Chapter 51: Crafting, Round Two
It was an important day for many partaking in the prefectural competition. Along with the continuation of the crafting competition, the fifth day would carry on with the finale of Eran’s endurance and Priam’s agility tests. But before I could get through that, I got to meet a few of my friends from the chasm delving.
They were already on route to Nayanda together, and it was upon Marcus's request that both Valeria and Tellus came to watch the competition. They had completed their due in the chasms and were as prepared as they could be for the admission test.
I introduced them to my family and friends. They had already met my parents, but now that they had all made some inquiries about our background, they were unnecessarily polite before them.
“So, how are your chances looking?” Tellus asked.
“Pretty good, I’d say.”
“I guess you didn't have to go brutal on anyone like you did with the demons,” Valeria said, poking me with her elbow.
“Well, maybe once,” I smiled, scrunching my nose.
Valeria bobbed her head quizzically.
“It's nothing serious,” I admitted. “Nobody was injured.”
“No,” Priam snickered, “he just ruined a prestigious armament beyond repair.”
Valeria blinked and exchanged a look of utter bewilderment.
“My opponent," I explained myself, "she was a bit of a loudmouth.”
“How did you ruin an armament of the prestigious class?” Tellus asked. “I thought they were tough enough to meet even a couple of halfhearted blows from a Fabled Class awakened."
“They even come shielded against shaper manipulation,” Marcus piped up.
I exhaled, not being asked the question for the first time. Well, I told them the same thing I told others. A layman wouldn’t understand the nitty-gritty involved in the actual process, so I only mentioned I had studied those armaments, and since I could make them, I could destroy them as well.
“I'm telling you,” Tellus said, in utter bewilderment, “you are wasting your time not getting to the academy this year with us.”
“I’ll join next year with Eran,” I repeated what I had told him before.
As the clock moved towards ten o'clock, thousands of people poured into the amphitheatre. Ignoring my crafting competition, there would be some good shows for them.
“So, about the boots,” Marcus finally asked. “Its fine if you haven’t found time. It’s not like a pair of equipment can change the outcome of the admission test.”
“When is the test again?” I asked, accessing my blessed stone.
“There’s still about a week.”
“I guess, then you have enough time to get used to them.” Fishing out the pair of boots, I tossed them to him.
Marcus caught them eagerly, his eyes lighting up. “If you had them on you, you should have brought them out from the beginning.”
He didn’t even consider where the boots came from, as he got engrossed in trying them on.
“They aren’t exactly identical to mine,” I said, smiling. “Since you aren’t a shaper, I thought you’d prefer a more balanced build.”
“Does that make the price higher or lower?” Valeria asked.
“I’m ready to pay extra as long as it has Haste in it,” Marcus said, looking around for empty space to try them. Regrettably for him, the streets were far more crowded as we approached the opening hour.
“It does,” I said, “but you don’t have to pay extra. I’ll really feel awful if I take any more than... one hundred and sixty Gold Leafs for it.”
Marcus cocked his head. “Didn’t you say it's two hundred Gold Leafs?”
“I did say that,” I acknowledged. “But back then I thought it would take me a week to finish.”
“How long did it take you?” Tellus asked, curious.
“About one and a half long sessions.”
“And how long is your long session?” Valeria asked.
“No longer than four hours.”
She shot me a disgusted face. “You’re filthy rich, aren’t you?”
I smiled and addressed Marcus. “By the way, I haven't found any time to get it through the Artisan Guild. So you’ll have to put it through the authentication process.”
That would add a surplus to the price, including guild fees and taxation, easily increasing it by twenty percent. But it was still best to go through the legalities, recalling Aleya's words about always being careful with money—even with friends. Besides, Marcus and I barely knew each other. If the boots were to malfunction after a week of use, or if they failed to meet his expectations—even though I was sure as hell they wouldn't—it might put a wedge between us. Which was why the authentication was necessary.
“I can help with that,” Mum said, “while you focus on your competition.”
Bidding our goodbyes, Eran and I crept into the inner circle of the Hippodrome. Once again, our competitions would run concurrently, robbing me of the chance to cheer for Eran. He wore a regular tunic with a wide belt around his midsection for support. It was the only item allowed for the endurance test.
“Nervous?” I asked.
“Hmm?” Eran asked, turning his head towards me in confusion.
He’s nervous, I sighed silently. “Good luck,” I slapped his shoulder, “I’m sure you’ll manage fine.”
“My ma said the same thing,” Eran snorted, “that its already good that I get into the top 8.”
That was probably Aunt Risna’s worry for her son.
“I’m sorry that you’re going to lose your gold crown betting on me.”
I shot him a scathing glare. How had he already admitted defeat before the competition? I guessed I couldn’t blame him, considering more than two of his competitors sported an endurance-based gift. It would take a miracle for him to win the competition.
“Don’t worry about the coins. Try your best. If you don’t get it this year, you’ll get it next time.”
The eastern side of the court had already been prepared for the second round of the crafting competition. Many of my competitors were there, standing before their chosen workbench. Finding one empty in the corner, I claimed it before the remaining participants joined. It also came with a good view of the opposite side of the Hippodrome, where the endurance test would commence—not that I imagined I’d have much time to watch Eran.
It seemed every workbench came with an artisan kit. Opening mine, I found various crafting utensils, from engraving pens and essence reservoirs to stencillers and other unnecessary items.
