Chapter 10

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What Warran told me on the porch was not entirely true. Yes, I had to make about three thousand attempts to get the first rank of the inscription alone. And that number was multiplied by the rule of thumb - "it takes ten times as long to pump in the Peace Zone. But why to sit in a "peaceful zone"? There was such a thing as a boost. Boosting, i.e. "pushing", was considered the development of one character at the expense of others. The boost party would come to the area with strong and dangerous mobs, and then the "pushed" would lay out a camping workbench or anvil (carpenters made them and made good money on it) and start sharpening, planning, or doing something else. Monsters, disturbed by the noise of the work, went with claims to the "hooligan", right into the hands of the boost party, which caught them on the approach. As a result, everyone stayed in profit - the experience ran to the adventurers relentlessly, just take it. The craftsman's profession pumped up ten times faster than in the city. An unspoken rule was to divide the loot only between the fighting players, and it was considered good manners to give at least half of the crafted to the defenders. I was going to do some serious boosting. And not as a craftsman at all.

But that's afterward, so for now it's time to get to the second part of my plan.

It's time to get into the drawing business!

I turn off the helmet, combat modules, and microphone and take the tablet.

"Comp, the output of the game on the wall screen."

It took me a minute to understand the unfamiliar PC interface, but I was able to find the crafts tab.

This is it, the drawing. Check the "use tablet" box in the settings.

Select a spell from the list - Blessing of Amala Rank 2.

Start?

Yes?

Copy the following figure into your tablet. You are left with 59, 58, 57, 56...

Drawing with a manipulator's finger allows me to avoid the accusation of cheating.

You have created the scroll "Blessing of Amala - 4th rank

Uh... that's it? The timer froze at "46," so I made the scroll in fourteen seconds. Less than that, I didn't start right away.

Comp, search. The words "creators of destiny", "video guide on drawing", and "tablet". The third clip is to run on the main panel.

The black-haired guy turned to the camera and, judging by the strange combinations of sounds, spoke in Czech. The automatic YouTube translation turned on.

"...and this guide will help you use it correctly..."

"Skip forward."

"...It's also a good idea to use a manipulator rather than a pen, which will allow..."

"Skip forward."

"...copy the pattern that appears on the screen. It will depend on the difficulty of the spell being created, taking into account both the rank of the spell itself and the rank of the drawing and the higher the intended result, the more complex the pattern. The chance of creation depends on how accurately you replicate it on your tablet. You were able to copy more than eighty percent in a minute - you created a scroll. Couldn't? Then drawing with a tablet is not for you, use game tools, where a third of success is guaranteed. I will now demonstrate how you can create a level five spell scroll! Watch the hands."

I watched in growing bewilderment as the guy, with a concentrated face, drew a simple pattern on the tablet that had appeared. A circle with a hexagon inscribed in it, pierced by two open corners, plus four five-pointed twist lines and seven small spirals with two turns at each corner and in the center of the hexagon. It's simple, isn't it?

The guy made it two seconds before the countdown ended and turned triumphantly to the camera:

"I created a scroll with an Ice Arrow spell of rank five. As you can see, it's already complicated. Using a tablet makes sense when casting scrolls up to rank three, at most rank four. It's not worth trying to get to the fourth rank and above without special training, because the patterns are always different and the requirements for accuracy are very high. Therefore, all guild drawers use only in-game means of drawing, where there is not much trouble, except for obtaining the necessary materials. I will now demonstrate another scroll - of rank four."

"Comp, pause."

I picked up my tablet and got ready.

"...so, rank four. Watch closely!" Of course, teacher, I'm all ears.

I drew a beveled five-beam star crossed by three diverging lines and two blots on each side in eleven seconds, and then watched my "colleague" diligently move the pointer across the screen for forty more seconds. After pausing, I compared his and my drawings. Mine was more accurate.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

"Comp, close the video."

I'm a goddamn genius!

Either he is an armless loser. Or the drawers of the world conspired not to reveal the secrets of the craft to newcomers. Or... who cares? Can I draw a scroll five times faster? Good. So I'll spend half an hour instead of an hour a day. Let's get to work.

I needed twenty scrolls of Phantom Companion, thirty of Blood Shield, and ten of Amala's Blessings. After I spent all my ingredients, I stocked my entire inventory with level four scrolls. Plus two sixth-level scrolls. I didn't make it in half an hour.

Suddenly the chance to create a "masterpiece" worked. Probably somehow the speed at which I gave out the scrolls had an effect, and two scrolls, "Companion" and "Blessing", were given an additional rank when they were drawn.

It's nice, I love freebies. Who doesn't?

I put on my ammunition and looked around the room. Spartan living for the temple officers, without the bad but pleasant frills. A bunk, covered with a simple blanket and a skinny pillow, a storage closet, a gun rack where my sword now stood, and a table. There was no chair.

Makes sense. A paladin should be busy with business, and the room is just for sleeping and folding things. But it reminds me of my apartment! It lacks a wall panel, but it looks like my bedroom, except that it is a little bigger, and instead of a camp bed with a wool blanket a good orthopedic mattress with... a wool blanket. Well, I'm used to it since childhood!

