Frontiers ~Chronicles of Bucket-san’s Detailed Pioneering~ - Chapter 95 – But frankly, it’s too expensive

Since the number of people eligible for priority sales has now increased, I would like to do my best to craft more steel gear, but there is something that I must do before that.

And that is, evolving Artisan’s Blacksmithing, as it has finally reached level 100!

Of course, it will surely cost a lot of Skill Points. But it’s okay, as it’s no exaggeration to say that one’s main goal at Frontiers is to collect Skill Points.

Well, or maybe that’s because I’m a top crafter that I’m always struggling for Skill Points… I’m managing to some extent due to the NPC quests that gave me Skill Points as reward, but other people are somehow making ends meet just by using the Skill Points obtained by leveling skills.

Though there is also the fact I’m a player who does only crafting. Player Pioneers who are combat-focused have a wider variety of skills, so they end up having an easier time getting their Skill Points.

Perhaps I might need to start fighting soon, but… I never fought with my own hands, so I think I’ll have to push myself a lot to do it.

Let’s just keep this possibility in mind for now and leave it at that.

After all, I’m sure I’ll soon get a wonderful NPC quest that rewards me with Skill Points…

Well, that is that then. In any case, the evolution of Artisan’s Blacksmithing is, unsurprisingly, Improved Artisan’s Blacksmithing.

The amount of Skill Points necessary for the evolution are 30, just as expected. I have 31 Skill Points right now, which is barely enough for it.

It really was the correct decision to not evolve Language. It would take me a long time to evolve Artisan’s Blacksmithing otherwise.

Well, I still want to get Improved Language as soon as possible, but I need to follow my priorities for this kind of thing. It just can’t be helped.

I now have one advanced facility and a fourth-tier skill!

I’m still only able to make 4* steel gear, but this is definitely progress. If I keep on leveling Improved Artisan’s Blacksmithing, I’m sure I’ll be able to eventually reach the 5* steel equipment.

And then, I’ll be able to start making items with two Options in them.

… Unless I also need Advanced Tools for that, but I don’t think that would be a requirement, right? I mean, it was pretty tough to get the intermediate tool recipes already.

Because unlike facilities, tools are not sold. At most a player Pioneer who obtained a tool recipe could end up selling them, but otherwise it would be hopeless to try purchasing them.

Well, there are things like the NPCs that Mukaida introduced me to, so it’s not impossible to eventually find the recipes.

I’d really like it if someone just posted on the forums about selling higher-tier tools or something… Or even the method to get the recipe for it.

Please give me this information! I can pay a lot of money for it!

******

Evolving skills has always had a very visible effect on my crafting, but this does not seem to be the case with steel gear.

If it was visible, the rank would raise to 5*, which would allow me to get two Options on a single item, but I didn’t get such wonderful development.

Well, the rank of the processed intermediate material has definitely risen, so I definitely got some improvement, but… I’m not sure how high the material rank can go without improving my tools.

I’m a bit curious on that, but it would take time to experiment with weaker tools and the result would be kinda meaningless, so I guess there is no point in doing this.

Besides, I think it will be clear enough once I start making 5* equipment.

In any case, Options are really luck-dependent, aren’t they? I could try using Add to try increasing the chances of getting the Option I want, but the difficulty of the craft will also increase considerably if I try that, so I’m not sure if it’s a good idea.

Not to mention that the material used in Add also need to be of the right type, otherwise it won’t work out properly.

Like how when I used the Dark Sage’s Alchemy Liquid. I used it with iron items as those had a smaller difficulty to be crafted when compared to steel ones.

So well, due to all that, the current situation of my steel crafting isn’t much different from before… I guess it’s natural that it will only be harder and harder for me to aim for the top as the game progresses.

Still, the road is visible to some extent. I just have to fumble my way there somehow.

Therefore, in order to solve the tools problem, I would like to acquire Improved Language next.

******

After I finished getting the gear evaluated at the Guild, doing priority sales and restocking the store, it was now my free time.

