"Wait, a sword made by a low-level blacksmith was bought by a top player? If they're buying it for its power, isn't that breaking the game balance?"
"Well, you're special, big brother. You've got the fairy Phoebe's power and you've really honed your blacksmithing skills in real life..."
"I don't think real-life blacksmithing has much to do with it. The techniques are just too different."
"Well, if the balance really was broken, they'd fix it. One of the strengths—and weaknesses—of online games is that the developers can easily adjust the balance. Just play as you normally would; we're not cheating or doing anything wrong. Anyway, I've shared the auction results, so I'll go ahead now."
With that, Yuna returned to her room.
"Well, I guess I won't worry about it then."
Satisfied with her reasoning that any imbalance would correct itself, I fitted my VR equipment and logged into Fantasy Freedom.
"Phoebe—oh…"
As I landed in Lily's home, I found Phoebe curled up with a book, fast asleep.
"Well, there's no rush, so I might as well let her sleep."
I figured she would wake if I nudged her, but I had no desire to disturb her peaceful slumber.
She looked so comfortable.
I recalled there was a feature that allowed me to capture images of my view… It might be a little unfair to Phoebe, but I couldn't resist taking a picture of her sleeping face.
And so, I settled in at Lily's home, waiting for Phoebe to wake.
"Ah, good morning… Lena, you could have woken me if you were here…"
When Phoebe awakened, her cheeks were slightly flushed.
If she felt embarrassed about being caught sleeping, a wave of guilt washed over me for taking her picture.
"Well, I couldn't bring myself to wake you… Also, the sword and staff we crafted together two days ago sold for a nice sum. I thought if you wanted anything, I'd like to buy it for you first."
After all, the money came from our joint efforts, so Phoebe had every right to benefit from it. I wanted to spend it for her sake.
"Then, I want a bed and some clothes," she said.
A bed and clothes... do they even sell those in a fairy size? Well, if they don't have them, I could always make them. I made clothes before, and a bed should be manageable with some wood and fabric, even without any system assistance.
Glancing at the system screen, I noticed I already had 3.86 million in funds sent from Lily.
"Alright, let's go buy them," I said.
"Yes, let's head out," Phoebe replied, confirming she had stored the money in the pocket of her gym uniform. We made our way to the shopping area, searching for fairy-sized beds and clothes... but found nothing.
"It looks like I have no choice but to make the bed myself," I sighed.
"You can actually make one?" Phoebe asked, sounding surprised.
"With some basic handyman skills, I should be able to manage."
At an NPC shop, I bought fabric, thread, cotton, wood, nails, a hammer, a carving knife, and sandpaper for the bed. It felt a bit overpriced, but I didn't let that stop me.
"As for clothes... I want to get some good fabric," I said.
"Do we really need to go that far?" she asked.
"Absolutely. The quality of the clothes directly affects our defense. Having something good can tip the scales in our favor in case of emergencies."
I was already wearing my gym uniform for defense, and I suddenly thought… wait, if I have this much money, I could get some better materials and upgrade my armor instead.
Oh no, it's only been a few days, but I've become so accustomed to this gym uniform that the thought of switching to different armor didn't even cross my mind…
"I need to make clothes not just for Phoebe, but for myself too."
"Are you going to make clothes for Lena as well?"
"Ah, if possible, I'd like to graduate from gym uniforms..."
With that earnest desire in mind, I began searching for quality fabric. I figured with my discerning eye, I would surely find something good.
One hour later...
"The fabric is so expensive... I also need to buy the patterns..."
I had underestimated the situation; I thought 3.8 million would buy anything I wanted. But the quality at the NPC shops was poor, and the prices at player shops were exorbitant. Of course, better quality costs more, but for fabrics with decent performance, all I could discern with my appraisal skill was that they were simply "superior fabric." I couldn't assess their true quality anymore.
Could I just buy the expensive options? Not at all; player shops allow sellers to set their own prices, leading to absurdly high costs for low-quality fabric—outrageous prices that made me question their sanity. If I wasn't careful, I was bound to end up with a huge loss.
As for the patterns, the price ranges were all over the place, leaving me confused about which ones to purchase. Was there a difference in performance? That thought made me hesitate.
I had completely neglected to gather information...
Checking my friend list, I saw that Lily and the leader were logged out, leaving me unable to ask for help via email.
".....Sorry, Phoebe, can I put off the clothes for another day?"
"Yes, that's fine."
I decided to set aside making clothes for now and focus on crafting a bed today. If I have time later, I might work on leveling up.
In Lily's cozy home, I began constructing the bed. I shaved the wood, shaped it carefully, and sanded it gently with sandpaper to avoid any splinters that could hurt Phoebe.
Using nails, I secured the pieces of wood to form the floorboards and legs. Then, I gathered fabric, thread, and cotton to make the pillow and the thing that goes on top... What was it called again? Sheets? Mattress? Comforter...? Well, "comforter" works. I set to making both the comforter and duvet.
I pulled a needle from the enchanted sewing kit given to me by the leader and started sewing.
