Henry woke up the next morning, showered, ate breakfast, and checked the player forums. He looked over his stats. He managed to reach Level 6 yesterday. Yesterday was challenging but he was glad he finished his quest.
Thaddeus looked at his post about carpentry from yesterday. Last night, five people replied to his post about carpentry with their own experiences or questions. Some had even gifted him some coppers for providing the information. It seemed there was a small group of people dedicated to woodworking.
After replying to the comments under his post, he laid down in his FIVR Pod and logged back into the game.
Heaven's Gate faded into view, and Thaddeus woke up from his bed. He looked around the plain wooden room and saw his clothes had been washed and placed on a bedside table. There was also a basin filled with fresh water and a small hand towel.
He quickly dressed, washed his face in the basin, and headed for the main house. He knocked on the back door and walked into the kitchen.
"Good morning sleeping beauty!" Josh joked, before eating another heaping portion of Michelle's famous country breakfast.
"Hush Josh. Thad, you want a plate. There's plenty more in the skillet?" Michelle asked.
Thaddeus nodded and took a seat at the table. Michelle brought him a quiche filled with potatoes, sausage, cheese, peppers, onions, and a cup of fresh goat milk.
Drinking goat milk was a bit of an adjustment for Thaddeus. White Pines was a small town in the middle of the forest. There were no cows in town. They simply couldn't afford the cost of cattle, and it was too dangerous to cut down the forest to make a range for the cattle to graze.
Thankfully, goat milk tasted like cow milk in the game. Thaddeus didn't know how the game did it, but it could perfectly mimic the taste and texture of real food and beverages. In Heaven's Gate, beer and wine could make players tipsy and debuff their character.
"I saw you completed the quest I gave you yesterday. Now that you've learned how to tell which trees make good-quality timber. I'll teach you how to turn timber you felled, into good-quality lumber.
I'll show you how to make beams and planks. After you learn that, I'll teach you how to build construction frames, furniture, crates, cabinetry, and weapons," Josh explained.
"Sounds good. I'm looking forward to learning some new skills," Thaddeus agreed.
"Good, here are the books you need to read pick up the Sawmill Skill," he said handing Will three books.
System Message: Would you like to read [Joints and Planes for Novices], [Milling for Beginners], or [Sawmill Construction]? Y/N
Thaddeus selected yes, as the information from the books felt like it implanted itself into his brain. After it was finished, Thaddeus felt a little dizzy, but he was fine.
System Message:
New Passive Skill: Woodworking. At higher levels can identify quality lumber and construction.
Stat Increase: +1 to STR, +100 EXP
Level 1: Novice Level 1
Effect: Increased speed and accuracy to joints and planning
Cost: 10 STR/second
"Oh Thad, Josh said you're interested in cooking. Yesterday, the General store got a new shipment of books. You'll welcome to have my old cookbooks.
System Message: Would you like to read [Cooking for Novices], [Edible Plants, Herbs, and Flora for Novices], and [Campfire Cooking]? Y/N
System Message:
New Active Skill: Cooking. At higher levels, food may gain attributes based on ingredients.
Stat Increase: +1 to VIT, +100 EXP
Level 1: Novice Level 1
Effect: Increased taste.
Cost: 10 WILL/second
"Argh," Thaddeus yelled after selecting yes, a second time. It felt like a dump truck of information digitally imprinted itself into his brain, giving him a massive headache.
"What happened?" Michelle asked.
"Why did the books glimmer?" Josh asked.
"The system just uploaded these books to my brain," Thaddeus replied.
"The gods! Did you say the gods implanted the books in your brain?" Josh asked stunned.
"No, the system!" Thaddeus said massaging his temples.
"That's what he said, the gods!" Michelle repeated incredulously.
"Wait when I say system, you hear the word 'gods'?" Thaddeus asked, clarifying the confusion.
"Yes," Josh and Michelle said in unison.
Thaddeus remembered the same thing occurred yesterday when an angry player called Alice an NPC, but she heard 'Townie.' This also happened when players said 'players,' but NPC's heard the word 'Travelers.'
'The system must change the words, so the NPCs don't realize this is a game. There must be a main list of words that get reinterpreted to NPCs,' Thaddeus thought.
"The Goddess of Light told us immortal Travelers were coming to save us from invading monsters, demons, and undead. The gods have really blessed you, Travelers.
"We'll it hurt like hell though. It feels like getting smacked in the head with the book," Thaddeus explained.
"But do you remind all the information?" Michelle asked.
"Yes. I know everything in those books and could probably quote the book back to your word for word," Thaddeus explained.
