[PP-F1] Seeking Riches 《Earning a Living》

[Corvo 0]

Earning a Living

So much.

There were a handful of places readily available in the Town of Beginnings for teaching the basics of survival in Aincrad. Coupled with the tutorial were the means to take on professions and become part of the world's dynamic economy, allowing each Player to contribute to floor clearing, the enrichment of daily life, and a multitude of other monotonous tasks that sounded fantastic on paper but actually amounted to the nine to five grind of a desk jockey. His ruby gaze glazed over as he stifled a yawn and watched for the thirteenth time in an hour that the same NPC ambled past, mindless, on a loop that could numb the brain of anyone who paid attention for long enough. "This is the closest I've been to drunk in years," he drawled. Corvo ran a hand through his gilded hair and bristled loudly.

He realized that he was tapping his foot impatiently after the fourteenth pass. The Player reached out and grabbed the NPC by the shoulder and pulled him close. "Don't you have something you need to be doing?" he asked, trying to omit the menacing growl from his words. "You know, other than pacing, back and forth, for literal hours-"

"I have to spread the word," the young man recited dutifully, "have to make sure everyone knows."

Corvo watched the man's face, almost like he believed that it might twist in laughter at any second. Surely, he wasn't serious? "Knows... what?" the youth asked. "You haven't approached anyone for the entire time I've been watching you."

"Approached?" came the confused response. "No, no, never approach. They have to ask me."

He was dumbfounded by the simplicity of the response, and the conviction with which it was delivered. This twisted reality had an equally twisted sense of humor. "Right..." he snorted. "Alright, I'll bite, but you better not make me regret it. What does everyone need to know about?" He let go of the man's shoulder and crossed his arms. Was it some kind of mission, to fight orcs or collect wood? A dangerous situation that required an immediate response? No- surely, the game would have made this character a bit more compelling and given him a bit more urgency if that were the case-

"Opportunities," the boy positively gleamed. "For work!" he added, as though he needed to be more concise. "There are many professions in this world, and a great deal of need besides. I've been tasked with putting the word out and recruiting to try to handle the demand for skilled workers. It's a real problem, you know-"

Corvo felt his brain returning to the mushy state it had emerged from just precious moments before. "Yeah," he started to say, "but it ain't my proble-"

"Did you know?" the lad asked enthusiastically, cutting in before he could finish his sentence. Corvo blinked. What was that? "There's even work for hoarders, gatherers, people who find materials and rare objects alike." He reached into his pocket and produced a shiny stone and held it out for the Player to appraise. "You can find the secret treasures of this land- maybe even be rich, one day!" He quickly stowed the item when Corvo made to reach for it, much to the other man's chagrin.

"Rich, you say?" he questioned rhetorically. A King needed coffers to rule, and riches were the best way to fill said coffers. He nodded. "Alright," he lifted a finger and pointed to the boy's nose. "Then you have the privilege of telling me where I can find someone to teach me this skill," he told the younger man.

"Oh, yeah, of course!" the boy nodded. "That'll be Giovanna. She makes camp just outside town, near the forest. You can't miss it. When you see her, tell her Pietro sent you, would you?"

Looks like I'm not the only one looking to get rich, he smirked. 

"Yeah kid," he winked. "Whatever you say." If there's a sign on bonus or a finder's fee, it's all mine, kiddo. Welcome to real world business practices.

With his business settled and his next move planned, Corvo promptly made his way toward the gate.

@kali

Spoiler

Corvo

Level 9

HP 180/180
EN 36/36

Base Damage: 8  Mitigation: 12 Accuracy: 3 Evasion: 0 Bleed: 12 Risky: 8 Recovery

 

Edited February 26, 2022 by Corvo

[Pollux 0]

Among the hundreds of hard-earned things that Yue Hua lost after her supposed death were her vanities. Layers upon layers of them: the horns, the pointed ears, the feathered tail, the length to her hair that would be spectacularly unmanageable in reality, if not impossible, and the colors she had spent months in her brewery matching unto one another to create a unique yet harmonious whole. It was no understatement to say that her body was her masterpiece -- and walking off the edge of Aincrad had not cremated it at its most beautiful, only wiped the slate clean.

She sorely regretted it and she wasn't going to do it again. But with this strange development, Yue Hua was learning, reluctantly, of how it must feel for one's own time to be unknown, even if she believed hers was still short. It felt like a heavier burden than her own death. First, after the necessary steps, she was going to recreate her masterpiece.

