I wake in Leeda’s spare room, still remembering the Gigavibe grind that Hamster and I were engaged in less than six hours ago. I stumble intermittently, acclimatizing with my form and function as the height, weight and power of this body is drastically different. It’s interesting though that some of my stats from this world are reaching into the ATC.
I stagger into the common living space and find something to guzzle water from. It isn’t until the bowl is half empty until I realize that Leeda is cooking in the kitchen I just trundled into.
“Zhan, you okay? Also, breakfast?”
“Yes, and yes. You’re an angel, Leeda.” While she cooks, I regain my coordination slowly as I set the table and make . . . tea. I need to fix the coffee situation in my life eventually.
“How long you back for?”
“Month, hopefully two. How’ve you been?” I say after depositing the water pot on the stove top.
“Angry and sad that the blue burr in my side is gone. You cave diving soon?”
Give and take. It’s hard just to chatter with her and I don’t know why—especially when it’s so easy with Melody. I sigh, “I’m oddly relieved that you missed me? I missed you too Leeda, but the way you are talking, I feel like our friendship is transactional.”
“Of course it does! As soon as you get money, you leave Maude’s generosity in the dust! How am I supposed to feel?”
Wait what? She feels like I’m spitting on Maude? “Lady, that’s not what this is! I want to experiment, explore my hobbies and you said in no uncertain terms that some of my designs are not welcome in your shop. I’m moving to craft without restrictions, not because I hate you or feel that your help was not enough. If it’s money that’s a problem, tell me how to help.”
“No, fuck off with that.” She waives off the offer while shaking her head and pacing. “I have hang ups with the guild, and I am . . . I am not being objective. I don’t want your money, I just want you to know what you’re getting into.”
“That’s the problem, I don’t! Of my two entire friends, one is Melody and the other won’t tell me why the guild is such a fucking issue! I hope that one day you’re tell me the absolute cankerous sore of a story that exists between you, but I bet it is yet again, ‘for another time’.”
“Got it in one, Zhan. Look how smart you are.”
I growl at the dismissive condescension. I pull in everything I want to say, take the time to condense it into the smallest engagement I can possibly arrange.
“Sucks,” I say and leave. I’d already moved most of my stuff in my personal storage, so it is barely a hassle to move now.
What is her deal?! She wants me, she hates me, she fucking can’t stand me? It’s every other day with this woman. I’m done! Shaming me and insulting my intelligence is far less than friendly and she can eat those words.
When I stop by the Guild’s Hall, the receptionist greets me pleasantly and tells me that Melody is at her temporary ‘Farm’ location working on a priority project. I hold the snicker in as she told the guild my request was a priority project. What game is she running?
I have to pay the stall fee for my horse, having accumulated over the last month, but after a few moments, I’m off to my farm to see what disaster Melody as wrought in my absence.
“’lo the farm!” I shout as I arrive.
“’Lo the horse!” a fit young man greets me as I approach the house I bought. “Blue, tusks, knife ears, you seem to be my employer, Miss. I am Tanner Grace, and you are?”
“Tanner, I am Zhantsa Frost. Did Melody hire you?”
He nods, “She did ma’am. She said that a new property needed a caretaker. She also said that anything I could farm I could keep?” Hope shines into his question.
“I agree to that, however, if I set up an enchanted plot, I would pay you to tend it, but it would be mine.”
“Easily done ma’am. That said, my sister is with me and we live in the farm house. Miss Melody said she had other plans for you, but we were not made aware. Is that a problem?”
“Peace, Tanner. I had hoped that someone would accept the farm management. I have designs on some of the land, but mostly surrounding the river. The remaining country is available for use, as long as you request and document properly.”
“It will be done, my Lady!” he exclaims in his enthusiasm.
I smile and wave him off as I steer Freckles toward the river.
What?
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The fuck?!
“Melody!!” I shout as I approach a large warehouse-style building by my river that I am to angry to fully process.
A spritely elf exits the building with enough pep to power a train, but when she sees my face, her balloon deflates completely. “Zhan? What happened?”
“The farm hand swore fealty!?!”
“Oh. Wait . . . no. Wait . . . oh? How much land do you claim now?” She asks with more consideration that worry. I have more questions than answers now.
“Four thousand hectares, give or take.”
“Does that include underground?”
“Half again more then.”
She breathes heavily and walks over to put a hand on my shoulder. “I told you months ago that I wanted to be on this wagon that you’re driving. This is why. You got a notice?” I nod, “Did it say what level of nobility you are being conferred?” I shake my head. “Hah! Goddess, I have to go. If I act quickly enough I can get ahead of the royal inquiry!”
“Melody, what’s going on?”
“No time, Zhan! Or should I say, Lady Frost?”
“You should not! Melody!” She ignores me after stealing my freaking horse. “MELODY!!”
Damn it. Something happened that I barely understand and my Guild helper is over the moon. I am so getting murdered for this.
