Chapter 81 - 80: Jelica

Chapter 81: Chapter 80: Jelica

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK.

A rhythmic, steady knock echoed through the empty hall.

Gaode, who had been busy all morning, stood up in surprise.

He wondered, "Is business at the door already? The Artisan Guild’s ’advertisement’ should have just gone up this morning. Is it really that effective at attracting customers? Or did a passerby notice the banner I hung up just this noon?"

With these thoughts in mind, Gaode walked over and opened the door.

The visitor was a remarkably beautiful young woman. Her light purple dress shimmered, elegantly accentuating her graceful figure. A faint, watery melancholy lingered in her eyes.

Behind her stood a respectful elderly man in uniform, who looked like a butler. An ornately decorated carriage was parked by the roadside, its sturdy horses gently shaking their manes in the breeze.

"Hello, is Master Google here? I have business with him," the young woman asked politely.

"If the Master Google you speak of is the Repair Craftsman Google Ditu, then that would be me," Gaode replied with equal politeness.

"Ah?!" The beautiful woman covered her mouth, her eyes widening in sheer astonishment. "You are Master Google?"

When Anna recommended Google Ditu to her, she hadn’t mentioned his age. Based on common sense, she instinctively assumed that any Repair Craftsman recognized by the Artisan Guild would be a man of at least thirty years. To her surprise, meeting him face-to-face revealed that this master was even younger than she was. This immediately brought a subconscious wave of hesitation to her heart.

"Yes. If you’re looking for me to fix a Magic Creation, please come in. We can discuss the details inside." Gaode stepped sideways to clear the path, pointing toward the guest reception area he had specially set up in the hall.

The hardest part of any endeavor was taking the first step. For a technical profession like a Repair Craftsman, as long as the skills were solid and the first few commissions were successfully completed, business would naturally take off through word of mouth. The young woman before him clearly held a high and unusual status; if he handled this transaction well, it would undoubtedly provide a massive boost to his career. Therefore, Gaode placed great importance on this business that had arrived right at his doorstep.

The young woman nodded in acknowledgment and stepped into the house. The elderly man did not follow her inside, choosing instead to wait by the door.

Guided by Gaode, the young woman took a seat at the table in the hall.

"Would Sri Lanka black tea be alright?" Gaode asked out of courtesy, not expecting an affirmative answer. Although Sri Lanka black tea was a mid-grade tea and generally considered decent for entertaining guests, this purple-dressed woman clearly did not fall under the category of normal circumstances.

"That is fine, thank you," the young woman gave a slight, elegant nod.

Gaode pinched a small amount of tea leaves from a canister, placed them into a pair of exquisite cups, poured in boiling water, and finally sat down with the two cups of tea.

"How should I address you?" Gaode placed one of the black teas in front of her.

"Jelica." Jelica removed her delicate white gloves, picked up the teacup, took a symbolic sip, and set it down again. Looking at Gaode with a mixture of expectation and faint skepticism, she asked, "Master Google, I would like to repair this magic necklace. Do you think you can do it?"

She retrieved an exquisite necklace from the side pocket of her dress and presented it to Gaode.

Gaode carefully examined the crack in the center gemstone of the necklace. Confirming that although it was split in half, there were no missing pieces, he immediately felt relieved. According to the rules of the Repair Skill, as long as an object didn’t have missing parts, it didn’t matter if it was split into two or shattered into a hundred fragments. With enough patience and time, the Repair Skill could flawlessly fix it.

Gaode shifted his gaze back to his first true client in his career as a Repair Craftsman and asked cautiously, "How much were you expecting the repair fee to be?"

"If it can’t be done..." Jelica’s words trailed off abruptly. After hesitating for a few seconds, she asked uncertainly, "Do you mean you can repair it?"

"Of course." Though outwardly confident, Gaode felt a bit puzzled inside. "Could it be an Alchemy Creation above the 1st Ring? It doesn’t look like it," he mused to himself.

Gaode, a bootleg Repair Craftsman who took shortcuts using Magic, did not realize that a Repair Craftsman capable of fixing a 1st Ring Magic Creation could not simply fix one in any state of disrepair. If Repair Craftsmen could truly fix Magic Creations regardless of the severity of the damage, the prestige of their profession wouldn’t be so vastly inferior to that of an Alchemist.

Generally speaking, only fixing minor damages or wear and tear on Alchemy Creations fell within a Repair Craftsman’s scope of business. That was precisely why Jelica had approached him so tentatively. The level of damage to her necklace actually exceeded the repair capabilities of a regular Repair Craftsman. In truth, she hadn’t held out much hope. It was mere sentimentality that drove her to try, yet she never expected to hear such an affirmative answer from Gaode.

Jelica widened her beautiful eyes and blinked. "No, it’s just a 1st Ring Alchemy Creation." Her voice turned jubilant. "Would ten Gold Coins... No, would fifteen Gold Coins be enough?"

"Ms. Jelica, under normal circumstances, the repair fee for a 1st Ring Alchemy Creation ranges between six to seven Gold Coins. Depending on the item’s inherent value and the extent of the damage, the fee can fluctuate accordingly," Gaode gently reminded her. "Ten Sean Gold Coins would be a reasonable price. Fifteen Gold Coins exceeds the market rate."

"Even though I really want to earn a bit more, this lady clearly has an extraordinary background," Gaode thought. "If she doesn’t know the market rate, I have to know it. If word gets out, having someone show up to demand a refund would be the least of my worries. Ruining my reputation would be disastrous." He knew perfectly well that building a steady, long-term business was the wise choice.

"It doesn’t matter, I don’t lack this little amount of money. As long as you can fix it!" Jelica said emphatically.

"Five Gold Coins is a ’little amount’? Truly a wealthy aristocrat," Gaode thought, suppressing his envy. He nodded and said, "I promise to restore it to its original condition."

He had already informed Jelica of the market rate. Since she still insisted on the high price of fifteen Gold Coins, it stood to reason that he had no further cause to decline. When someone insisted on throwing money at him, was there any reason not to accept it?

"R-really?" Jelica still couldn’t believe it. Faced with such a severe level of damage, this young Repair Craftsman in front of her not only dared to accept the commission but also guaranteed it with such absolute certainty.

"It will just take a few days," Gaode chuckled softly, explaining, "Repairing a 1st Ring Magic Item is not simple, and the damage to your necklace is quite severe."

"I understand," Jelica said, nodding in comprehension.

"A week. Give me a week," Gaode said after a moment of thought. "On the 10th of Sunlight Moon, you can come and pick it up."

Back when his Mana could only support casting five Tricks in one breath, repairing the Hidden Mist Fang—which was also a 1st Ring Extraordinary item—took him ten days. Now, his Mana had grown enough to cast seven Tricks in succession. Thus, the time needed to repair a 1st Ring Extraordinary item had decreased accordingly.

"Do I need to pay a deposit?" Jelica suppressed the excitement bubbling in her chest.

"No need, Ms. Jelica. I trust your integrity," Gaode smiled.

"I actually just trust your wealth," he muttered to himself.

"Alright. I will visit again in a week." Jelica put her gloves back on, stood up gracefully, and placed a hand over her chest in a polite bow to Gaode. "This necklace was left to me by my mother. It holds deep significance to me and is by no means an ordinary Alchemy Creation. I entrust it to you, Master Google."

"You can count on me," Gaode assured her once more.