They shook hands, and he waved to the woman as he left. His second trip took him to the woodworker’s shop. After seeing the inventory from the leatherworker’s place, he wanted to see if the woodworker had a good stock. He was still the same level as before so couldn’t learn anything new, but that wouldn’t stop him from power leveling a little.
The menu of the woodworker showed 40 Rough Wood Logs in stock. Instead of haggling for a deal here, he instead bought them outright. The demand must’ve been low because he only paid 5 silver for the entire stack.
Using the same logic as before, he turned all forty logs into twenty Sturdy Wood Braces. It would help with construction in the city, and they also held a steady price. Oddly enough, each of those braces sold for 80 copper, giving him 16 silver for the sale. In that short amount of crafting, he made 11 silver and a hefty amount of experience.
You gained 2000 total experience in Woodworking.
Success! You’ve reached levels 9 and 10 in Woodworking.
Looking at the menu again, he found the pattern for a Sturdy Wand and paid 30 copper to learn the ability. The pattern for a Standard Short Bow Frame appeared at level 10 and he paid the 30 copper for too.
With his trade skills settled, he bid farewell to the woodworker and headed in the direction of the bank. The building was exactly as Master Proth described. Grayish stone towered high with large columns in front that reminded Atlas of fancy courthouses. A small set of stone stairs led into the building. The inside looked similar to bank lobbies in the physical world. Small cubbies held people behind a solid wall. Bars covered these openings where transactions took place. He approached the nearest window and saw a young woman standing behind the bars.
“Can I help you, sir?”
“Yes, you can. I would like to store my money here under an account in my name.”
“That’s not a problem. Your funds will be available at any branch of our bank. You’ll be issued a writ that declares the amount you have stored. This writ is bound to you and won’t disappear. How much would you like to store?”
Atlas took stock of his money before answering, “Five gold.”
“Not a problem. What’s your name?”
“Atlas.”
She scratched away at a small piece of paper and turned it to face him.
“Sign this and give me the five gold and you’re set.”
He looked at the paper, and it registered as a Writ of Credit. It stated in bold letters: 5 Gold. He dropped the gold on the counter and scribbled his name on the paper. She scooped the money through the opening and he left on his way, much happier about the security of his money.
Pondering what to do next, a message interrupted him.
You have 8 hours of game time left before you must log off.
Damn. That hunt sucked up more time than I thought. It was a lot of running and searching.
Instead of doing anything fancy, he just went out in the wood and spent six hours farming for hides. He did the fighting in bear form so he could get more practice with it. Unfortunately, he didn’t run into any bears he could fight. When he took more damage than he cared for, he would shift back to his normal form to heal and then shift back.
When done hunting, he walked back to the inn and nodded to the innkeeper. Opening his door, he walked in and locked it behind him. His messages showed the results of his latest trip.
You gained 145 total experience.
I need to find a couple quests when I log back in to finish my trip to level ten. He lay on the bed and closed his eyes.
Do you wish to log out? Yes/No.
Yes.
Chapter 14
Catching Up
Atlas heaved himself from the capsule as Jean finished disconnecting everything.
“How’d the event go? I heard they have completed it in every region,” Jean asked.
“It went great. The team I was on won our region.”
“Congrats. That must’ve been a hard fought victory.”
“It sure was. Eight creatures, some of which looked pretty nasty. I mean one was part woman, part spider for god’s sake,” Atlas said with a chuckle.
“Gross. I think I would’ve just given up and walked away. I’ve seen how real the world is in the game and am not about to fight something like that.”
“How’s work been?”
“Busy as usual. Luckily, my shift is up in a few hours.”
“Hopefully, the rest of your day is calm. I’ve got to head out. Take care of yourself.”
She looked to the control panel and Atlas turned to go before he stopped in his tracks. She really is pretty. Seems like a great girl. It’s worth a shot.
He turned back to her.
“You have any plans this evening?” Atlas asked.
She looked up from the panel and flashed a brilliant smile.
Such a beautiful smile.
“Well,” she said with a slight blush, “I don’t have any plans. You have something in mind?”
“Actually. I hoped you might join me for dinner?”
“I don’t know if that’s a good idea. We know nothing about each other.”
“It’s just a date. I’d like to get to know you. At least, the you that exists outside of work.”
A pang hit him in his lower stomach. The unfortunate aftereffects of two days in the game were catching up fast. She merely grinned and lifted her clipboard. A quick bit of scribbling and she ripped off a small piece of paper.
“Call me this afternoon and let me know what you have planned.”
“Thanks,” he said as he took the paper, “Talk to you later.”
Wasting no
