As I approach the construction site, I spot Bryst, and she approaches me, and a slight frown appears on her face. "What's up, Bryst?" I ask her.

  "Honestly, I'm upset with myself. I thought I could complete my quest like others, but the task I selected was more complex than anticipated. I'm unsure if I'll be able to complete the quest today, as we'll need the items I produce to finish the building by the end of the day.” She responds.

  "How can I help? Or is there something that someone else can help with?"

  “There isn't anything you can do to help; the only thing that would be helpful is if I could figure out how to get my project to work.”

  “Alright, since I can't help in a physical sense, could you explain what you're trying to do?”

  "Well, I am trying to incorporate metal into some garments to make them sturdier for our mages. I haven't been able to complete the task yet."

  “My only thought is that instead of trying to weave it into a complete system currently, have you tried making embroidery with the metal, maybe coloring it differently and tying it into the patterns?" I continue asking as we head into the construction site.

  "I have considered doing that, but the issue is that nothing has been working. When I add the metal, it simply adds extra weight to the garment. While it does provide some extra defense, the added weight hinders those who cast spells."

  "I have one idea that might be worth trying, but it is just an idea."

  "What is your idea?"

  "Have you tried injecting your mana into the thread you are using?” I asked her.

  “That was one of the first ideas I had tried. While it did work, it didn’t seem to take hold, almost like I was missing something.”

  Thinking back on all the games I had played and the different sorts of armor there were. There wasn’t much I could think of that would be beneficial. Tapping my finger on my chin as I thought about what I could do to help her with this process. There was one thing that I could think of doing. I asked her one more question, “Is it possible to scale back what your project is, or what exactly your quest is? Maybe I can think of something that could help.”

  “I mean, I would prefer not to have to show you,” she answers shyly.

  “Oh, come on, it’s not like I am going to make fun of you for what your quest says,” I offer as a bit of comfort.

  “Still…” She says while slowly digging the toe of her shoe into the dirt.

  “I absolutely won’t laugh. It is so I can try to help you help us out. What is the harm of showing me?”

  Taking a deep breath to steady herself, she slowly starts to go through her quest log, and it isn’t long before I see what her quest is.

  - Threading the Line

  You have taken it upon yourself to improve the base designs of clothing through magic. It is time to make a piece of garment that would get the leader's approval of the settlement.

  Task: Craft one article of clothing to increase the wearers' stats: 0/1

  Receive the heartfelt approval of the settlement leader: 0/1 -

  I quickly give her a look and then rub my temples. “Give me a moment,” I tell her. I can tell she is blushing, but what is there to be embarrassed about? It’s not like this is something to be concerned about. So what if she needs my approval? It’s not like I would deny what she makes as long as she has put her full effort into it.

  Rushing off to the enchanter’s hut, I quickly whip together a couple of the enchanting solutions I have used for different properties, hoping this will help her get what she needs. Running back, I quickly handed off the solutions while giving her a brief explanation of the different uses. “My thought is that if you dip the thread you are using into the solution, you should be able to do something with it. It might be better to use a normal thread at this point instead of a metallic thread as we don’t know how the metallic thread will take to the solutions.”

  Nodding with my explanation, she quickly thanked me and ran to the tailor's building. I can only hope that she will complete her profession quest soon. Turning back to the Adventurer’s Guild, I can only shake my head, thinking that she knows it won’t be hard to get my heartfelt approval, but I can understand that she wants to put her heart into it. I will have to tell her that she shouldn’t stress herself so much about it, but that is not something I can control now.

  Once I get to the construction site, I can only sigh with happiness that the building is coming together. There don’t appear to be that many things that need my assistance at this point, but that doesn’t mean that there isn’t anything that I can’t do. First on my list is to get the bulletin board enchanted, then the desk next to the board needs to be enchanted, and finally, some of the furniture will need my help with enchanting as well. Overall, it shouldn’t take too long before I finish my morning work, and maybe I will pop into the tailoring building and see what Bryst is up to.

  Getting to work, I quickly finished the board. The line work didn’t take long, and there weren’t many things different from what I did last night with the flooring. The desk enchantments are pretty simple as well. When I think about what some of these enchantments will do, I can’t help but think that I will have to work on getting my skills higher so these tasks are more manageable and I can understand them better. At this point, I can only scrape the highest level of understanding for the enchantments.

  This novel's true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.

  The bulletin board enchantments were to show available quests and sort them into danger ratings. I don’t know how quests will be rated for the level of danger they promise, but I can think of it as a system of privilege. As someone increases their rank in the Adventurer’s Guild, they can access some of the higher-rated quests. I can only assume that the desk has enchantments for creating the papers that would adhere to the bulletin board and have a lasting effect on them so the text doesn’t get blurry.

  These two projects take me a couple of hours to finish before starting my last task. When I start working on one of the chairs in the building, I can see that the work I am doing is being copied onto the other chairs.

  “That’s handy,” I murmur, focusing on my task. There were only four tables and 16 chairs, so seeing all the lines added to each chair will make my work easier. I complete the chair and then move onto the table. Again, the other three tables also take on the linework I am applying. After another couple of hours, there wasn’t anything else that I needed to work on, so I took my leave.

  Since it was early afternoon, I decided to continue with my plan to go to the tailoring building and see how Bryst was doing. I didn’t see her for the rest of the morning, and I couldn’t help but think she was working too hard on her project.

