Chapter 16 : Chapter 16
Chapter 16 : Workshop
Sal lay on the bed, watching Hannah get ready to leave.
Noticing his gaze, Hannah flashed a faint smile.
After tidying her clothes, Hannah loosely relaxed her waist and swept back her disheveled blonde hair with her gloved hand.
“Don’t get the wrong idea.”
She said with a playful look in her eyes.
“It’s just, one night. Don’t make the atmosphere weird for no reason. We have to see each other for 3 more years. Right?”
Sal exhaled slowly and composed himself.
“Of course.”
Sal smiled and sat up in bed.
“I’ll match whatever you want.”
Hannah picked up her shoes and giggled.
“Ah, right. Just like you did just now.”
Hannah gave a final wink and walked out the door.
Once the door closed and silence returned, Sal raised both hands above his head and cheered soundlessly.
He had decided to respect all her opinions, worried that getting excited for no reason might cause a strange misunderstanding.
Deep in his heart, Sal remained grateful that she had approached him first.
At first, he thought being just friends was enough.
He had only made the gauntlet because he was thankful for her heart in remembering he bought her coffee in the morning and even bringing materials.
But when she told him how much stronger she felt through that gauntlet while by his side….
“Phew, let’s get a grip.”
Sal took a deep breath to clear his head, picked up the blanket that had fallen to the floor, and wrapped it around his body.
He didn’t want to harbor useless hope, but he wanted to share a few more nights like this with her.
Turning his head, Sal could smell her faint perfume remaining in the room.
Sal smiled and finally fell into a deep sleep.
***
That day’s schedule at Quest Academy started much later than usual, perhaps due to the grueling combat training conducted the day before.
But Sal had absolutely no intention of wasting time rolling around in bed.
Rather, he made up his mind to use these few hours to the fullest to catch up on delayed work.
To express the feeling he felt right now in one word, it was truly the best.
No, perhaps he had never felt such an emotion in his entire life.
Until now, Sal had always suffered from guilt that he was stealing and using others’ abilities.
His ability was certainly great, and it could look amazing in the eyes of others, but Sal himself always felt something was lacking.
But now it was different.
He had crafted a Rare grade artifact on his very first attempt.
Sal entered the workshop holding a cup of premium coffee in his hand.
It was an expensive price, but he thought it was worth every penny thanks to the effect the coffee gave.
Of course, he had to find a way to earn Q-Credits from now on.
Today’s goal was to find out how to sell items within the school.
Since he also had the Silver Token given by Vila, Sal harbored an expectation that he might be able to start with appraiser work right away.
Another thing he was curious about was the dress code.
Because some of the high-ranking students were proudly wearing armor instead of the unsightly grey uniforms.
Now, the grey uniform is Sal’s enemy.
Sal guessed there would be an upper limit on the grade of equipment that could be worn, but among what he had seen so far, there were no items exceeding Uncommon grade.
In fact, even Uncommon was on the rare side.
The same thought occurred when he saw the 2nd and 3rd-year seniors a few days ago.
They were also wearing a kind of uniform, but it was a much more sophisticated and classy design.
Anything seemed better than these shabby grey clothes issued to first-year freshmen.
When he arrived at the workshop, a completely different scene from the day before unfolded.
The form of tables arranged in a wide space was nowhere to be seen, and the spacing had widened so much that even the aisles between workbenches were narrow.
He hadn’t noticed yesterday, but there were also several private booths made of glass doors.
Already, some students were immersed in precision work or study inside them.
“Mr. Argento!”
Porge’s booming voice rang throughout the workshop.
At that sound, a few people raised their heads from their desks, but no one looked disturbed.
Rather, it felt strange that they didn’t.
“Upgrade hasn’t come yet. She’s closer to being nocturnal than a morning person!”
Porge grabbed Sal’s hand and shook it firmly.
Sal had shaken off the previous incident after Upgrade’s sincere apology and the fact that he had been excessive.
He pointed to the various workbenches around them.
“Want to have a proper tour this time?”
“I’d like that, thank you. By the way… may I ask a few questions?”
Sal asked cautiously as he followed Porge.
Porge waved his hand and said.
“Of course! You learn by asking questions. Ask anything.”
Sal took out the Silver Token and showed it to Porge.
“What do I need to do to start earning Q-Credits with this? I was told it would help in opening trades.”
