Chapter 234

After Misha took off for Sunnybrook, Nila came over to say hello on her way to the baths. According to her, the Flame Sisters have added them to their patrol route, reheating them twice an hour with fire magic.

That sounds like an excellent idea to everyone, and they're split into three large separate areas, so privacy isn't a concern. Cain follows the convoy to the baths, lost in thought and ends up having to stop to get his bearings when he arrives, before finally noticing that they've been labeled. Men, Women, and Open. Since he's the only man usually staying here, he's surprised they bothered to label them, but with Guild Members able to drop by so quickly, the massive baths might be more popular than he thought. It could be just that his schedule is strange, so he never sees them in use. 

After a quick wash, he sinks into the herb-scented water, wondering what to do tomorrow. Maybe take a trip to the library and work on getting his Inscription skills up to an acceptable standard. There's no point in knowing Inscription if he's not good enough to make skill books people will want to use. 

He's so lost in thought that he didn't even notice Evangeline enter until her wing blocked his vision. "Want to help with my wings? It's very relaxing; I do it whenever I have important things to think about."

She's brought a floating basket of brushes, oils, soaps, and lotions with her into the bath, few of which Cain knows the proper use for. The Seraphim Inquisitors fill him in on the intended use and technique, and Cain smiles at the Seraphim girl, knowing she's doing her best to help him. 

"Sure. I've never brushed wings before, so let me know if I'm making a mistake. All I know comes from the Inquisitors."

"You merged with them? I heard they're incredibly uptight zealots. Hopefully, you're not taking too much advice from them."

[Remember what we said about when they're not good? This is the time.] Their joking voice makes Cain stifle a snort of laughter. 

"What's so funny?"

"They said I should spank you for speaking about them like that." Cain laughs and Evangeline hides her bottom with both hands and four wings. 

"See what I mean? They treat everyone like little children. They'd do it too; the Inquisition is scary."

"Do they spank that hard?" Cain asks, enjoying teasing the Seraphim. 

"Not only that, they'll do it in public. It's humiliating."

[I heard some of the humans actually like such things. Be careful with your disciplinary methods when applying them to other species.]

Cain lets that one slide and turns Evangeline around so he can start on her wings, following the directions the Inquisitors are giving him.

Evangeline was right; this is therapeutic. 

"Where did you learn that? Your technique is amazing. Are you sure you've never done this before?" She sighs as Cain reaches the tip of the second wing. 

"I ignored your warnings and took their advice. We should do this more often; it's relaxing. Pass me the conditioner?"

By the time he's done, Evangeline is so relaxed; she's almost a liquid. "I need to tell Sora about this; that's too good to keep to yourself."

"I'm glad you enjoyed yourself. It really helped clear my mind." Once he says it, Cain realizes it's true; all his concerns have faded. Whatever answer Misha gives, he's ready to hear it. 

He carries the Seraphim to bed, since she fell asleep on the floor after Cain finished brushing her wings, not even bothering to dry herself first. Once she's dry and safely in bed, Cain retires to the big bedroom upstairs in the keep. One day he will get around to personalizing this room. Maybe something colorful, like the one in Graska, but without a hot tub. It's a short walk to the baths anyhow. 

First thing in the morning after breakfast, Cain calls a single Oath Breaker and heads into Muzz to sneak off with one of the inscription desks. The books they make don't last long and take an incredible amount of mana, but he's aiming to increase his skill, not create anything for the Guild Library today. 

They're heading on a long journey soon, and he will have time to make permanent books then if the Guild can get him copies to work from or wants ones he already knows. But first, he needs the skill to make them. 

The Oath Breaker teleports him in and past the Dark Elven exploration team that is making an inventory of a section of the ruins so that he can sneak into the library. There's no sign anyone has been here, all the wards are still up, and the doors are locked. He gathers an intact desk from the ones piled in the corner where nobody will miss it and quietly makes his way back out. 

