Chapter 83 - Research Optimization

The independent mercenaries seemed pretty easy to satisfy. Gren was surprised at how quickly they signed the contracts after getting their new weapons and armor. There was only one person that didn't accept any equipment, instead asking for Gren to give it to a different warrior that needed it. He wouldn't do that since the armor had the guy's name on it but the guy signed a contract so he could find someone to give it to when he got back.

If everybody was that eager to fulfill a request then maybe the guild would be earning money right now. The profit would go towards making the guild better in the end but Gren didn't like that he had to keep paying for it to keep running. The budget was almost balanced after the store opened up but it didn't look like they'd be able to make a profit until the inactive members started making products to sell or they were able to start selling weapons.

The job would begin tomorrow so Jessica had to coordinate with the inactive members to figure out what requests they had for their gear. Gren would only be needed when it came time to get them equipped so he decided to spend his time getting to know his temporary allies before the big mission.

"The name's Zell. I'm the third-most experienced mercenary in this group. The only ones here that have been doing this longer than me are those two over there." Zell was pointing towards the two mercenaries that brought everybody food. "Their names are Krieger and Suze. If you want people to like you then you'll make sure to show them respect. Every mercenary around here looks up to them."

Gren was interested in learning more about the two of them but they would be spending the next two weeks together so there was time for that later. "Can you tell me more about the other mercenaries? This is my first time working with people not from the guild so I'm not familiar with anybody here."

Zell patted Gren on the shoulder. "There are some that I'm not familiar with and, besides, it'd be better if you met them yourself. Come, let's go introduce you to everyone. There are a couple of amateurs about your age so maybe you'll get along with them." After dragging Gren over to where the other mercenaries were sitting, Zell shouted out, "Everyone! This here is Gren. He's with the FMC and wanted to get to know you all before we leave for the request tomorrow. Introduce yourselves."

The man closest to Gren greeted him with an outstretched hand. He had decent grip but let go before he hurt Gren's hand. "I'm Dill. I used to be a soldier in the King's Army so you can count on me in a fight. I had to quit because I lost my leg but, as you can see, I got it back. Krieger over there loaned me the money to see a healer in the Land of Healing Light so I'm mostly doing this to pay him back. My armor was pretty rusted since I couldn't maintain it so I appreciate the gift."

The next person to give an introduction was an archer with slightly pointed ears. "Chase." Gren shook his hand and wondered if that was his name or if he wanted him to chase something. "My specialty is archery but I'm decent up close. The bow your guild gave me is amazing but the dagger isn't as good as the one I've been using." This was the first time that someone said that their gear was better than what the system provided; it was true that the knights had better gear but they never said anything about it. "It's still a good dagger so I'll probably use it for other things but there's no enchanting on it." Gren hadn't seen any enchanted weapons yet so he was interested in Chase's dagger.

"His father is an enchanter in the capital. I've seen some of his work being used by the Army's officers." Dill added his two cents to the conversation. "Chase here made a name for himself with that fire dagger of his. Some call him the Blazing Edge since that's all you can see when he strikes. He can cut through a stone golem like it's made of dirt."

Chase shrugged off the praise. "The blade does all of the work." Gren hoped to see the dagger in action; it sounded really cool.

The next person that was going to introduce themselves was a familiar face. Gren suspected it when he saw the name on the finished equipment but he didn't pay attention to his face when registering his name and measurements into the system. "Long time no see, Rory."

Rory seemed surprised. "You know me? I'm sorry but I can't remember meeting you. Can you tell me how we met?" It was only one meeting so that wasn't surprising. Gren was more introverted so he didn't get out and meet people while Rory was helping people he didn't even know.

"I was the kid that almost got scammed by that jewelry merchant. I've really got to thank you for telling me how much silver coins were worth." Gren felt embarrassed about telling the story but he hoped that Rory would remember him.

"Ah. I remember now! You've gotten a lot taller. You're nearly my height now." Rory was comparing their heights with his hands. "How old are you, anyways? I thought you were only ten but I don't think someone that age would become a mercenary."

"I'll be thirteen next month." Gren's words made Rory pause.

"You're older than me? I turn thirteen in the sixth month." Rory shook his head. "Some people have their growth spurt a little later. The important thing is that you're growing now, right? Anyways, I'm somewhat new to this business along with that girl, Nina. I use a sword and shield while she uses a bow. Before this, neither of us had any real armor so I'm really glad that I heard about this request. These weapons are also better than the ones we've been using."

The girl called Nina was busy talking with the mercenary named Suze with shining eyes. It didn't look like Gren would get to personally meet her just yet. There was a tall woman next to the two of them and Gren didn't think it'd be right to disturb the three of them.

