“Taran—” Rugrat started.
“Hear me out. I don’t think that people shouldn’t create useful items. I just think that it could create a mess in the academies. People can create all kinds of items. Some will hit the market well, and others will flop. Crafters create things. Some might have a sense of the market and people’s needs; others might not have a clue. The academies should remain a place where people go to learn and increase their overall crafting ability, to study and grow their knowledge. If someone wants to take their time and turn it toward creating new items, they are free to do so. If they can do it at the same time they study, great. If they can’t do it while they’re studying, we have four semesters a year. At the end of a semester, people can put their education on hold. This is already a thing. They can do whatever they want, and next year or even decades later, they can go back to the academy to take dedicated classes.”
“Keep them separate. An academic route and an applied route. They can influence one another, but the academy only offers one service, and then another department offers contracts for crafters to bid on?” Tan Xue asked.
“Exactly. If we try to do too much, it will adversely affect both systems.” Taran nodded.
“Do you think that will be enough incentive?” Rugrat asked.
“Able to do something for their fellow Alvans, work on their own projects and ideas, and can earn a large sum of money out of it? Yeah, I think that by itself will be enough for many people. Remember, for every Expert crafter we have, we have nearly two hundred Journeyman crafters, and that ratio only increases. There are crafters who have turned their hands away from the academy and are pursuing their own knowledge and looking to pay back their loans. This gives them a clear route. Creating the factories and how things will operate together is their own puzzle. I can think of some crafters who would be interested in it,” Tan Xue said.
“What if the rate we create Experts decreases?” Julilah asked.
“That is for other groups and people to talk and worry about.” Taran snorted. “What does it matter how many high-level crafters we have if we can have five Journeyman-level crafters, let’s say, creating a Master-level piece of equipment?”
They all sunk into their own thoughts. The fire in Rugrat’s eyes had dimmed, but with their discussion, they had a starting point.
“Well, then, do skill levels really matter?” Julilah asked.
No one answered right away, trying to form answers.
“The system benefits crafters who work alone or in limited partnerships. It is like medieval industry.” Rugrat saw the confused looks and cleared his throat. “In ancient times, there were people called artisans. They were like crafters. They would learn certain crafts and train others to complete them. Due to a lack of resources and the power structure at the time, with kingdoms, the people at the top could purchase crafted items, though many couldn’t. There were knights, people who had complete armor. Compared to normal people, they were unkillable and highly trained. With that system, some people could wield power much greater than others and gain greater benefits. Later on, systems changed and spread power to others. People could rise and fall easily, but there were more people rising, and most people had more power than they thought. Instead of making finely crafted weapons and armor, rifles and firearms were created. The lowest of the low could use a firearm and kill someone who had been trained for decades,” Rugrat said.
“So, we are the people with the lowest power but the best weapons?” Qin said.
“Using technology to make up for the gap.” Rugrat nodded.
“You’re forgetting something,” Taran said in a low, serious voice. His eyes fell on Rugrat. “The way that people from Alva freely share information with one another. Crafters normally work in isolation and want to hide their techniques but show off their wares, but people who tell others their groundbreaking theories and show their data and proofs will gain greater praise. I still think that academics should be broken up, but maybe we should relax some of the rules so people can go and check out higher level classes?”
“We should take it to Jia Feng first and have Elise and the treasury weigh in on it. They’ll each have their own perspectives and ideas,” Tan Xue said.
“More meetings. Love it,” Rugrat said.
The others smiled and laughed. There was a knock at the door.
“Come in!” Rugrat yelled with the others.
The doors opened, and the waiting staff brought in the food they had prepared. The aromas made the chopsticks shake in their hands in hunger.
Rugrat looked out over Vuzgal. Even now, late at night, the Sky Reaching Restaurants glowed and the Battle Arena was lit up. The totem continued to flash as people arrived and departed. The crafting district never stopped or rested; the gates out to the dungeons had foot traffic even at this time.
Vuzgal had turned into a city that never slept as people worked at all hours.
“Dig in!” Taran said as the staff finished laying out all the food. They set upon the table, their chopsticks fighting for food. Their fine hand control turned it into a true battle as the staff looked on in shock. They quietly left and closed the door.
Rugrat drank his beer as he competed with Julilah, finally getting the gyoza before he tossed it back into his mouth. Julilah pouted and captured two pieces of thinly cut meat before anyone could defend against her attack.
They all grinned, eating their food, and then charged back into the battlefield that was the table, using all their eye-hand coordination skills to try to steal the food from one another.
10
Applying Pressure and Incentives
The brightness of the totem teleportation faded as Erik and Rugrat looked around.
“Seems bigger now.” Erik whistled.
==========
Quest Completed: Dungeon Master
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You have returned your dungeon to its former glory. Advancement quests are unlocked. Grow your dungeon’s power!
