Chapter 129 - Arrow-mazing crafting bow-nanza

🙞❤︎🙜

Yinuo was just joking, of course. It wasn’t Prince Baiyu’s dowry. It was just three flying ox carts loaded up with his and his staff’s luggage as well as some furniture.

Shaking my head at the way my apprentices and staff were all making fun of me, I made my way to the front of the main house where the prince’s people were waiting. We all greeted each other, and then I left them in Fengying’s capable hands.

The third courtyard was ready for Prince Baiyu. He had sent a letter accepting my invitation last week, and his butler had visited us to make the necessary arrangements. Since Prince Baiyu was making this place his new headquarters, he needed a full staff of secretaries, guards, maids, etc. Therefore, I made his courtyard the size of two of mine. The original outer and main courtyards were in the eastern part of the house while the third courtyard was in the west, with the garden in the middle.

“See? It’s just some normal furniture,” I said to my apprentices.

“But isn’t furniture part of one’s dowry?” Mo’s eyes were still sparkling.

I shook my head and warned them to mind their manners since we had people from the White Tiger clan supervising the placement of the prince’s household effects.

They were mostly stuff for a training hall like floor mats, weapon racks, wooden training weapons, and so forth. He must have thought my house was unlikely to have those. Most of the rooms in the third courtyard such as the bedrooms, front hall, staff rooms, kitchen, and side halls had already been furnished with the best items from the Cash Shop.

“Let’s go to the inner courtyard. I’ll smelt more bars for you guys to use,” I said.

“Yay! I love Smithing!” said Mo.

“I’ll stick to Fletching since I’m the best at it,” said Kharli.

“When will I be able to smith swords, Teacher?” asked Lari.

“We’re only at the level of using [Bronze Bars]. I think we should wait until we can use at least [Steel Bars],” I said.

“Yes, Teacher.” Lari looked down at his feet and then scratched his head bashfully. “...Can I please practice making a dagger? Even if it's just bronze.”

“So you’re getting bored of making [Arrowheads]? Okay, you can try making other stuff along with the [Arrowheads],” I said. A small compromise seemed called for since I didn’t want the kids to burn out grinding the same thing every day.

Lari couldn't contain his joy and shouted “Yes!” loud enough to startle the nearby clan members who recoiled a little at the sudden noise.

“Hush, don’t be noisy inside the house. And also, Teacher, that goes for all of us?” asked Kharli.

“Yes,” I said. “I’ll think of what else you guys can make.”

We went inside the workrooms and I smelted more bars for them while they Smithed and Fletched. My Smithing level was level 14 now, and with the +20 percent bonus from Astrology, I should get level 20 in a few days, depending on how much time I spend on it.

I looked over the options for Smithing and Fletching.

Fletching was pretty much limited to making ranged weapons and ammo. The items we were making now were meant to be donated to the cause of the upcoming World Event where all the clans and human cultivators fought the Demon Monarch. One’s rewards depended on how much they contributed to the war effort, thus I was preparing a ton of arrows in advance. I reckoned the best rangers of this world probably had their own magic heirloom weapons based on what I knew of the setting, but more ammo was definitely always welcome. The [Bronze Arrows] we were making weren’t that useful, but once we all leveled up we would make [Iron Arrows] and then [Steel Arrows], which were good enough to donate.

The other things one could make by combining Smithing with Fletching were stuff like crossbow bolts, javelins, throwing axes, darts, and cannonballs.

After smelting more bars, I stood in front of an anvil and demonstrated how to make the other items. Using a smithing hammer from my toolbelt, I banged it on a [Bronze Bar] from my inventory. When the System menu popped up, I mentally chose the [Spearhead] option and relaxed my arm, letting the System guide my movements. Eight hammer blows later, the metal bar shimmered and turned into a [Bronze Spearhead].

“Now, you see we have a [Spearhead], but not the spear itself. Take out a wooden log from your inventory and use a Fletching knife on it. Choose the [Javelin] option,” I said.

The three of them took out regular logs from their inventory and then exchanged confused glances.

“Teacher, these are too short to make into javelins,” said Kharli, holding aloft a log that was only two feet long.

“Just do it,” I suggested.

“I guess we can make really short javelins,” said Kharli in a doubtful tone of voice, giving her wooden log a dubious glance.

I covered my mouth with a hand to conceal my smile and simply waited while they Fletched. Sure enough, after they had shaved off the bark and some slivers of wood, the logs shimmered and stretched out until they were seven feet long. I took a [Wooden Shaft] from Kharli and used the System menu to attach the [Bronze Spearhead] to it, forming a [Bronze Javelin].

“Can I try throwing it?” asked Lari.

“Later,” I said. “For now, let’s practice making a few different types of ranged items. How about we make throwing axes, darts, and crossbow bolts? Let’s aim to get level 20 before Prince Baiyu arrives. We can show him all these different items and he can tell us which ones will be more in demand.”