Porge snapped his fingers and smiled brightly.
“A very good question! Then shall we start with that? Follow me!”
Sal naturally matched his pace following the hulking Porge, who was wearing an apron.
They passed several workbenches and headed inside.
Porge looked back over his shoulder and pointed at the people around them.
“The people working here right now are all 3rd years or part of the GPP, that is, the Guild Partnership Program. Our school is the only certified professional crafter training institution in the city, so if a guild wants a certified artisan, they must get certification here unconditionally.”
As if to prove they belonged to that program, some students raised their heads and waved familiarly to Sal.
Porge pointed to the elevator line far away.
“Let’s go up to the Credit Floor. Shall I refill your drink?”
As his gaze landed on Sal’s coffee cup, a slight smile hung on the corners of his mouth.
“But there are no high-end drinks like this here. If you’re going to work all night, go find Alex. He’s one of our team, and he does alchemy as a side job. If you drink the coffee he makes, you could probably run a marathon here!”
In the direction Porge pointed, a man was smiling and raising a coffee cup in greeting.
The elevator was much more spacious than any elevator Sal had ridden so far.
Porge continued with informative words like a treasure trove of information.
“A few days ago, an order for a Naginata blade came in, and the case alone was bigger than other elevators.
This side is a custom-built elevator for large orders.
It connects directly to the first basement level, so access to the loading dock is easy too.
Conversely, if you go up, there’s also a loading space for air delivery.”
Porge pointed here and there adding explanations, and after a while, pressed the button for a nearby floor.
As they passed the first floor, a space like an industrial facility filled with numerous machines was visible beyond the glass doors.
“Ah, I’ll show you there later.”
Porge said with a laugh.
“Let’s find out how to earn credits first. Then let’s go down to the manufacturing zone.”
Sal was grateful for the fact that he had a guide, and the time with this large man was enjoyable.
Not long after, the elevator made a ‘ding’ sound, and as the transparent doors opened, the transaction floor revealed itself.
Unlike the workshop where everyone welcomed them with curious eyes and smiles, the expressions of the people here were the exact opposite.
The luxurious interior decoration gave Sal a familiar feeling, and the contemptuous gazes sent by the neat and sophisticated employees standing around solidified that feeling further.
Their uniforms were classy, and Sal was on the verge of snorting without realizing it.
“Is this perhaps an auction house?”
Porge blinked and looked back at Sal.
“How did you know?”
“My father always took me to public auction houses and showed me how auction competition operates… Ah, my family runs a private auction house.”
Sal added a short explanation thinking Porge might not know about his family.
But surprisingly, Porge smiled and nodded.
“It’s Argento Auction House, right? Pietro is a good person. I’ve worked with him a few times in the past.”
Sal burst into laughter looking at the hawk-like people in the room.
The inside of their heads was clearly visible.
To them, Porge and Sal were just a first-year student wearing a grey uniform and a “worker” from the workshop site wandering around with him.
No matter how important Porge was in the production part, to these people, he was just a worthless existence since he didn’t generate profit.
Porge said to Sal with a slightly apologetic face.
“Hmm, can I speak here? The people here are somewhat…”
“Picky, right?”
As Sal nodded and laughed, Porge laughed along.
The man behind the counter managed to suppress at least a sigh.
“Welcome.”
That was all.
He didn’t introduce what services were available, nor did he say anything like how can I help you.
He just acknowledged their existence.
Sal could feel that Porge was suppressing his anger.
“I was in the middle of giving a freshman a school tour, and since I’m here, I have a question.”
“What is it?”
This time, a sigh properly burst out.
The man dressed in a suit looked at Sal suspiciously.
Porge ignored his sarcastic tone.
“What credit services are provided to guild token holders?”
Sal was about to put his hand in his pocket, but stopped when he saw Porge silently raising his hand to signal him to stop.
The man behind the counter frowned.
“Credits are approved only in special cases. If the work is long and arduous, a basic allowance to compensate for profit loss is provided. In cases where urgent purchase is needed, overdrafts can be used, and discounts on material purchases can be received. However, at least a Bronze Token holder is required for such things to be possible.”
The attitude was a mess, but the content was accurate.
Sal thought he should acknowledge that point.
Porge nodded and expressed his thanks.
