Construction Mage - Chapter 42: Orders

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“Taverns are great! What better way to end the day than downing some ale with good company?”

“Taverns are essential to locals and travelers, commoners, rich merchants, and nobles alike. It allows information to flow and me to get a feel of how the domain is doing.”

“What do I think about taverns? I don’t think about it at all! I go when I’m in the mood and have the coin. That’s it.”

“Depends on the tavern. Some have the prettiest wenches you’ll see, while others only have gruff men, but have unbeatable prices.”

-Various sources on their thoughts about taverns

***

“You!” one of the knights with dull green hair shouted and pointed the tip of his sword at Clay. “How dare you set a trap for our liege? Do you have any—”

“Calm down,” Caelen casually called out as he tugged on his wet rear. “I doubt that was a malicious trap. It was simply a coincidence. I couldn’t help but sit down on it out of curiosity, and this is the result. In fact, I should be the one apologizing for imposing and then breaking your property. I’ll be sure to compensate you.”

“No, no. There’s no need, um—Lord Caelan. It is all due to my immature craftsmanship. You have nothing to apologize for.”

Deep down, Clay was truly guilty. He had known the hardened earth from his spell wasn’t the most sturdy material around. It had worked for the moment, but it evidently wouldn’t last. This was a wake-up call for him to start procuring better materials. There were still so many things he wanted to add to his house, and relying on this one material was not the answer.

“Haha, you sure are modest, Clay. Let’s put this matter behind us, then, shall we?”

“You are truly a magnanimous nobleman. I’m glad I didn’t offend you.”

“Enough with the pleasantries. There’s no need to be so tense around me.”

Clay nodded and stepped back as the knights escorted their master out of his house. As understanding as the man was, it was difficult to ignore the matter when he could visibly see how soaked the man’s pants were. Falling into the toilet was no fun, and Clay could attest to that.

As soon as Caelan and his men were out of earshot, Sylphira smoothly appeared beside him and whispered.

“You got lucky. I think we should take our leave before this royal friend of ours decides to stick around.”

“Sounds good. We can talk another time, then?”

The veteran Delver nodded and then waited for Caelan’s attendants to finish changing his clothes before making a show out of their departure in plain sight.

“Clay! I believe it’s about time we head out. Thank you for inviting us. Please get in touch once you’ve completed another set of the toilet and the water heater for us. You’ll be able to find us in Greymark’s Bastion enclosure during the day,” the woman fluently said with a wink.

“Understood. Thank you for coming today. I’ll see you guys around.”

Clay nodded to each Delver as their gazes met. He stood by his doorway as they boarded their carriage, only to be startled when a familiar voice suddenly came from right next to him.

“What I said earlier still stands. Make another set for me.”

Clay turned to find Caelan standing there with a smile, but before he could speak, a middle-aged woman cleared her throat meaningfully behind the nobleman.

“Um, but please do make mine out of higher quality materials,” Caelan continued. “Maybe the entire thing with glazed pottery? Or would a mix of metals and wood be better? As for the heater, you can just draw the design; it seems easy enough to make. I’ll leave the details up to you, but don’t make me wait too long.”

Like a storm, Caelan turned around and left after stating his request, but it wasn’t over. He was quickly replaced by the middle-aged woman.

“Excuse me, here are some coins for you to complete my liege’s order. There’ll be more once my liege receives the item. I know it may be sudden, but don’t feel the need to rush. We’ll be here for at least a month, so anytime before then is acceptable.”

Clay simply nodded his head, and before he knew it, his uninvited guests were gone as well. With how tranquil his home became all of a sudden, the hectic scene from before was like a dream. Only the remnants of the toilet seat in the bathroom proved that everything that had happened was real.

What do I do now?

He felt his life had suddenly become a lot more chaotic. His peaceful routine of delving into the dungeon in the morning and leisurely working on home improvements during the afternoon had been upturned. He wasn’t even sure if he could resume life as it was anymore.

No, no. Remain focused. There’s more than enough time to complete their orders without changing my life. The hard part is with the pottery shop, anyway.

If I do this job well, I could gain the favor of some very important people. Maybe then I can accelerate my guild plan with their help?

With a positive outlook in mind, Clay began the day by visiting the pottery shop once again.

***

After placing the orders for more S-traps in the morning, Clay’s mind couldn’t help but wander as he ventured onto the first layer of Greymark’s Bastion. The material problem he had been suffering from had been brought to the forefront. Hardened earth was malleable thanks to his earth elemental, but it was a subpar construction material overall.

It was brittle after having been exposed to extreme heat and was weak against water. It might last him for a winter, but that was it. His demand for a sturdier material would only rise as time went on.

