Nyaaahh~ Good evening! After getting dressed, I began to make my way towards the Kitchen. Thankfully, Mobbin Village Keef Sama is awake and making breakfast so I decided to take advantage of the time by returning to the Throne Room and casting a [Hallowed Gate]. Using the gate, I returned to Halloween in order to fetch a handful of the Beach Sand that I procured from the nearby Lake. After carrying a handful of the Sand to Mobbin Village Keef Sama, he appraised it as Delhn Sand. I have no idea if it's high quality or low, so I feel as though I've wasted my time even bothering with appraising it.
After returning my handful of Delhn Sand to Halloween, I went back to the Kitchen to help Mobbin Village Keef Sama cook breakfast. It didn't take long, as he had already been cooking it before I woke. While serving the platter in the Dining Hall, we were met with Cetilla, Cyclozard, Cloaked Hunk #wassup, Milton and Vana. I guess everyone else is still asleep. Chatting away while we had our meal, Milton told me that tonight he would be going Fishing and that I wouldn't need to worry about it. Geez. Thank you!
I decided that tonight, I would set off to visit the Hag's Hollow in search of a Broom. On the way, I'm going to stop at the Weapon Store in Reygid and ask about different Blacksmiths in town. The Weapon Store probably sells goods from all sorts of Blacksmiths, so I might be able to meet one willing to give me any advice regarding Delhn Sand and if it's even worth the trouble to make it into Glass. I also need a Pickaxe so that I can procure a high enough quality metal from the Chasms to make a sturdy Lantern. Maybe a Blacksmith would know a Miner? Maybe I can just hire a Miner, and help the Miner procure the metal? Well, I'm going to try my best~
Before leaving, I made sure to close my [Hallowed] Gate and took the time to create some pieces of clothes. I'm currently aiming at level 20 pieces, so I was able to create 8 after having decided. Throwing them into the Throne Room, I returned to my Treasure Room to procure my 10 Gold Coins but left my Silver in the chest. Cetilla decided to join me while saying something about the Forest of Witches being entertaining. It's because they all treat me poorly and she expects me to lose my composure. She truly is the more twisted one. At least I don't walk into a place hoping for trouble!
Flying to the city of Reygid proved uneventful. We spent our time talking about when we would set out on a new adventure to see different lands. She's right. We've been staying relatively still for a while now. We should resume our exploration of the continent! There was that Cat Crewmen candidate who traveled in between the Human and Beastkin Kingdom as a carriage guard, so maybe we could try and run into her? I currently keep the list of prominent Catkin within a pocket of my rain coat at all times. It's a very valuable item to me. I spent 7200 Silver Coins in order to obtain these documents. I might have overpaid due to my mistake in believing that 100 Silver Coins made up a Gold Coin, but the details within the documents are elaborate enough for me to deem it a price worth paying. I should probably have a prominent figures list for all the races! Maybe when I have more Coins to throw around, I'll decide to splurge a little more on intel from Rudou.
When we arrived in the city, our first stop was the Weapon Store. On arrival, I was once again dismayed by the lack of Lanterns among the Weapons being displayed. Steeling my resolve, I approached the Merchant and began to formally introduce myself. Last time I met this guy, I didn't bother introducing myself. This man is an Armadillkin. He looks more Armadillo than Human. He's a pretty big guy and has a somewhat snide attitude.
"Hello, my name is Nero." [Nero] introduced himself while bowing his head.
"Well I'm Rodgin. Short kid like yourself, what do you want from a place like this?" [Rodgin] the Armadillkin replied with one eye half closed.
"I'm looking for a Blacksmith." [Nero] replied callously.
"Haaah? You would have no need for one. Go play or something." [Rodgin] the Armadillkin replied while pointing to some other neighborhood children running past the store.
"I require a high quality Lantern. Your establishment failed to carry them twice now, and so I desire a Blacksmith to take out a commission instead." [Nero] replied without paying any recognition to the children playing outside.
"A Lantern? Why in the world would you even want a Lantern? I sell weapons, child. A high quality Lantern would never be sold, so there's no reason to carry them. Now shoo!" [Rodgin] the Armadillkin questioned before attempting to physically push Nero outside of his store.
Moments later, a certain Crowli appeared before Rodgin from within my Lantern and grabbed the Armadillkin's hand before it could touch me. Holding the hand up like that, he began to tighten his grip until Rodgin receded and apologized. I'm pleasantly surprised to see Crowli standing up for me, but he's probably just trying to score brownie points with me so that I teach him a song to be the lead singer for sooner. Crowli isn't the type to just help me for nothing. I'll never forget the time when he waited a until a minute after I called him to appear. He clearly doesn't think too highly of me.
