HC:Pacifist | Ch. 185 - Blue Orchid

In the short time Roth was gone talking to his mother, Rhapsody had finished working on her second piece, a woolen cap. Both the cap and the mittens had the same beautiful marbled pattern of mixed green and white. Roth had never thought wool could look so colorful and beautiful.

Leanne, on the other side, had caught up. She was now working on a pair of pants. Whereas the clothes that Leanne had knitted had a fluffy, cozy look, Leanne’s jacket was elegant and thin, giving it a lighter, more streamlined feel. It lacked any pattern, however, and only had the dull-washed color of undyed wool.

Roth looked at the clock. Not an hour had passed, and these girls had already produced such good-looking items. He had a long way to go before calling himself a proper tailor. As Rhapsody worked on a pair of wool boots and Leanne finished making a cape, someone tapped the sergeant’s shoulder.

“SergeantSarg. We need to talk.”

“Master Godsfried. Good to see you. And hello, Master Nakia.”

Hearing the respect in the sergeant’s voice, Roth turned toward the newcomers. One was a dwarf, the first dwarf player he’d seen in the game. He wore beautiful silken robes, and every single finger on his hand had a beautiful ring with a gemstone of every color. He had to have very high charisma because when Roth’s eyes landed on him, he had trouble pulling them away.

To his side was a woman with a long neck. She had long clay circles in her earlobes and one in her lip, significantly enlarging her facial features. She had no rings on her fingers but many on her neck. A series of metallic bands elongated her neck beyond anything that Roth had ever seen and only made the dwarf seem shorter by comparison. She wore a colorful large tunic with yellow and blue patterns.

The dwarf leaned to the side to get a look at Leanne’s and Rhapsody’s crafting stations and nodded approvingly. “This battle thing. How does it work?”

“It’s something brand new, Master. We’ll add an addendum to the Union to regulate them and brief everyone about this. We plan to make these battles a way to settle disputes between Union members or to compete for orders or prizes.” The sergeant explained.

Roth raised his eyebrow, knowing that the sergeant was making up all this jibber-jabber on the spot without blinking.

“Godsfried and I were talking,” spoke Nakia in a soft contralto voice, “and we have a proposition.”

“Let’s hear it.”

As Leanne finished the cape, another round of applause and cheers went through the crowd. Roth, however, was interested in this exchange between the sergeant and these two high-level players and kept eavesdropping.

“Who was the senior member who issued the order that started all this?”

The sergeant answered cautiously.

“This boy here.”

Feeling the sergeant’s unspoken request, Roth stood up and introduced himself. “Hey, there. I’m Pax. Nice to meet you.”

“Pax, these are Master Godsfried from the Ogres and Master Nakia from the Basilisks. They are very respected jewelers.”

The pieces of the puzzle were beginning to fit together. That’s why they had come to talk to the sergeant; he was a jeweler, too.

The dwarf player examined Roth from top to bottom, and his eyes landed on his [Blue Caterpillar] ring and earring for a split-second.

“Nice ring and earring you have there,” spoke Master Nakia.

“Thank you.”

“I’m guessing you reached level 30 and are changing equipment. Correct?” asked Godsfried.

“That’s correct.”

“Have you got new jewelry yet?” probed Master Nakia.

“Uh… The only ones that suit my level are the earring and ring you noticed.”

The two jewelers exchanged a knowing look and nodded. “We propose you host a battle between us two. We’ll make level 30 jewelry for you, too. The winner takes a VIP spot. Deal?”

Roth squinted at the two clever players. It was impressive how they traced what had started the battle and then thought of a way to take advantage of it. Roth exchanged looks with the sergeant.

“It’s your call, Roth,” he messaged him.

On the one hand, he wasn’t planning on hosting a battle like this every time he needed to change equipment, but on the other, he had to increase his strength, whichever way he could.

“Deal. Once this battle is over, the sergeant here will host another battle with you two.”

The sergeant gave him a stern look, and Roth shrugged. The two players smiled, satisfied. “Very well. Give us some information so we can start planning what we’ll do for you. What class do you have?”