Smirking at the unexpected coincidence, I opened the door, took my sword from the counter, and went out.

The deadline to pay for your room is 58 days. Remember that only in your room are you guaranteed safety... as much as is possible in the world of creation of destiny.

The jokers, though.

In the courtyard, I bowed politely to the priest I knew, and the latter, without reminding laid the blessing of the temple upon me. After a salute, I made my way to the castellan: "Father Castellan?"

He took his eyes off the papers and looked at me: "Yes? Do you have some questions?"

"I am new in town and would like to ask where it is wise to keep my money. I'm going on a campaign soon, and the gold will only be an unnecessary burden. Better to give it to trustworthy people... but who in town is trustworthy enough? That money is all I have, and I wouldn't want to lose it to someone else's greed."

The castellan cleared his throat and suggested: "You do not yet have the proper rank in the guard to take advantage, as all your comrades do, of the Temple's treasury. But at a venerable Khramm, you will find good terms if you show him my letter of recommendation."

"Thank you, Father Castellan. I will take your advice."

I expected to be told to leave everything with the Castellan but, apparently, the level is too low. So, to Khramm.

Venerable Khramm was a dwarf NPC stationed in a house next to the town hall, just across the street from the auction. Meeting me at the entrance, a huge, bearded dwarf guard in full "dwarven-steel armor" scrutinized the letter, offered me a seat, and left. Looking after him, I sighed enviously. Dwarven steel was the best of the non-magic armor, and there was no level limit. Ideal armor for beginners, it simply wasn't available at in-game auctions, settling entirely in guild and clan vaults, after which it could only be redeemed for real money at an outside auction.

For solo players, it was possible to get at least part of such armor only at the highest level of reputation or to take off from the body of a dwarf. Here, for example, a warrior dwarf two hundredth level with magical weapons, with the support of a dozen of the same dwarves in full armor and the prospect of a reputation to such a level that will cease to be allowed in the cities and peaceful areas. However, there were players who attacked NPCs for the sake of loot, not paying attention to the consequences. They were understandable - the Dwarven steel gauntlets I had seen at the auction in preparation were worth three hundred and fifty dollars. There were open bids for the full armor with prices starting at two thousand and higher.

"I am Khramm. You wanted to talk?" A low voice brought me back to the reality of the game, and I stood up.

"Venerable Khramm, please forgive me, I was thinking." A polite bow. The dwarf nodded slightly at me. "I do not know whether you should be disturbed - probably any of your assistants could have handled such a small matter - but the Castellan sent me to you. I'd like to leave a small sum in escrow and arrange for some services."

The powerful little man with the three braids on his beard grinned and waved his hand:

"From old memory, I'm still doing routine work, so don't worry. What is the amount and what do you want to do with it?"

I did the math. After buying the ingredients for the scrolls and the initial ammunition, I still had forty-one gold pieces left, but I needed to have some money for operational expenses.

"Thirty-three gold pieces for safekeeping. I would also like to pay for the services of your House to represent me at the auction."

"Do you know the terms? Twentieth part a month for the storage of gold, plus a tenth of the transaction, plus storage fees - gold per month for five cells, whether they are occupied or not."

Robbery.

"Very good conditions. Father Castellan did not recommend you for nothing!"

The temple treasury could also represent at the auction and in addition, did not take money for the storage of lots, but I am still no one in this world, which means that I will have to pay.

"Here's the money," I call up the virtual keyboard and count off the necessary amount. "And here are three scrolls that I would like to sell."

For starters, I decided to sell the so fortunate "masterpiece" blessing, which turned out to be rank six, and two simple ones, rank four.

Most drawers stopped at rank three, not wanting to strain themselves with further expensive and difficult pumping. Few had a capture higher than rank four, which allowed the mass player to create spells of only ranks two or three. Spells of rank four were rare, and those of ranks five and six were created only in guilds for internal use. Scrolls of the seventh rank and above were obtained from the treasuries of high-ranked monsters, and cost fifty gold pieces apiece.

My sixth-rank Blessing of Amala scroll was potentially worth five or seven gold because it worked on a group of players, and for an hour it increased the basic characteristics by twenty-four plus twelve, one random characteristic.

A very significant bonus for adventurers who are about to slay a serious monster. It's worth the gold it costs.

And I made it in fifteen seconds.

Damn cheater.

"These scrolls will only take up three cells out of five. Do you want to buy or sell something else?"

I shook my head in the negative: "No, venerable Khramm." By the way, it's worth checking out. "Forgive my insistence, but would you have an errand for a novice warrior? I am new to the city and am trying to prove myself."

"No offense, young guardsman, but trade affairs are trusted only to trusted partners. Perhaps later, when you prove yourself..."

I squinted at the virtual panel with the text of our conversation. What was written did not differ from what had just been said, which meant that there was no hidden condition available with a microphone and imagination.

Whatever. I could potentially get up to nine gold pieces within a day, minus ten percent commission. In the meantime, I'd better get on with developing my character.

I bowed to Khramm again and leave.

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