"It took me over 50 years of studying to remember enough to pass my novice exams. I bet you could pass the novice written exam today," Josh explained.
"We should light a candle at the church thanking the goddess for bestowing you such a blessing," Michelle suggested.
In the past, Thaddeus would study game lore hoping he could find clues to hidden areas filled with epic or legendary loot. But now he just wanted to take things slow.
He knew that gods existed. The A.I. embodied the natural affinities and alignments of the game. The most powerful god had many names in game lore, some called him the All-Father, others Father Time, but his most common name was Cronus. Cronus was responsible for maintaining the time dilation in the game.
The second strongest were gods, Athena and Eris. They helped Cronus manage the alignment of all living beings in the game. They were A.I. moderators working behind the seen to make sure the game ran smoothly, and the game progressed at a balanced pace. Athena was the Goddess of Order and Eris was the Goddess of Chaos. Together with Cronus, they were primarily responsible for working behind the scenes, out of sight of players and NPCs.
The other gods were more involved in the game and were directly involved in lore and story development. These gods and goddesses oversaw the affinities in the game and could bless or curse players as they pleased. Apollo was the God of Air, Triton was the God of Water, Demeter was the Goddess of Earth, Ares was the God of Fire, Hephaestus was the God of Darkness, and Thanatos the God of Death.
According to game lore, Travelers were brought to this world by the Hestia, Goddess of Light, to restore order to the world. In Heaven's Gates, Hestia was both the most digitally gorgeous of all the goddesses, and also the most popular goddess. Her followers controlled the Church of Light, the most widespread church in-game.
Since game developers tied players respawn points to resurrection altars in churches, players were forced to treat priests respectfully. If a player's favorability with a church turned from neutral to dislike, a player might respawn hundreds of miles away in a different church. And the church with the most resurrection altars was the Church of Light.
In real life, he was an agnostic. He believed the universe couldn't be the result of a cosmic coincidence. Like a simulation, he believed there was a Grand Builder, but he wasn't sure that person was a god. Similar to how these NPCs, didn't know they were the creation of software engineering.
But, Thaddeus knew how culturally important religion was to people. He planned to play this game like a resident then maybe he should practice religion. After all, what's the harm in believing in an algorithm?
"I don't mind lighting a candle, but which goddess should we give thanks to?" Thaddeus asked.
"Demeter. She is the Goddess of Earth. She has overseas nature, animals, and agriculture. Thanks to her, nature provides us with subsistence," Michelle explained passionately.
"Thaddeus as carpenters our profession is rooted in the land. Nature is a gift from our creators. So, we must be good stewards of the land. Although we fall trees and use them for our resources. Removing tall, old trees gives younger trees a chance to grow strong and mighty. Remember all things come from the earth and all things will eventually return to the earth," Josh said fervently.
Their devotion to the Earth Goddess was a little unnerving for Thaddeus but he decided to just ignore it and agree to the request. As a half-bear kin, he had a natural affinity to nature, and he was also attuned to earth magic. Think about earth magic, Thaddeus needed to get some earth spells.
"Do you know where I can learn some earth spells?" Thaddeus asked.
"Why are you terramancer?" Michelle asked.
"A what?" Thaddeus asked confused.
"Are you a mage, was your mother or father a Bear kin Druid? That explains your interest in crafting instead of combat," Josh explained like everything finally fit into place.
"Wait, what are you talking about?" Thaddeus interrupted.
"Most Bear kin are ferocious warriors, like orcs. They live to battle, for battle is how they increase their social standing. Only Bear kin druids are exempt from battle. They are held in esteem for their wisdom and powerful terramancy. If I had to guess, your mother was a bear kin druid who transfigured into a human and mated with your father," Josh said guessing Thaddeus' backstory.
"…"
Thaddeus had never really gotten into the whole character backstory when playing MMORPGs. When you play for combat, your interactions with NPCs are minimal. '
"Josh that's enough! Look how uncomfortable he feels," Michelle shouted, hitting Josh in the head.
"Okay let's get to work. We can go to the church later. If you want you can purchase your first spells there. Now let's go make some lumber, lad!" Josh said standing up ready to get to work.
Thaddeus finished his plate of food and followed Josh out to the sawmill.
The sawmill where Thaddeus lived, was devoid of electric tools and machines. He'd never been to an Amish workshop, but he imagined it was not much different from Josh's sawmill.
Josh taught Thaddeus how to dry the wood in a kiln, then use tools to joint, and plane timber to make nice square dimensions lumber. From the 30 trees he cut down, he learned to shape and sculpt them into functioning construction materials. Josh also taught him joints—from box joints to a tongue and groove.
