Chapter 4 : Northern Expedition

Weed disposed of all the swords and armors. Because the items were popular it did not take long to sell them all.

'I earned about 7400 gold.'

Acc.u.mulating money into his pocket!

That was the meaning that Weed had in life.

Weed got up and headed to the artists guild.

A middle aged man jumped up to greet him.

"I'm shocked! That is amazing. Rumors have already spread all over Rhodium. You created such an outstanding sculpture with your excellent dexterity. Your work will inspire endless possibilities for the artists of Rhodium."

Because Weed was a combination of a number of professions, he was someone that the middle aged man could admire.

So far that was fine.

That much he had expected from having completed the quest.

The middle aged man grabbed Weed's hands.

"This is the time that I have been waiting for."

"...?"

"Did you know about the current state of those of the artisan profession in Rhodium and how that the poverty in Rhodium is constantly on the rise?"

"Well, a little..."

"That had not always been the way it was. Artists with great aesthetic senses had created delicate works that were praised by many. The city was filled with art and music, n.o.body went hungry, and it seemed like there was never a dull moment."

He began to feel a little nervous.

'I don't like where this conversation in going.'

A city of people going hungry and increasing amount of restlessness.

He was going to tell him something absurdly bad.

Then he had a premonition of what it was.

WIthout a surprise, the middle aged man smiled widely and said rather forcefully.

"This is because the city doesn't have a ruler! A city ruled by a great artisan can grow infinitely. As a talented artist, please become the ruler of Rhodium and guide us!"

Ttiring!

Proposal to become the Ruler of Rhodium, the city of artists.

Rhodium currently does not have a ruler.

This position can be received by an artist that creates an overly superior work in the city of Rhodium.

Do you wish to become the ruler of Rhodium?

You will be given owners.h.i.+p of soldiers and public facilities as well as capable of setting laws and policies.

Taxes on harvest, technology and commercial goods can be collected monthly and military power can be strengthened. A higher position and other rewards can be provided if you successfully conquer another territory or castle of a certain size.

Do you accept?

"Do I accept...."

Owning a city or castle is a very attractive proposition nowadays.

Weed almost accepted it. But then it came to his mind.

'n.o.body has become the ruler of Rhodium!'

He had to check the situation.

Weed's eyes lit up as he sharpened his gaze.

"What is the monthly deficit?"

"..."

"Number of soldiers?"

"..."

"What is the city's current technological development and specialty goods?"

"..."

The middle aged man answered none of them.

This meant that Rhodium had a rather large deficit and no income coming in.

Many different possibilities flashed through Weed's mind. Then his thoughts cleared.

"As a sculptor, it is my quest to seek out beauty. I heard that this place was the first step to that path. It would be unreasonable for me to settle down when I constantly need to travel to infinitely long distances.

You have refused to become the ruler of Rhodium.

The middle aged man's lamented.

"It can't be helped if that's how you feel. Leading a city is important, but so is finding the true nature of art."

Weed was able to avert the crisis.

Weed asked.

"In fact, as a sculptor, I have been led to Rhodium to find something."

"What are you looking for? Are you talking about a sculpture?"

Weed shook his head.

"A good sculpture would give me inspiration. However, I seek to learn about moonlight sculpting."

"Moonlight sculpting!"

"Do you know about it?"

The middle aged man looked up to the ceiling as if to recall something.

"Only a handful of great artisans have managed to learn that technique."

"How do I learn it?"

"I do not know how...but I can tell you the direction you need to take. The Legendary Moonlight Sculptor! Ask the guilds of Rhodium about moonlight sculpting . You will be able to get sufficient information from the Sculpting Guild."

Ttiring!

The Secret to Moonlight Sculpting

Sculpting for distinguished sculptors!

At the present, many do not know about the existence of moonlight sculptors and even the few that do know only know a little. Ask around the guilds of Rhodium about Moonlight Sculpting. Then go to the Sculpting Guild to learn more about moonlight sculpting.

Difficulty : Occupation related quest.