I have heard about more advanced earth mages learning stone spells, but that’s not an obtainable goal in the short term. I need an alternative sooner.

The first thing that popped into his mind was naturally wood, one of the most common materials regardless of the era. The only issue with that was the supply. There weren’t many lumberers anymore with monsters running amok outside the walls. Almost all the firewood in the city came from the dungeon. He had heard in the second layer of the dungeon that there was an actual forest, full of life, nothing like the withered trees on the first layer. Unfortunately, he was nowhere near ready for that yet.

He could, however, purchase these materials with money. Caelan’s attendant had given him an entire ten gold coins earlier. That was an entire hundred thousand Lyons. There was no way a single toilet would cost this much, so the profit margin was frankly insane. Nevertheless, even with money, Clay didn’t know how to spend it well. Procurement for construction supplies was never in his playbook, and his familiarity with what was available was rudimentary at best.

Shaking his head wryly at his own incompetence, he eventually decided the best course of action was to once again consult his friend.

Still, that doesn’t mean I shouldn’t be trying harder. I already only do half days in the dungeon. I can pick up the pace a little after all that’s happened.

Turning to his porter, who was completely in the dark about his recent developments, Clay asked him a question he knew the answer to.

“Do you want to try heading further in? Not too deep, just on the surface, where the workers and sentinels are.”

“Really! Let’s do it, sir!”

Having practiced with his golem enough against Feral Kobolds, it was time for him to take the next step. If he were to one day face the boss of the first layer, he would have to grow comfortable facing off against multiple opponents wielding weapons. He got lucky on his very first time facing the archers and knights, but now that he had the Summon Elemental spell, he had the capacity to truly face those kobolds head-on.

The first step to that was getting used to fighting the Kobold Workers and Kobold Sentinels with the golem.

***

When the sun began to set, Delvers flocked to their favored taverns to make merry. It was one of the ways they coped with the dangers they endured and the motivation to push harder. After all, most people only put their all in their work when the rewards were clear.

Inside one particular rowdy tavern in the second ring, a middle-aged man with balding hair barged through the door and laughed heartily. He went straight to the bar counter to pick up a mug of ale, while many of the nearby patrons greeted him jovially. Clinking their cups with cheers, the man soon spotted a hand waving at him. It was from his party member.

“Dorgan, over here!” a blue-haired man called out. “You look like you enjoyed the downtime for once. Care to share?”

Unapologetically bulldozing his way through the crowd, Dorgan plopped himself across from the man.

“Roylan, on time? Did you lose all your money already? Before you ask, I have no money to lend you.”

“Oh, shut up. I can be on time when I want to be, but you’re outta luck. Faris arrived first. She just stepped out for a moment. Couldn’t handle the crowd.”

“If it’s her, she should be here shortly. Must’ve spotted me when I was several streets over!”

“Whatever you say, old man. Back on topic. What's got you so happy? You’re usually more restless after breaks. Aren’t you itching to bash some heads in anymore?”

“I am! However, Sylphira and I had quite an encounter while you were off getting drunk and losing your fortune.”

“What? She take you to one of them noble dances or something?”

“Ha, good one!” the man guffawed as he chugged down more ale.

“Then what? Don’t keep me in suspense.”

“A new friend who happened to catch the eye of someone from or closely related to the white-haired family.”

“What?!” Roylan shot up and shouted. 

His voice was a few decibels louder than even the rowdy tavern, earning him some attention from the patrons, but they quickly ignored him upon recognizing who he was. Slightly embarrassed, he gingerly sat back down and drew closer to his friend by wrapping his arm around his wide shoulders.

“What did you say? Someone from the white-haired family is here? I didn’t take you as one to frolic with nobility and their ilk.”

“No, no. This new friend is a Delver. A beginner, fresh out of some remote village, or so he claims.”

“The catch?”

“Besides the fact that the man’s weapon of choice is a shovel? Ha, well, he has created some interesting contraptions, for the sake of living with greater ease, no less. Contraptions I have never seen before, based on concepts I don’t understand. Perhaps like the traps you couldn’t handle down on the ninth.”

“That can’t be! Those things run on pure magic, I say. There’s no rhyme or reason to them.”

“That, I don’t know. Not my forte. You’ll need to verify that with your own eyes. Anyway, even if I’m wrong, these contraptions are truly interesting and worth having. You should come with me the next time I find Clay and ask him to make a set for you. You won’t regret it, I assure you.”

Unbeknownst to the two veteran Delvers, various parties had been listening intently to their conversation, releasing rumors they would have no control over.

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