Her vanities had been crafted by her own alchemy. Earning the profession and retraining it was on the agenda, but without the wealth of materials that had once been at her disposal and all her NPC contacts whose favors and discounts she had won throughout the past two years ceasing to remember her, she could not begin to make even the simplest salve. She needed a supplier, or at least an initial batch she can practice and sell off of. After a few days of searching, she thought she had her solution. Yue Hua found a forager named Giovanna selling out of her wagon in the woods outside the Town of Beginnings.

Yue Hua greeted her, nearly overcome with joy. She picked through the goods on display and the sunshine brightness of her eyes slowly dimmed with every price number added to the total.

"You are telling me these cost 30,000 col?" She shut and reopened the transaction window, a rare sigh blowing past her lips when the numbers remained unchanged. Except in matters of life and death, Cardinal was infallible down to the very last decimal. She halved her selection, placing the excluded back into their proper places, but found it unsatisfactory. Her meals would consist of plain bread for an entire week. "Alchemy ingredients? Forager Giovanna, that amount almost costs an entire day of Tier Four appraisals and it is seriously incomparable how much of a game-changer those could be on the higher floors."

Giovanna, though patient, suddenly had a certain look in her eye.

At that point, Yue Hua knew it was coming. Giovanna launched into an explanation of how Yue Hua could forage herbs for herself if she needed it so cheap -- all that she would be trading in was her free time, in that sense, and because dedicated foragers were in short supply in these areas, Giovanna was willing to give her a tool to help her get started.

A confirmation prompt appeared before the her, and as she considered, Yue Hua flicked her tail. Then remembered she did not have it. Instead, her hand reached forward to send off the screen with an affirmative. "'Teach a man to fish...' is it? Alright."

She turned her palm up to the air, curious. "Shall I have at that compass?"

 

厌倦你浪潮般涨落地爱我 当作莫名靠岸惶惑地来过 再说了从未幻想过你爱我 天马行空都埋没

Spoiler LEVEL 24: HP: 480/480 | EN: 66/66 | DMG: 19 | ACC: 1 ~~ [ASSISTING] LEVEL 9: HP: 180/180 | EN: 36/36 | DMG: 13 | ACC: 1 SKILLS Spoiler  | skills mod count: 3/5 STRAIGHT SWORD | RANK 5/5 [BASE: Proficiency] +7 DMG [ADDON: Ferocity] +2 DMG [ADDON: Precision] +1 ACC [ADDON: Stamina] Reduce EN of all attacks by 2. [SHIFT: TECH Specialist] For TECH Sword Arts, +4 to multipliers, +3 to EN cost. COMBAT MASTERY: DAMAGE | RANK 3/3 [BASE: Proficiency] +9 DMG | extra skills [2] FIRST AID | RANK 5/5 [BASE: Proficiency] [PA, 15 EN] Single target heal: 20% of target max HP. [MOD: Purify] [PA, 3 EN, 1 CD] Single target cleanse: Can target the user. [MOD: Energize] [PA, 10 EN] Single target restoration: +8 EN. [ADDON: Hyperactive] [PA, 5 EN, 3 CD] Single target buff: +3 Passive EN Regen for three turns. Can target the user. [MOD: Barrier] [PA, 15 EN, 2 CD] AoE buff: Reduce final damage from all sources by 15% for one turn. [ADDON: Field Medic] [PA, 15 EN, 3 CD] AoE heal: 25% of target(s) max HP. | expenditure Spoiler Total SP: 120 | Spent: 119 | Unspent: 1 SKILL: Axe (30) ADDON: Stamina (4) ADDON: Precision (2) ADDON: Ferocity (4) SHIFT: TECH Specialist (10) SKILL: Combat Mastery: Damage (13) EXTRA SKILL: First Aid (30) MOD: Purify (4) MOD: Energize (5) MOD ADDON: Hyperactive (5) MOD: Barrier (6) ADDON: Field Medic (6)   EQUIPMENT Spoiler Dull Blade DAMAGE II TIER 1 RARE STRAIGHT SWORD it's worn from use. but the swordswoman favors it anyway. it was her first blade. INVENTORY Spoiler (2) Teleport Crystal Use a post action to activate a teleport crystal. Teleports the player to the town or designated teleportation area they specify. SWORD ARTS Spoiler | ST [x12] ST-I (10 EN) | A single-target sword art. [x15] ST-II (13 EN) | A powerful single-target sword art. Only available for use when ST-I was used and successfully struck an enemy the previous turn or if ST-II had been used and had missed the previous turn. [x20] ST-B (18 EN) | A devastating single-target sword art. Can only be used if the sword art used the previous turn is not ST-B and had rolled a natural CD9+. When performing an AoE attack, use only the first roll. | AOE [x11] AOE-I (9 + [2 * targets] EN) | AOE | A sword art that strikes multiple targets at once. [x14] AOE-II (12 + [2 * targets] EN) | AOE | A powerful sword art that strikes multiple targets at once. Only available for use when AOE-I was used and successfully struck an enemy the previous turn or if AOE-II had been used and had missed all intended targets the previous turn. | TECH [x16] TECH-A (14 EN) | STUN | A single-target sword art that stuns an enemy. [x16] TECH-B (13 EN) | DELAY | A single-target sword art that, on a successful strike, applies [Delay] on the enemy. [Delay] is a debuff that reduces the enemy’s ACC by 1 for one turn.