“Then how about a Silver Token holder? To explain a bit more, there are two talents coming into our side, and the first is a tremendous appraiser. He identified an Epic grade item in less than a minute. A guild saw that skill and gave him a Silver Token, and I told him he could get good conditions here.”
Porge whispered in a secretive tone.
“Silver Token… Epic grade…?”
As if someone had slapped his cheek, shock spread across the man’s face.
After a while, that expression changed into a bright smile.
He also leaned his body forward.
“If it’s that level, we could try to coordinate on our side too!”
He typed something into the console behind the counter, put a tracker on his left eye, and organized the data.
“You say he can appraise up to Epic grade, and is a certified appraiser? Should I write down Mr. Porge as the one who verified that?”
Porge shook his head and smiled.
“Upgrade personally guaranteed that friend’s skill, and Vila from the Reavers Guild did the same.”
The man paused his words for a moment, but soon continued his questions.
“This isn’t something to proceed like this. I would like to meet that person directly and proceed with negotiations.”
At that moment, Porge’s hand came out slightly below the counter and sent a signal to Sal to secretly hand over the token.
Sal read the flow and readily handed the token.
Porge, with a smile on his face, lifted the token and slid it lightly onto the counter.
“That friend entrusted me with full authority for the negotiation. Since he’s from an auction family, he wants to proceed quietly. He doesn’t want to look like he’s competing with his father, Pietro Argento.”
Porge flipped the token over, showing Salvatore’s name carved on it.
The man didn’t answer immediately, let out a long breath, and then smiled slowly.
“Is there any more effort I can make to close this deal?”
Porge nodded with a mischievous smile.
“That friend is also interested in crafting. I can organize a list of goods for you. If you send a budget proposal, I will try to persuade him accordingly.”
Sal thought he would be offended, but he looked rather relieved.
The auction house here seemed to prefer solving problems with money.
Maintaining his smile, he held out his hand somewhat reluctantly.
“We also agree to those conditions. I will draft a proposal and send it to the workshop by this morning. If the conditions are not to your liking, we can coordinate again to find a solution that suits both sides.”
Porge retrieved the silver tablet and put it in his pocket with a laugh.
“And the second talent is this friend right here.”
Sal pretended not to be surprised, but he couldn’t get a sense of what move Porge was making at all.
The man opposite sent a suspicious look, but since he had just finished negotiations with Porge, he didn’t judge rashly.
Porge pointed at Sal and said almost in a whisper.
“Have you heard the news that a freshman smashed the skill register? That friend is….”
At the same time, the sound of someone calling the employee was heard from behind the counter.
“Ah, just a moment… Yes, yes? Right now?”
The auction house employee raised his hand with a slightly frowning face and smiled politely.
At the unexpected interruption, Porge was briefly flustered, but soon sent a signal with his eyes to Sal with an apologetic expression, and Sal waved his hand as if to say it was okay.
Then, a dazzling beauty in a black suit approached from behind the desk.
The employee who was responding before quietly moved to another area.
“I apologize for the inconvenience. Due to an urgent executive meeting just now, I left my seat to my colleague. Securing core talent is a part we are always interested in, but sponsoring a 1st year with no concrete performance or guild support is difficult at present. The talent of the Silver Token you showed earlier is just a special case, but this person who came with you right now does not apply. We ask for your understanding.”
There was absolutely no sincerity in the smile she made as if sorry.
Still, she was much more polite than the previous man.
Sal shrugged his shoulders and made a face saying ‘Well, it can’t be helped’.
She leaned her body slightly over the desk and spoke directly to Sal.
“Since you came all this way, you can leave simple information. When the rankings come out at the end of this semester, we might be able to schedule a formal consultation then.”
Porge nodded.
“It doesn’t have an official name yet but… this friend has a high probability of becoming a Mythos when he graduates. It’s Mythos Crafter, the stage after Legend and Epic. The principal verified it personally, and they say there’s only one with this ability in the world. He has no guild contracted yet either. But well, if the policy is such, we have to respect it. Let’s talk again next semester. That fine with you, Mythos?”
Porge’s acting wasn’t on the excellent side, but he had a knack for enduring without getting flustered.
On the other hand, the female employee’s eyes went wide and her face turned pale.
Sal couldn’t hold back his laughter because the situation was funny.
“Sounds good, Mr. Porge. I guess I was still lacking a lot.”