Restrictions:

Limited to Sculptors.

Can be acquired regardless of the number of quests currently being performed.

Advanced sculpting required to learn. Stats and fame need to be above a certain level.

Unable to do the quest if the art stat is very low or if the user is infamous.

Weed left the Artists Guild and went to the other guilds. There were a lot of people everywhere and it was very crowded.

"Recruiting artists to join the Northern Expedition!"

"The Cold Roses Guild will ensure your safety. Even to the end, we will try to keep the artists from getting annihilated."

The Cold Roses Guild was trying to recruit artists and production cla.s.ses.

'Northern Expedition.'

Weed recalled in the past where he had hunted in Morata Province. He had been risking his life to fight against the True Blood Vampires!

Then two women clung onto him.

"Are you going to go?"

"You just came from the artists guild right?"

"That's..."

Weed tried to get away but the girls were holding onto both of his arms.

"You want to come with us to the northern expedition right? Traveling around is the fate of artists after all."

"Adventure and opportunity! You can go and explore the world. There are a lot of high level people in the guild so you can get to expand the number of people you know."

The two women were acting exceptionally intimate.

It was the first time that Weed experienced something like this before. He was used to Irene and Hwaryeong who liked the murderous Karichwi had

Weed trembled at the soft feel of the girls' skin on his forearm.

It was an unusual feeling.

He had been single for over 20 years of his life and it was the first time that that he felt like this.

"Are you going to the north?"

"Uhh."

"Don't look so worried. It'll ruin your looks."

"..."

"It's a lot easier than you think. It's an opportunity. What profession do you have?"

"Sculptor."

Weed gave his answer. The feeling of them touching his forearm disappeared.

The girls looked at Weed after he answered them.

"A sculptor..."

"We already have three of them and one of them is close to the intermediate level."

"Man, we don't need anymore sculptors."

"I wasted my time in vain."

They took their hands off of Weed.

They thought that they might get a good artist when they saw Weed. He had the appearance of a typical artist.

Poor, hunched over, and dest.i.tute!

The girls walked away quickly.

"Have a nice adventure."

"Try to make a lot of pretty sculptures."

Weed was left alone on the street. Then he went over to the artists guilds.

Weed went to all of the top artists guilds in town.

The place filled with musicians and performers. The Bard's Guild!

The guild was very crowded. The number of beginner bards was astounding.

"This is a nice place."

Weed thought as he looked inside the place.

Unlike other guilds, the bards guild was decorated like a bar. Young bards dreamed of traveling and singing in the middle of adventures.

La. Lalala. Lala.

The instrument and songs were not accompanied by lyrics but rather there were clear sounds.

"Well played!."

"One more song!

"A very clear voice."

They were playing to guests in hopes of receiving money.

Depending on the crowd's reaction, they could get a lot of money and some fame.

There was a very minimum requirement. A certain level of singing skills.

The higher the skill level, the more effects are given when playing a song. It was an added bonus if they had a beautiful face, a nice body, and high attractiveness stat.

Looking prettier was a good thing and needless to say it was important to please the crowd.

For these reasons, Bards were often good looking men and women.

Oh, baby you're not dreaming

I'm right here

Because I'm in front of you singing right here.

A little girl began to sing in the middle of the song. Even bards basically needed a certain amount of singing and playing skills. In Royal Road, almost everything depended on skill.

They must know how to act and move their bodies. Furthermore, they must know about art!

Weed left the first floor and headed to the second floor.

The bard instructor was a beautiful woman. She had a slender figure and a thin jaw line. Because of this, many men became bards.

A lot of the popular professions were the ones that allowed men to go on adventures with women.

Weed of course was attracted to her looks.

But he had already seen extremely beautiful women like Hwaryeong and Seoyoon.

He waited until it was his turn, and then he asked the instructor.

"I would like to know about moonlight sculpting."

Serena, the instructor smiled softly.

"Moonlight Sculpting? I haven't heard that for a very long time. But there is no obligation for the Bard's Guild to answer you."

