I really did appreciate Gunther giving me a little head's up that Kuch and Mordred was standing out too much, with a cover story that probably couldn't withstand thorough scrutiny. Maybe if I had refrained from doing anything so spectacularly boggling by the standards of the empire. Or perhaps if we had just blended in with all the other mercenaries and went with how they worked, then maybe most would dismiss it as being eccentric and odd. He had mentioned there were quite some interesting mercenary bands out there, so it wasn't impossible.

  It's just that I wasn't going to become anything like them at all. I wasn't going to try to be somebody whose existence revolved around terms and conditions to help people. Lighthouse certainly hadn't.

  So neither would myself and my dolls.

  Thus, I was going to accelerate my approach to interacting with this world. Though maybe it was more appropriate to just say I was going to rework some of my plans. It wasn't like I wanted to be a completely isolated hermit who interacted only through proxies, but neither did I want to be swarmed and turned into the center of attention for 'lost' knowledge. I need to strike a balance between those two, one which Gunther's suggestion did so happen to match with.

  I mean, I did literally have a player home that was pretty much a workshop with a manor attached to it. So it honestly wasn't such a bad idea to become known as some sort of atelier of sorts, taking jobs and commissions as I saw fit for whatever caught my interest or fancy. But I also still did need a way to filter and make sure I wasn't drowned in not just overwhelming requests, but ones in bad faith or with nefarious purposes.

  Because knowing me, if somebody asked me to making a sword that could kill a divine for fun, I'd probably do it for the sheer heck of the challenge. Then probably make a certain electric rodent face when it was used for that. Ah, the eternal paradox of the weapon maker! Let's not worry about that too much for now.

  From what I'd seen, learned, and interacted with so far, House Cordis could actually be that in-between I needed to manage all that. A noble family who took duty super seriously and was apparently quite honorable in so many things. Their name even sounded that of Mikel's loyal NPC retainer Cordelia, the vampire who happened to also handle the household too.

  I was going to tell myself that was absolutely just a coincidence until I knew more for sure. Just as I didn't want to yet plunge myself into the consideration that there was an actual mechanic reason for why people were so weak in comparison in this day and age compared to FLOW.

  Nope, let's not sink into more incoherent screaming at the corporate publishers just yet, focus on what I was going to do now.

  Kuch and Mordred were on their way back with the boxes of broken weapons, and they'd probably stick around until I was finished with forging Gunther's weapon. It wouldn't take long but they weren't in a hurry either, so they'd probably stick around for a little longer. Likely until Mordred had drained all the manor of all my casks of beer.

  The dragon drank fermented wheat juice like it was water and inhaled fruit bread like it was air. Where the heck did she pack it all in that body?

  While they were around, I'd probably be very quite safe. And since they would be here shortly, I felt confident in sending Frie out to the west to have at least a peek at whatever was out there, leeching off my bird crystal. The illusion defenses of my manor should be able to hide and protect me until the adventurers were here, and by the time they left, my brawler-butler self should be on their way back. Again, just a little quick look, just so I would know what to prepare for next time I went that direction. Surely, it wouldn't be anything than just maybe a funky tree species.

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  "Oh," I whispered to myself when I beheld what I found through Frie's eyes. "I...definitely found quite the species."

  Right, let's paint a little picture. First, let's cross an oak and spruce tree to create something that grows both vertically and horizontally. Pretty thick and large, yeah? Now then, take that, and whack it on a plot of floating dirt that would ordinarily be up in skies.

  Yep. That was actually the natural habitat of the so-called sky spruces, a fantastical tree species that lived on the floating island continents that once existed in FLOW. Said area was the subject of an entire expansion in the game, revolving around finally uncovering the driving source of mechanical innovation in the world through the reveal of a wandering civilization in the skies.

  It had been really awesome, not going to lie, and Lighthouse had many fond memories of adventuring in those territories, working with the wandering nomadic civilization that was also quite highly advanced with firearms and air ships.

  I hadn't seen any sign of their existence since, or even the floating islands where their few established settlements could have settled on. It wasn't impossible that perhaps they were still out there, though I thought it unfortunately unlikely. And my newest discovery all but confirmed it.

  Sky spruce and many other flora of the floating continents was a notoriously fickle tree that had only grown in the soil of the skies. In FLOW, I had recalled Sveg's farm needed include that stuff in the dirt for crops from the region to finally grow. For the tree to be here on the ground either meant it had adapted to that of the ground- or that perhaps the ground had incorporated the soil of the floating continents.

  Something that could indicate they had fallen out of the skies long ago if a tree this size had settled in by now.

  This was all speculation and guesswork anyhow. But I had a feeling that if the geography around my home had changed, so too likely had the geography of the skies above. And if I was proven wrong- well, I guess I would be very pleasantly surprised instead.

  Returning back to what I had actually found, a sky spruce of this size had to be positively ancient. Just putting Frie's hand against the trunk, I could feel the faint, solid ebbing of power like a heartbeat. Hm, if it was this old, then it was possible that there was a 'consciousness' to this tree. Eagle had mentioned certain ancient trees blessed by the invisible spirit currents could develop something close to a consciousness, though not necessarily sentience.

  Well, time to see if there was one to awaken with this tree. Focusing hard enough, my doll stilled and their earth crystal core churned before releasing a faint pulse of energy. Something like a sonar ping, if I had to compare it to a term in my old life. Then I waited.

