BXBX NOVEL Chapter 94 - 94
The new metal used for the hammer is incredible. It\'s got similar weight to steel, which is excellent when trying to balance a weapon using existing designs. It\'s also proving completely indestructible. Not even magical fire has left a mark on it. After a series of tests it is declared just as good as a Mythril hammer, but much easier to get materials for, if they can trade with Sunnybrook.
That\'s great news to Dimnys, who can simply ask a Guild member to buy what she needs the next time they\'re out.
After dinner comes the fun part of the day, they\'re going to look at Guild Houses. Cain thinks back to when he traded the bolts of cloth and the Trade House asked if he\'d like a Mansion in the Smithy District with that, so that\'s where they\'re starting.
The trade house will cover the coin, while Cain Pays with goods, which he\'s gathered plenty of over the last few trips to the Beastkin dungeon, even though he\'s deposited the crafting materials in the Guild bank. Lickity has restocked the spell silk too, which might prove very useful.
"Might as well start here near the forge, as this will be a crafting house for the Guild." Cain tells the Real Estate Agent who looks shocked.
"Alright, they\'re quite expensive though, especially a house big enough to qualify as a Guild House. The minimum standard is room to sleep twenty. Ten bedrooms with bunk beds satisfies the system, so that\'s the smallest we can go." The Real Estate Agent informs them and Cain nods his agreement.
Just four short blocks away, tucked into a dead end street and backing onto the wall of the mountain is a large building that looks to be a run down former hotel. The tavern sign still swings from one chain at the door.
"I know it\'s not traditional, but it has a good sized forge and kitchen, plus twenty rooms, so it can be made a Guild House, even with the tavern reopened if your wish." He takes them through and the buildings finish is in very rough shape, having been abandoned for a number of years. But the stone structure is sound, the roof seems good and the basement level is a whole other story.
The basement\'s stone walls are solid, the forge is large and vented to the back yard with a huge roll door. The kitchen is all stone and stainless steel, with a walk in fridge and freezer that operate off Ice magic and activate right away when Cain feeds them mana. It has everything a commercial kitchen could need, plus there are no houses nearby, only businesses. Nobody to complain about forge noise.
Every location they scout afterwards, Dimnys compares to the first location. So Cain decides that is the spot for them. He just wants to talk to the neighbors first.
The first they talk to is a smithy supply shop. He is a friend of Ragnar and recognizes the Guild from the other night at Bertha\'s. All good signs. He says there used to be a road where his shop is now, but the city remodeled, leaving the tavern hidden down a dead end street until business died enough that the owner simply bought a new place and left this one behind.
The other side is not a business, like they\'d expected. It\'s an orphanage. Kids everywhere and it\'s likely louder than the forge. They seem to be taking decent care of the children, and as Dimnys says, that gives them a steady supply of errand runners. Need something? Send the orphans to get it for a few coins. They\'ll thank you for the work.
None of them had anything bad to say about the other businesses in the area, so the deal is settled. They purchase their second Guild House and pay to have a team fully renovate the place. It\'s expected to take a week, but that\'s not a problem for them, Bertha is happy to put them up, and the basement doesn\'t need anything done, so Dimnys can move her workspace to the larger forge in their new basement instead of the little shop they were using today.
The Real Estate Agent provides them with the items for the transfer circles and Cain puts one in the Guild bank before deciding where to put the one here in Graska. The yard is tempting for the extra space, but it\'s not secure and he doesn\'t want people sneaking into the Sunnybrook Guild House.
After a bit of searching, they find that the house has a safe room. Solid walls, heavy lockable door, hidden away behind the forge. The Guild discusses it for a while and decides that\'s likely the best spot they\'ll find, even if it was intended to keep valuable items the smith had created. Sunnybrook will likewise be placing theirs in the basement, in the storage room at the end of the hall. It\'s also a good secure location without windows that you\'ll need to pass an entire Guild to get to from the outside.
The first person through after the transfer circles are placed the next morning is Lickity. She was so eager to see what a city made out of a mountain liked like that she couldn\'t even wait for the Guild House to be renovated. Of course, everyone else followed, their curiosity getting the better of them, leaving only the staff at home in Sunnybrook.
They must have been hitting the Naga dungeon fairly regularly, they\'ve all gained at least one level since Cain came to Graska, not an easy feat without the huge experience buff he grants.
Candia, their new Vampire Corsair is the second most excited to be here. She\'s a Jewel crafter, and this city is known for their exquisite quality tools and a shortage of gem stones, which they have collected in abundance from the Nagas.
The smithy supply next door carries a range of tools for setting gems and engraving, so Dimnys leads her there right away while everyone else explores the new house.
The craftsmen are already here, tearing down the damaged wall board and replacing it, or repairing what was there using Earth Magic, depending how bad it was.. The actual clean out and repairs are only gong to take two days, but all the furniture needs repair or refinishing and that\'s going to take the rest of the week, according to the Trade Hall manager who scheduled the crews.