The morning was lovely, with Victoria spending some time ensuring that I would have a good workout to get rid of the phantom feelings of the morning. It was enjoyable and a fun thing to do in the morning, so I wasn't about to get angry about it.
With that being said and the workout taking a little longer than normal, I joined the ladies eating breakfast with them. Our conversation was nothing special, although Li enjoyed talking about her slavery in the Blacksmithy, controlling the flames for the blacksmith. I could see that she was really enjoying it, even if she was struggling at some of the points as she worked at it.
After Breakfast, I excused myself and brought myself into the office to check some things with the financial Audit. The audit was going to be slow going, but it was good to keep on top of it. Things in some of my companies were not looking good, and they continued to find more. It seemed that at this point, the amount of profits that should have arrived in my pocket that was embezzled were reaching the nine digits soon. That was a number that I was having trouble understanding as I used people that I worked with and trusted in the past.
It seemed that I should not have.
But something else was on my mind in the office today, and that was my drawing. Something had been bothering me lately, and I didn't completely know what, but I also thought about Grand Adventure online a bit too much.
So now I was even practicing a bit in my office on some paper for the upcoming enchantment. I was great with lines and drawing things straight and sometimes in patterns. It was blueprinted, after all, and by hand, I could help before putting it into Autocad as it was a pain for me. However, in the end, I would put it to technology. My university was heavy on learning at least the basics of drawing things by hand but not the advanced things. It was like a little side passion of mine when I was in school to do so.
After practicing a bit in the office, I still felt like I had been missing something. As I walked to my Pod, I knew that Victoria was downstairs researching how to speed up the game time. I wasn't sure how that would work, but Victoria was much smarter than I was. Not that I was ashamed of admitting that. I had my own version of being smart, and Victoria knows that herself and respects that.
It was a mutual respect that we had since we were kids, and as I got into the pod to log into the world, I knew what I was going to be about. I signed in, and a moment later, I woke up and got out of bed. Gloom was still in heat, but this morning, she was not awake, it seemed. I somehow slipped out without waking anyone up. With my ability to stealth, I doubted that I did not wake anyone up.
They all knew what I was going to do today and did not want to distract me from that point. I only had one opportunity at this point, and whether we would be lucky enough to have another chance might not happen soon. Stepping out of the room and soon outside, I made my way across the small courtyard and into the Warehouse, or what would be the Blacksmithy. It was still empty, but that would change soon as things started to arrive.
I opened a small door and closed it behind me, turning on the light we used inside. There, in the center, stood a small pile of regents that I was to use as the core for the ward. White regent ingredients were piled in the center in a spot people would be able to easily walk through in the future. I looked at the pile, and I looked once again to check everything was in the core.
Going over all the materials being in the right place, I organized them into the things that needed to be in the core of the ward and those to draw the ward. Nothing was needed outside the core for this one, and I started to go over how best to draw it again in my head. I had looked before and I had a plan. Each of the corners was the most challenging spot to get right, and I had already planned it out and now was the time to execute it.
This ward was a difficult one with straight and curved lines that would make it look like a mess, but they could all fit into each other. I grabbed the first piece of the lines, and I started slowly dragging out the line, with the line coming out haphazardly but still straight. I worked the line to the point I had to change it, and then I moved. It was complex, and I slowly worked on it. My mind was completely engaged already, and I started to make the first pattern, as this had to go pattern by pattern.
My mind was lost in the pattern. Straight line, Straight line, Curved line back into itself, straight line, straight line curved back into itself. The pattern grew and grew as I put my mana and drawing skills to the test at every moment. I continued until I ran out of the drawing regent and moved on to the next with an ever-growing complex-looking pattern that grew from itself.
Soon, I was on the wall and drawing, and the ladder I had provided helped me when I got to the roof. Sweat started to drip from my brow, but I ignored it all and continued. I got tired quickly, but I continued as this was the focal point of my plans for the future. The complexity and the precision of this pattern were much harder than that of the wall, but I saw no slippage.
I moved around and around, and soon, a part of the warehouse was complete as I moved with the pattern and went through regent after regent. The room looked odd under the light, and the lines made the place look like a place to put in a sacrifice. The funny thing was that it was not completely incorrect as I continued to move along ever so slowly.
My food bar was finally starting to run low, and my water intake would need to be increased soon, but I was in a timeless concentration. No light came in from the outside of the warehouse. I moved with the lantern, and soon half the pattern was complete, and before long, another third was complete. Finally, I reached the final strokes, and my mind was starting to turn a little dizzy.
Lines, Lines, Lines, LINES! I could see them everywhere, and my vision was getting hazy as I used the last regent. I got closer and closer to the core and completion, and I looked as I pressed down and brought the pattern back to the body and completed the pattern around the warehouse.
Then I stepped back, and a small light flashed from the core, and I stood back a little. Then, it started to turn transparent and slowly disappeared along with the lines.
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Permeant Ward Complete.
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Minor Increased Success Ward.
Increase the chance of successfully completing a profession-based item or task inside this room by 5%
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I stood back and smiled and fell to my knees without the ability to stand a moment later. I had completed it!
"I FINISHED IT~!" I cried out happily with no one around and then fell on my face as I realized my character was in desperate need of food. I quickly reached the door on my knees and opened it up. Then I got up and I remembered in the back of my head what a pain in the ass the door was to the pattern. Now, with the ward-up, no one would ever see my struggle, but they would feel the effects. As I crossed into the house I noticed it was night, and I spent the entire day concentrated on the ward.
Someone had left me a large meal also on the table, and I gasped as I made it to the table. I heard snores upstairs, and I realized I would be logging out late. First, though, I had to take care of my character.
Not long later, I stumbled into bed beside Iona and logged out. My character was done, and so was I. Logging out was a bit of bliss.