CH 149

Chapter 149 – Do your best

It would not be an exaggeration to say that the joint production was a huge success.

I was also able to hear various things from other producers, including things that aren’t usually talked about in the forums.

Like how often they take breaks of about how fast their production speed is.

Well, it’s also hard to talk about crafting speed normally, as it depends a lot on what type of item one is making.

But this time we were all making event items. And even if the exact type of item varied from person to person, we were still aiming for the hardest items available in order to maximize our skill level gains.

Therefore, we were able to compare our production speed, and like this, I was able to find out I’m about twice as fast as everyone else.

As the difficulty level increases, so does the number of intermediate-tier materials we need to use.

Sure, we can stock up on the most common intermediate-tier materials to some extent, but since all materials used this time were freshly brought from a hunt, we needed to process everything from scratch.

Thanks to that, I was able to get a good notion of the total production time.

I was also able to learn that the reason I am faster than others is because I can concentrate for longer periods of time. My bad habit of focusing so hard that I don’t even notice incoming calls and messages is quite advantageous for crafters.

But well, not noticing calls and messages is bad, so it’s not like this doesn’t have its downside.

******

All the event items created in this joint production will be returned to the battle group. They’ll then make use of the event items to collect a large amount of materials, and we’ll use those materials for more joint productions.

Next time, the members will change though.

After all, we didn’t have anyone from the Ljungsmelis Republic in this first meeting, but from the next time onwards, two people from each of the three countries will be participating.

Since the workshop is mine, I’ll be participating every time, but Lolita told me that I shouldn’t overdo it.

However, this is great for getting points for the event. Creating items solo gives a pitiful amount of points when compared to doing it as a party.

Moreover, crafting as a party is also great for gathering information, so I want to participate every time.

Not to mention that I also have my homework to do, and as this is something I don’t usually do, it should count for the homework.

After all, aside from the people of Works; people that I give priority sales to; and the people from the Kederick store, I basically don’t have contact with anyone.

She was a little too pushy, but Mika probably came up with this because she understood this much.

Mika really is thinking things through, isn’t she? It’s bad that she doesn’t consult me in advance and rushes forward though, so her actions don’t look that great when looked at from an outsider’s perspective.

But in any case, while I have a set logout time at 10pm in real time, the other members don’t have such restriction.

The workshop may be mine, but I can lend it to others, so it’s fine for them to use it even if I do log-out.

However, as this was our first meeting, we decided to disband on my log-out time.

From the next time onwards, it will depend on the situation of the other members.

The scheduled time will always be decided in advance, but unexpected things may come up, so we have to take that into account.

However, as the tools and facilities in this workshop are at a level that appeal to top-level producers, it’s natural that they want to use those for as long as possible.

It’s also a pretty good place for raising skill levels at.

That said, if you don’t have a full party that is equally divided between the three countries, the efficiency at which we earn event points will decrease, but… For as long as you have a party, you’ll still get a nice bonus on your event points earnings anyways.

Therefore, we decided that if three or more people were going to stay crafting for longer, they’ll be allowed to keep using the workshop for some extra time.

However, I also didn’t think it would be a good idea to let them keep using it for too long, so we decided on a time limit of two extra in-game hours before they need to leave.

In any case, it’s pretty important to have people from all three countries on the party, so two people from each country will be participating from here on out.

Once I logout though, as the party will no longer be full, the efficiency will drop, so it won’t be necessary to keep on making event items from that point onwards.

Instead, they may just use the workshop to get some skill levels by crafting what they want. Especially because some event points can still be earned by doing normal crafting as a party.

Of course, you get more points by doing event items though.

******

We were doing joint productions with the top craft-focused Pioneers of all three countries.

Naturally, everyone wants to try their best to stay at the top, so the joint productions are taking place every day during the event.

This event is also quite long, as it will last until the end of the next month.

