Quest 1: Waterproof Weaving

  I’ve obtained a small mountain of aquaclaw oil sacs, but they can’t be used in their current state. Is there someone who can distill them into something more useable?

  Personal Quests

  -Take a mission

  -Create or modify one of my arts

  -Upgrade Fishing Rod

  -Make New Traps and Equipment

  Lukey finished writing the new entries in his quest log and scanned his objectives.

  During his run through the labyrinth, he created the stone ties, got a small mountain of oil sacs, and completed the labyrinth in one day. Today, he would finally finish the first quest that led him into the labyrinth. In terms of progress, he was blazing a trail.

  Lukey glanced across the main floor of the guild towards the mission board. There were already plenty of requests on board, some of which Lukey probably wasn’t ready for. He could have walked over there and picked a mission to focus on, but instead he chose to focus on making his trek around the town today.

  Lukey had to prioritize his equipment over missions; after all, it didn’t matter what he picked if he didn’t have the right tools. So, Lukey pocketed the journal and left the guild with his bucket of oil sacs and his stone ties.

  There were three things he wanted to get done on this trip through town. First, find Adran to see if these stone ties could be improved; a few rocks and some strings were hardly durable materials, and he needed something he could use for a long time.

  Second, Lukey needed to find someone to process all these oil sacs. He was pretty sure Ginny would be repulsed if he brought a bucket full of yellow organs to her, so he needed to turn them into something a weaver could use.

  Finally, the armor. After seeing Garrett and his team yesterday, Lukey wanted a real set of armor more than ever. Now, after discovering the properties of crab shells, Lukey wanted to see if there was someone who could make armor out of them. As a matter of fact, someone already came to mind in this regard.

  The ant-man… He had a Chitinshaper class. Maybe it could be used to shape crab shells?

  Lukey knew bugs and crabs both had exoskeletons made of chitin; it was one of the few things he managed to pay attention to when the instructor was describing the anatomy of monsters. Unfortunately, this didn’t matter if he had no idea where to find the chitinshaper.

  The only option available was to go to Adran and see what he knew.

  …

  “Anyone here?” Lukey called while knocking on the shop door.

  “Ugh, not so loud,” moaned Adran, from behind the door. “Head hurts… must rest.”

  “It’s almost noon; you can’t stay in bed forever.” Lukey protested. “Besides, I’ve got more work for you, and more money!”

  “Ugh, fine.” Adran called out. After a set of footsteps and a clicking noise, the door opened to reveal Adran still wearing his clothes from yesterday and wrapped in blankets. It seemed that Adran didn’t even try to pace himself with the drinking, though Lukey had to admit that the free booze was indeed tempting.

  “Can I come inside?” Lukey asked, leaning against the doorway.

  “Sure,” Adran begrudgingly said, “but no talking until I’ve had my coffee!”

  ….

  With one long sip, Adran finished drinking the last of his freshly prepared coffee.

  Lukey was forced to sit on the floor and watch while the blacksmith went through the entire process of making and drinking coffee. Anytime he made to open his mouth, he was met with a shush, and eventually Lukey avoided saying anything for risk of angering the blacksmith. Now, however, it looked like he was finally allowed to speak after Adran waved his hand to give Lukey the go-ahead.

  “First, I want to improve this,” Lukey explained, before pulling out the stone ties. “Do you have any recommendations?”

  Adran looked at the three rocks tied up with a rope, then swung it over his head as he confirmed how it worked.

  “This is a pretty crude boleadora; did you make it?” Adran asked.

  “Boleadora? I didn’t know it already had a name!” Lukey exclaimed. “You mean this thing is already used overseas?”

  “Yes,” Adran confirmed. “It’s mostly for throwing at fast animals to slow them down so they can be caught. It’s designed to be thrown while riding an animal like horses or raptors.”

  That was disappointing; when Lukey came up with the idea, he thought he was the first to devise a trap that could be thrown from so far away. Now it seemed that he just wasn’t as well informed as he should be. Still, this was also a stroke of good luck, because it meant Adran already knew how to improve it.

  “Since you seem to know more than me, I’ll leave you to decide on the improvements,” Lukey said. “Now, I need some advice. Do you know where I can get some materials processed, specifically waterproofing materials?”

  “Waterproofing?” Adran mused, “I guess you should talk to an alchemist about that; they usually deal with any kind of materials with special properties. I heard the one in town already set up shop, and he’s started selling paint.”

  “Excellent, now just one more question.” Lukey excitedly said. “What do you know about making armor, specifically out of crab shells?”