"As I was saying, a Blacksmith?" [Nero] asked after removing his sunglasses.
"There are three Blacksmith Forges in Reygid who help supply this store. They're each run by a different Blacksmith, but two of the Blacksmiths also have apprentices working for them. They're named Vigi, Melwin, and Lilith." [Rodgin] the Armadillkin explained while staring at Crowli with eyes wide.
"Great. Where can I find each of these Forges?" [Nero] asked with a smile.
"Eh? Why don't I just show you?" [Rodgin] the Armadillkin asked.
"That would be very much appreciated." [Nero] replied honestly.
"Alright, Lorna! Go show these people to Vigi's, Melwin's, and Lilith's." [Rodgin] called out to a worker in the store.
"Okay! I'm Lorna, nice to meet you." [Lorna] the Mousekin greeted with a smile. She looks more Human than Mouse, has white hair and pitch black eyes. She has white mouse ears poking up from her hair, and even has whiskers on her face.
"I'm Nero, and this is Cetilla. It's a pleasure to meet you." [Nero] replied courteously while exiting the store with the group.
"Hey… Aren't you a noble?" [Lorna] asked Cetilla while leading the two towards Vigi's forge.
"Yes. I am Cetilla Vellisroi." [Cetilla] replied frankly while following along.
"Wow! That's so cool. I bet you're loaded!" [Lorna] exclaimed.
"I refused my inheritance to become a Sorceress. Due to that, Nero may be more wealthy than me." [Cetilla] remarked before letting on a grin.
"You could always just have both. Also, I'm not even very wealthy." [Nero] replied flatly as if exasperated.
"Of course you are! You're the sole investor and supplier to one of the most prominent businesses currently within Reygid." [Cetilla] remarked before continuing.
"Eh?" [Lorna] replied while tilting her head.
"You possess one of the largest castle Keeps which I have ever witnessed. You possess a plethora of high Tier monsters to do your bidding-" [Cetilla] continued before being interrupted.
"Stop." [Nero] exclaimed while glaring at Cetilla.
"...While that's all true, you also choose to be overly generous with your profits so it might be more challenging for you to truly view yourself as wealthy." [Cetilla] exclaimed as if she were proud of herself.
"Eh? How do you figure?" [Nero] asked while tilting his head, seemingly given in.
"The number of your Keep residents continues to rise. You ensure that all those residing in your Keep are properly fed and clothed. You hold festivals for all who reside within your Keep regularly, and even extend your paws towards doing charity work for the inhabitants of the nearby lands." [Cetilla] explained calculatingly.
"But… Among all of those reasons for my not being wealthy, only one of them actually affects my profits? Me clothing all of the residents and doing the charity work limits the amount of cargo that I can send each shipment, hurting profits; but the other things are all free to do?" [Nero] poked at her reasoning.
"Wrong! You think that Fishing and holding festivals are free, but in reality; you holding a festival ensures that you need to spend more time Fishing. You think that spending time Fishing is free because you can also make clothes while you're at it, but you're really just wasting time that you could otherwise be spending to explore the world while also making clothing!" [Cetilla] remarked while pointing a finger at Nero.
Ahhh… The truth comes out. The root of this conversation is just that Cetilla desperately wants for us to resume our adventure. Me too though. I understand how you feel. We have all these important things to do first though, you know?! Deciding to ignore her, we continued to make our way to Vigi's forge in silence. Lorna totally also just heard some really weird information from that topic, so it's probably for the best if we just stopped talking regardless of whether or not I actually want to resume the adventure.
I need a better Broom and Lantern. I also need more Candy. I would love to perform the culling of the Lost Kingdom to help raise the daytime war potential protecting the Goblin Village. I need to get better camping equipment. I made a promise to teach White Sheep Lady, Crowli, and Vana their own songs to be the lead singer in. I would also like to teach Weeping Angel an extra one considering the fact that 'I Put a Sp*ll on You' required several backup singers which were unrelated to the band. I want to meet Nyla, the Cat Crew candidate who works as a carriage guard as well. I'm truly booked. I have no time to waste!
When we arrived at Vigi's forge, I looked around to find that there were 3 apprentices working here. One of them is a Foxmen, another is a Komoto Dragonkin, while the last is a Raccoonkin. They're all men, and they all appear to be more beast than Human. Vigi himself is a burly Minotaur. I guess they weren't extinct after all. Maybe just rare? I can't shake the fear that I feel. He's intimidating, okay?! It's a different type of intimidating from Crowli so I'm not used to it. Sadly, he's also not a Clansmen.