“It’s a unique class.” Roth spared a look at the competition between the girls; they weren’t showing any new techniques, so he decided to give the information the two artisans needed now. “The stats I need most are intelligence, charisma, and wisdom, but I use all others too. The more stats, the better. I also desperately need cooldown reduction. Oh, and I have light affinity.”

“Excuse me, did you say light affinity?” asked Nakia.

“Yes.”

“You are the one who sold the guides,” Nakia said. “They cost my guild a pretty penny.”

“What an interesting lad,” commented Godsfried, waving off Nakia’s annoyance. “Very well, I’ll make you the best jewelry you can imagine, boy.”

“The second best,” countered Nakia, “because I’ll take the VIP spot, Master Godsfried.”

“We shall see. By the way, can we see your ring and earring?”

Nakia’s annoyance disappeared, and only curiosity remained. Roth took the items off and handed them over to the dwarf. The dwarf picked up the ring but passed the earring to Nakia.

“I’ve never seen this item in the game,” he commented.

“Me neither.”

“Especially this bonus to illusions. It’s quite unique but probably worthless to you, no?”

Roth wasn’t sure if the dwarf was preparing to make an offer on this item or if he was just collecting information for what kind of items they would craft. “It’s actually my favorite thing about the item. I need every bonus to illusions I can get.”

“Really?”

“Can you make something better than this?” Roth tried.

“We can make something with slightly better stats, but we can’t replicate this bonus to illusions.”

“No worries. Let’s make the competition about a belt, a ring, an earring, and a necklace.”

“Very well,” said Nakia.

“Deal.” Godsfried stretched out his hand, and Roth shook hands with them. The jewelers sat down next to the sergeant and kept chatting with him, and Roth focused his attention back on the competition. Leanne had just finished making the clothes while Rhapsody started knitting the jacket. She examined each of the items of clothing and nodded approvingly.

She then took an empty vat from her inventory and poured two large bottles of blue liquid into it. Once they were full, she dropped all the clothes into the vat and, with a wooden stick, stirred the solution and the clothes in it, letting them soak the fabric.

Roth scratched his chin, pondering the timing each artisan had chosen to dye the fabric. What advantages were there to dying the material before or after crafting with it? He doubted that it was solely a matter of preference. He would have to ask the girls later. Hopefully, they wouldn’t mind sharing some of their secrets.

Rhapsody had finished the jacket and was now working on a pair of woolen pants. Roth didn’t miss the beads of sweat forming on her forehead. Knitting with five needles at the same time had to be very taxing on the girl. Still, she soldiered on without slowing down.

Leanne took the clothes out of the vat and hung them up to dry. She also grabbed what looked like a hair dryer and ran it up and down the clothes individually. They were in the home stretch and looked like they would both finish in time.

Seeing how many people had gathered, Roth wondered if the whole Union Collective had come to watch the show.

“What? Another battle?” he heard someone say to his side.

“Godsfried and Nakia! Those two are top-tiered jewelers. Want to hang out here and check their techniques?”

“Of course, man. You were right. Joining this union was the right call.”

Hearing the two craftsmen look so excited, Roth smiled. This atmosphere would undoubtedly draw in more talented artisans who wanted to perfect their crafts. He had to give it to Drake. Getting the union started was an excellent decision.

The competition kept progressing, and with news of another battle between two top-tiered artisans, the crowd kept growing. Leanne was finished before the two hours were done, but Rhapsody kept knitting almost until the end of the competition.

Finally, after two hours of excitement, Roth stood up.

“The two hours are now over! Drop your needles, ladies!”

The girls grabbed the set of clothes they had made, and both started putting them on a mannequin. Roth had seen these in stores in the city but never imagined that it was an item a tailor could carry around like this. Perhaps they were inflatable or something.

As the girls finished dressing the mannequins, the two incredible sets of equipment were on full display for the crowd, and everyone looked incredibly excited.

“Ladies and gentlemen. Did you enjoy the battle?” asked Roth.

