5.39 - Weaver and Butcher

5.39 - Weaver and Butcher

The harbor spread below Theo. He clicked his tongue, looking down at the empty areas where traders ships should have been. The alchemist flicked a gold coin into the air, catching it before releasing a sigh. Upgrading buildings always brought a sense of accomplishment, but without traders to buy Monster Cores from that wouldnt happen. After lingering there for some time, he departed. Half-way back to the towns center he realized something.

We have a trader.

From the town square, a road ran to the east. A while ago, the only thing along this road was Xams bathhouse and Mianas ranch. But the industrious half-ogre Azrug had created two ventures of his own. His stables had been a flop after the creation of the railroad, but his other business was doing very well. After a short walk, Theo spotted Azrugs general store resting atop a slight hill. He had been operating out of a house for a while, but it was nice to see the young man finally getting his stuff together.

Theo entered the general store, stopping just at the threshold. Youre not Azrug.

A wiry elf sat behind the counter, looking around and shrugging. Nope.

Do you guys stock monster cores?

The elf snorted, then laughed. Yeah. Of course.

Theo cleared his throat, approaching the counter and getting an idea for the price of the cores. Azrug was charging slightly higher than what the alchemist considered a wholesale price. Most merchants docking at the port offered that slightly discounted price, making the cost easier to stomach. After throwing a bit of weight around, the archduke got less than wholesale, as he bought the entire stock of the store out.

What a joy, the elf said in his native Taranthian tongue.

Goodbye, Theo said, responding in his pidgin version of the language. He really needed to work on memorizing the language more.

The cost of the Monster Cores wasnt so bad. Theos funds were constantly bolstered by his various holdings around town. Before upgrading the town to the next phase, which should make it a city instead of a town, the alchemist wanted to bring most buildings up to level 30. Fortunately, that was a relatively short list.

The smelters, sawmill, small farm, large farm, manor, town hall, herbalists workshop, weaver, and butcher were all the standard buildings that he was in charge of below Level 30. Until he got an ability to take advantage of the Herbalists Workshop, he wouldnt worry about that one. The Weaver was top on his list, as it made an absurd amount of money. Not only was the Starbristle Flax useful for ship making, merchants bought it at a premium. That was because Tarantham wasnt exporting it anymore, and they had been the global source for the uniquely colored cloth for as long as anyone could remember.

Weaver first, Theo said, making his way over to the small building by Zaralis Enchanters Workshop.

Kaya ran the weaver. She was an older elven woman who kept to herself. Theo suspected she was still in shock after her house escaped from Tarantham. She spoke no Qavelli at all, and seemed eager to keep it that way. The alchemist entered her building and nodded his head. She was working on processing a new crop of flax and barely paid any attention to him.

Please help, Theo said in Taranthian. Upgrades.

She nodded, smiling up at him. The lines near her eyes deepened. Theo noticed a younger elf in the room, not even an adult. She worked the various equipment in the room with the older elf, averting her eyes from the alchemist.

The building, named Fields of Blue by Kaya, had three upgrades. Efficient Spindles made her weaving more efficient. Tough Fibers made all cloth produced in the building stronger. Processing Room added another room to the building. When actions related to weaving were performed in that room, they consumed less stamina and were faster. It was the room they were currently standing in. Theo cleared his throat, selecting Monster Cores that were close in level to the building. As the building leveled, he expanded it in random directions. There was enough land in any direction. So long as he didnt expand it to the road.

[Terogal Empowerment]

Threads woven in the Weaver will be empowered by the Dreamrealm of Terogal. The resulting fabrics will be more durable with a slight resistance to magic.

Theo struggled to translate what he read into understandable Taranthian. After several agonizing moments of snapping his fingers, the little girl spoke up. In her squeaky little voice, she offered to translate. The alchemist was surprised at first, but was happy enough for the help. When the description had been translated, Kaya gave him a flat look. She said something in her native tongue, but he caught none of it.

She doesnt want to be a slave to your realm, the girl said.

She could select the other upgrades.

The girl went back and forth with Kaya for a moment before turning back to the alchemist. She wants the empowerment upgrade.

Whatever worked for her. He selected Terogal Empowerment and added more cores to the building. Digging through his Monster Cores gave him time to think about the influence his realm was having on the real world. The more it grew in strength, the more the realms influence was seen in the mortal world. It was a boost to his ego he didnt need, but the alchemist would snatch at any strand of power he could grasp.

Next one, Theo said as the building hit Level 25. He read the description for the girl to translate.

[Mana Loom]

A Mana Loom appears in the Weaver. Cloth created with this loom may be imbued with the weavers mana. The weaver may determine what aspects of the cloth to improve.

She wants that one, the girl said after only a moment. Theo didnt need the confirmation. Kaya was excited about that upgrade.

