The chimney was tricky as Ace expected. Rino took a good part of the evening fixing the chimney and working around it for the roof. In the end, the lich slapped some good old cement in between the tiles and chimney bricks to seal any possible leaks.
The farmhouse was finally completed after a long time, and the luxurious outhouse cum bath spa building in the backyard was quickly assembled. Cement mixture had to be the one thing Rino wished didn't need as much refilling.
Once that was done, Rino took a look at his handiwork. The cottage was starting to look very homey, but it was far from finished. Rino had no windows or doors. Even so, that did not stop the daily quest system from considering this completed.
Ping!
===
Daily Quest #4 (Complete)
Objective: Build a Farmhouse [Chain Quest]
1. Build 8,000 bricks (done)
2. Make Cement (done)
3. Lay bricks according to the schematic (done)
Time Limit: -
Tutorial here.
Reward: Sleep Reward Wallet.
Claim your reward here.
Penalty: NA
===
This was the moment Rino had been waiting for! Without hesitation, he claimed his reward and saw a new tab appear beside his daily quest and side quest panel on the floating screen. The system prompted Rino that there was still one more quest pending reward collection.
===
Side Quest #7
Objective: Craft a Bone Needle
Tutorial here.
Reward: 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep.
Claim your reward here.
===
The bone needle was stored very carefully, and Rino double-checked it sitting on the exact spot he left it on the weaving machine. After experiencing the pain of chopping a toe bone off, Rino doubted he wanted a repeat unless he absolutely needed more needles. Maybe the next time he did it, he would use a different toe bone. Maybe it would hurt less than the last toe bone.
The moment Rino claimed his sleep reward, he received a new automated system message.
[8 hours of sleep successfully deposited into the Sleep Wallet. Please check your sleep wallet for available sleep reward balance.]
Rino didn't need to be told twice. He was already checking it out before the automated system message finished its announcement. The level of excitement made his hands shake as he looked at the new sleep reward tab.
===
Sleep Reward Wallet:
Daily Sleep Withdrawal Limit: 8 hours (reset at midnight)
Available Sleep: 8 hours
===
If he had a beating heart, it would have stammered, blushed and killed itself from joy. Rino had to thank the system administrator for listening to his demands. Even if there was a daily withdrawal limit, Rino was still happy that sleep was a thing he could now do whenever he wanted. No more boring long nights of staring at the sky and doing nothing. No more burning his hollow eye sockets in the glaring sun.
The quests did not update automatically, so Rino relaxed. He had his rewards and his unfurnished house. The chain quest might be completed ahead of time, but Noir's arrival would be due soon. Just a skeleton of a farmhouse would not do. The adorable cat deserved the best, and by that, Rino meant complete furniture and interior decorations.
The fireplace was a functional one. Rino might not have fancy materials like metal or glass, but Rino created a barrier using some spare bricks and tiles he had lying around. They did the job of keeping ashes in the fireplace and sparks from flying out while the fire burned.
The door was made from many planks tied together. It wasn't the sturdiest as there were gaps between the planks, and wind could pass through those gaps a little. However, Rino was rather proud of this design, for he attached a small piece of cloth that he could unfold to cover the small hole at the bottom of the door. It was made with Noir in mind. The backdoor was designed exactly the same, and Rino installed them with pride. Moving wood parts weren't the easiest to carve, but with some water magic and cement, it worked.
From above, Ace could not help but turn scarlet when he heard Rino's thoughts and saw the kitty doors he made. Last night, he had to leave early to deal with some urgent prayers and Ark was left to monitor Rino's progress. Hence, he just returned to witness the installation of these handcrafted doors.
"Isn't it precious?" Stephanie cooed at the cute kitty door.
Rino put in a lot of effort cutting and filing the wood around the door while coating it with varnish. The door was also the right size for Noir to enter and leave freely. The wood piece behind that fabric could be used to permanently keep the flap closed if Noir was around and lifted up if Noir was outside. The wooden latch that Rino made clicked in place as the lich lifted the wooden panel while unfurling the black fabric.
The windows were also planks tied together, and Ace watched Rino install them in a similar manner. The bathhouse was also fitted with windows and a door just before the sun rose.
Rino quickly retreated indoors as the sun rose higher in the sky. He quickly took out his linen curtains and hung them on the pole he prepared above the window. The odd-shaped brackets he created using cement above the windows came in handy. The dyed linen curtains did their jobs of keeping the sun out even when the windows were open. Rino tied some pebbles heavy enough to press on the ends of these long curtains so that the wind wouldn't blow them open.
Thanks to his newly acquired textile crafting skills and needle, Rino created a rather decent bed after sewing the two huge fabric sheets. The cotton stuffing inside the two sheets was also fuller, and Rino learned a trick to keep the cotton fluffier for a longer time. He sewed the fabric together at even spacing, creating some kind of indent that held the cotton in place from moving too much to a side when he lay on the mattress.
The same thing was done to the pillow, and Rino marvelled at the softness of his first pillow. The mattress made him feel as if he was floating on a cloud when he lay down. The oversized cape now doubled as a blanket because Rino had no time to make a blanket. He was exhausted from working so much without a break.
Rino looked at his sleep reward wallet and submitted a request to claim all eight hours of sleep now that the sun was fully up in the sky.
Ping!
[8 hours of sleep successfully withdrawn. You have withdrawn the maximum hours of sleep for the daily limit. Sleep commencing in five minutes. Your current available sleep balance is 0 hours. Sweet dreams.]
Rino yawned silently and dismissed the system announcement. He could feel his vision getting blurrier, and eventually, Rino stilled. It was home sleep home at last.