By the time Josh finished his instruction, they only managed to joint and plane one pine tree. From one tree, Thaddeus made over 160 planks and 4 beams.
"You did well, all that's left is to practice. Why don't you joint and plane the remaining timber you felled, when you're finished, we'll use the lumber to build whatever you want," Josh said cheerfully.
Quest Received: Lumber Joshua the carpenter needs you to joint and plane the 29 remaining oak, cedar, and pine trees for lumber. Each beam and plank must reach a minimum standard of [Good] to quality.
Thaddeus accepted the quest. even though it looked like he'd be forced to cut more timber if he did not meet the required minimum standard for beams, or planks.
When they finished it was nearing dusk. Thaddeus asked Josh if he was fine to also study tanning from Alice and smithing from Roy.
Thaddeus decided to learn tanning first, as it seemed like the easier craft to learn the smithing.
Alice was excited to see Thaddeus as he walked into her shop. He was covered in sawdust, but she didn't care. She had a backlog of pelts and was happy for the help. Alice took Thaddeus to the tannery behind the shop so they could get started at once.
"Some crafters believe there is no need for them to learn how to work leather. Those crafters have never had to survive outdoors in the wilderness. Tanning is a great skill for crafters and adventurers to learn. Some people don't want to learn to tan, because of the chemicals and smells. But they're willing to drop gold coins for expert and master-ranked leather armor and fur cloaks. Fools," she spat.
Thaddeus could tell she was enthusiastic about her class. Listening to her rant, Thaddeus found it easy to forget she was an NPC.
"No time to waste! We have to get you trained!" she said as if her own sadness was derailing the lesson and Thaddeus was at fault.
Alice wasted no time and immediately tasked Thaddeus with unloading all of the hides she purchased today, including the wolf pelts killed while lumberjacking.
The process of leatherworking was pretty disgusting. Tanning gave off the worst smell Thaddeus has ever experienced. Alice showed him the chemical ratios and how best to deal with cleaning the hide before tanning. He got a skill notification while tanning my first hide as Alice continued talking a mile a minute.
System Message:
New Active Skill: Leatherworking. At higher levels can identify quality leather.
Stat Increase: +1 to AGI, +100 EXP
Level 1: Novice Level 1
Effect: Increased speed and accuracy of tanning
Cost: 10 AGI/second
The time flew by as Alice talked to Thaddeus about how to take measurements, sew, cut, and shape leather. She talked so fast, Thaddeus could only get a single word in edgewise.
System Message:
New Active Skill: Tailoring. At higher levels can identify the quality fabric and stitch intricate designs.
Stat Increase: +1 to AGI, +100 EXP
Level 1: Novice Level 1
Effect: Increased speed and accuracy of tailoring
Cost: 10 AGI/second
Unlike carpentry which was a slow learning process, Thaddeus learned to tan quickly. As a craft tanning was mostly repetition. Fleshing, washing, soaking, and drying. Honestly, it felt like he was just mixing large pots of laundry in water and vegetable tannins.
By nightfall, Thaddeus had reached Apprentice level 51 in leatherworking. He had long since turned off his notifications. As he scrolled through his game log, they were filled with notifications of him leveling up the leatherworking skill and a notification informing him he'd advance to Level 7.
System Message:
Congratulations you have reached Level 7. You have 5 Stat Points to allocate.
"I think you might just be my new favorite pupil! Will I see you again tomorrow evening?" she joked patting Thaddeus on the back with a big grin.
"No, I plan to see Roy tomorrow," Thaddeus replied.
"Well, I appreciated the help, I hope you'll be stopping by again. I noticed you're still wearing the same start gear as Travelers. You're Level 7 now, shouldn't you have some better gear by now? How about this, you take these design books, and we'll make you a new set of leather clothes next time you come? Personally, I think you'd look cute in a fine leather vest. Let's make you one together!" She said waving Thaddeus goodbye.
System Message: Would you like to read [Designs for Novices], [Tailoring for Novices], Y/N
Thaddeus selected no, he wanted to wait until he got back to his apartment in the sawmill before reading them. He waved goodbye to Alice and walked back to his room with her on his mind.
In the moonlight, Alice looked really beautiful. Her shapely body really was attractive. He wondered if players could have relationships with NPCs when he received a new notification.
Relationship Update: Alice the Tanner Thanks to helping her process her backlog of pelts, your favorability with Alice has increased from neutral to friendly. +50 Favorably to White Pines Town NPCs