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  It took what felt like forever before there was a faint response back, a barely noticeable counter-pulse that indicated something was at least there.

  The tree felt still so sluggishly asleep, meaning that perhaps this was the first awakening in a very long time, I think. I wasn't High Elf like Eagle who would've been so attuned to the wilds. I glanced up to where my destroyed bird construct was nestled in the branches, the wind crystal core entangled in, speculating with my puppet crystal brain. I think the sky spruce had perhaps noticed my construct when it nested there too long and then began to leech off its crystal energies to begin stirring awake.

  So this was a total accident and coincidence on my part that led to this incredible discovery.

  But it wasn't yet fully roused. I could tell from how long it took to receive a response. It needed more energy, which was also in line with what Eagle had told and showed. While the ancient tree could speak, it was only very rarely and usually quite briefly due to the copious amounts of energy required. Something that they wished not to do often, for they liked to slumber and dream days long gone, like the veritable antiques they were. The only time one would ever truly bother them by offering up so much power was if to speak to them and maybe ask for favors, like harvesting parts from them.

  Sky spruce wood...that was really quite high quality stuff. Enough that I could surround raid-tier gear in them and not really worry about a significant drop in grade. If I could rouse the tree all the way into asking about its history and then its permission, then perhaps I could earn the right to use pieces for my crafts.

  Hm, let's see. What could I do to accelerate this awakening? Ah, my dolls were literally crystals at their core- if I were to passively radiated the energy through meditation, it could seep into the sky spruce and gently shake it awake. But it would have to be over a prolonged period of time, like a meditation. I think Frie's body was capable of it, but they just didn't have the time right now. Like I said, this was supposed to be just a quick little peak.

  I'd have to revisit again some day and hope that the consciousness didn't hit snooze before then.

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  I blinked back to my main body when Mordred waved her hand in front of my eyes. "Oh, pardon. I was just looking something interesting."

  "Oh, so you weren't going senile just yet?" she dryly remarked and held out her empty plate. "I need another serving...please."

  "Of course." Kuch handled that for me and went into the kitchens to pick up some more food. While her mouth was temporarily available, I decided to ask the dragon some questions. "Have you ever heard about floating islands in the world?"

  She blinked and scrunched up her face, seeming to give it some actual thought. "I think mother mentioned they existed once, a long time ago," Mordred said, uncertain. "I did ask if I could see them. She said that they unfortunately aren't around anymore, and that was that."

  "I see. Thank you."

  So that all but confirmed my suspicions: the nomadic civilization of the skies was no more. Whether or not it had been because of tragedy or happenstance, the undeniable truth was that they had descended to the ground and never went back up.

  So their advanced technology was lost now, I supposed. No guns or air ships for the world anymore.

  More things that I could perhaps bring back, if I really did want to. I wasn't sure though because I recalled how even their introduction back in the day had some controversy. Some in Lighthouse had openly expressed worries during the reveal that wondered about the game world's direction- if it was just really going to be a kitchen-sink with little thought put into it. But a few had also expressed the belief that if it was good and balanced, then there wasn't a problem.

  The expansion did release to good reviews to prove that point, but without the benefit of hindsight, I had to ask that same question. Were such possibly advanced crafts something I was willing to bring out to this world and join my already questionable creations? Things that definitely ruined the scale of progression for this world, maybe?

  I reflected on the look of awe and shock in the eyes of those blacksmiths when Mordred had shown off my gifts to her- how maybe one day, they could hopefully equate me if they worked hard enough. Though it might be long past their natural lifespans by then, at least for the shorter lived races. And also depending on other possible considerations about growth in this system.

  I eyed Mordred who openly salivated at Kuch coming back with a refilled plate of food. But before it was served, they briefly withheld it so that I could ask a question. "Mordred? Can I ask you something?"

  "Huh?" There was a flash of irritation that crossed her face at the abrupt interruption in her meal. "What's going on?"

  "Suppose I could make something like a ship that could let people fly across the skies like dragons," I posited. "What would you think about the domain of dragons just being something that anybody out there could travel through?"

  "What, really? Is that what's gotten you into a twist?" she asked with a loud snort. Mordred rolled her eyes and flicked a finger quite rudely my way. "I mean, that part's not even true. There's all sorts of other things like birds out there, aren't there? What sort of grumpy elder logic is that?

  "If anything, I…" the dragon hesitated, then pushed on in a more subdued tone. "I'd love for other people to maybe feel like how great flying is. Feel the wind in your ears, so high above the ground- it's something I think you should at least have a chance to experience, instead of being withheld forever. Better to have at least had the chance, than to stifle and never be able."

  Her words helped soothe my internal debate, allowing me to come to terms with a few things that had been bouncing around in my head. It was like how I could make weapons for good or ill; did the blame fall on the maker, or the user? I had made Heart-Piercer for Mordred, a weapon she named for revenge, but something she also used to protect herself. Maybe even hopefully others some day. If I were to bring airships and guns back, then the same thing could happen: whatever I made and created, once it was out of my hands, there was no going back.

  But I couldn't have regrets about it. I couldn't force myself to limit my creations. So let's make what whatever I wanted, like a mercenary's sword now.

  And move along with the times to see how I could change the trajectory of this future.

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