Alpha Zero (Alpha LitRPG Book 1) by Arthur Stone (top 5 books to read TXT) 📕

drawing efforts—as I made and rejected one copy after another—had already earned me 9 personal talent marks as Novice Calligrapher. I doubted these were of much value, but I could always convert them into chi symbols later, if I desired.

By the end, I had drawings that looked enough like blueprints. I believed them sufficient for the artisans to make the parts I needed. As long as they had the necessary tools and materials. I’d seen how well the local blacksmith worked. He could make this with his eyes closed.

It was best to go put in the orders right now. Even if they named a high price, it wouldn’t necessarily delay me. Perhaps I could get them to agree to start for an advance. Between us, Beko and I had a decent handful of squares saved up.

Once darkness finally put an end to this day, I would set to teaching the ghoul reading, writing, and math. I had given my word, after all. Promises are sacred things.

Chapter 26 A Tale of Two Craftsmen

 

 

No Stat Changes

I loved the efficiency of the specialists in this world. As long as your specifications were given correctly and with local customs accounted for—and as long as you were working with genuine specialists, not scammers.

I knew how to draw up the blueprints correctly. I had to admit that the mother of this body which had become mine had indeed been a versatile individual. She had been capable in numerous fields. Sadly, there were some things she could never understand, and thus due to her aggressive despotism, we lost craftsmen of rare talent from our region.

Such as Teshimi.

Who could have thought that the peculiarities of constructing a mill, installing simple equipment meant to transfer torque to the millstone, would serve me so well years down the road? The blacksmith and carpenter chuckled at the scratches I had made on the scrap of bark with my sharp piece of flint. I quickly corrected each item they complained about. Then, the task was clear. Only details remained—including which materials to use.

Raw materials were a mess in the world of Rock. The periodic table was useless here. There were elements analogous to those from my past life, yes: copper, iron, gold, sulfur, and so on. But I wasn’t sure they actually had the same properties. There were many other materials here which I had never heard of before. Still others existed even though they were only discovered on Earth way past the medieval times.

Not that I was complaining. They would be very useful. Tempered steel able to smash rocks without losing its edge was always valuable. Many other unusual elements and compounds existed with remarkable properties—but when their prices were mentioned, my stomach turned.

Overpriced, to be sure.

“Yes, this gear’s teeth are ingeniously arranged, and it only weights a few grams—but 25 squares each?!” My negotiating tactics failed to dent the price. Still, that gear was exactly what I needed. Glitterbronze had the properties I required.

A composite stick of bamboo from the south reinforced with strong tape cost another 20. A small fortune. I thought I caught in the tone of the man, as he quoted this price, a small degree of astonishment at his own arrogance. Yet he held on to this price tighter than a drowning man grasping at flotsam.

More materials than these two were needed, of course. I needed miniature bearings, strong rings, screws and bolts with nuts, a handle, custom concave plates for the assembled body, and a small arch—all to specification. The arch had to be polished so thoroughly as to put mirror manufacturers to shame. Each part had to be able to support sufficient load without compromise.

Neither the blacksmith nor the carpenter understood what exactly I was trying to create. They were simply creating parts. This was excellent, as I did not want copies of my invention to proliferate across the land.

It became soon apparent that my design needed some modifications. The blacksmith was, alas, far from an omniscient metallurgist. Several delicate parts would benefit from a jeweler on the project, but no jeweler was present at the trading post. So I needed to increase the dimensions of certain parts so they were not too small for my team—which made them unable to fit together with others. By the end, I had to redraw every piece except the core part ordered from the carpenter. This gave me +2 personal talent marks as Calligrapher. After all of this, I went to bed—there was no time to study with Beko, as drafting and redrafting occupied me until the darkness in the sky was complete.

We made up for the lost time in the morning, after breakfast. I was determined to wait at the post until the order was completed. Also, I informed both craftsmen that the sooner they completed their tasks, the sooner they would receive the balance of payment. Thanks to my reputation as a matchless murderer of kotes, I managed to negotiate good payment terms by promising everyone involved a healthy bonus of fish. Yet still, none of them would take kindly to an extended delay in payment. Both the blacksmith and the carpenter desired to get their squares as quickly as possible.

Beko’s mind was exhausted as I persistently plunged knowledge into it. My mind turned towards the upcoming bouts of sparring. I felt wonderful, now. My disease had retreated into memory. A weakness still hindered my legs, but I doubted that it would last for long.

The tiny son of the blacksmith appeared at just the right moment, announcing that everything was ready. We would have to wait another day for Beko to pound me into the dirt over and over. The ghoul now realized that the thirst for knowledge was much more exciting than the actual process of obtaining it. I doubted he would spare me during our