“Is not trading with non-Beastkin really doing that much damage?” Olaf asked.
“Yes and no. Take the Meerkatmen for example. They have always been a very peaceful people. They never had a need for weapons like the javelins they are commissioning. But no one is buying the ore they mine, or rather not enough of it is being bought. Trade caravans have stopped coming because the non-Beastkin are not able to get into the city. The Meerkatmen would farm if they could but they do not have enough safe land, not with the beasts that roam the savanna. They are being forced into learning to hunt to feed their tribe,” Mbuzi explained.
“So why not take the ore to Root City and sell it there?” Olaf asked.
“They would make even less for their ore in Root City where the supply of ore is abundant,” Mbuzi said.
“But the caravans were buying it?” Olaf asked. If the caravans came from Root City, then wouldn’t they be getting even better prices?
“No, the caravans were bartering, food for ore. For as much land as the Endless Savanna boasts, it is not very suitable for farming. Other provinces are able to grow food in abundance, but lack ores. It is cheaper for them to trade grain for ore than to buy the ore at Root City prices,” Mbuzi explained.
“But you just said, Root City wouldn’t pay much for ore?” Olaf questioned.
“They do not pay much to buy ore from miners because the influx is so abundant. However, that ore is quickly put to use, making more weapons, reinforcing walls, and who knows how many other uses Root City has for it. Anyway, because they use it, they do not resell it cheaply,” Mbuzi explained.
As a miner himself, Olaf really should have known more about this. On the other hand, he focused on selling to other players, people who were buying in small quantities, and as he now realized, were paying a premium for it. “Okay, so Leo’s policies are crushing the economy,” Olaf said in summary.
“And that is only the start,” Mbuzi said. “But enough of that, focus on heating the forge. I will add some more coal.”
Olaf wanted to ask more but it was hard with the work that needed to be done in the forge. Pumping the bellows as he was, drained his SP steadily, which rewarded him with points to his Stamina stat.
“That should be hot enough,” Mbuzi said after almost thirty minutes of pumping the bellows nonstop. “Let us start with fifty pounds of raw copper,” he added, pointing to a large stone bowl that looked just small enough to fit through the door of the forge.
Olaf deposited the ore and was promptly handed a thick iron pole with a U-shaped head that fit perfectly around the stone crucible and under the lip of it. Olaf quickly figured out the pole was used to pick up the bowl and put it into the forge without burning his arms.
“Good,” Mbuzi said, shutting the forge door after Olaf placed the bowl and ore into the forge. “Now, keep working the bellows. We want to maintain the heat so, one pump per ten seconds. And I expect you to count them. In an hour the copper should have melted, and we can skim the impurities off the top.”
It was exhausting working the forge like this. Olaf was very quickly missing the magical forges of Root City and Hammerton that didn’t require pumping the bellows.
“Time for the tin,” Mbuzi said, surprising Olaf as he had lost track of time while working the bellows. “Six pounds should be enough,” he said, holding out a hand for the ore with one hand and holding out the pole for the ore vat in the other.
Olaf took the pole and handed over the ore.
Mbuzi donned a pair of thick leather gloves this time before opening the door. “Just to the edge,” he yelled over the sound of the burning coals.
Olaf carefully pulled the stone vat to the edge of the forge door.
“That is good,” Mbuzi yelled, using a stone shovel to scoop impurities off the molten copper, tossing it into a stone basin at the base of the forge. Once he was satisfied, he switched shovels, balancing the tin ore on the new shovel before tipping it into the superheated copper. “Back in,” he yelled, finishing the process.
Olaf pushed the stone vat back into the forge to let the next part of the process complete.
“We’ll give it another thirty minutes then scoop the impurities again. After that, it is immediately to go into the ingot molds,” the old Goatman said, pointing to a table with square bar-shaped molds. “For now, get the heat up,” Mbuzi ordered, pointing to the bellows again.
Olaf was only too relieved when the molten bronze was poured from the stone crucible into the molds.
