Frontiers ~Chronicles of Bucket-san’s Detailed Pioneering~ - Chapter 123 – I’ll do my best!

After I came back from Liber, it was now time to start crafting.

Moreover, there are plenty of new recipes this time around, so let’s get started!

Though the difficulty level of those recipes isn’t very high, which is kinda disappointing.

I mean, even if they were cheap, I still paid for those recipes, so I was hoping to get something better than what I got.

Well, I guess I have to make those items first before I write them off though, so let’s start by making all the things that require the Magitech skill I recently acquired!

I first need to process some intermediate-tier materials into some strange parts, like Gear β and Stone Spring.

They’re things I never saw before in this world…

As for the skills involved, it uses Tool Making mainly, and the facility is one that I already own, so there are no problems there.

Especially because I recently evolved Tool Artisan into Improved Tool Artisan.

It was only possible because I got a lot of Skill Points from some of my recent quests, as well as the special rewards from defeating the Shadow Lord.

It took me 30 Skill Points to evolve Tool Artisan into its improved version, but even then, I still had enough leftover Skill Points to also evolve Principle of Magic Circles to its Improved version at the same time!

However, Improved Artisan’s Blacksmithing might reach level 100 soon, so I might need to start saving up Skill Points for it… Still, it will probably take quite a while for me to get all those Skill Points.

That said, Magitech should help me obtain extra Skill Points as I level it up, so I’ll do my best with it!

******

I tried to make some of the recipes that required Magitech, and well… All of the Magitech items end up giving a special feeling of sorts.

Like the weapon, for example…

——

Fire Iron Gun B Custom

Gun/6*/ATK +40; Attribute: Fire; HIT +21; CRT +44; HP +150/Enchantment: Fire/Medium Critical Enhancement/Medium Vitality Enhancement/Durability 75

——

Since it’s an iron-tier item, its rank is high and can already get two Options.

Also, it’s a weapon with built-in Fire Attribute, as its name suggests.

Yeah, an attribute weapon just appeared out of nowhere, just like that.

Still, they weren’t selling steel-based recipes, so the attack power of this weapon is too low to be usable.

Or at least, that’s true for the top combat-focused Pioneers. The middle-tier ones should still get a use of this weapon.

… Though are there any gun-related skills? Maybe it’s something you need to obtain in Liber too?

Well, I don’t fight, so it doesn’t matter to me.

In any case, just like the guns, all other recipes are more modern in type and shape.

The armors are more like something woven with reinforced fiber, and the shields feel more like riot shields.

Maybe one could try making an original recipe to give them a different shape, but… If one uses the standard recipes, it really feels too contrasting with the rest of the world, doesn’t it?

Though well, it came from a steampunk city, so I guess I should stop worrying about this kind of thing.

Though now that I think about it, it would be nice if they had some different means of transportations other than carriages, like cars and trains.

I mean, there are the Teleportation Gates alright, but they aren’t helpful when moving to field areas.

… Though it’s not like cars and trains would be very useful in places surrounded by mobs, would they?

Ah, but a bicycle or a motorcycle could be nice.

I never rode a motorcycle myself, so I’d like to ride one if possible.

******

I made one of each recipe I got on Liber, but they really were a bit too easy for me to make…

In other words, it didn’t make much sense for me to craft them.

I mean, even if they have two Options, they won’t sell for that much when the base of the product is iron.

Sure, it does cost a considerably smaller amount of intermediate-tier materials to make iron-based stuff, so I could try crafting a lot of products and sell a large quantity to still make decent profits, but that would trouble the other producers.

I mean, even if it increased a bit, the number of crafters in Frontiers is still fairly small. I’d rather not create a situation that disincentivizes the existing crafters by competing with them on a lower tier product.

Not to mention that something that requires crafters and fighters to work together like the Shadow Lord battle might happen again.

Or rather, I think it’s quite likely that it will happen again.

Therefore, I really don’t want to do anything that hinders the growth of other crafters.

Of course though, if steel-based items appear in Liber, then I’ll gladly make them, as that is my area of work.

And on that note, I think it’s about time I go back to making steel gear.

I don’t have to make event items anymore, so even though I spent quite a bit of time experimenting with new recipes, I still have enough time for steel.

I might make a few more Magitech items for their novelty factor, but the people going to my shop are naturally looking for steel-tier items, so I won’t spend too long in iron-tier stuff.

