41 || Change In Two Continents!
Her eyes lock onto Tara, who cuts through and stands among the others, as Aelix steps forward. "The reason we all have gathered you here, alongside sharing knowledge of your two homes, is two form two Workshops. Thanks to Starry River here we're given a lucky chance to actually make a name for ourselves! I know that as amiable as you've been talking, it's hard to ask you to fight alongside someone you just met. But! We can make it worth your while."
"This would include helping and advancing the Artisans as well. Several of my friends have recently broken out from high tier Beginner to low tier Novice in one session alone thanks to the opportunity that has been given to us." Tara speaks up, gesturing to her friends. The looks of question and suspicion broke out into enthusiastic and eager chatter.
"That opportunity, I'm certain many of you are wondering, is our ability to trade with any member here. That means each one of us can give you materials, items, possibly even Skills from our worlds you wouldn't be able to find on the main world. And while trade between the two continents is impossible now, it isn't as long as you have us as middle management." Pajeeka announces, bringing attention back to her.
"We'd like to share what we brought with us and then you can decide if you wish to join our teams. Artisan players meet with Viridian Swift here, Summoners head to Lavender Artificer, while Heal focused magic users and Bow focused Infantries meet with Ocean's Song. As for the rest of you, join with Lightning Dancer, Starry River, or myself first. Then we'll move onto team divisions." Asuka informs everyone.
Given how much their friends had thought through this, however, it was likely everyone present would join. The large gathering was chaotic for a moment as the 36 Artisan players found their way to Pakeeja's table. The six Novelists split up to other corners of the now larger chat room with the 18 Summoners joining Izel. A mixed crowd of Mages and Witches with several Infantries joined Hanit, who's shy demeanor is replaced with an elderly sister's attitude. The rest split up into three groups, standing before either who they were familiar with or most curious about.
Even with the instantaneous transfer system taking milliseconds, it took the six Story mode players thirty minutes to explain their individual items and dole them out. Pakeeja got done first out of everyone, giving every single player a Silver coin for them to use!
"Now before you go figure out and use the items given to you, I suggest talking about who's going to be the Captain, Vices, etc for each team. I'm sure you already have team dynamics and set ups already so there's no real reason to rearrange those parties, but having a chain of command is important and a new friend's Skill might be what you need." Pakeeja says.
"Of course, the most important thing is for you all to get along and connect with each other, first and foremost!" Izel cheers and is met with the same energy.
The teens quickly disperse among themselves with the Artisans already leaving to join the server. Pajeeka has laid out a wonderful idea that the several Merchants among them wished to try out and the Artisans were excited after hearing how Tara's gift benefits their subclasses. Field Goers from both continents are discussing team names while the Dungeon Runners are already swapping tactics for handling certain monsters and the best lineup for parties.
Galiodi Rain is named Captain of the Eastern Dungeon Runners with Flame Ribbon as her Vice Captain. Iris Ash in turn offers to run the Field, which was to handle quests and material gathering, unusually serious in her request. With them being level 8, there were no objections from the other Eastern players.
"How'd you manage to give everyone a Silver?" Tara asks as they enter the Story mode chamber. Pakeeja flicks a Silver coin out of her pocket onto her finger tip before making it spin. She waves her hand again and five Gold coins appear spinning with her sleight of hand.
"My subclass is also Merchant and it helps that one of my Hidden Stat is Fortune, which means I make more than normal. I've got only 300 Gold on me right now taking into account the Silver and Copper in my bag." Pakeeja laughs as Izel already takes a note.
"Only 300?" Asuka shouts, slamming her hands on the table, "Chilled Beetle told me you gave the Trade players enough to buy a shop on each continent! He mentioned something about setting up a firm?!"
Everyone looks at Pakeeja surprised, the gnome merely snickering as five more pieces of Gold appear on her other hand. "I merely made the suggestion. It was only enough that they can buy their own space to craft and sell as they please."
"Trying to do so through setting up stalls or taking it to Auction Houses isn't really that lucrative as a business nor is it conducive to their growth as Artisans. With what we've given them all, they shouldn't have too many problems." Izel points out.
"You all know what I gave everyone, but I'm curious about what you all brought?" Tara asks. Izel pulls out a glass orb about the size of her palm, Hanit takes out two Skill Books, Aelix reveals several black crystal cubes, and Asuka displays several rainbow colored stones. What Hanit shares is two Healing Over Time skills, one for healer focused casters and the other for Bow focused Infantries.
"My gift was something that should benefit Summoners in battle! It's called a Familiar Orb, which can be used to summon a familiar. Mine's a silver sable!" Izel smiles as a silver sable with a lavender ribbon tied around its neck pops into existence before curling up in Aelix's lap, "They're different from summons which need a Craft to call upon. They're physically resilient, attune to their master's elemental affinity, and double as a second set of senses without the cost of Essence!"