Edited January 22 by Pollux

[Corvo 0]

It was telling that when prompted about a job, the NPCs expected Corvo to do all of the heavy lifting. More than realistic, he lamented. Painstakingly realistic. Down to the most drab and depressing details from the real world. That Kayaba must've been a real sadist. He continued down the path in roughly the direction of the forest, where the lad indicated that he would find the forager, Giovanna. It was not a winding path by any means, perhaps more straightforward than anywhere else in the many worlds that comprised Aincrad. That made sense- the First Floor, and Town of Beginnings, came as close to a tutorial as Sword Art Online was going to give. Corvo noted how the boars moved relative to it, unlike other enemy movement patterns that were more complex and dangerous. They seemed to largely avoid the beaten path, affording safety to players who were not overzealous and under-leveled as they traversed the region. In essence, it was the perfect place to explore. And the perfect place to get sidetracked.

He spat to one side and reminded himself of his mission for the day. Gotta go sell my soul for some col. He checked his status and inventory, as well as his equipment just to be sure he was prepared on the off chance he did end up in a compromising situation. The tree line grew closer and as he stepped beneath the shade it afforded, he glanced over the mini-map to see if there was a quest in view. He was able to navigate the area skillfully without any unnecessary entanglements. He was starting to think that he might be in the wrong area when he overheard someone talking nearby.

You are telling me these cost 30,000 col?

Wait... on the first floor? What could feasibly cost that much?

He took the opportunity as he listened to get closer, whereupon he found the speaker and their conversation partner, who the Player indicated to be the NPC he was looking for. As the explanation played out, Corvo noticed the prompt for the quest appear before the woman. So, it was a triggered event, rather than something he would have found just by looking at the map. That was pretty underhanded, wasn't it? "Hey," he interjected before the girl was able to be whisked off by her task, grabbing the attention of the NPC- and probably her, as well... provided she cared enough to engage. That was a crapshoot.

"Couldn't help but overhear the conversation," he said. "A kid back in town was going around telling people looking for work about the business you've been plying out here in the woods. I was hoping you'd point me in the right direction to pick up some of your skills."

They seemed to have the same kind of response no matter what kind of tone you took with them, but Corvo was more interested in getting this quest over with than dealing with interpersonal bullshit. If he managed to get on the bad side of the NPC, it might be difficult to manage the quest. Hopefully the more tactful approach would earn him more useful information. "And, uh," he regarded Yue Hua sharply, "Seeing as we're both going to be doing it anyway, whaddya say we handle it together? It'd be less dangerous than trying to piece things together between boars, yeah?"

Rather, this way, he could get more done, and minimize the threat of death before he was able to sustain and make himself stronger.

Quid Pro Quo.

@Pollux

[Pollux 0]

Though the man had by no means attempted to conceal his approach, Yue Hua almost jumped at the addition of his voice. She turned partway to glance at him and her brown eyes briefly met his as Giovanna laid the requested item in her open palm.

"Oh," Yue Hua said, "Of course."

He looked like a finely honed blade, Yue Hua thought, like if she knocked the back of her hand against him, she would immediately take Thorns damage. But that didn't deter her from turning back to Giovanna and asking if she had another compass to borrow.

...Why did she think Giovanna would have two dark magic compasses and be willing to let go of both of them?

Good fortune that the newcomer had asked to work with Yue Hua right off the bat. She was not inclined towards quarreling with other players for resources, but it was also a fact that she was impatient to restart her profession. Her days felt empty without it. Yue Hua tried to smoothly pass off the flush of embarrassment that ran through her at the oversight, swinging the hand she had extended to Giovanna to hide behind her back as she sent a party request to her new companion. "Well, we had to stick close to each other either way. My player name is Pollux," she said, as it read on his screen, and continued, "But I prefer to be called Yue Hua. You?"

---

-> FORAGING: 240371: LD 16: CD 1: +1 Material.

Edited January 22 by Pollux