The alchemist selected the upgrade and went back to work. While he had a good scattering of cores from the Level 20 to 25 range, his assortment of cores between 25 and 30 were sparse. With his plan to make each upgrade as efficient as possible, this fact annoyed Theo. He burned a few Level 30 cores but the result was the same. The Level 30 upgrade option appeared and he read it for Kayas little friend to translate.

[Metal Threads]

Using a corresponding upgrade for the Smelter building, the Weaver can create delicate threads made from metal. These threads can be crafted into metal cloth.

Theo paused, considering the upgrade as the girl translated. How did that work? The answer was almost certainly magic, but he still had questions. After a while, Kaya shook her head and said something. The girl translated.

Metal weaving is difficult, the girl said, shrugging. Too difficult for grandmother.

Theo nodded, reading off the two other options that were presented when the building was originally planted. Kaya went with the Soothing Mist upgrade.

[Soothing Mist]

The building is filled with a constant cooling mist that imbues all processed fibers. The resulting cloth will be softer.

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That works for me, Theo said, patting the girl on the head. Good work on the translation.

The girl didnt respond, instead turning to help her grandmother some more. Before heading out, Theo inspected the entire building to appreciate his work.

May I keep the items? she asked.

Theo shrugged. Sure.

That one.

Theo continued his process after selecting the Bonus Items upgrade. The building grew in random directions, adding a healthy amount of space to the interior. Whisper didnt stop her butchering. She didnt even raise her head to see what he was doing. The building hit Level 20 before long, presenting them with another option. Theo read it aloud.

[Purification]

Creatures butchered in this building are less likely to carry parasites, diseases, etc. Also allows the butchering of naturally poisonous, or otherwise toxic creatures depending on the level of the butcher.

Whisper had to think about that one for a minute. She even stopped her butchering, tapping her knife on the massive butchers block as she thought. After a minute of contemplation, she shrugged.

That one.

Theo obeyed, selecting the Purification upgrade. He hadnt heard of people suffering food-borne illnesses in town, so didnt see the value. But he wasnt the butcher. The alchemist thought about that as he shoved more cores into the building. Whisper got back to work. The Level 25 upgrade option appeared and he read it out for her.

[Live Storage]

A building appears behind the Butcher. A single living, non-sapient creature may be stored in this building forever. They will not experience time until they are removed.

A grimace spread across Whispers face. It was often hard to read the expression of a toora, but Theo could tell she was suddenly pissed off. He held his hands up defensively, ready to disarm whatever situation he had instigated. But after a few steady breaths, she waved her hand in the air and shook her head.

Not that one.

Alrighty. Ill just read the other two options, Theo said before reading the other options for her to pick from.

Theo didnt need to wait long. He read Cold Storage out first, which simply added a way to store meats for a long time. That was useless in the face of dimensional storage. The next one was of some interest to her, though. Spoilage Prevention would allow her to get more meat from each creature she butchered. She selected that one, but seemed too distracted to get back to work. Whisper just glared into the middle-distance. The alchemist tried not to think about the connection between her and the Live Storage upgrade. Perhaps it was just a moral objection. He moved on, inserting more cores into the building to bring it to Level 30.

Yeah. Thats just weird, Theo said, reading out the next upgrade. Do you worship Benton?

Dont like minor gods.

Theo read the upgrade out for Whisper to consider.

[Touch of Bohor]

Through death comes life. Meat produced in this Butcher will be more sustaining and filling.

Unless there was another Bohor, the upgrade was referring to Bentons realm. That brought questions about how all this worked. He remembered back to when Khahar told him about interdiction and the way people were connected. Perhaps meeting Benton and forming a friendly bond had enabled the buildings seed core to pull from his realm. There was too much to consider there, and Whisper already had her answer.

That one.

Theo selected the upgrade, then inspected the building.

[Butcher]

[Hoary Frost]

Owners: Theo Spencer

Operator: Whisper

Faction: [Southlands Alliance]

Level: 30 (15%)

Rent Due: SUSPENDED

Expansions:

[Keen Knives]

[Drying Room]

[Bonus Items]

[Purification]

[Spoilage Prevention]

[Touch of Bohor]

Theo chuckled. He had misheard the name of the building the first time. Whisper was satisfied with the upgrades, simply nodding as the alchemist left the building. He headed out onto the street, stretching and looking around. Sledge still wasnt working the Sawmill. There was very little activity outside of the Adventurers Guild. Adding to the dullness of the day, there wasnt even much going on in the administrative screens. There were a few more reports about monster attacks underground, but that was it. Standard monster dogs spawning amongst the ore, quickly put down by Aaroks men.

The calmness of the day brought a sense of foreboding to the alchemists mind. He shivered when he thought of the city approaching his alliance. With all the spies feeding him information, he was confident in their defenses. Theo made his way away from the Butcher, shaking those intrusive thoughts away as he searched for the next thing to do.