CH 28

Chapter 28 – Yes! I did it! I did it!

The delicious cake and the fun talk by themselves already made our girls-only gathering very worthwhile, but it was about time to talk to Lolita about the clan.

For now, we were just getting closer as friends, but after getting to know her better, and taking Hime and Mika’s advice into account, I’ve decided that there is basically no reason to refuse her invitation.

Also, Lolita is probably still worried about this, so it would be nice to get rid of this thing in-between us, so that we can talk as just friends, instead of as someone that is thinking of me as a potential recruit.

“By the way, how successful were you with your recruitment so far?” I asked her.

“Eh? Asking about the clan all of a sudden? Well, it’s not established just yet, but let’s see…” Lolita started replying.

Then, she told us that, including her, there are four people currently on the clan. The person that made the cake we’re currently eating, one person specialized in making weapons, and one person specialized in alchemy. All of them are top producers, so her recruitment skills are surely top-notch.

Especially because most top producers tend to join other clans and become their exclusive producer, so it’s quite impressive to get this many people with high skills.

Not to mention that weapons and recovery items are things with a lot of producers working on them, so being at the top in such a highly competitive environment is quite something.

Though the same goes for me who specializes in heavy armor. And I do get a lot of invites from clans that want me to be their exclusive producer, even after I made it crystal clear that I’m not accepting any clan invitations.

… Perhaps this is exactly how she got those people to join? “So, essentially, you’re aiming for people that are tired of being requested to become exclusive producers?” I asked her.

“Well, that’s pretty much about it. At first I was asking a wider range of people, but the other high-ranked producers all preferred joining other types of clans.” Lolita answered me.

“Well, it’s definitely easier to get materials if you’re in a clan with pioneers who participate in battles.” Hime commented.

“Indeed, but what I want is a clan just for producers!” She exclaimed.

Which might be very convenient for me. By now most top producers are surely able to process their own materials, so they don’t need to scramble for already processed stuff.

Also, while I focus on heavy armor, I do work on a wide number of things for the sake of increasing variety in the store and increasing sales in the long run… And also because I couldn’t make do without making my beloved Magical Formations.

So, joining a clan with other similar minded people who probably have a skillset that is about as wide as mine might be very good on the premise of exchanging information.

Not to mention that I’d probably stop receiving requests for exclusivity if I joined a clan… I can’t say for sure until I actually join though, so this might just be wishful thinking.

Nonetheless, we probably need to work out some details, so… “Lalalu. After listening to everything you just said, I think that joining the clan is looking a lot more attractive to me now than it was in the past, so I’d like to ask you a few questions…”

******

“Then I look forward to working together in the future.” I told Lolita as we finished our talk.

“Yes! I look forward to working with you too!” She exclaimed.

“Congratulations.” Hime told her.

“Yes! I did it! I did it! I got Bucket, who was the hardest person to convince, to join the clan!” Lolita seemed to be really happy right now.

I giggled a bit, “You don’t need to go that far…”

“I do! I was almost crying from loneliness with how harshly you rejected me at first, you know?” She said.

“Ah, sorry about that…” I replied.

“Oh, don’t worry about it. It’s fine, especially considering your circumstances at the time. I chose a bad timing to make the invitation.” She told me.

Like this it was fine, I suppose. Most of my conditions were easily accepted by Lolita, which was pretty nice… Though some of them were put on hold, as she couldn’t be sure about how the clan would develop.

Specifically, right now only top producers are joining, but she can’t guarantee that this will be the case forever. With this in mind, the information exchange could become very unequal if newbie producers started joining.

That said, Lolita did say that she’d do her best to deal with issues as they arose. And since she’ll be the clan master while also being someone with a good personality, I can trust her to handle issues properly.

“So, when will the clan be officially established?” I asked her.

“Ah, well… I just reached the 3* rank at the guild…” She told me.

“Guess it will take a while then.” Hime commented.

“I’m making a lot of things these days though! I’m not gonna make you wait for too long!” Lolita hurriedly exclaimed.

“Well, it’s fine. How much time each person can play each day varies, after all.” I told her.