“As soon as those have cooled, we will do one more batch.,” Mbuzi said, looking satisfied with the work. “For now, go get us lunch.”
“What?” Olaf asked, confused by the order.
“Food, I am hungry. Go get us lunch,” Mbuzi repeated himself.
Olaf wasn’t happy with the order but didn’t have a reason to refuse. He had put in hard work preparing those ingots.
Stepping out of the forge, Olaf decided that the weather in the province was not nearly as hot as he originally thought, but that could have been his forge melted brain talking.
The Bazaar had plenty of food stalls selling a variety of unidentifiable foods, but Olaf settled on a place selling kabobs and pitas, or what he assumed were pitas and he didn’t ask about the meat. Some things were best unknown. It was walking back toward the forge that Olaf understood what the old Goatman was talking about with the closed-up shops. If the frequency of the shops closing was like the old man said, then it wouldn’t be long before the Bazaar of Beasts couldn’t remain in business.
After their meal, Olaf helped the old man break the clay molds and stack the bronze ingots. After that, Olaf got a lesson on creating the clay molds and learned a pair of new subskills for his efforts.
You’ve learned ‘Blacksmithing’ subskills ‘Molding’ and ‘Smelting’
Blacksmithing
Level: 66
Experience: 74.11%
Professional Skill: Blacksmithing is the art of creating simple tools of metal for all manner of purposes.
Chance to Repair Damaged Metalwork (1-10): 53.00%
Chance to Craft Enhanced Metalwork (1-10): 5.30%
Chance to Recover Usable Metal from Metal Scrap (1-10): 53.00%
Subskill: Scrapping
Skill Effect (Active): Your knowledge of metals and metalworks allows you to scrap such objects. Chance of recovering usable metal +6.60%
Stamina Cost: 10 per second
Subskill: Molding
Skill Effect (Active): The ability to create simple molds from clay.
Stamina Cost: 5 per second
Subskill: Smelting
Skill Effect (Active): The ability to meltdown raw ore to produce workable ingots
Stamina Cost: 20 per second
Copper Ingot
1-pound raw copper ore
Bronze Ingot
0.9-pound raw copper ore, 0.1-pound raw tin ore
Blacksmithing Blueprints Known:
Rough Oversized Metal Tube - 3-inch diameter
1-pound metal per 1-inch, Anvil, Smithing Tools
Rough Oversized Metal Handle (Part)
20-pounds metal, Anvil, Smithing Tools
Rough Oversized Metal Trigger (Part)
1/2-pound metal, Anvil, Smithing Tools
Rough Oversized Metal Breach (Part)
5-pounds metal, Anvil, Smithing Tools
Rough Oversized Shell Casing (Part)
2-pounds brass, Anvil, Smithing Tools
And he had already gained 15 levels to the skill. It wasn’t as good as his ‘Engineering II’, but it was a good sign if it was advancing that quickly.
Engineering II
Level: 13
Experience: 6.44%
Professional Skill: Engineering is the art of creating complex tools for all manner of purposes.
Chance to Repair Damaged Mechanism (1-10): 76.50%
Chance to Craft Enhanced Mechanism (1-10): 4.70%
Chance to Recover Usable Parts from Deconstructing M
echanism (1-10): 76.50%
Chance to Repair Damaged Mechanism (11-20): 26.50%
Chance to Craft Enhanced Mechanism (11-20): 1.30%
Chance to Recover Usable Parts from Deconstructing Mechanism (11-20): 26.50%
Subskill: Disassembly
Skill Effect (Active): Your knowledge of simple machines and simple mechanisms allows you to disassemble such objects. Chance of recovering parts 11.30%
Stamina Cost: 10 per second
Subskill: Tooling
Skill Effect (Active): Your knowledge of tools allows you to Engineer 11.30% faster.
Stamina Cost: 5 per second
Subskill: Smoothing
Skill Effect (Active): Actively file or grind roughed parts into usable parts.
