Chapter 84 - 83: Visit

Chapter 84: Chapter 83: Visit

A private carriage, low-key but radiating an air of luxury, rolled down the street.

It was the Sunlight Moon. The weather was gradually growing hot, but the interior of the carriage was exceptionally cool.

"Miss, he is just a Repair Craftsman. Taking money to fix ’Lake Heart’ for you is just part of his job..." the uniformed butler reminded her tactfully.

"So what? ’Lake Heart’ is the only thing my mother left me. Compared to that, what does a little favor count for?" Jelica said calmly.

"Besides, compared to the other few who rely on my father’s status to throw their weight around, me just remembering a small favor from someone is nothing worth mentioning." A hint of mockery appeared in her eyes. "Before, I was so careful to protect the family’s reputation, not daring to use too many of the family’s resources for fear of affecting my mother’s good name. Now it seems others won’t let me off the hook just because of my restraint."

"Miss, that was just an accident."

"Perhaps... Heh."

***

Perhaps Jelica really did give Gaode some free word-of-mouth advertising after she returned. Perhaps the "advertisement" at the entrance of the Artisan Guild had finally taken effect. Or perhaps it was simply a stroke of good luck. Regardless, Gaode’s repair business suddenly boomed after seeing Jelica off on the 10th of the Sunlight Moon.

Almost every day, people came to him to repair their Alchemy Creations; sometimes, there would even be two or three customers in a single day. Although they were all repairs of 0th Ring Alchemy Creations, the resulting income was still very substantial. The repair fee for a 0th Ring Alchemy Creation generally hovered around 30 silver coins, or 1.5 Gold Coins. Moreover, compared to other Repair Craftsmen who had to account for the wear and tear of materials and tools, Gaode’s repairs relied entirely on his [Repair Skill+]. In other words, he had zero costs—it was 100% pure profit. As long as he could complete one job a day, his monthly income would reach a staggering 45 Gold Coins.

Of course, under normal circumstances, a Repair Craftsman’s business wouldn’t be this good. First of all, there weren’t that many damaged yet repairable Alchemy Creations that needed attention. Secondly, the competition among Repair Craftsmen was quite fierce. With customers divided among them, an ordinary Repair Craftsman would consider it a good market if they could get one job every two or three days.

But Gaode simply did not fall into the category of "normal circumstances." Because he was "highly skilled"—exceptionally so. The Alchemy Creations repaired by his hands showed absolutely no trace of ever having been damaged. Furthermore, even if the damage was extremely severe, leaving other Repair Craftsmen at their wits’ end, he could still repair the vast majority of them. Additionally, his turnaround time was short. Customers would often drop off a commission in the morning and pick up their "perfectly repaired" Alchemy Creations by the afternoon. His prices were also fair; he didn’t charge extra just because of his "superb skills." Therefore, Gaode’s reputation quickly spread within a small circle.

The people nearby all knew that at 437 Camond Street, there was a Repair Craftsman who was both young and highly skilled. With this "celebrity effect," his business naturally grew more and more prosperous. However, Gaode also knew that this boom was only temporary. After all, the total number of Alchemy Creations in a city generally fluctuated around a fixed value, and those temporarily unusable due to damage were exceedingly rare. The main reason his business had been booming so much recently was that there had been a backlog of "hoarded goods" that ordinary Repair Craftsmen couldn’t fix, and he had now processed all of them.

***

Setting down the Alchemy Creation he had just finished repairing, Gaode stretched lazily. He calculated in his mind. From the 10th of the Sunlight Moon to the current 25th, in just two weeks, he had taken on exactly sixteen jobs. His income had reached an astonishing 25 Gold Coins. Moreover, through repairing Alchemy Creations, he had learned about many peculiar types of 0th Ring Magic, which broadened his horizons in an alternative way. This made Gaode feel all the more certain that he had made the right choice. Additionally, the Magic Models for [Detect Poison], [Magic Tricks], [Switching Technique], and [Communication Skill] had all been successfully constructed a week ago. His Magic Library had once again expanded, becoming even more comprehensive.

Although his Repair Craftsman business was booming, Gaode hadn’t forgotten his true purpose for coming to Bremen City. He wasn’t here just to "work a mundane job"; "furthering his studies" was the real path. Grabbing his keys, Gaode headed out once again, making his way to the restaurant. Ever since arriving in Bremen City, he had gone to the small restaurant opposite Mrs. Misu’s house for a meal almost every day. He did this to observe whether there were any suspicious individuals lingering around her home. Only, up until now, he had found absolutely nothing.

"Once this month passes, if I still haven’t discovered anything by the Harvest Moon, I can relax for now and plan my next move," Gaode thought to himself, taking his seat by the window on the second floor of the restaurant once again. Caution was necessary, but being overly cautious was absolutely out of the question. After all, how many things in this world ever came with absolute, one-hundred-percent certainty? Spending an entire month to confirm whether suspicious individuals were still spying on Misu’s family meant Gaode had already been careful enough. Any more than that wouldn’t be caution; it would just be a waste of time. Besides... the dishes at this restaurant hadn’t changed at all over the past month. He was sick of eating them long ago!

Today, once again, he discovered nothing.

The Sunlight Moon quietly slipped away. The wheat, having survived the scorching heat of the Sunlight Moon, would ripen and ear this month, ushering in the harvest. This was the Harvest Moon.

The 1st of the Harvest Moon.

Gaode had an early breakfast. After hanging a "Closed for the Day" sign on his door, he took a public carriage and left Camond Street. First, he went to a large store in the Siren District, where he spent 30 silver coins on two exquisitely packaged bottles of sparkling wine. Afterward, he took another public carriage to the Devis District, totaling 12 copper coins, or 1 silver coin, in transport fees.

In Bremen City, inter-district public carriages charged a flat rate of 4 copper coins. Traveling from the Camond District to the Siren District required crossing two districts, while the Siren District and the Devis District were adjacent to each other. The Devis District was also a bustling commercial area, but it primarily consisted of small shops. Compared to the Siren District, the difference was akin to that between an "old commercial street" and a "modern mega-mall." Carrying the two bottles of wine, Gaode walked along Devis Street, following the house numbers hanging on the buildings on either side, and eventually turned into a quiet alley deep within the street. Finally, he stopped in front of a small cottage. After confirming the house number was correct, he stepped forward and lightly knocked on the carved wooden door.

A moment later, with a gentle creak of the hinges, a familiar little old man appeared at the door, looking at Gaode in surprise.

"Long time no see. I hope I’m not intruding?" Gaode held up the two bottles of wine and handed them to Pierre.

Having not seen him for over a month, Pierre hadn’t changed in the slightest.

"Hahaha, how could I not welcome someone who shows up with good wine?" Pierre took the bottles with a laugh and asked, "When did you arrive in Bremen City?" As he spoke, he stepped aside, inviting Gaode into the house.