Only a couple of minutes before the cut-off time, Terra sauntered into the section, conversing merrily with Elsbeth Solvyn. She chose a desk behind me, with her friend taking one adjacent to mine.
“Did they announce the theme yet?” asked Terra, opening her kit with a calculating gaze.
I shrugged.
“They have already tested our mastery and efficiency in round one, so maybe they’ll try to measure our creativity.”
“I’ll take anything but refinement and reinforcement,” Elsbeth said, praying with her palms.
Without enchantment-type essence, reinforcement and refinement were more than just arduous. She’d have to complete it the old way. Without some experience in advanced metallurgy, I feared she wouldn’t even get past the refining stage.
But obviously, I didn’t imagine the second round of the crafting competition would be so simple.
We did not have to rack our brains over the theme, as the couple administering the competition entered together. Both Master Aurine and Luc were dressed identically to the other day, but today they were accompanied by four attendants pushing large trolleys. A cover hid whatever was concealed within them, though a suspicion crept into my mind.
“Blighted hell,” Elsbeth cursed, “it's going to be all refinement, isn't it?”
“Good morning, everyone,” Administrator Aurine greeted, stepping to the centre of the stage. “Since everyone is here, we’ll not waste any more time. Let's get down to business. Luc, if you will...”
Her spouse nodded, clipboard in hand. “The rules for round two are a little more complicated than round one. We have about a quarter of an hour, so make sure to confirm all your doubts before you begin.
“In this round, you’re not crafting anything new, but repairing old fabricators to the best of your abilities.”
With a clap of his hands, the attendants uncovered the trolleys, revealing several hundred worn-out fabricators of various shapes and sizes. From the look of it, most didn’t even seem to be in a repairable state. Some were broken down to the point that one couldn’t even tell what they had been.
They surely aren’t using the competition as an opportunity to offload warehouse scrap, or are they?
“We have detailed reports on any items you may choose to repair,” he continued. “Your score will come from comparing the before and after state of the item.”
“We have also added a couple of other criteria to the deciding factors,” Aurine carried on. “Apart from your skills, we take into account,” she held up a finger, “the monetary value of the item and its use cases. So choose wisely.”
Terra raised her hand immediately. “Can we repair more than one item?”
“Wait for us to finish, Miss Albanias,” Master Luc said politely.
"You can pick more than one," Aurine said. “We have tagged an approximate price on all the items. You’ll be given a budget of 100 Gold Leafs to shop for your fabricators. So to answer your question, as long as the cumulative price of your items does not exceed your budget, you can pick as many as you like.”
That caused everyone to gaze at the heaps of items.
“Now we’ll take questions,” said Master Luc.
Immediately, Elsbeth piped up. “In what order will we be allowed to pick?”
“Everyone will begin at the same time,” Master Luc answered. “But remember, there is no bickering. The first one to get hold of an item has the claim on it.”
“There’s a lot of scrap metal in there,” Mar’e—the one who made the essence-retaining chain in the other competition—asked. “Can we choose to make something new with them?”
“No. This is not freeform crafting, but as long as the item’s identity remains the same, you’re allowed to reforge it.”
“So I can’t reforge a shield into a breastplate, but can forge a completely new sword from a broken one?”
“You got it.”
More and more began asking questions. Some were painfully naïve, like asking what would happen if they failed to repair something after taking it. While everyone was busy clearing their doubts, I barely paid attention, my eyes scanning the items in the trolleys. Fractal Sight shone in a piercing glow, already filtering through a number of pieces.
In two hours, I could fix more than half a dozen fabricators—if they weren’t thoroughly broken. Add in a prestigious-grade item or two, and the number would be much lower. But considering monetary value and skill, choosing higher-grade fabricators seemed the most sensible approach. Everyone had likely reached the same conclusion. There were no fools among the sixteen contestants.
Picking is going to be a war.
The number of prestigious pieces among the trolleys was definitely not high.
“Out of the sixteen of you, only eight will pass to the final round,” Master Aurine announced, as her spouse stood ready with the whistle at his lips. “You have two hours to pick and repair.”
As soon as the whistle blew, all sixteen of us surged towards the fourth trolley like rabid dogs. I had already filtered out a couple of the prestigious pieces. Without ceremony, I yanked them from the heap with telekinesis. On the other side, someone else was doing the same, though they hadn’t been as fortunate.
“Hey, that's cheating!” said a girl, but nobody paid her any attention.
I noted the price tags glued to my items. One was a war hammer, needing only minor restoration, priced at 35 Gold Leafs. The other was two pieces of a broken shovel at 15 Gold Leafs. As for what bright idea had possessed the original creator to produce a prestigious-grade shovel, I didn’t dwell on it.
The two pieces already gave me an upper hand, but my eyes still drifted to Terra. I considered her my biggest competition in the tournament—and for good reason. She had already picked a prestigious-class crown and was now flipping through the scraps to find more.
I supposed any journeyman artisan had a discerning eye—not to mention the price tags made it easier to identify prestigious items.
As the number of items dwindled and more were revealed, everyone rummaged furiously. I watched in silence, observing through Fractal Sight for anything that caught my attention.
There were a couple more I might fancy, but then my gaze landed on a golden gallery frame.
My eyes lit up immediately.
Even with the staggering price of 70 Gold Leafs, I moved to claim it, but it seemed its oddities didn't go unnoticed as I found it Terra staring at it with a piercing gaze.
Well, why wouldn’t she?
Even in its lacklustre, ruined state, it was an Artifact. One sporting thirty-two threads of essence.