Stamina Cost: 10 per second
Engineering Blueprints Known:
Simple Hand-Cannon Round
1- oversized stone slug, 1-oversized brass casing, 50-grains black powder, 1-oversized cloth wadding, oversized bullet press
Simple Hand-Cannon Round II
1- oversized stone slug, 1-oversized brass casing, 100-grains black powder, 1-oversized cloth wadding, oversized bullet press
Black Powder - 10 grains
7.5-grains saltpeter, 1.5-grains charcoal, 1.0-grains sulfur, mortar, and pestle
Simple Small Explosive
1-wick (6-inches or longer), 1-wax paper tube (1-inches circumference, 3-inches tall), 80-grains black powder, 1-ounce wax
Simple Medium Explosive
1-wick (6-inches or longer), 1-wax paper tube (2-inches circumference, 3-inches tall), 160-grains black powder, 1-ounce wax
Simple Large Explosive
1-wick (6-inches or longer), 1-wax paper tube (2-inches circumference, 6-inches tall), 320-grains black powder, 1-ounce wax
As promised, Mbuzi had them make another round of ingots and while the new set of ingots was cooling, Olaf and Mbuzi put one of the new ingots to use. Putting the metal in the cooler forge, heating it up just enough to soften it for Olaf’s hammer under the guidance of the Goatman.
“Not bad,” Mbuzi said, looking at the completed javelin tip. “The Meerkatman Tribe will be very pleased,” he added, flipping the pointed metal tip into a crate next to the door that led back into the Bazaar.
“Only ninety-nine more to go,” Olaf said, checking his game clock. “But that will need to wait until tomorrow. Leo is supposed to introduce me to Chief Chosi.”
“Good luck,” Mbuzi said, exiting the forge and leaning lazily against the outdoor counter once again.
“I don’t know if I’ll be able to come back tomorrow but I’m going to try,” Olaf said.
“Order is due in three days,” Mbuzi said nonchalantly, suddenly adding a timer to the professional quest.
Professional Quest: Bronze Javelin Tips Made to Order
Blacksmith Mbuzi has offered you a commission to produce 100 javelin tips for the Meerkatman Tribe. (69:31:14.67)
Reward: Training to ‘Blacksmithing II’, Experience
Olaf was not overly happy about the new time constraint. He was considerably less pleased when he realized he was leaving the forge without a new hand-cannon. However, if he could get his ‘Blacksmithing’ skill up to ‘Blacksmithing II’, he would be able to use iron. Iron, which would add a few more yards to the range of his hand-cannons, also allowing him to upgrade his ammo. And upgraded ammo meant more damage.
Winding his way back through the maze of tents, Olaf arrived at Leo’s office with about five minutes to spare. Leo’s office was probably the tallest building in the village, though it only stood three stories high. The bottom floor was mudbrick while the top two floors appeared to have been added later with wood. Looking around the city, Olaf was struck by just how weak the structures were. A small fire could quickly rage out of control and burn it all down.
The sturdiest part of the town was the tall wooden palisade, which he could see from the inside of the wall was still under construction. There were workers laying mud bricks along the inside of the wall, stacking them to reinforce the wall. If the city really was under Leo’s control, then it appeared he was prioritizing the cities defenses. Defenses were a necessity, but was it really necessary to upgrade the walls when you were on the verge of an economic crisis?
“Ah, good, Olaf, you’re already here,” Leo’s voice interrupted Olaf’s thoughts.
“Leo, good to see you again,” Olaf replied.
“You as well. Allow me to introduce Chief Chosi, leader of the Cheetahmen Tribe,” Leo said, motioning to the tall lithe woman standing next to him.
“Chief Chosi, this is Olaf Crushhammer. An adventurer,” Leo said, kindly introducing Olaf.
“Pleased to meet you, Chief Chosi,” Olaf said formally.