  “Shell armor?” Adran asked, surprised. “That sounds like something someone from the order of Insectii would wear. Why would you need something like that?”

  “Crab shells are light and easy to wear underwater.” Lukey quickly answered. “Also, Insectii?”

  “You don’t know? Don’t they teach you anything in school!” Adran exclaimed. “Bug people! Lots of arms and legs, mandibles, exoskeletons, delicate wings, and so on and so forth. Remember that moth kid sitting at the table beside us yesterday?”

  “Oh yeah,” Lukey recalled, “I remember now. They don’t all look like that, do they?”

  “No,” Adran answered. “Just like the Zaurians, there are many clans spread out across the world. Some are right next to human cities, and some have their own cities. Just like the beastkin, they have many different subspecies and can range from very human-like to totally monstrous.”

  Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.

  “Interesting,” Lukey mused. “I remember that one of the people that came with you is an Insectii, and he had the chitinshaper class too.”

  “You mean Ki’ida?” Adran asked. “I talked with him on the trip here; apparently his homeland is full of large insects, and chitinshapers regularly use their exoskeletons to make armor and jewelry.”

  “You talked with him?” Lukey asked, his interest piqued. “What’s he like?”

  “Honestly? A bit rude.” Adran replied sheepishly. “He honestly tries to avoid people whenever he can. The only reason we started a conversation was because we both had craftsmen classes, and even then, he didn’t say much.”

  “Anything else you could tell me?” Lukey asked. If he wanted to meet with this man and get some armor made, he needed to know everything he could to avoid offending him. A chitinshaper could be vital to his future exploits, and he didn’t want to screw it up.

  “Nothing much,” Adran sighed. “He did mention that he left home to pursue his path. Apparently, among his colony, it’s forbidden for men to have classes.”

  “Forbidden? Weird…” Lukey pondered. “Guess I’ll just have to talk to him myself.” Then Lukey got up and began walking to the door. “Listen, I appreciate all your help; I’ve still got errands to run, so I’ll be heading out. Feel free to take your time with those boleadoras.”

  “Alright, between this and the new spears, it looks like I’m going to be busy for a while.” Adran said.

  “New spears?” Lukey asked with a tinge of curiosity. “Who asked you to make them spears?”

  “The emperor, of course. He said he was impressed with the quality of your equipment, and he wants all the new fishermen to be equipped with the same.” Adran explained. “I’ll show him these bolas you gave me too and see if he’s interested.”

  “I hope he’s paying you for all this, rather than expecting you to do it for free.” Lukey asked.

  “Don’t worry, he is. Plus, he’s helping source the materials for me to make all the equipment.” Adran confirmed. “After spending so long traveling, it’s nice to finally start leveling again. Maybe I’ll start upgrading a new art soon too.”

  Lukey’s interest was once again piqued by hearing about upgrading arts; however, he was wasting time here and had other places to be. With slight reluctance, the two exchanged goodbyes, and off Lukey went in search of the alchemist.

  …

  Where is the alchemist already? I’m getting tired of wandering around everywhere. Someone should really make a map of the town and add the locations of every prominent shop. It would make doing business so much easier.

  Yet another suggestion to bring up with the emperor crossed Lukey’s mind as he wandered down the streets in search of an alchemist. The white pavement below him stretched into the town’s mazelike form, and Lukey continuously scanned every building in search of a place that sold paint.

  All around him were buildings of white with blue trims and rows of tropical flora popping out from beside the houses and in the center of the street. The flowers grew along a trellis, which took the form of a high wall and hovered over the street from the center. The way the flowers were arranged made them impossible to ignore, which Lukey would have guessed was their purpose.

  Occasional archways built into the wall allowed someone to traverse to the other side of the street without issue. The wall itself stretched into the street and ended up where a three-way intersection took place, merging with a wall that stretched to the sides. In the center of this merger was an open area shaped in a perfect circle, with entrances leading in different directions.

  Lukey followed the wall down and entered the area enveloped in green.

  Wow… Mom really has been outdoing herself lately. All this wasn’t here a few days ago.

  This was one of the projects his mother had been so fervently working on in the last few weeks. The flower walls didn’t go on for very long, but she and her team had been working to plant these flower walls down every street. It took time and a lot of effort, but it was cheap to make, and the results spoke for themselves. These flowers would give this town the appearance of being cultural and civilized, which was essential towards gaining more foreign support.

  Down one archway, Lukey could see the wall give way to a park filled with similar wild flora, with structures made of plants dotting the entire area. There were flowers the size of a small boat, along with lattice structures and benches. The entire park looked beautifully wild and colorful, exactly like his mother had envisioned.