Maybe I might save the Magitech stuff to give as gifts to my acquaintances? I think they might be fairly valuable gifts, overall.

******

While I was focusing on the production of steel gear, the icon of ‘New Message Received’ started flashing up on the corner of my sight before I realized it.

… I wonder when it arrived. I didn’t notice it at all.

Well, let’s check it out and… Oh? It’s from the Second Order of the Zabrina Knights?

Do I smell Skill Points coming my way?

I started reading the message, and it seems to be an NPC quest.

Moreover, they seem to want to meet me in Liber.

That said, they’re apparently just working as an intermediary this time… One of the strongest fighting forces of the kingdom are working as intermediary for a quest?

Well, my only contacts on the royal palace are them and that dwarf blacksmith, so maybe that’s why.

In any case, the person in charge wants to tell me the details in person, so there wasn’t much more in the message.

Well, it’s for Skill Points, so there is only one option! Let’s reply immediately and say that I’m ready to go to the meeting point!

Though the appointed time is a bit further away, so I can finish restocking the store before going there.

******

“I’m sorry to trouble you again, Ms. Bucket.” Hayflick told me.

“Not at all. I’m glad you’re relying on me, actually.” I replied.

“Well, we appreciate your help then.

“However, I’m just an intermediary this time, so I’ll ask you to handle the rest with her.” Hayflick pointed towards a woman that was accompanying him, “She is Raksha, from the Weapon Development department.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, I’m Raksha.

“Thank you for taking our sudden request.” She told me.

“I’m the Pioneer Bucket. Glad to meet you too.” I replied.

The woman next to Hayflick gave off a feeling of being an intellectual. She seemed to be a fairly serious person too.

… I never heard of a Weapon Development department, by the way. Judging from their name though, I guess they make equipment.

And well, Magitech seems to have only existed in Liber so far, and the gear here is very different from what exists in Capital Sabrina.

I don’t know where Liber used to be before it was swallowed by the Demon Trees, but I guess the current goal of the Weapon Development department is to take this opportunity to learn more about Liber’s technology and further develop the items that can be made here?

And since the knights already know that I’m good at making gear, they probably suggested me for the job.

Or well, at least that’s why I think I’m here.

“Then that ends my role in this mission. I’ll leave the rest to you, Raksha.” Hayflick said.

“You can count on me, captain Hayflick!” She saluted him.

Hayflick really came just to be an intermediary then.

Well, that’s not a problem, As Raksha seems to be pretty serious about her work, so I think we’ll work well together.

In fact, as soon as Hayflick left, she immediately started explaining the contents of the quest to me.

Apparently, in an area that is not accessible to the general public, I am supposed to meet up with a technician of Liber and produce the item of a special recipe there.

And the rewards are Skill Points! Just as I expected!

However, the technicians of Liber don’t provide recipes free of charge, apparently. And the amount of recipes they’ll provide will depend on the rank of what I make.

In other words, I can get not only Skill Points, but also get some recipes that aren’t available to the general public!

Liber needs the power of the Zabrina Kingdom to get the maintenance woodcutting done on the Demon Trees near them, so I guess they’ll be offering something in return as compensation.

Though their engineers seem to value skill above all else, so we first need to pass their test.

That seems to be the gist of the contents of the quest.

I don’t like being used as a political pawn, but I’m gonna get recipes that aren’t available to the general public, so… I’ll do my best!

******

We arrived at the central section of Liber.

This part was definitely off-limits for the general public.

The cables installed on the ground in this area are much thicker than the ones elsewhere, so it’s much harder to walk here. I can only walk on the dedicated walking passage, in fact.

There is also a passage specifically meant for carriages carrying cargo though, but even that passage is fairly narrow, so the carriages have a hard time moving through it.

… And well, even in Liber, the steampunk city with Magitech, horse-drawn carriages are still the primary means of transportation.

I was hoping I’d find something more in this area where ordinary people can’t enter, but that was not the case. Such a shame.

In any case, our destination is the Research Facility. A building that is covered by a large amount of those thick cables from before.

… This is the Research Facility? Couldn’t it look a bit better at least?

Well, perhaps it is like this to give a mad-scientist feeling to it.

In any case, the quest is about to start, so… I’ll do my best!