Construction Mage - Chapter 55: Possibility

AN: Thank you for your patience. It is, unfortunately, late, I know. I hope to fix this once I build up a bit more backlog, which will slowly take place over the weekends as long as I'm not busy. Good news, today's chapter will be on schedule.

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After lunch, Clay was then invited by Hal to go over some details of the toilet, particularly its installation process. They had gone over most of it already during their ride to the estate, so it ended promptly, where the two guests were then escorted back out to the second ring by carriage. 

When they crossed the drawbridge, it felt like they had returned to reality.

“Thanks for coming with me today,” Clay said as the two took a moment to gather themselves. “You should go home and rest a bit before going back to the dungeon enclosure for work. We’ll be going back into the dungeon tomorrow.”

“No problem, sir! I never thought I would be allowed into the first ring, so I didn’t mind it at all. Err—sorry it didn’t work out as you planned, though.”

His words got a deprecating chuckle out of Clay.

“It’s not all bad. I can go to the city administration to claim a certificate to establish a guild now. Not that I have the means to actually do it.”

“I never knew you were aiming for such a thing. It’s commendable! I’m sure if you explained your thoughts like you did earlier to the people in the enclosure, many would be open to the idea.”

“Maybe, if I can prove that I can benefit them somehow. I’m still quite a ways away from that, though. At least, without the support of someone important.”

“Well—I’m sure you’ll figure it out in no time, sir.”

The two chatted as they strolled down the street until they parted. Listening to Clay’s suggestion, Malik returned to the orphanage while the older man continued aimlessly walking around the second ring as he processed his thoughts.

I wonder if they sell that tea around here. No, I can’t let myself indulge like that. I’ll drink myself into financial oblivion in no time. Let it fuel my motivation to go further in the dungeon. Layer two, here I come.

As for now, I guess there isn’t any reason to keep all this money in reserve anymore since the guild isn’t happening anytime soon. I should get a kitchen set up and start preparing proper meals for myself. 

It’s about time I started getting my two hundred grams of protein a day again. Too bad there isn’t any creatine for sale, but I guess my recovery rate is fast enough as it is.

With a new goal in mind to focus on, Clay wandered around different stores until he found a few that sold kitchen equipment. They were similar to the general store he had been to before to buy the base metal plate for his water heater. In fact, he decided to return to the same store. There, he purchased a mix of pots and pans. He would then use his experience with the water heater to build himself a simple stove to cook with.

He didn’t have to worry about the smoke that much either, as a benefit of thatch roofing was that it allowed smoke to rise and escape.

Then, he scoured the various butcher shops and bought a few cuts of meat before picking up various cooking ingredients. With his hands full, he slowly waded through the crowd and out into the fourth ring.

To his surprise, he spotted a large carriage parked outside his house well before he arrived. A small group of people had gathered around it. He had his suspicions upon seeing it, and the closer he got, the more confident about it he became.

“What happened?” Clay asked. “Why are you all gathered here?”

“The whole town is talking about how you went to see the prince. We’re here to see how it went, of course!” Dorgan, the short, portly warrior, exclaimed.

“He’s right. Walking down the main street straight toward the first ring meant there were a lot of witnesses. It added fuel to the previous rumors, too. I also wanted to see if you had completed our toilets too, if you got the prince’s done,” Sylphira, the water mage, said with a grin.

“That—will take some more time.”

“Oh? So you did prioritize the prince over poor old us. I see.”

“I’m sorry. I should have it d—”

“Relax,” Sylphira said with a laugh. “Of course, you should prioritize the prince’s order. I’m just teasing you. Why are you so worked up? The meeting shouldn’t have gone that badly if they let you go.”

“Why don’t you two come in first? We can talk inside,” Clay suggested.

The two veteran Delvers agreed without a fuss as they saw his hands were full. With Sylphira’s retinue staying outside near the carriage, the three of them quickly entered Clay’s new and improved house. 

While the materials used in its construction were much better than before, he had just moved in. The entire place was as basic as it could be. He hadn’t even built the inner walls yet, except for the central column. 

Besides the furniture he had recently bought, namely the mattress and the cabinet, it was mostly empty space. It was enough for him to spend the night in, but not even the water heater was set up. That was because he was entirely focused on the prince’s order and was planning to do it today. As a result, there were no tables or any sort of chairs for them to gather around.

Instead, Clay led them into his room, where they could sit down on his straw-filled mattress. He placed down his spoils from shopping and went to prepare some tea for his guests, the least he could do. Everything he needed was beside him. A pot, magic crystals, and the tea leaves from the herbalist’s store.

As he waited for the water to boil, Dorgan couldn’t stand it anymore and broke the silence.

“So? What happened? Did you get reprimanded?”

Clay sighed. While he didn’t want to spread the matter regarding the guild around yet, there was no need to keep the entire thing under wraps. A vague explanation would suffice.

