Chapter 121: Time to get a job

Chapter 121: Time to get a job

“You can’t get a job without experience, and you can’t get experience until you have a job. Once you solve that problem you are home free.”

Jack Buck

The next day, I was well chuffed with my smuggling skill and actually being able to salvage treasure from a sea wreck. It inspired me to get back out there and see what else might be lying within sight on the seabed floor. When I asked why there was a wreck so close to Wester Levante and why had it not been salvaged father responded with the following, “While we are on the edge of the known compass and far from the compass continent we are also on the edge of the southern current. So, to circumnavigate the continent or at least travel from Tramontana to Ostro it can be quicker to sail out towards the western horizon before catching the southern current south which passes through between us and Wester Levante.” He explained what a ship might have been doing all the way out here if it was not visiting us or Wester Levante. “It could have been passing us by when it fell afoul of weather, monster or man.”

“Then why was it not picked clean before we found it?” I asked as we had been out of the current and nearly in sight of the island itself surely someone would have survived to claim the boat and salvage it’s remains. Or if not, surely someone would have discovered it before us. I had no idea how to judge the age of a shipwreck, but it hadn’t started to rot through, so it had certainly been at the bottom of the ocean for a while before we discovered it.

“Most people can’t see under the water to spot such wrecks.” He explained as if it was obvious why no one had discovered it before us.

“But why did it sink?” I asked. We had not had time to explore the boat fully, but it did not look particularly broken up from what we were able to tell from our very short visit.

“The ocean can be a perilous place for the unprepared. You and I have only ever been fair-weather sailors. If the weather looks bad, we don’t go out. We have never travelled more than half a day’s journey out and turned tail at the slightest sign of monster, man or foul weather. A ship travelling south from Tramontana or Maestro will have spent weeks if not months at sea. A lot of things can go wrong during that time. There could be all manner of reasons it foundered.” He added. “Next time we visit you can have a better look, but we won’t be visiting Wester Levante afterwards, we will be coming straight back to our own island. No need to risk meeting the tax man twice. Or take the pigeons to Wester Levante and visit the wreck on the way back home.” He started muttering to himself planning out the next trip.

I was distracted during the day as I couldn’t wait to get back to shift the chest into my hidden tunnels and explore its contents with my own eyes. The day dragged, but we still had our lessons with Lady Acacia, weapons, languages, etiquette and now that we had horses, horse riding lessons as well. Our days started at sunrise, and we were lucky if they finished with sundown as we also had our own personal projects of pearl farming and growing the wide variety of produce, we had planted. It would have been impossible to do it all without the help of Des and Sinis who continued to step up and help us out with the collection of sea snails, salt and managing our gardens alongside Wanda. We really needed to continue to include more people in our projects if they were ever to run without us. Something that might be more possible after the success of our first ever Silversea games.

. . .

“The games were a huge success. You are viewed favorably among the majority of the islanders though it is questionable as to whether this was due to the games or your grandpa’s open bar at the Compass Edge tavern. Still, as a first impression for the young scions of the Silversea family it was a fantastic start.” Lady Acacia started discussing the impressions she had gathered yesterday.

“That’s not all.” chimed in Aleera, “Lots of people were very interested in the fruits we had for sale. Although some of them were more interested in the possibilities of making their own wine more than anything else.”

“So, what is the next step in your plan of turning us into the legitimate master and mistress of the Silversea House?” I asked intrigued.

I had plenty of plans but over time they seemed to have all become a little jumbled up with me moving from one project to another. It didn’t help that all of my family had been pushing in me in one direction or another since well forever. Mother was happy if I spent my days singing keeping her company and working on the stone faces of our growing home. Father was happy as long as he got to sail with me more often than not. Aleera was keen to harvest my money-making ideas and had not given up on turning me into a merchant yet. Then there was my grandfather who had pushed for me to be some sort of mage assassin. Then Grandpa who had started the entire ball rolling by attempting to gain me the Charisma stat and making me a Lord. Finally, there was Lady Acacia who seemed to have the most plans of all.

“It’s time to get you levelling again.” She spoke.

“I am it is just taking a very long time.” I defended the crawl at which my levelling had been reduced to. After the Silversea Games, travelling between Wester Levante, Little Wester and our own island as well as finding the sunken treasure I was not far off hitting Level 13.

“Kai, you are no longer levelling because firstly the system is exponential. I hasten to add no child generally gets past level 10 in the first place and that by the age of 10 after unlocking their system at 5. Secondly neither of you haven’t visited the Lodestar Church to give you your first métier.”

“What’s a métier?”

“It is your channel through which the system allows you to continue to level.”

“Like a class?” I asked remembering the eternal debate of gamers between skills-based games and class-based games. This reality had always appeared to be based on skills rather than classes.