"Hello, my name is Nero." [Nero] greeted Vigi.
"Name's Vigi… What can I do for you?" [Vigi]
"I was hoping to inquire of Delhn Sand when making Glass. I'm in need of high quality Glass, and I possess Delhn Sand. What I don't know is whether Delhn Sand is even good enough to warrant trying to make Glass with. Will it even be high quality if it's Delhn Sand?" [Nero] explained before asking.
"Well just how high of a quality are we talking here?" [Vigi] asked.
"I would like a Lantern made for a cost of 5 Gold Coins or greater. It needs to consist of high quality metal and Glass in order to be feasible." [Nero] stated honestly.
"5 Gold Coins for a Lantern? Can't say anyone has ever requested a Lantern that nice to be made… I can't say for certain that I'll make a fine Lantern, but I can try my best." [Vigi] asked before exclaiming with a voice of determination.
"Wait~ So really, what do you think of Delhn Glass? Should I go searching for a different type of Sand?" [Nero] exclaimed before asking.
"It's hard to say… Rarely any weapons even require Glass to be made. It's not exactly the most studied topic. It's difficult to say just which Sand might turn out better. It would probably be best to just use an excessively sturdy metal, and swap the Glass out as you see fit considering that you're willing to procure the Sand yourself. You can try having several types of Glass made and compare the outcomes." [Vigi] explained while looking somewhat dejected before getting slightly excited about the Glass experiment.
"Okay. If you know any knowledgeable Miners who could choose between several rare metals, minerals, and gems at first glance to ascertain which would be best used... I would like to hire him or her and escort them for this job." [Nero] declared.
"Knowledgeable Miners, huh? Hold on a minute! If you go and escort the Miner to find your minerals, and you also go and collect your own Sand... Then just what are you even paying me for?" [Vigi] exclaimed before asking with a harsh glare.
"Rest assured, I have every intention of paying you for your services. I will require your skills to create and mold the Glass and Metal into a Lantern. Be that as it may, I will not be paying you for the materials required to do so. When I mentioned 5 Gold Coins, I was not mentioning the value of the materials. I was referring to the value of your own craftsmanship put in to form the Lantern beautifully. Those 5 Gold Coins are unrelated to me hiring a Miner to help me find adequate materials. They're an entirely different matter." [Nero] explained calculatingly.
"My own craftsmanship… But I've never even made a high quality Lantern, there's no telling if it will visually please you at all..." [Vigi] said while thinking.
"Why not try to practice by making Iron Lanterns to get a feel for it?" [Cetilla] chimed in with a smile.
"I would highly recommend doing that." [Nero] joined in while sticking one thumb up before continuing.
"So, about that Miner? Do you know one?" [Nero] asked.
"Yes. There are half a dozen Miners who help supply this forge, but every Blacksmith worth his anvil is a skillful Miner themselves. I'll take the job personally." [Vigi] remarked as if nostalgic before steeling his resolve to declare that he would handle it.
"Eh?! Okay~ Lorna, it would appear that we've succeeded in recruiting a Blacksmith on the first try; so you can return to your store now. Thank you very much for helping us." [Nero] accepted the offer before turning to Lorna and seeing her off.
"It was my pleasure. Good luck on your Lantern!" [Lorna] called while walking away.
And with that, Vigi fetched a rather large and impressive Pickaxe. It has a metal blade colored turquoise. The handle is also metal but of a different type, and the handle bar is beautifully sculpted. It appears as though it was molded to be easier to wield. The form of the blade is also eye catching. It splits off into two at the back, how one might expect for a modern Pickaxe but the overall blade width gets wider more towards the part where the bar is. There are small engravings along the bar itself, which is probably just for aesthetics.