  When I arrived at the building, I saw that most of the people who would be working in the building were bustling about while trying to appear busy. Curious about why this is the case, I entered the building, and I can only say it looked like a fabric factory gone through a windstorm as there was fabric of different colors everywhere. You can’t step one pace without either bashing your head on a bolt of fabric, stabbing your hand into a set of needles holding two pieces of cloth together, or getting tangled in a line of thread.

  Turning around, I asked one of the workers what was happening.

  “Ever since Bryst came back from the construction site, she has been in a frenzy trying to get something that she claims ‘Will impress him with the materials that he has provided.’ Since then, it has been a frantic snipping of scissors and cursing.”

  ‘Oh no,’ is the only thing I can think of now. “So, you are telling me that she has been inside this building trying to make something for someone and has been trying to finish it as quickly as she can?”

  “Yup, I wouldn’t go in there if I were you. You can never tell her how she will react. You might just get caught up in her work and either become an ‘assistant’ or you would just get in the way.”

  “Thanks,” I off-handedly reply as I try to figure out how to get inside with minimal disturbances.

  It isn’t long before some of the fabric gets removed, and then there is a small path. I can see someone is trying to get out, but then I hear from inside. “Hey, where are you going? I am almost done, and you are just the right size.”

  I see a look of horror on the gentleman’s face, and then he sees me, and a glint appears in his eyes. I try to back away quickly, but I am too late. He grabs my leg and pulls me down to the ground while also using his momentum to pull himself out of the tangle of fabrics.

  It isn’t long before another hand appears, pulling me in with a force I can’t help but think isn’t from the woman I met earlier. I try not to get caught up in all of the different fabrics. I can tell some are still getting caught and wrapped around my face.

  It doesn’t take long, and I am forcefully standing in front of a mirror like a mannequin with a vest thrown over my shoulders and my arms forcibly pulled through the armholes. The vest slips onto my body with little issue, and when it is done, I note a couple of things about it. It has a patch over the left breast with four distinct colors, and a picture of a dragon's head is at the center.

  Conveniently, the fabric that blocked most of my face maintained its position while she put the vest on. Looking closely at what she is making, I can tell that it is a mage’s robe, but from what I can tell, it is more of a formal garment than a battle garment.

  Looking at her, I can tell she is focused on her work and has been using all the enchantment solutions I provided, as there are threads in each. When making them, I didn’t realize they were four colors, conveniently the colors of my affinities.

  I stood as still as I could for about an hour, and once Bryst was done, she noticed that fabric was still covering my face. Moving to remove it, she pulled it off and shocked herself because she hadn’t realized she was working on the person she was hoping to give this piece to.

  Flustered at her mistake, she couldn’t help but try to explain herself. Chuckling to myself, I asked, “What? Were you not expecting me?”

  “Ye-...N-... Not yet.” She says while choking on her own words. “I wasn’t expecting you till later this afternoon! This was supposed to be a surprise so you would have a more heartfelt and honest response!”

  “You don’t have to surprise me with something as wonderful as this for me to appreciate it! Any gift is wonderful, but thank you for all the work you have been putting into this piece!”

  “You’re welcome! I am just glad that I completed the piece on time. Otherwise, it would have been quite embarrassing to include you in the incomplete product.” She was still trying to hide her flustered appearance behind her hands.

  “So, since I haven’t seen what the piece can do, would you mind telling me a bit about it and why you put this coat of arms on it?” I asked.

  “Well, I had asked Laxreal if there was anything I could do to help you, and he told me that it would be great if I could find a way to create some form of formal wear for you that is more in line with our settlement. While we were talking, Ritotorous came in, and with his help, we figured that you would like an overcoat for any noble's garments you would wear in the future with your crest on display. I didn’t know you had one until Ritotorous explained it to me, but it was all I could focus on afterward.” She said all of this in a rush and had a blush on her face.

  Rubbing my temples again, I continued to listen as she rambled. “I know the sigil isn’t the same as what Ritotorous was explaining to me, but since I wasn’t working with a large space, I figured taking some of it out and due to the lack of space wouldn’t be a bad thing. I should be able to make a more prominent crest when I focus on a larger piece or even with the banners that will go around the settlement. For now, though, this was all I could do since I am still lowering my professional levels even with all my experience from my home world.”

  Holding my hands up, I stop her from her further ramblings, “Thank you, honestly. This is one of the best things that you could have given to me at this point. I needed something to show I was trying to help everyone and consolidate what was happening here. In the future, we should try to make it so a basic rendition of the different worlds is displayed on each of the various parts of the banners as a memento of the worlds from which we come.”

  Nodding her head like a pecking chicken, I can only be amused at myself for a second before I ask her, “What are the stats for this piece? With your quest, I know you had to do something that would increase the wearer's stats.”

  “Right,” she lightly slaps the sides of her face to get her emotions in check. “The current vest gives a minor boost to your charisma; it also has a minor protection over the heart where the crest lies. It isn’t much since it is just a minor piece, but I thought it would be useful in case you were to be attacked during a meeting or even boost negotiations.”

  Looking at her deep in the eyes, I can’t help but see a blush form on her face once again. “Once again, you have my most heartfelt thanks for this vest. I know you have been working hard to complete something like this, so please note that this isn’t me taking pity. I truly feel that you have created a wonderful item. Thank you.”

  - Vest of Minor Nobility

  +1 Physical Protection

  +2 Charisma

  Crest of House Taldrit: While wearing this vest, there is an increase in the amount of damage that the crest will absorb when the target of the attack is the heart of the wearer. This effect will negate any damage up to the current wearers’ level in the Constitution stat. -