“No Kai it is not a lesson it is a vocation. Most children do not receive their first until they are between the ages of 10 and 15. Once they have worked in the trade they plan on pursuing and are prepared to commit to it.”

“Do you get special skills for choosing your métier?” I asked excited at what the system might give me for free. Not that I hadn’t worked hard for all the skills I had gained. But who would turn down freebies.

“No Kai. It is the other way round the choice of Métier that you can choose from depends on the skills that you already have. That is why it often takes a couple of years work in the profession before you are able to choose it anyway.” She was beginning to sound a little frustrated with my growing list of questions to which the answer seemed to be no each time.

“Do you get bonus stats for each métier?” I asked doubtful the answer would be positive after the failure of my first questions that this would be the case either.

“No Kai, Wait.” She held a hand up to forestall any other questions I might have had.

“You need at least 16 skills to unlock a métier. It requires a priest of Church of the Lodestar to unlock them. They do not give you extra skills or stats. They have one purpose and one purpose only to allow the individual to continue to level once they have reached the exponential threshold.” She quickly summarized the requirements and purpose of a métier before I could interrupt again.

“So, 16 Tier one skills that support a single vocation?” I asked thinking through the list of skills that I had. I no longer had 16 tier one skills that would support a single vocation unless I wanted to become a soldier with all my weapon skills.

“How do I know what I can choose from?” I asked.

“The Lodestone will show you when you touch it officially. But unofficially you can generally work out what your options will be before you ever step foot inside the church. While you need 16 skills they don’t have to be all tier 1. You can have a combination of skills so long as they fall under the umbrella required. For example, 1 tier 4 skill, 1 tier 3 skill, 1 tier 2 skill and 2 tier 1 skills would also be effective in unlocking a metier.” She qualified.

I lost myself looking at my status to try and work out my options.

“I can give you my suggestions on what is likely to appear but it is simple for you to touch the stone and see.” She brought us back to the room. Aleera likewise had been clearly looking at her status in consideration. However with her focus on becoming rich it looked like she was also focused on takin the merchant metier.

“I have a request though.” She stated.

“Yes?”

“I would like you to both seriously consider taking something musical as your first metier.”

“Why?”

“While simply starting her metier is likely to provide sufficient stats for Aleera to hit her cascade. You on the other hand are still unable to assign the stats so need to focus on picking a metier that will continue to help your Charisma level. That is going to be a bard like metier, either musician, drummer, singer or something similar.”

I considered her advice and nodded in acceptance.

“That being said something similar for Aleera would also be advised after gaining the first 10 levels in being a merchant less she seem terribly drab when going to the capital.” She shrugged her shoulder while telling a bitter truth.

“Money has a beauty all of its own.” Aleera argued. “I’m not saying no but we will have to wait and see what is offered before I commit to anything.”

“Of course, of course.” Lady Acacia returned.

. . .

We brought up the next step in our training plan during dinner. It did not go over well.

“You don’t need a metier yet. You are just a child. If and when you need it you will not be entering that church to do so.” Was mother’s visceral answer to our request.

“Would you hamper their growth?” Lady Acacia asked undeterred by our mother’s response.

“No but I do not want them to interact with that man.” She underlined her real reason for objecting.

“Many houses have their own chapels of the Lodestar church on their own grounds. I’m sure that we will be able to request a replacement priest in time and that merely threatening such will allow the children and I access to the stone of the Lodestar without his presence or interference.” She postulate a possible work around.

“It is time dear.” Father intervened. An occurrence made all the stronger by its rare occurrence. “You don’t have to meet or talk to the man but you are only harming yourself with your insistence on avoided the stone of the Lodestar. We are all due another metier the last couple of years have been exceptional for my growth as I am sure they have been for you too. If we are to face the nobles in a decade we will need the extra levels to stand tall. We cannot allow our injured hearts to be the cause of greater harm in the future.”

“Very well but he is not to be there.” She reiterated.

“I’m sure that can be arranged.” Lady Acacia commented. “The under priest can arrange things and with sufficient political pressure I doubt the priest will be able to object to the requests of the local lord and lady. Most positions out here on the edge of the compass are filled by one of two types of priest. The first is enthusiastically keen to be spreading the faith to the furthers boundaries of the civilized compass. The other is posted here as a punishment for minor sins or poor political judgement. With the history you have described so far it isn’t hard to imagine which was the case here.”

“It will be good to pick a new metier.” Grandfather chimed in. “I have outgrown mine as well.” He nodded his head to me and I wondered whether the relaxing of the blood bound restrictions meant that he had more choice than he had before.

. . .

A week later we were stood in front of the Lodestar Church as a family ready to walk in. I was excited to see what awaited us.