? Anyway, it sounded like a cool place to visit, especially if he did intend to become an herbalist.

“I have to go to Tailor Street. I’ll come back in about two to three days. OK?”

“Can’t wait!”

After Roth had dumped all his goods with Soros, he now had an empty inventory and a fat wallet again. He smiled from ear to ear as he looked at the generous numbers in his inventory. 230 golden coins were shining there. Too bad that he still couldn't buy that guide he'd seen on the forums.

It was already frustrating not to have a single skill right now that used his [Hidden Light] bonus. But after discovering the hidden effect of the zoomorph race, the frustration of not having unlimited skills had scaled to unprecedented levels! He wanted more skill slots. He needed more skill slots!

Roth checked the clock. The debriefing with his team would start in a couple of hours. He wasn’t about to be like a badger and go in early while waiting for his team. There was too much to do. Two hours should be enough for what he had to do. Now that he was a tailor, it was time to head back to Tailor Street. Strangely, the place seemed entirely different now. Before, it had been all new and exotic, but now, Roth felt like he was returning to a factory to work his shift. He smiled at the thought. He hadn’t even knitted a sweater, and he was already seeing himself as a seasoned professional!

He found the Crafted Hem. Should he go in? He had to buy supplies and items to start crafting immediately. The memories of the bleeding sheep, jailed in Thadeus's underground lab made him feel sick for a few moments, but he stopped himself from leaving. Since he'd shut the operation down, logic would have it that now the business had more animal-friendly practices, right? The Peace Corps had to be keeping an eye on this shop. He decided to go in and find out what had happened to the shop. He walked through the door, triggering the bell that let the shopkeeper know that a customer had arrived. Although the store looked the same, the clerk was no longer Thadeus.

She was a blonde woman in her thirties. She wore a long wool tunic with long sleeves. The sleeves were so long that she constantly had to pull them up to free her hands. It was as if she had tried to cramp as much wool as possible in her dress. As for the wool itself, it was very soft and surprisingly fine. Roth inspected her.

Juliette, the Tailor

Lvl. 43

Master Tailor

“Good morning!”

"Greetings, nature's weaver!"

That was the first time Roth was being called like this. It was funny that depending on the faction he visited, they favored different features of his character. Most NPCs called him martyr, soldiers and corvids called him Lightbringer, and Soros called him broker. It seemed that he had just discovered what NPCs related to tailoring would call him.

"Hello, there. I've worked here before and was the one who told the Peace Corps about Thadeus."

"So you're the little rascal that got me my store," she laughed heartily.

Happy that she didn’t seem upset, Roth continued. "Yes, I did some errands for him and started learning how to process wool. But then I found the sheep trapped in the lab, and... you know the rest of the story."

"I admire your guts!"

"Anyway, I was hoping to learn more about wool and how to work with it?"

"Well... I do owe you one, don't I? After all, if it weren't for you, I wouldn't have gotten this store for such a cheap price. Come, I'll show you the works."

He followed Juliette into the back of the shop. The familiar racks of wool lined up, but Roth noticed that some were now empty. Juliette caught his gaze and guessed his thoughts.

"Those racks were filled with the wool that Thaddeus got from his experiments. I burned it all."

Roth was impressed that she hadn't sold it off instead. He liked this tailor.

"So what did Thadeus teach you?"

"He taught me how to skirt fleeces of wool and wash them."

"Good. Follow me then." Juliette took him toward a room that had a glass ceiling. It was hot in here. There were racks with different fleeces of wool left out to dry.

"So, once the wool has been cleared from its detritus and dirt, the next step is disentangling all these fibers. For that, you have to card it." She grabbed a couple of pads that looked like ping-pong rackets but had several nails sticking out of them. "Essentially, you have to comb the wool." She grabbed a handful of dry wool and put it between the pads. She then began scrapping the pads against each other in successive motions. The tangled, messy fleece began breaking apart into straightened threads. "You try it."

Roth grabbed the pads and started imitating the motion. It was as if he was wiping dust off his hands but wearing pads instead.

Carding 20%...56%...

Carding complete!

+10 ecotailor XP.

[Dried Wool] has become [Carded Wool].

"Oh wow! That was surprisingly fast. You're a natural!"

"Really?"

"Absolutely. Would you like to go through this pile? I'll come and check on you in a few moments."