==========
Requirements:
Increase your dungeon core’s grade to Sky Common
Increase the Strength of your minions (Complete)
==========
Rewards
40,000,000 EXP
Dungeon Master Title IV
==========
==========
Quest: Dungeon Master
==========
You have returned your dungeon to its former glory. Advancement quests are unlocked. Grow your dungeon’s power!
==========
Requirements:
Increase your dungeon core’s grade to Sky Grand
==========
Rewards
60,000,000 EXP
Dungeon Master Title V
==========
==========
Title: Dungeon Master IV
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Control over the Dungeon building interface
Grade: Sky Common grade (Can be upgraded)
Ability: Dungeon Sense, 100 km radius (Can be used 6 times a day)
Increase all stats by +1
Able to bestow title Dungeon Hunter (8/13 remaining)
Can create Dungeon Master (Costs 5 Dungeon Hunter spots)
Dungeon Overlord mode. Consume the power of the dungeon. As the power consumes you, you will be unable to unleash immense power.
==========
==========
81,209,360/108,500,000 EXP till you reach Level 61
==========
“You were saying?” Rugrat said.
“They expanded the floor again to accommodate more people. The Alchemy garden has taken over what was most of the fields, which moved down into the Earth floor. They now supply food for most of the Beast Mountain Range, all of Alva, Vuzgal, and our network of Sky Reaching Restaurants,” Erik said as a streak shot toward them.
“Egbert!” Rugrat yelled as the streak dodged around him and appeared in front of Erik.
“Seems you’re
excited.” Erik laughed as he pulled out two large crates from his storage ring.
The flames in Egbert’s eyes danced, and he stared at the crates as if they were filled with the most precious materials.
“Romances from the Sixth Realm,” he said breathlessly before the crates disappeared, and he cradled his hand.
He turned, but Erik’s hand was on his shoulder.
“Before you disappear, status of the dungeon?”
“Construction on the Water level should take five or six months. We have a lot of projects going on. The residential floor is expanding once again. With the dungeon cores, I was able to create new training areas. There is the military training area. It has a horde training area where endless waves of monsters will attack people as they protect a position. If the pillar is broken, then they lose and are teleported out. If they break their medallion, then they exit. Then there is a small-level dungeon. The monsters and walls change. It is up to the team to clear through the dungeon however they desire. Then there is a large-scale dungeon that is still being worked on. In it, there is a forest, and the forces inside must create a base and hold the position against beast hordes. All are being expanded, and all give out dungeon points. These can be redeemed at the end of training from one of the dungeon point kiosks. The crafting dungeon is the same size as the crafter dungeon in Vuzgal. I have been feeding pure mana into all of these dungeons to increase the speed in which they expand.”
“The Beast Mountain trial?”
“It is complete and will start in two months. People will no longer face the beasts from within Alva’s dungeon. I am using the same testing areas from before, so people will need to fight in different environments. Then there are different tests to see one’s character. Illusion spells will bring out their inner demons and reveal who they truly are.”
“Where are these all positioned?” Rugrat asked.
“Well, Alva’s current area of control has greatly expanded. Using the teleportation array, these dungeons are seeded throughout the Beast Mountain Range. All of them are deep so that no one will find them unless they dig for months. And there are formations to sense around the dungeons. It has effectively increased how much we can see in the Beast Mountain Range at any given time,” Egbert said.
“Good work. Have Elan meet us in the dungeon headquarters,” Erik said.
“Can do!” Egbert freed himself and turned into a flying streak again.
“You know you can go to the barracks and relax?” Erik said to Storbon and his special team without moving.
“The job isn’t done until someone else gets here to make sure you two don’t get into trouble,” Storbon said.
“I thought we were respected dungeon lords or city lords?” Rugrat complained.
The members of Special Team One kept scanning the area.
“Headquarters?” Storbon asked.
“Lead the way. I know you won’t let me,” Erik said.
“I wonder if this is how people felt when we were protecting them,” Rugrat asked.
“Probably, though we also know how freaking annoying the package could be if they started to get their own plans and do their own thing,” Erik said.
“Yeah, nice and slow, take your time, better to get there than end up dead,” Rugrat agreed.
“You’re always the happiest little rays of sunshine, aren’t you?” Yuli asked.
“I think if they were laughing and joking all the time, then someone is seriously screwed,” Yao Meng chipped in.
“Maybe they’re just sadists?” Tian Cui asked.
“Hey!” Rugrat finally got out.
“Sadists—where did that come from?” Erik asked as they left the totem and its defenses and headed toward the center of the floor.
“Well, you trained us, and I’ve seen how you train,” Tian Cui said.
“Masochist is what you’re thinking about when they’re training themselves. Thrive off pain,” Storbon said.
“Tough crowd,” Rugrat muttered. “Erik is the one who likes breaking his bones; I just take the pills!”
“And you burst your mana channels when training, and now you train harder than before. You reached, what, the Mist Mana Core stage, and you’re waiting for the impetus to form your Liquid Mana Core?” Lucinda said.