It’s a bit bothersome that clans can only be created after reaching the 4* rank at the guild though. Not to mention you also need to clear a special quest to create it even after getting to said rank.

Some players did do this already, but they’re really few. Most people just joined clans created by NPC pioneers instead.

Even I am still at the latter half of the 3* rank. It just takes too long to raise the rank as a crafter, as we end up spending time getting all of our products evaluated by the guild’s receptionists… And as Lolita is also a pure producer, just like me, she goes through the same struggle.

She does have an advantage though, as makes a lot of original items, which should make her rank raise faster than mine… Except that the reality is not that simple, as I have spent more time producing than she does.

Not everyone can spend as much time playing as I can. Moreover, while the system does make crafting a lot easier, you still need to concentrate properly, or the process will fail.

Also, I have a store, and I don’t need to go headhunting for other clan members, so it can’t be helped that I’m ahead on the rank.

Not to mention that I also heard that most producers can’t stay concentrated on the craft for as long as I can, so it seems that I end up being more efficient even when compared to other people who can play for as long as I can.

… I suppose it can’t be helped that I’m at the top of the producers right now, even if I do spend some time chatting like this, or reading books and crafting other things like my Magical Formations.

“Now that I’ve gotten the promise of joining from Bucket, I’m gonna work even harder to reach the 4* rank!” Lolita exclaimed.

“Do your best.” I told her.

“Good luck.” Hime told her.

“Yeah, I’ll do my best! See you laters!” She told us as she left.

“See you again.” Hime also left as she said that.

“I’ll message you two again.” I told them both.

And like this, our long girls-only gathering ended. It usually ends earlier because Mika gets too many requests for partying, but since that didn’t happen this time around, we ended up losing track of time and talked for four in-game hours.

… Before long the clerk might even come to work, so let’s just read a book borrowed from the library while waiting.

Also, Lolita left slices of cake for all the clerks. As expected of her, she is mindful even of the NPCs. Their AIs are really good and there’s hardly any difference between them and humans, so it’s nice to think of them too when coming to visit.

******

Eh? Did I just… Get a new Magic Circle recipe from the book? I had never seen this recipe before even.

There were so few recipes for Magic Circles. They’re only sold at specialized stores, and all of them are on the basic level, so finding a new one was an amazing find! I was already happy with getting the recipe to making the paper for Magical Formations, but a new Magic Circle is a first to me.

It’s still a beginner level recipe, but it’s not as weak as the ones that I got as tutorial rewards.

‘Recipe – Magic Circle: Water Shield

‘Equivalent to the lv 30 Water Shield spell.

‘Creates a water shield on the shape of a semi-circle in front of the user. Absorbs all damage that comes to it, up to a cap depending on the spell’s level. Takes less damage from water-attribute attacks.’

… That’s quite the powerful Magic Circle alright. From what information I got on this spell, apparently there are some variations according to what element you choose. For example, the Fire shield is smaller, but can be moved to other locations other than your front… Meanwhile the Water Shield can be stretched out as needed.

They all have their pros and cons, but their biggest issue was the high cooldown of the spell… Which would be completely bypassed by using a Magical Formation.

Not to mention that you can use it even without knowing the appropriate spell. Sure, the normal spell would eventually get stronger if you raise its level past 30, but this is still a great Magic Circle. I’m sure that if I make a Magical Formation that uses this Magic Circle, it will sell well.

I’m glad I’ve persevered with my reading to get this far. I first needed to spend 10 SP on the ‘Magic Language’ skill, which is derived from the ‘Language’ skill. Then, I had to keep on trying to read a bunch of magic-related books that I couldn’t understand at all… And yet, by persevering, the text slowly got clearer and clearer, until the point that the skill level raised enough to give me this recipe.

The book I was reading now was the ‘Basic Elemental Magic – Volume 2’. I should try re-reading the Volume 1 next, as I’ll probably be able to get a Magic Circle from it too if I try reading it again, since my ‘Magic Language’ skill has leveled up since.

… I can’t wait for the library to open.