"I felt that these would benefit everyone here. They're called Nature Ore. Break them and see what happens." Asuka doesn't offer any explanation as she slides the rainbow stones to everyone. Tara breaks hers and a notification appears!
[Nature: Honorable]
"It's kind of like a Hidden Title. While we Novelists can't be certain how it'll affect us in our interactions with our Story, I figured it would benefit everyone to know. I'm kind of curious about the girl who was chosen to lead the Eastern Dungeon Runners. What came up for her was Cold-Blooded." Asuka rests her chin in her hand, a soft smile on her face. Tara feels a chill run down her spine as memories come rushing back from childhood. Qisma is well known to deal with bullies in a calm but dastardly manner that caused them to do a 180 in personality.
"Brazen? Ha! That'll fit in with my line work just fine." Pakeeja laughs. Aelix is granted Elegant while Hanit receives Merciful and Izel gets Imaginative. Asuka rolls her eyes when Tara says Honorable.
"Loyal," She proclaims when asked, Asuka tapping the table with her pointer finger as if to challenge Tara. What good is Honor without Loyalty?
"I brought Soul Realm gems!" Aelix draws everyone's attention to the black cubes before her. "In my world, they help determine our elemental affinity but also determine the flow of energy best for storage and usage."
Tara pours some of her aura into the stone as the others put energy into them as well. Each stone turns translucent with a different scenery. Tara's is a night sky with a faint twinkle of several stars to signify her affinity for both dark and light.
[You have learned Soul Realm circulation! You have gained a better understanding of the Soul and now can control your spiritual energy more than before!]
After so long, with her physical and psychic ports having grown steadily, Tara feels a shift in her Spiritual port. Before now, Tara has only placed enough spiritual energy to execute aural arts but made sure to not overdraw from the pool. Doing so had worse consequences than pulling from her other two energies, which would leave her either mental exhausted or physically tired. Instead, in order to replenish what was lost, her spiritual port would pull from both and she would pass out similarly to when she did the Eight Swords of Death.
Happy and curious about how these new prospects would change their Stories, they separate and enter their game properly. They wouldn't be aware of what changes had happened in the main game until later.
The leaders of their Workshops' Artisans are Merchant Trade players, Amethyst Crane and Sassy Daisy, who had been given 100 Gold each to purchase shops in the capitals of their kingdom and empire respectively. They are the only major city they could visit and enter under level 10. As it wasn't expected for players to amass such wealth early on, it would only cost them 10 Gold to purchase land and build a shop. The two had already agreed to place their shops between the Auction House and the Coin Transfer, where Coins could be bought with money once everyone reaches level 10 as well.
All at once, several things cause a storm among the player base and the forums. First, the several Merchant players under both Crane and Daisy begin to bid all sorts of materials off the Auction Houses. One thing Pakeeja had given them, alongside Jumping Sash, are Iron tier Recipes and Blueprints for various Potions and Equipment.
But in order to make and sell them, they need plenty of materials. This causes the various Guilds and Workshops to get their Field Goers to look for Iron Ore, Rain Crush Grass, and other such items raising the prices for them! Many independent players make a pretty penny off this sudden change.
The second big thing was the opening of two new stores: Dawn Blossom Pavilion and Dusk Spark Bazaar. Because most players only pay attention to their own continent's forums news, unless something major happened, nobody would make the connection between the two. The shops sell good quality Potions and Equipment at much more affordable rates than NPC shops or stalls! While it is still too pricey for the average players, local strong Guilds and Workshops flock to these new establishments.
The first two player owned Shops don't escape the eyes and ears of the Ultra Guilds and Super Guilds. If it wasn't for the ridiculous cost of transferring between kingdoms and empires, many would have stopped these third-rate Guilds from getting any advantage. The only powerful Guild to benefit is Blueriver who's base was in the Hawxin Empire on the Eastern Continent.
"Boss," the fox Zoaria or Renard tribe member, Mage calls out as she runs up to a tall Tigrian Forfend. This was none other than Tara's uncle Guotin, also known as Iron Wall.
"What did you find out, Vase?" Iron Wall asks of Glitter Vase. While every Guild below their ranking is attempting to buy what they had in stock, be it Potions or Equipment, she had been sent to get a better understanding of why and how Blueriver wasn't the first to own a shop.
"You won't believe it, boss! They're just a bunch of kids! Can't be older than 17 some of them. And yet one of them recognized our Guild's badge and invited me upstairs. Several of them were almost at mid tier Apprentice, even their Scribe! The rest were almost done with the high tier Beginner stage and moving on to low tier Novice! They wished to make a trade deal!" Vase was astonished by what she had seen.
Not even they could boast so many low tier Novice Artisans with their resource gathering and Coin collecting. Yet somehow these kids who had got just out of diapers had raised at least 30 such Artisan players.