“No, nothing so drastic. It just didn’t work out as well as I’d like. Overall, you can even call it successful, since the prince was satisfied, and I got rewarded.”

Energy returned to Clay’s voice the more he spoke, but the experienced Delvers could tell he was forcing it.

“Then why the long face?” The stout man said as he leaned forward, meeting Clay’s eyes up close.

“I—it’s nothing. I am just tired. I have a lot of things going on recently,” he said as he gestured to the house around them.

“Ah, I was wondering why you took down all the walls. Are you planning on doing some renovations?”

Dorgan’s remarks earned him a chop to the head as Sylphira stood and approached the walls.

“Idiot. Look closer. The foundations were raised. The outer waters are a different color and also coated in something,” she said as she ran her hand against the wall and turned to the owner. “Is this ooze membrane?”

“Yes.”

“How did you get your hands on that? There shouldn’t be any oozes in Greymark’s Bastion. Did a merchant caravan come by while we were in the dungeon?”

“Something cheaper but much more dangerous—a wave.”

“Oh.” She did a double-take at the house. Her eyes widened as she realized something. “Did you have to rebuild the place?”

“Yeah. Allowed me to upgrade it, so it wasn’t all bad in the end. It did delay my schedule, though. Otherwise, your toilets would’ve been complete by now.”

“No need to rush. I plan to brag to my peers about it, so take your time to make it look nice.”

“Yeah! Us old-timers who’ve been delving for a decade are richer than you think,” Dorgan chimed in. “No need to spare any expense. We can pay it.”

“Speak for yourself, old man. Unlike you, I’m far from what anyone can call old. Don’t mind the idiot, Clay, but he’s not wrong. Take your time and use quality materials similar to what you used for the prince’s toilet. No need for any artwork or other extravagance, but something that is a looker and durable.”

“Got it. If you’re not in a hurry for it, then I’ll work on it after I clear some things from my plate.”

“Ah, don’t make us wait too long. If there’s something we can do to help, feel free to ask. We’re on break for the next few days again.”

“Well, there is one thing I wanted to consult with you. I was planning on moving on to the second layer soon. I wanted to ask for your advice. How difficult is the floor boss, and what is the second layer like?”

“Oh? Second layer? You mean you haven’t set foot on it before?” Dorgan curiously asked.

“No. I wasn’t lying when I said I am new to Delving.”

“It’ll be too dangerous for your party then. You’ll want at least a few months to half a year of experience on the first later before moving on. How are you guys doing against the kobolds?”

“I’m only sticking to the surface for now, but it’s gotten relatively easy, I guess. Though I’m still not confident going up against a large group of them underground. Even with the elemental, I still find it quite difficult to fight against multiple opponents.”

“Hm? Just you and your summon? You’re going at it alone?” the stout man said with a frown.

“Plus a porter, but mostly, yeah. I don’t plan on going that far into the dungeon. I’m more of a farmer type. Just collecting enough resources to pay the bills in the easier areas.”

“I see. The lumber resources of the second layer are quite lucrative. The stronger parties don’t bother lugging around logs, so there’s always a demand for it.”

“Yeah, and I recently heard it is home to some of the best tea leaves I’ve ever had!” Clay spoke with excitement, but quickly reined it in, suddenly self-conscious of how passionate he had gotten. “It should be quite valuable as well, right?”

“Tea? I have no idea. It doesn’t have any application in combat, does it? I don’t remember hearing about any teas from the Cook class.”

“That’s because it’s not related to the Cook class at all,” Sylphira said. “Certain herbs that can be used as teas are useful for alchemists, but only nobles are so wasteful, using them for pleasure. As for your questions. Just as Dorgan said, I wouldn’t recommend trying the boss room if you’re so new and are alone. The second layer is a lot more dangerous than the first. There aren’t any markers there, just an endless forest. While the lizards there aren’t the worst to deal with, many Delvers occasionally still lose their lives as they get lost and run out of supplies.”

“Well, it’s just a goal to work toward. It would’ve been nice to get a change of pace from the dreary first layer, but I’m in no rush. I don’t mean to go challenge the boss room right away,” Clay said with a wry smile.

“Huh? If it’s just a change of pace you want, we can just take you to the second layer! It’ll help you learn about it before you eventually set foot there, too. Right, Sylphira?” 

“That’s right,” she said, but Clay was no longer of the mind to have heard it.

Dorgan’s words made his mind race about the possibilities.

“You can take me there?” he muttered. “Don’t I need to clear the first layer? I thought you could not challenge a boss again once you had defeated it. How are you going to help me get past it?”

“There’s no need,” Dorgan swiftly replied. “If you come with us, we can teleport to the second layer directly. You won’t be able to enter the second floor’s boss room that way, but anywhere else is fine.”

Oh? That is possible?

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