[Wash the Wool] quest has been reactivated by Juliette.

[Wash the Wool] has been changed into [Carding the Wool].

The quest that Thadeus had canceled had been reactivated! He hadn't spent much time on it, but still, it was great to see his past efforts rewarded.

Roth started sorting through the scoured wool and carding it with the pads. The bar filled very quickly. The most time-consuming part of the process was pulling the combed wool off the pads and getting the new batch stuck on the nails. Now that he was back at the workshop, Roth felt something he hadn't felt in a long time. The simple pleasures of manual labor.

To think that between washing the wool and now carding it, it had taken him several days of work, he laughed. It almost felt like, with him, nothing was simple. But then, as he saw the progress bar quickly being filled, he was comforted by the simplicity of it all. In 10 minutes, he was done.

Carding: 20%...56%...

Carding complete!

+10 ecotailor XP.

[Dried Wool] has become [Carded Wool].

Ecotailor profession leveled up!

You've learned a new profession skill: [Wool’s Will].

Wool's Will (Profession)

Skill description: You have spent a long time in the presence of sheep and have worked with their wool. You understand how the molecules of its fibers align and are better able to utilize wool to its fullest potential.

Skill effects:

Passive. Whenever you're wearing wool equipment, +1 intelligence per piece;

If you're only wearing wool, +3 dexterity.

This new skill was awesome! He hadn't realized that tailors could benefit from wearing equipment they could craft. He had to get some new wool equipment if this was the case. He was looking at 10+ extra stats! Strange. He didn't remember seeing this skill in the guide for tailor beginners. He went back to the rescue library to check what skill normal tailors unlocked at level 1.

Clothes of Cloth (Profession)

Skill description: As you progress in your career, you develop pride in the craft you devote yourself to.

Skill effects:

Passive. +3 intelligence if you're only wearing equipment crafted by tailors.

He was right. He searched the forums and the rescue library for [Wool’s Will] and found nothing. Was this a skill unique to ecotailors? It looked like his profession was more targeted. It narrowed down what he could do but rewarded him for it. On the other hand, normal tailors had more doors open to them.

Not 10 minutes after Juliette had left, he was already searching for her.

"You're finished?!"

"Yes."

"I was expecting you to take at least 30 minutes. That wasn't even 10." Roth didn't know what to say. Why would he have taken so long? The progress bar when carding filled so quickly.

"Well, anyway! Good job!"

Congratulations! You've completed [Carding the Wool].

"Well, all that is left to start working with the wool is for you to spin it into yarn. Come. I'll show you how it's done."

They doubled back to where Roth had just finished carding wool. Juliette took a small object from her pocket and threw it to Roth. As he caught it, his first impression was of how heavy it was. It was a bulbous wooden ball, with a small tube going through it. It reminded him of a spin, a toy children would play with.

You've received a quest item: [Basic Drop Spindle].

"So, nature's weaver, you grab a bundle of fleece now." She held a bunch of the wool that Roth had carded. What a difference from when he'd first started working on it. It had seemed like a dirty brown mess, but now it looked like a fluffy white little cloud. She grabbed a device similar to the one she'd given Roth. It was a pointy stick with a heavy weight near its end. On the other end of the stick was a hook. "The spindle has a hook that you stick into the fleece." She illustrated the movement.

"From then on, all you have to do is spin it and pull." She twisted the weighted spindle, and the fibers combined into one thread. She started pulling as it became one, turning the fluffy cloud into one line. "As you start getting a thread, tie it around the spindle and just keep spinning."

Roth stood fascinated as a handful of fluffy wool became one continuous thread of yarn. "Now, you try it!"

[Carding the Wool] has changed into [Spinning the Wool].

Roth tried hooking a bunch of fleece into the spindle and clumsily held it as he tried to rotate it. He let it fall a couple of times and had to start over, but after a few tries, he got the hang of the motion. It was quite simple once one got used to it.

"I'll let you get on with it. Spin the whole box, alright?"

"Very well."

As Roth started picking the fleece and spinning it, slowly, one very long thread of yarn started coming together.

Spinning:1%... 3%... 6%....

As there was so much wool to go through, this time, the progress bar took a while to fill. After about another 10 minutes. He got the notification.

[Spinning the Wool] has been completed. Go see Juliette for your rewards.

Ch. 119 - Meek

INDEX

Ch. 121 - Cast On