A massive roar of excitement and applause shook the tent. Roth chuckled at the thought of a neighboring guild sending a complaint to the citadel about having rowdy neighbors. It had been a while since he’d been in the spotlight like this. Back when he had run a guild, he had hosted many guild events, but that had been a long time ago.

After hosting the auction with the guilds, maybe he was getting a little of his old mojo back. Well, at least the non-rageaholic parts of it, he hoped.

“As the one who commissioned the quest, I’ll now judge who performed the best. Please wait for a moment.”

Roth decided to check Leanne’s clothes first. “Let’s see what you’ve got there, Leanne.”

Roth walked toward the mannequin. The first thing that came to mind as he studied the equipment was the word ‘elegant.’ With the help of precise machinery, Leanne had made wool into a thin thread, which, when processed into fabric, made the clothes feel lighter and fresher and have a beautiful criss crossed pattern.

However beautiful it looked, what he needed was stats. He picked up the items and studied them one by one.

Blue Lambswool Cap (Rare)

Description: A cap from a lamb’s first wool. It captures and reflects ambient light, providing an otherworldly appearance. It’s been bathed in a dye made from Blue Orchid extract, giving you a more intellectual appearance.

Item effects:

+1.5% cooldown reduction;

+10 intelligence;

+6 charisma;

+2 wisdom;

+5 ep regeneration.

Restrictions: All classes, lvl. 28.

Blue Lambswool Blazer (Rare)

Description: A blazer tailored from the finest lambswool. Its deep blue hue, derived from a meticulous bath in Blue Orchid extract, radiates intellectual charm.

Item effects:

+1.5% cooldown reduction;

+15 intelligence;

+100 hp;

+8% damage reduction;

+5% status resistance.

Restrictions: All classes, lvl. 30.

Blue Lambswool Gloves (Rare)

Description: Gloves fashioned using wool carefully harvested from a lamb's first shearing. Bathed in a calming blue dye extracted from Blue Orchids, these gloves keep you warm and give you an intellectual look. The fine craftsmanship and attention to detail make these gloves a symbol of refined taste.

Item effects:

+2% cooldown reduction;

+5 intelligence;

+20 ep;

+5 ep regeneration;

+3% damage reduction;

+3% status resistance.

Blue Lambswool Trousers (Rare)

Description: These trousers are crafted from the softest lambswool. The subtle pleats and precise cut enhance your overall charisma.

Item effects:

+6 charisma;

+9 intelligence;

+2 wisdom;

+30 hp;

+30 ep.

Restrictions: All classes, lvl. 31.

Blue Lambswool Oxfords (Rare)

Description: Meticulously crafted lambswool oxfords. With a plush texture and dyed in Blue Orchid extract, these shoes provide comfort and elevate your intellectual aura.

Item effects:

+8% running speed;

+4 intelligence;

+3 wisdom.

Royal Navy Lambswool Cape (Rare)

Description: Regal cape crafted from the fleece of a lamb's first shearing. Bathed in a majestic blue dye extracted from Blue Orchids, the cape enhances your intellectual charm and charisma.

Item effects:

+15 charisma;

+10 intelligence.

Restrictions: All classes, level 31.

Leanne had surely delivered on her promise. He didn’t know how she did it, but the stats offered by the clothes were exactly the ones he needed, no more, no less. What kind of mastery was required to make clothes give more of a stat? And how did she make sure that the level requirements suited him? The mastery required to produce this result was mind-boggling.

“Impressive work, Leanne.”

“Thanks, Pax.” Leanne looked at Rhapsody, who waited patiently by her clothed dummy and smirked. “See that, Rhapsody?”

“I must admit, using [Blue Orchid] extract to dye the clothes at the end was a stroke of genius. Good job,” praised Rhapsody. “Are you coming to check the clothes I crafted for you or what? Mamma needs her place in the VIP roster!”

Roth grinned. It was time to check why Rhapsody looked so confident.

Ch. 184 - Battle of Wooly Wits

INDEX

Ch. 186 - And the Winner Is…