Task accomplished, he's headed to the Library in Assah with a copy of Evangeline and Vala. The others all had little to no interest in the library, but these two love reading, and skill books aren't the only ones available. 

Once they arrive, the girls split off to find new reading material, and Cain goes looking for one of the Dragons, finding Red waiting in the lobby, watching for interesting people. "Hey Red, I've got a dilemma you might be able to help me solve. I'm on a mission to improve my Inscription skills. Got any suggestions on where to start?"

"That depends how bad you are right now. There's a bunch of low-material-cost books in here."

"I just reached Advanced level Inscription. So I'm not terrible, but not nearly good enough to reliably make the sort of high-level books the Guild needs. We're slowly building our library so the new members can get skills direct from the Guild."

"Not a bad plan. You'll be able to stockpile essential skills to be sure every member gets what they need to fill their role instead of just picking ones they like based on what they can afford. Will, you have enough materials to level up, though?"

"Never fear. I've got a magical Inscription desk. I'll just need a spot to work with a high output mana totem nearby. Because I have a feeling that this is going to get very mana intensive as I get better and need higher quality materials."

Red leads him to a back VIP room usually reserved for the Nobles to work in that has a permanent mana regeneration totem. The Dragon removes the desk in there and waits expectantly for Cain to place his own. The second he does, the curious dragon is all over it, searching every surface and making various intrigued noises. 

"It looks like a Gnomish invention, but Dark Elven Runecraft is all over it. I've never seen anything like it; this artifact is a priceless ancient antique. How did you acquire it?"

"It was buried in the desert, inside a sealed ruin from the Schaub Empire. Not much else survived, but I'm sure this one's still functional. I didn't see any damage to it."

"Excellent. I want to see it in action. Give me a moment, and I'll find you the perfect book to practice with."

Red rushes out of the room, returning only a few minutes later with a thick black tome in his hands. "This, my friend, is a true treasure—the Landis book of camping. Once you know this ability, you can create an entire camp just by spending mana. Tents, bedding, everything. The ingredients are essentially impossible to source, but if you can copy it, you'll be rich."

"I'm pretty sure I won't get rich. The created books aren't permanent. You're intended to use them right after creation. But I'm sure I could make one or two. You know, to help a friend with outfitting for his upcoming camping trip."

Red claps his hands in excitement and places the tome on the surface. 

[Analyzing Materials needed] 

[MP cost 3500 per attempt]

"This had better be a perfect mana totem because making that book will take 3500 MP a try, and I don't know yet how good my chances are."

"If the attempt takes you an hour, the totem should be good enough. If you're faster than that, we might need to find a Shaman."

[Inscription Insufficient 40 Percent chance of Success] 

That's one high-level camping technique. But Cain's determined to make it work. "Come on mighty System, bless my Inscription chances."

It's well over an hour before he's done with that big skill book, and his hand is already beginning to cramp. 

[Inscription has improved] 

[Book Created: Landis Campsite] Unranked. Usable by All Classes. Creates Traditional Royal travel camp of the Landis Kingdom. MP cost varies per item made. Available items. Pole Tent, hammock, mattress, blankets, cookware, table, chair, fire pit, grill, plates, pavilion, carpets, cushions, storage box. Created items last 10 hours. 

[Skill Learned: Landis Campsite] 

"Ah, no fair. You learned the first copy before I could examine it." The distraught Red Dragon complains. 

"Don't worry; I'll let you examine yours as long as you like. Just don't blame me if it vanishes while you're admiring it."

It takes three tries and over 5 hours to make Red his copy, and the Dragon is overjoyed. He examines every square inch of the book, comparing it to the ancient manuscript it duplicated before learning it. 

"You have no idea how long I've waited to make that book. Their beach gazebo is so amazing, all Royal Blue and Gold. Now I have one too." Beach gazebo? He must mean the Pavilion with the sides rolled up.. But he's happy, and that's the part that matters.