“She knows too much!” Rugrat said in a hurried whisper.
The others laughed. The tension from the last half-year started to drain away.
They had become closer in that time. They had gone out as polished blades and come back as if they were blood-covered blades hidden in a sheath. They hid their killing intent and their power incredibly well. All their fighting techniques had been modified and altered to increase their lethality.
They reached the dungeon headquarters. The guards saluted them as they passed. People stopped what they were doing, and a nervous-looking assistant led them forward.
“Is she in?” Erik asked as they passed the door to the council leader’s office.
“She should be.” The assistant stared at Delilah’s assistant.
“She’s in. Would you like for me to announce you?”
“Does she know that I’m in the dungeon?”
“No. She only knows that you have returned to Vuzgal.”
“What’s the use of being a dungeon lord if you can’t bug your student?” Rugrat asked.
Erik laughed and walked over to the door.
The assistant unlocked the door. He opened it, finding Delilah rubbing her eyes.
“Have you been reading books all night again?” Erik said in a chastising voice.
“No, I mean yes, uh, Teacher?” Delilah nearly jumped out of her desk, taken back to when the two of them had worked together for several months—her learning the art of Alchemy, while he tested out his theories and ideas.
Her tired brain snapped together.
“Teacher!” Her face nearly split with her smile as she ran over and hugged Erik.
He took the impact, smiling as he hugged her back.
They hugged for a few moments before pulling apart.
“So, just how strong have you gotten now?” Erik smiled.
“I am still in the early stages of Expert in Alchemy. There has been a lot to do, and each level is hard to gain,” Delilah complained, and then her eyes darted back to Erik. “Did you…you made it into the Expert level of healing?”
Erik nodded. “I made it into the Expert level. I’ll be chasing after you now!”
Delilah smiled and then seemed to remember something. “Oh, Grand Teacher has gone to the Seventh Realm. He reached the level of Master, and the Alchemist Association has made him a professor. He gave me these to pass onto you and Rugrat.” Delilah pulled out the Master-level pills and a letter.
“I feel that the second wasn’t meant for Rugrat,” Erik said dryly, seeing through her.
“Well, you two are in the most danger. I have plenty of resources, and I am in the safety of Alva. You two are out there fighting, so…” Delilah shrugged and pressed it all into his hands.
“The letter tells where he will be and how to reach him. The Master-level pills can be ingested and will rest in your bones until you are gravely wounded. Then they will allow you to recover enough to run away and increase your power.”
Erik stored them away. “I always knew he would achieve his dreams with the Alchemist Association.” Erik smiled, thinking of the time he and Old Hei had spent days working on their Alchemy skills with Old Hei pouring out his knowledge. The two of them had become closer than blood relations.
“I have a meeting with Elan shortly, but are you free for lunch or dinner?”
“I’m free for dinner—over at my parents’, if you’re interested. Bring Rugrat too.”
“Yes! Free food!” Rugrat said from the doorway, having arrived unannounced.
Erik shook his head as Delilah laughed and hugged Rugrat.
Seeing her doing so well made him proud—and think of himself as some kind of uncle.
“All
right, off you two go. You’ll mess around here and distract everyone otherwise!” She shooed them forward. People who hadn’t seen the lords or the council leader interact before were surprised as she organized them and got them moving.
It reminded him of some officers he had met when he first joined. He had always thought they were hard-asses when they were training or in the field. It was only later that he discovered that everyone had their own personal life, and what they were like at work might be completely different from how they were at home. A hard-ass commander on the battlefield and a loving husband and father when at home.
Erik and Rugrat bid their goodbyes and headed off to the conference room like two good dungeon lords.
“It’s kind of weird, our position in all of this,” Rugrat said.
“What do you mean?”
“You know, like the lord bit. Like we found these places and started things, and now everything can run without us.”
“And we wander off to other realms and come back, and people still defer to us,” Erik said.
“Yeah, feels weird.” Rugrat stared at Erik, his brows pinched together.
“I think that is our upbringing. In the United States, our leaders changed all the time. The person at the top here isn’t always changing. It is kind of like the royalty in the UK, where someone holds the highest position and then there are people who come in underneath them. The difference is that while most royalty on Earth are just figureheads, royalty is real in the Ten Realms. The leaders tell everyone the direction they want to go; they are the guiding light, and the people under them need to create and walk the path the royals have set.”
“Don’t really want to be like royalty,” Rugrat said.
“Yeah, me either. But at this point, we have our fingers into so much of Vuzgal, Alva, and the rest that we basically own eighty percent of everything. Look at it this way: We created the system, and now we’re the guardians of it. We hope people will do better because of what we’ve done. We give people information and see what path they can come up with. We can use what we know and have seen in other places to create a path for others. It is weird because we’re not used to it, but do we have another choice? If we change things, we might feel better, but it could destabilize everything,” Erik said.
Sixth Realm Part 2: A litRPG Fantasy series (The Ten Realms Book 7) Page 11