  Lukey quickly realized he was getting distracted from the sightseeing, however, and turned his focus back to the alchemist.

  By chance Lukey took a glance toward a street to his right, and at long last he found it. Above one of the entrances hung a sign that read “Gelvin’s Potions and Paints” in multicolored writing. Around the sign was a thick border that seemed to glow with shifting hues, and beside the text was a bright, hue-shifting bottle.

  Good grief, that’s hard to read but very eye-catching.

  Lukey entered the shop with the chime of a bell announcing his arrival, then stopped in wonder at the display before him. All around him were shelves full of various alchemical paints made in a myriad of colors. Some of them were even glowing like the sign outside, with others radiating an aura of darkness. Below the shelves were barrels that were half Lukey’s height, filled with who knows what kind of substance.

  “Welcome!” A creaking voice called out. “Are you with the builders? Just tell me what you need, and I’ll have it ready in a jiffy!”

  In the back of the shop, poised behind a stately desk, was an elderly, pale man with a cheery look on his face. He wore a long blue robe, spectacles in front of a squinting gaze, and a small azure cap atop a head riddled with sunspots. He was also cleanly shaven, so Lukey could tell the old codger was missing quite a few teeth.

  [??? (Expert Alchemist) Lv. 345]

  “I’m not a builder; I’m a fisherman,” Lukey clarified. “I need an alchemist that can process some materials.”

  “Materials, eh? Well, assuming they have alchemical properties, I’m your man!” The geezer proudly stated. “Now let’s have a look-see at what you’ve brought.”

  Lukey walked over to the counter, then lifted the bucket full of oil sacs and placed it on top. The senior gingerly grabbed one of the organs in his hand and inspected it as he adjusted his glasses. Lukey couldn’t tell, but he suspected that man was using some sort of art to identify its properties.

  After a long moment of inspection, the man finally turned to Lukey.

  “Waterproofing oils? Well, talk about a stroke of luck! Despite being located on an island, I haven’t been able to get anything like this out of Thousand Acre.” The man exclaimed. “Tell me, what’s your name, young man, and where did you get these?”

  “It’s Lukey, and there’s a labyrinth not too far from here that’s full of monsters that have this.” Lukey explained.

  “Well, at least I know where to get these in the future.” The man said. “My name is Gelvin, Gelvin Potsbury. I was originally from the Eternal Forest, then moved into Mesozauria on a whim. Ended up regretting it and moved here shortly afterwards.”

  The Eternal Forest? Isn’t that the southernmost part of Vetus? If I remember right, that’s home to Thousand Acre’s main base.

  “Come with me, boy,” Gelvin gestured. “To the lab!” Then, he pointed toward the back door.

  Lukey was confused, but he decided to entertain the eccentric for now, following his lead into the doorway and down a hallway.

  “Here, boy, this door.” Gelvin said, opening the first door on his right.

  The entrance opened to reveal a room filled with several strange devices and equipment sitting on tables and desks. On one table was a row of flasks and beakers, each one sitting pristine in its metal rack. On another table, a large machine sat on top, with a ledge to place bottles and several tubes sticking out of it. On the right-hand side wall was a set of barrels lined up side by side.

  What completed the strange sight was a contraption that sat to Lukey’s right, near the doorway. It consisted of a wooden platform above a bed of springs that came out of a round metal base. The base had a small switch, and the wooden platform had straps connected to it that were strewn on the ground around the device.

  “Give me a moment; I need to set something up.” Gelvin said, raising a finger. He grabbed a few pieces and began assembling something. It only took a few short moments to complete, and when it was done, it looked like a metal net sitting above a large metal pan. “Done! Now, help me out. Just cut open the glands and place them on the wire rack.”

  With the request, Lukey took his knife and began cutting open the oil sacs, then placing each one on the rack. As he did so, he saw how the oils within slowly started falling through the metal netting and falling into the pan. Unfortunately, some other liquids were mixed in too, so Lukey didn’t exactly know how pure the solution would be.

  It would be a while before all the sacs were cut open, so Lukey chose to make some light conversation.

  “You say you’re from the Eternal Forest? A stage three class holder like you must have been famous; what made you leave?”

  “Famous? No, but I gained some notoriety. I never made it to stage four like some more notable figures, but I made a decent living selling paints for the artists guild.” Gelvin said. “As for why I left, I guess you could say I needed a change of pace.”

  Lukey nodded in understanding of the old man’s words. Perhaps his story wasn’t tragic, but whatever it was, it was something he preferred not to tell the world. Thus, Lukey patiently listened to Gelvin ramble as the shell oil dripped into the pan.