Scouring the city, he found five quests this time. Each with a similar style. All find me x amount of herbs or kill x amount of animals. Nothing special, but they all added up to quick experience. As soon as he was certain he’d gathered all currently available quests, he went back to Master Grannith’s place. A quick inquiry showed him the stock the woodworker had available. Unsurprisingly, there were forty-three pieces of Raw Wood Logs. The master had more important projects to work on than sanding down bare wood and didn’t bother messing with them. The price on them was a measly 20 copper a piece. Even if I don’t make any money, the experience alone is worth that price.
Atlas purchased all forty-three for 8 silver and 60 copper. He also spent another 12 silver and bought 60 sheets of sandpaper. The ability required one per use. With the master’s permission, he used the workroom in the back. It took him a solid two hours, but he smoothed out all the raw logs.
You gained 1,505 total experience in Woodworking.
Success! You’ve reached level 11 in Woodworking.
Before he decided what else to make, Atlas returned to see what new patterns he had for level 11. The first pattern he expected. It was the Smooth Wood Staff. The second was a bit of a surprise. It was a Smooth Wood Ring. He bought both, but confusion about the purpose of a wood ring caused him to ask the master about it.
“Master Grannith, why would we have a pattern for a wood ring?”
“That seems pretty obvious. It’s for making rings, of course.”
“But, the rings don’t have any stats or abilities on them, do they?”
“Well, no. That’s what Jewelers are for!” The woodworker said in exasperation.
“That’s what I don’t understand. I thought the Jewelers actually made the rings and necklaces. Why would we make them?”
“Ah, I see the confusion. Let me ask you this. Do you think you should have to learn the patterns to sew cloth if you’re a leatherworker?”
“I don’t see how it would help, so no.”
“Then there’s the problem. Jewelers don’t want to dedicate much of their time to being Woodworkers or Blacksmiths just to make the base form of the items. They take the pieces we create and carve the glyphs and inlay the gems needed to create works of art.”
Atlas never considered it in that light, but it made sense. Each profession needed to rely on each other, and it would be unfair for one to need to specialize in another just to operate. Atlas shook his head and went back to work.
The first item he made was a Smooth Wood Staff. He doubted it would beat out his IronHide Staff, but he wanted to see how good it was. When the finished piece fell in his hands, he examined it.
Item - Smooth Wood Staff
Requirements: Level 10
Rarity: Common
Quality: Good
Attack: 5
Defense: 3
Magical Attack: 2
Durability: 75/75
Weight: 4.7 lbs.
Slot: 2H Weapon
Traits: A staff of smooth wood.
You gained 250 experience in Woodworking.
So I’d lose the Agility bonus, but gain magical damage with this new staff. I guess that makes sense. Staves are usually magical weapons.
The piece itself wasn’t good enough to swap out what he currently had, but it gave him hope that the next staff he could make would definitely be an upgrade.
The experience on the piece was impressive for something that only used two pieces of wood. The thought of turning all the wood into staves crossed his mind, but he wanted to check the experience of the rings first.
Selecting Create Smooth Wood Ring, his body sped into motion. The rod of wood quickly separated into twelve equal tubes. His hands clamped each of these sections on the lathe in turns and spun them as he used the gouge and sandpaper to smooth them down. When the exterior resembled a ring, he removed the pieces from the lathe and carved the center hole.
The pattern used 1 Sandpaper and 1 Smooth Wood Log but created twelve small rings that slipped easily onto his finger. Not only did it give him twelve rings to sell, but the experience was even better than the staff.
You gained 190 experience in Woodworking.
He used one log instead of two and had to use an item that cost a small amount of money but ended up with far more than half of the experience. The ultimate test was the price. He got Master Grannith’s attention and opened the menu. The staff sold for an impressive 22 silver. When his attention moved to the rings, his hopes deflated. They each listed at 75 copper. All 12 would only bring 9 silver to him. If he doubled it to match the materials in the staff, that was 18 silver to the 22. It would be more efficient to make money using the staff while the rings would be better experience.
He looked to the master’s inventory, and it listed the Smooth Wood Staff at a selling price of 21 silver and 50 copper now. To his surprise, when he checked the rings, their price was unchanged.
“Master, do the rings not drop in price with each sold?”
“The Smooth Wood Rings? No. They are a controlled item, like building materials. They have a set price and stay at that price.”
That news brought joy to his soul. The staff would eventually devalue while the rings stayed constant. This fresh development solidified his decision to make nothing but rings. They were worth far more experience and the influx of rings would help Jewelers level their craft.
His body went into motion as he churned out a tiny factory of rings, one by one. The process quickly became monotonous. It also took more than twice the time to make the rings, as it did to make the staff. This was due to all the small pieces he had to work on. With the last of the items complete, he looked on in amazement at the veritable pile of rings in the corner. The process bogged