However, there is New Year’s Eve and the day of the New Year happening right in the middle of it, so that changes things around a bit.

Well, on my case, it will just be Mika and my parents coming to visit.

Doing the first shrine visit of the new year will be impossible.

So, my log-in time in Frontiers won’t change that much even during the New Year’s holidays.

On the other hand, Mika will be socializing a lot during the New Year, even though she said she’d rather stay in Frontiers instead.

It can’t be helped though, there are various events happening at her home during that time.

It too used to participate there until a few years ago, but that can’t be helped now.

In any case, I’m looking really forward to eating New Year’s dishes made by Kuuruu at his restaurant, and I’m also planning on doing first shrine visits within Frontiers itself.

After all, there is a shrine that I can go to in the Tabarist Empire. It was quite the splendid shrine, so I can’t afford not going there.

Though it’s not very large, so it will probably be quite crowded.

Well, I can’t predict how many people will spend the New Year in Frontiers, but a lot of people are showing excitement about the New Year in the forums, so it’s likely to have big crowds gathering there on the day.

The Fake Kansai Dialect Association is already looking for people to open stalls on that day, and it seems like most spots have already been filled.

And on that note, their stalls won’t be like the normal stalls where we sell items we craft, but they instead want to limit themselves to festival-like stalls.

So, I guess I should expect stalls selling masks, yakisoba, takoyaki, cotton candy, and maybe even goldfish scooping… Though well, that’s assuming goldfishes exist in Frontiers.

In any case, I haven’t been to a festival in years, so I’m looking quite forward to it.

******

“Yuri, I think I won’t be able to come at all in any of the three days…” Mika muttered.

“Ah, yeah, you’ll be participating on the dance, won’t you?” I replied.

“There are other people that can do it though! Why does it have to be me!?” Mika exclaimed.

“Mikan is beautiful.” Hime commented.

“I agree. Mika is very beautiful, so it can’t be helped.” I nodded.

“I don’t appreciate this kind of praise!” Mika exclaimed.

When I logged in on the next day, Mika and Hime came to visit my workshop, as they were now in winter vacations.

Due to the event, they seem to be relaxing until enough party members gather, so as to use Party Auto Matching to go hunt right away.

However, right now they seem to be taking a break instead of worrying about that.

“Is that other family coming to visit too?” I asked Mika.

“Yeah, that person that bothers me every time and keeps causing trouble is coming too.” Mika grumbled.

“Ah, that girl that keeps on complaining and always comes on New Year… Well, you’re two years older than her, so do your best, older sis Mika.” I told her.

“Do your best.” Hime told her.

“No, she’s not like a sister at all.” Mika replied.

Mika goes through a lot because of her family.

She is part of a family with master swordsmen, so until she was able to get them to acknowledge her skills, each day was filled with training and more training.

She got a lot more freedom now that she is considered a great swordswoman, but she still can’t miss big family events.

And Mika stands out a lot because of both her skill and her good looks.

Due to how things work on her family’s ideologies, she won’t go out to the front stage, but it wouldn’t be strange if she ended up being as popular as an idol anyways.

Though I can’t imagine Mika as an idol… Well, her face is certainly good enough to be one, actually.

“I wanted to go to the festival held by the Fake Kansai Dialect Association…” Mika grumbled.

“They could have at least excluded you from the night celebrations… You’re still in high school.” I commented.

“Night?” Hime asked.

“For my family’s fighting style, making use of the shadows and slashing stealthily is like the basics of the basics, so there is just no way to avoid participating on the night stuff too.” Mika explained.

“I see.” Hime nodded.

The festival held by the Fake Kansai Dialect Association will be held during the New Year period, and it will be separated in two parts, both on day and night.

However, Mika will be restrained during both day and night, so she won’t be able to participate in either.

I’m sorry for her, but there is nothing we can do about it.

It’s a family celebration after all, so… Do your best, Mika! I’ll thoroughly enjoy the festival in your place!