***
My workshop is a dream. Melody spent my money in a way that was more streamlined than I could have ever imagined for this level of tech. So, instead of focusing on the rampant disrespect and ignoring my requests, I focus on glass.
The grinder I wanted was not operational, but I had some small devices that I could grind with, and some corundum dust made it in a bottle. I tried to imbue the powder itself—which would solve so many problems, but the pile did not identify with itself. A stoppered container though? Contained identity, imbues just fine.
I blow myself up three times before I stop trying to maximize my imbuement in the material. My heat resistance and my new strength and endurance stats are helping immensely. Can I level through hardship? Not like I won’t keep experimenting as to why imbued crystals explode like Goddess damned gunpowder, but that’s . . . that’s not bad. I can use that!
I experiment like no college or institution of higher learning would ever approve, but I also discover!
/You have re-discovered a lost recipe.
/Experience gained for the achievement is increased.
/Experience gained while you are the sole proprietor of this recipe is increased.
/This effect combines with your durability and heat resistance training.
/ Experiences convey Novice 7
/Experiences convey Beginner 3
That is entirely too much. How did I get that glass making double tap and the aether manipulation skill? Let’s check the logs. I threw a half-enchanted bottle of Corundum sand into my kiln, and blended it without noticing. Goddess, this will fund some one’s research for decades, or my leveling through the open beta release?
“Holy smokes, I can do this. I can trade skill and advance and maybe make money in the process!” I hoot and holler and dance around a bit before settling back into my messages.
I need to spend my advancement points. Wait, were some measure of my heuristics getting in fights and burning myself? Explosion resistance?! I only blew myself up three times. I burned myself a bunch more times and had to jump in the river to cool down a few times as well . . . okay, it makes more sense now.
First, we’re going to up strength to twenty and charisma to sixteen. I could use a few more ‘hey girl’ looks than ‘fucking Troll’ looks. I think I should keep wisdom paced with my second lowest and then split the rest between agi and int. Keep them fingers nimble and mind clever. I check my overall and realize that this might be the most balanced I’ve ever kept a stat block in my life. Makes sense, I suppose since this is my life.
I don’t feel any immediate changes—I don’t think I ever have—but maybe it’s a time-based gradual increase or a sleep integration thing you see with a rest function in those cyberpunk games.
I shrug and play with the idea of the [Mana Glass] recipe for a few hours, playing with aether dust imbuement and how much of it I need to affect a batch of glass. Through trial and explosion, I find the limit to both the amount of imbuement and the amount of dust that a batch can hold, then I just make the rest into potion bottles and a few flasks to hold my future aether dust.
The sun sets before I finish, but I get a whole cabinet full of slowly cooling containers out of my day, but until they finish cooling, I can’t inspect the damned things. I hang up my tools and apron and head over to the attached unit that I assume is a restroom and a shower.
I gasp as I step through the door from my new workshop as I do see a short hallway that leads to what looks like a locker room, but I also see a staircase in a room that is a lot bigger than I thought it would be. I guess I was so distracted by the pretty workshop that I paid no attention to the attachment to said workshop.
Clambering up the stairs, I stop abruptly at a door with a set of keys in it. I unlock the door, pocket the keys and walk into a very cute studio apartment with a small room in the corner, which I bet is the bathroom. I marvel at how modern it all looks, so much so that a familiar headache is building.
I study the devices further and find that they don’t run off electricity, but aether. My appliances have crystal cradles. Hot water heater, stove, chill box, and a lighting panel all made to accept aether.
“No wonder she didn’t mention anything about the rest of my last payment, Melody spent it all.” Looks like it was worth it too. I take some of my private crystals, some as large as a toilet paper roll holding spindle, and nestle them into their respective adjustable cradles—the largest going to the stove and the chill box, obviously.
The little apartment is stocked with appliances and utensils, but predictably, no food. I search my convenient magical inventory for any foodstuffs I might have kept and lo and behold, there’s half a sandwich, half a loaf of bread and a surprising amount of jerky left over from my cave dive with Leeda that seems like it was years ago.
I start some water on the stove and toss some jerky in, then go rooting around every cabinet and drawer for any provisions whatsoever. To my great surprise, there is a sack of what looks like barley, a sack of onions, potatoes, and some spicy root vegetables in a drawer that the chill box is place on top of. Melody actually stocked the place with items that don’t need refrigeration, or Tanner did. Actually, with as pleasant as he was, definitely him.
My wolf and barley stew was surprisingly tasty. I’ll have to order some proper spices, but I was left a salt well and that spicy root was top notch.
Pleased beyond measure with this little slice of independence, I send a note to Melody telling her if she wants a work wife, I’m in. But also a thousand ‘thank you’s and telling her she’s the best. I then take a Goddess-blessed warm shower in Alaris, then fall blissfully asleep half-naked in the cool night on a comfortable bed.