I feel like it’s been a while since I last had a proper free time in-between the crafting of steel items and event items.

I could now draw some Magical Formations, grind skill levels, go on a collection tour, hold a girls-only gathering… I have quite a few options available to me.

Though well, some of those need to be planned out in advance.

In any case, I guess what I’ll do right now is… Reading.

I’ve been spending a lot less time reading these days. In fact, some of the books that I had borrowed from the library were automatically collected from my bag after the rent time was over.

I had never had the books forcibly returned before. I always finished reading them before borrowing more, but I wasn’t able to finish all ten books I borrowed last time.

It’s surely practical that the rent system has this automatic built-in retrieval system, as I don’t need to pay extra or anything, but this still troubles me.

It’s also nice that the book is treated as a rented item from the library and it is tracked regardless of where you put it… Moreover, as it is a rented item, you can’t sell it nor rent it to anybody else. It’s truly a convenient game system.

But because I was too busy and had too little time to read, I ended up passing the deadline to finish reading the books.

I really should set aside more time to read in order to learn new recipes, as I haven’t really read all books on the first floor of the library yet.

But at the same time, the first floor of the library only has access to beginner and intermediate recipes as far as I could see. I can’t say for sure as I haven’t read everything, but that’s what I can infer from all the books I did read.

Therefore, I’d like to start reading the books on the second floor, but Improve Language is essential for that.

The permission to browse that floor is also required, but I already have that.

The shortage of Skill Points is truly troublesome… Though reading books can also help me level Improved Magic Language and Decipher, so that’s helpful.

Improved Discovery and Improved Concentration are also close to level 100 though… Well, they’re useful skills as they help my other skills out, but getting Improved Language is my priority right now, so they’ll have to wait.

As long as I keep on gradually improving my skills, I’ll eventually be able to evolve it, but… There are too many skills that I want to evolve.

Ain’t this quite troublesome?

******

I enjoyed reading a lot for the first time in a long while, so my desire to read was greatly satisfied.

It’s not as enjoyable as drawing Magical Formations, but I still like reading, so that much is fine.

On another note, I haven’t really done much embroidery lately.

Since all the equipment I make is made of metal, I only sew the fabric to improve comfort, so I don’t really do embroidery on those.

And my lily design is carved directly on the armor.

The embroidery is also not very useful in terms of raising skill levels. It’s usually better to just use a Magic Sewing Machine for that, so… Embroidery ends up falling entirely on the hobby area.

I mean, I could try sewing a Magical Formation with embroidery, but this is more time consuming and takes more effort than simply engraving it on metal.

I may try it as a hobby, but it’s truly not something I’d actively do.

Maybe when the event is over and I have more free time, I might try it then.

In any case, I leisurely spent my free time like that, and the logout time had approached me before I realized it.

After logging in, let’s make more steel items! I wanna fully enjoy crafting steel gear with Options in them!

Especially, I want to get a useful Option that will drastically increase my profit margins!

******

After finishing my usual things, such as lunch, I went back to making steel gear, and I got a bit of a wild result…

——

Steel Short Spear

Short Spear/4*/ATK +168/Large Attack Power Enhancement/Durability 70

——

The base attack power of a Steel Short Spear is 97, but this is 168 because of the Option!

Isn’t this basically the best steel weapon ever? I mean, sure, it’s not useful to people that don’t use spears, but it’s still a tremendous weapon!

Also, this is the first time I got an item with a Large Option in it.

Of course, this is a fantastic weapon. Its market price is about twenty times the base price of a steel short spear.

This is amazing.

… But frankly, it’s too expensive.

I mean, I think it’s worth the price, but is there anyone who can afford it? There are plenty of short spear users, so there are no problems with the demand at the very least.

Also, wasn’t Armilate’s sub-weapon a short spear? With this kind of attack power, it might just be promoted to a main weapon.

Armilate might be able to purchase it immediately… I mean, she should be okay financially at least.

Let’s message everyone who is on my list of priority sales. I’ll wait and see what happens when they see this.