"Without system assistance, threading the needle is all manual."
I fumbled to thread the needle and continued my sewing. With no sewing machine, it was all done by hand, which took a considerable amount of time.
As I lost myself in the task, I suddenly realized I had left Phoebe unattended.
"I'm sorry, Phoebe... I got so absorbed in my work that I neglected you..."
"Ah, um, don't worry about it. I was engrossed in watching you," she replied, her cheeks flushing. Why was she blushing? Now I felt a bit embarrassed myself...
"Anyway, I've finished the bed, so I want you to try lying down."
Phoebe lay down on the plain bed I had made.
"It's so fluffy..."
"Is the firmness okay for you?"
Some people find that sleeping on a firm mattress suits them better than a soft one.
"That's fine, thank you! I'm so happy to have such a wonderful bed!"
Phoebe looks at me with a beaming smile, her light blue eyes sparkling brightly, making my heart race.
As I blush at Phoebe's smile, the pre-set alarm beeps, signaling dinnertime.
"Well, if you're happy, that's all that matters... but I need to log out soon to eat. Let me know if there's anything else you want."
"Yes, understood!"
After hearing Phoebe's reply, I log out. I take off the VR headset and take a deep breath.
"Is this game a love simulation?"
I murmur to myself as I head for dinner.
Later, when I asked Lily about the PL shop and fabrics, she seemed relieved that I didn't buy anything—apparently, there's a significant hit-or-miss factor.
Regarding recipes, she mentioned that if the names are the same, roughly 70% of the time, their performance is identical. However, the remaining 30% might share the same name but come with unique special effects, which makes them more valuable.
Additionally, once a recipe is used, it registers and can't be sold, which increases the value of those with special effects.
Lily advised me that the best way to obtain fabric is to ask our leader. Apparently, the leader possesses high sewing and crafting skills, allowing them to weave high-quality fabric from threads, and they reportedly created Lily's armor as well.
"Well then, I might just go ahead and make that request. Since we're friends, I can send an email, and I owe the leader a lot for all the help and advice I've received. I need to make sure the request is something that will earn him a good profit."
With that thought, the day passed.
"Hmm, what should we do?"
The next morning, Phoebe and I were sifting through recipes. The expensive ones had a chance of granting unique effects, but our resonance skill makes it easier to add those effects, so we decided to search for cheaper recipes instead.
"Hmm... coats, leather armor, T-shirts, tracksuits, gym uniforms… jackets, metal armor, chainmail… it's so hard to choose."
There were recipes for various other types of armor, and the varying materials and quantities for each one complicated the decision. The performance of the armor depends heavily on the materials used, and since I planned to wear it for a long time, Lily advised me to consider appearance as well.
I looked at myself: a petite girl with white hair and pale eyes. Any armor that wasn't overly heavy, like full plate mail, would likely suit me.
"Lena! What about this butler outfit? It would look so cool!"
"I'll add it to the list of options..."
A butler outfit for a girl—strange, yet fitting. The choices were endless, though I suddenly remembered: there were maid outfits too, which I wouldn't wear, but still… what a dilemma!
"There's even a swimsuit..."
Now that I think about it, I rarely see players in swimsuits. In a video game, maybe, but walking around a fantasy world in a full-dive game while wearing a swimsuit feels like a mental hurdle. I guess if I looked hard enough, I might find someone…
"Oh, a dress..."
A dress would definitely suit Phoebe. Wow, just saying 'dress' opens up a world of options… From sexy designs with plunging backs and necklines to cute ones with less exposure and lots of frills—there's so much variety.
"Lena, is that the one you're choosing?"
"Huh? I-I just thought it might look good on Phoebe…"
"Wait, you mean that dress?"
The recipe in my hand was for a sexy dress with a plunging back and neckline… If we're talking about whether it would look good on her, there's no doubt it would…
Phoebe's body resembles Lena's, and while she's childlike, she exudes a mysterious air. With wings sprouting from her back, that dress would suit her perfectly, especially with that low neckline… I really want to see her in it…
But saying that outright would definitely come off as creepy, wouldn't it?
"Oh, and since it has a large back opening, it would accommodate her wings nicely, right? I think it would really suit Phoebe."
"I see, that sounds practical… but it's still quite revealing and a bit embarrassing…"
"Y-Yeah, it's true that even if it suits you, revealing clothes can be embarrassing," I said, relieved I had emphasized functionality. If I had commented on how sexy it seemed, she definitely would have pulled away...
Anyway, I had strayed from my focus. I needed to pick my armor recipe. After pondering for about an hour, I finally bought the recipe for a jacket with a large pocket on the chest.
"Phoebe, did you have any recipes you wanted for clothes you'd like to wear?"
"…Then, I'd like that recipe over there."
Phoebe pointed to two recipes. One was a full-body coat, and the other was a revealing, sexy dress that I could picture her in.
"…Okay, let's get those," I said. I didn't understand why she wanted the sexy dress, but I figured it was best not to ask, so I silently bought both recipes.