Currently, we are walking through Reygid towards the Beach. On the way, I learned that Vigi has an ability similar to [Appraisal] called [Distinction]. [Appraisal] can view status regarding individuals, and can also ascertain the name of items or materials. [Distinction] can instead ascertain the name of items or materials as well as their quality, weight, and sturdiness. Be that as it may, Glass itself is not regarded as something sturdy regardless of the Sand used to create it; so he's never taken heed of the differences in the past when he was asked to create simple Glass tools. It's difficult to say what would make one type of Sand produce better Glass than another type of Sand. Sigh~
When we arrived at the Beach and I opened [Hallowed Gate], the Minotaur didn't even really seem to flinch. He's just way too manly to be affected by anything as trivial as gates to the underworld appearing before him. He probably already realized that I'm not your everyday Cat by using [Distinction] on my clothes and finding that they're more sturdy than the products currently on the market. After all, you can say that Clive's store is a significant 'up and coming' competitor for Vigi's business. It's not surprising if he secretly keeps tabs on Clive's progress. To the outside world, Clive is slowly getting better product and no one really knows how. Vigi probably makes sure to stay up to date on just how much progress Clive makes, so seeing my clothes which outrank even Clive's is probably a dead giveaway. Well, I say that; but I'm actually just wearing the best quality that Clive has now obtained. Most of my clothes are level 15 pieces, but rarely anyone would even be able to obtain a nice looking set of clothes at the highest grade from the very limited supply that Clive possesses. It's beginning to make more sense as to why Vigi seemed to genuinely want to accept my deal. Trying to make back some of that profit you lost in last week's sales?
Entering Halloween was another story. He began to visibly shake, and I say that because I can currently hear his hooves quivering on the bricks paving the streets of my Town. Thankfully, I'm blocking the exit which he came from; so he was forced to flee into my Throne Room. Haah~ They're not the same portal regardless of aesthetic~ Entering my Throne Room, it would appear that Weeping Angel is awaiting us. Does she want to be my secretary or something? Why is she always here?! Oh… She's practicing her singing and making use of the loud room to gain a nice echo. Wait! Just what the hell are you even singing?! I know that song! I never taught you that! Who showed you that?!
Weeping Angel… I'm going to have a talk with you later about this. But for now, I decided to summon Crowli and asked him to show Vigi to a room in the basement and to also show him around the Keep. I made sure to tell him to teach Vigi how to cook Fish in the Keep and to actually show Vigi to an unoccupied room. I can't have Crowli just walk Vigi down there and whip open a door to another resident's room. I have a feeling that Crowli would do it. If any of my Clansmen, it would be Crowli. Before they left, I told Vigi that we would be staying here for the night and that we could go search for minerals tomorrow. I guess I'll just skip getting a Broom tonight and put it off for a little while longer. After all, I just promised to spend 5 Gold on a new Lantern and I also fully intend to purchase Candy. Brooms are stupidly expensive, so it's probably for the best if I save up for a really nice one.
I decided to spend the remainder of my night creating clothes while sitting by the fire with my friends and eating Fish. I was aiming for level 20 pieces. Around an hour later, Vigi joined us and I had a chance to introduce him to the gang. Vana and Mobbin Village Keef Sama were extremely surprised to meet a Minotaur, so they totally stole Vigi from the rest of us and hogged him all to themselves. I can't complain. Even if I frighten Vigi, Vigi also somewhat frightens me. I liked Minotaurs in movies, but it's more scary in real life. I don't know why. I remember being somewhat terrified of Mr Scarecrow when I first met him, but I don't feel that way any longer. I was also afraid of Crowli, but Weeping Angel only seemed ominous to me. Maybe I'll get used to it? Probably.
Thankfully, I had a pretty good time by the fire regardless of the burly and frightening Minotaur being within my vicinity. While I was talking with Goblin Hunk and Budget Dragon, I learned that Cloaked Hunk #wassup finally worked up the nerve to try and woo some local Goblina whom I'm pretty sure that I had previously heard about. He's successfully attained a partner, and is currently off spending time with her. How cute~ I'm happy for him. Goblin Hunk is jealous, but Budget Dragon's on my side. Goblin Hunk has no right for jealousy, as he hath not made any attempts at finding himself a partner. It is what it is. I even told him so! He looks more dejected than ever, but I'm sure that he'll bounce back. After my talk with those two, Cetilla and Rei jumped in and challenged me to the safari card game.
I had time to spare, so I decided to go for it. I played the card game. The result? I was utterly destroyed. By both of them. I won't be playing it again any time soon. I think they cheated. I don't know how, but I'm certain. Wait! It was my sunglasses. They could see the reflection of my cards through my sunglasses. There's no other way that they could have possibly fooled me! With newfound resolve, I challenged them once more and managed to actually win. Yosh! I'm the best~
And that's how a weekly safari card battle tournament began taking place at the Wailing Keep. Each participant faces off against every other participant once. The participant who accumulates the most wins is dubbed the Safari Card King or Queen. After claiming my rightful place as the Safari Card King, I noticed that dawn was approaching. Making my way to bed, I had my Clansmen help me carry the clothes back to the Throne Room before I cast [Daily Candy] and leaped into bed. [Shapeshift]. Good morning~