“I’ll be level 20 first,” said Lari. “I’m the fastest.”

“No way, I have way more stamina than you,” said Kharli.

Mo looked downcast. I knew she was slower than Lari and had less stamina than Kharli, so I pulled her aside and gave her some advice. “I know it’s boring, but if you focus on making just one item, you might be able to get level 20 first.”

I’d told the other two the same thing, but Lari got bored easily and Kharli liked both Smithing and Fletching.

“I’ll do it! I’ll make [Arrow Shafts] all day long,” said Mo.

I patted her on the shoulder and then waved at the others. “Work hard, everyone! I’m off to my house to do Herblaw. Make sure you take a snack break before lunch.”

“Yes, Teacher,” they chorused.

***

Back at the [Ranch House], I started training Herblaw right away.

[Player Name: Violet

Farming Skills:

Farming Level 20, Fishing Level 12, Woodcutting Level 20, Cooking Level 5, Herblaw Level 15, Foraging Level 7, Hunting Level 6, Mining Level 4]

Last year, I had planned to level up my Herblaw skill during winter, but that unfortunate accident with a teleportation stone put paid to my skill training strategy. This spring, I had prioritized Woodcutting because I needed to clear more land and Smithing because I needed contribution points.

Enough was enough!

My apprentices weren’t the only ones who were bored with doing the same thing every day. I also wanted a break, so I decided to work on my favorite skill.

It was time to make more [Strength Potions]!

Two ingredients were needed, [Mountain Flamewort] and [Harpy’s Claw]. I sat down on a comfortable overstuffed armchair and took out one hundred [Mountain Flameworts] from my inventory, putting them in a neat pile on my worktable.

[Mountain Flamewort:

A type of plant that can be found growing on the slopes of mountains. The plant has long, slender leaves that are covered in small red flowers that resemble flames. When the fresh, tender leaves are picked, they can be used as a potion ingredient that temporarily boosts strength. It is also a key ingredient in many fire-based potions.]

In order to cast spells, players, who were canonically magicless non-cultivators in the game, needed [Spell Stones].

[Spell Stone:

A beautiful, hand-crafted spell stone that has been infused with powerful magic specifically for use in spell-casting. Made of natural, clear crystal, it has been polished to a shine. It is thumb-sized and smooth to the touch.]

I took out one hundred [Spell Stones] and cast the [Clean Herb] spell using the System’s menu.

Cleaning the herbs wasn’t strictly required, and many players skipped it when making low-level potions, but I liked casting the spell.

The moment I activated the [Clean Herb] spell, the System guided my hand to hover over the pile of herbs. A leaf levitated itself to just below my hand, and it was enveloped in a green ball of light. The leaf sparkled with gold specks, then the ball of light dimmed until it went out and the leaf fluttered gently down to the table’s surface. A [Spell Stone] flashed with a white light that quickly extinguished itself and the crystal stone crumbled into dust.

I found myself smiling again, and not just because I was getting twenty percent more exp than before. No, the whole process was just very magical. I missed this!

Cleaning all one hundred herbs didn’t take too long since each spell only took a few seconds. When I finished cleaning the [Mountain Flamewort], it was time for the [Harpy’s Claw]. I made a pile of one hundred of them on the table then took out a mortar and pestle from the System toolbelt.

[Harpy’s Claw:

A deep red and black claw taken from a harpy. It has an unmistakable earthy smell and a distinctive texture that is both smooth and slightly oily. Before it can be used, the claw must be ground into a fine powder. The spiritual energy contained in the claw enhances a potion's efficacy.]

Grinding them into powder would normally be quite a tedious process, but I had help from the System. All I had to do was press the pestle down for two seconds or so and the job was finished. I didn’t even need a [Spell Stone].

Just like the [Clean Herb] spell, this part was optional since just using [Create Potion] by itself was enough, but doing this extra step increased mastery and gave the player a better chance of getting a [Perfect Potion].

Once the claw was reduced to a fine powder, it was time to make the potion. Lining up vials of water on the table, I mentally selected the [Create Potion] spell in the System menu. I smiled in delight as a glowing ball of soft pink light appeared between my raised hands. A vial of water and the two ingredients flew up into the light.

“Wow,” I breathed softly. I never got bored of casting this spell.

The water inside the vial glowed white and then the leaf flew into it. The magic dissolved the leaf into the water, turning it a bright green. Then the powder floated up and poured itself into the vial, turning the liquid inside a dark yellow. Approximately three seconds later, the ingredients fully melded together, yielding one [Strength Potion].

I spent the entire day making potions, resting, eating, and playing a game of hide-and-seek with Cutie and Mr. Bear.

The next day, I went to Hongzhen and found out something important about my origins.