“Hmm, an adventurer with manners. You could learn from this one, Lord Leonidas,” Chosi said before smiling at Olaf. “It is nice to meet you as well, Mr. Crushhammer.”
“Well, Olaf mentioned he was looking for work this morning,” Leo said. “I promised to introduce him to any of the village Chiefs that came to town in hopes he might be able to offer his services.”
“I see,” Chosi said, her eyes studying Olaf. “Very well. Mr. Crushhammer, please walk with me to the gates.” She briefly turned to Leo to bow her head respectfully before she took one of Olaf’s arms and gently guided him away from Leo’s building.
Once the pair were a fair distance from Leo’s office, Chosi spoke before asking, “What manner of work are you looking for? And is it only you?”
“I have some friends with me. And we’re looking for any kind of work that would help the people of the province, all the people of the province,” Olaf answered, hopefully making it clear he wouldn’t do anything that might hurt another tribe to help hers.
“Very noble of you,” Chosi said, sounding amused. “How many friends? All Beastkin?”
“There are eleven of us though only five are adventurers,” Olaf answered, then hesitated before answering the last question. “And . . . no, not all of us are Beastkin. Is that a problem?”
“For me, no. But I suggest you not tell Lord Leo that, nor his underling, Chief Gofi,” Chosi said, a catlike hiss coming out of her mouth as she said the last name.
“I figured as much when we found out non-Beastkin are not allowed in the city,” Olaf said.
“It was not always this way,” Chosi said, sounding sad. “Once, this was a place where all were welcome, where the Bazaar was open morning, noon, and night and people came from all over the World Tree to trade their goods. Now . . . now it will not be long before the people are forced to leave this place and never return. To allow what was once such a great province turn fallow and wild . . . it is a shame.”
“I’m sorry to hear that. Maybe there is something my friends and I can do about it,” Olaf said.
“Maybe there is,” Chosi replied but remained silent and did not offer a quest much to Olaf’s disappointment, though it didn’t last long.
As soon as the pair were beyond the city gates, Chosi spoke again, asking, “Where is your camp from here?”
“Just over there,” Olaf said, pointing toward his camp where Bye-bye’s tent was the easiest thing to spot.
“I will send a runner in the morning,” Chosi said. “She will guide you to my village.”
“Tell her to be careful, I’ve trapped the perimeter pretty thoroughly,” Olaf said.
“How far out?” Chosi asked.
“About twenty yards out from each tent,” Olaf answered.
“Very well, I will warn her. Tikka will call for you when she arrives,” Chosi said. “If you come, I will have a task for you and your companions.”
Quest Alert: Chief Chosi of the Cheetahmen 1 (Recommended Level 18-22)
Chief C
hosi of the Cheetahmen has promised you and your companions work for her tribe. Tikka, a Cheetahwoman, will guide you and your companions to the Cheetahman tribe’s village in the morning.
Reward: Experience
Do you accept this Quest?
Yes
No
Olaf was excited when the quest finally popped up, and it was a quest chain no less. Olaf accepted without another thought.
“Alright, until tomorrow then,” Olaf said his farewell.
“Until tomorrow,” Chosi said with a slight bow before stepping away from Olaf. The woman then lowered into a runner’s stance and was gone in a blur of movement, a faint dust trail following her.
Chapter 12
Olaf returned to camp much later in the day than I had expected. It honestly left me feeling a little bitter. Four days were already gone, and I still wasn’t able to access the city. At least the day wasn’t a complete waste. Rose and I were able to spar for a few hours, building up skills and stat points alike. I also finally sat down and started working on the skill scrolls for ‘Body Control’. Unfortunately, to make just four scrolls cost me three failures and six hours of work. Still, levels to my profession.
Runology II (Evolved from Writing)
Level: 31
Experience: 81.14%
Professional Skill: Runology is the art of communicating power.
Chance to Learn Rank I Unknown Rune: 64.50%
World Tree Online- the Endless Savanna- 3rd Dive Page 20