<Incoming System Update>

<System Update Type: Mandatory>

<System Disabled For Update>

<Update 0.05.02: Research Optimization>

<Would you like to hear the patch notes?>

"What the fuck?" Gren didn't expect the system to speak, let alone start updating without his approval. Looking around, Gren could see everyone's eyes on him. "Sorry, I just remembered something. I'll be back." He rushed to his workshop and closed the doors before using his sword as a bar to keep it closed. Without the system, he couldn't use the pocket dimension; the pocket dimension was separate from the system but he didn't know how to access it.

{Tell me what this update is about.}

<Research Optimization>

<The Administrator has chosen to optimize the research by grouping different metals, nonmetals, and metalloids>

<Blueprints for firearms, engines, and vehicles have been included in the Basic Mechanics research project>

<Blueprints and technologies will still require the relevant materials to be constructed>

<The Basic Mechanics research project has had its cost raised from ten research points to twenty five research points>

<The glass research project has been removed>

<The steel research project has been removed>

<Currently researched chemical elements and projects will have their points refunded>

The cost of the Firearms project was fifteen points while Simple Mechanics used to be ten so that didn't change much. Steel and glass were made up of different chemical elements but he could only remember that steel was carbon and iron. Gren needed to find out how much it'd cost to unlock the elements but he couldn't do that without the system update being completed. This really came at an awkward time which made Gren start feeling tense. He found that doing exercise helped relieve stress so Gren was currently running around the empty workshop while still wearing his armor.

{How much time until the update is finished?}

<Unknown>

{Fine. What percentage is the update at?}

<53 percent>

"This is taking forever! Ahhhhh!" Gren broke into a full sprint. His breath slowly became labored and he was getting tired. After a few minutes, there was a pound on the door so Gren tried to stop. Due to his leg muscles being strained, the sudden stop caused him to lose balance and fall over.

"Gren, are you okay?" Jasmine's voice? "Stand back, I'm coming in!" The door was suddenly bashed in, causing Gren's sword to be bent to the point of nearly breaking. It finally lost its use as a bar and allowed Jasmine to enter the room after a couple more slams.

"Hello, Jasmine." His sword was unusable now but he could just replace it... wait, not yet, he couldn't replace it until the system update was complete. "Long time no see."

"What are you doing on the floor?" Jasmine seemed pretty worried about him.

"I was just thinking that the floor looked comfortable. Want to join me?" Unexpectedly, Jasmine actually started to lay down next to him. "I was just joking. You don't need to join me."

Jasmine shook her head. "I know that it was a joke but we need to talk. Annie said that you were acting strange before you ran off." Damn that Annie. Gren didn't want Jasmine to be disturbed since it was still too cold for her; was Annie trying to make Jasmine sick?

"Sorry. I just had something on my mind. I'll be okay." Gren grabbed Jasmine's hand after rolling onto his back. "I miss spending time with you like this."

"Sorry, it's because I was born a draconoid. If I was born a human like you then we could always spend time together." Gren hated that Jasmine would always put herself down.

"I'm glad that you were born a draconoid. If you were born a human then all of those racist men would have been interested in you. I never would have had a chance to be with you." Gren squeezed her hand tighter. "Besides, if you were born a human then you and I wouldn't be so compatible, physically speaking."

Jasmine laughed while playfully punching his armor. "That's true. You and I are pretty compatible." She eventually settled next to him, holding him closer. "Gren. I've been scared to ask you this but, do you love me?" This was sudden. "I've been thinking a lot while staying in my room and I keep wondering how you feel about me. We're already married but we don't really do anything that married couples do besides have sex."

Gren didn't love her at first, but over time he really started looking forward to the time he spent with her. Each of his wives were unique and he loved different things about them. "Yeah, I love you. It'd be impossible not to love such a beautiful and strong woman like you that dedicated herself to me." She had a really beautiful smile that helped to brighten his day. She also had a nice body but she would probably hit him for real if he mentioned that now.

Jasmine didn't know if he was telling the truth but just hearing him saying that he loved her was enough to make her happy. "Hey, Gren. Can you take me with you on the request? As long as you can keep me warm until we reach Fort Togo then I'll be fine. I promise."

Was she feeling lonely? Gren wanted to bring her with him but that was a decision that Jessica needed to make. "I'll talk to Jessica about it and see what I can do. I've been wanting to work with you but I wasn't strong enough when you were still completing requests." Jasmine's face was close so he gave her a quick peck on the lips. "I'm such a lucky person to have a wonderful wife like you."

Jasmine was blushing and turned away. She was surprisingly weak to sappy lines. Gren kept close and hugged Jasmine; eventually falling asleep next to her. The two of them managed to fall asleep on the ground, despite it being made out of cold and hard stone. By the time that Gren woke up, the update was complete and his back was sore.