Weed looked at Serena very quickly.

"You are very beautiful."

"You need more than that to tempt me. The challenge is over before it even begins. A man of your charm is not enough."

Weed did not put any stats into attractiveness.

Attractiveness increased luck and appearance as well as reduce the chance of receiving a deadly attack.

It could also minimize the amount of damage received from magic attacks. It increased drop rates a bit as well. It did not apply until the stat was over 200 though.

Thereby, Weed did not invest any points into the stat.

"You have a beautiful singing voice."

"I'm a bard so that much is obvious."

"You have very beautiful hands and clear eyes."

"Hoho. You know how to say some nice things. What were you curious about again?"

Serena's attractive and s.h.i.+ny eyes flashed.

This was what Weed wanted.

"I would like to know about moonlight sculpting."

"Okay, would you care for a song first?"

"Of course."

Serena began to sing with a fine voice while playing a harp.

You've lost hope

A girl waits dreaming at home

You're missing

Fighting any enemy even then do not forget the girl

You sing about her and see her in your dreams

Go to her, the place where you will be happy...

The bard's guild flocked with people as Serena began to sing.

"She's singing."

"How long again did she start?"

"I really like her song."

They sat around admiring her song.

Serena's clear voice brought a soft feeling to his chest.

She closed her eyes as she brought her song to an end.

-You have listened to the song of the returned soldier.

Fighting spirit has increased by 10%.

Intellect has increased by 5%.

Endurance increases when vitality drops lower.

Last for three days. Does not overlap with other bard's songs.

A long time after the song Serena asked Weed.

"How did you like my song?"

"It was very pleasing to hear."

Weed did not need to exaggerate and simply gave an honest answer.

It was a really good song. There wasn't a need to think of any flattery.

A compliment straight from the heart!

There was flattery more authentic than the simple truth.

'It's an easy thing to flatter people. Flatter has its limits. It was really good, so there was no need to say anything else.'

People were jealous of him on the ground level, but at that moment he was also the most respected person in the room. Even the slightest actions, if brilliant, had to be accepted.

It was important to say things casually.

"Serena truly is majestic."

"There isn't anything that Serena can't do."

"I was surprised that it was such an elegantly flowing song..."

The words left a lingering feeling.

As the words left his mouth, one could only smile from the change in the atmosphere.

The one thing that Weed prided himself in was his flattering abilities.

"Ho, ho, ho."

Serena laughed with a smile on her face. Weed thought she was satisfied.

"This is will be a souvenir of the song."

"Yes?"

"It's 1500 gold."

"That is..."

"If you give me it, I will tell you what you want to know."

Weed gave her the money with tears in his eyes. The world revolves on money.

Bribes!

Bribes promoted human relations.

Weed examined the item he got after paying a fortune.

"Identify!"

Serena's Harp

Durability: 50/50 Attack: 15

A harp owned by the instructor of the Bard's Guild. A dwarf had made it for her.

It produces a clear sound when played.

It is suitable to sing while playing the harp.

Beginners and non-bards can play it.

Limitations:

Attractiveness 100 Level 60

Options:

Attractiveness +30

Elegance +20

Playing skills +2

Fame+20

Bard related quests can be performed.

The performance of the harp wasn't that bad.

Serena said as she sold the harp.

"I haven't seen many moonlight sculptures. But every time that I see it, the feeling that it gives off is different. The light that the finished sculpture gives off is different."

"Yes?"

"Unfortunately there is nothing more for me to say since that is just all I know."

Weed reluctantly left the Bard's Guild and went to others.

Hairdresser's Guild!

It was a rare cla.s.s that didn't have many guilds in the Versailles Continent.

You could dye your hair and change your hairstyle.

They were typically cla.s.sified as artists since it required a certain level of skill for beauty.

Such professions were only popular among a handful of enthusiasts.

As soon as Weed entered the Hairdressers Guild, the instructor seized him and threw him into a chair.

"Too bad there isn't more hair. Don't worry about it. I'll give you a pretty cut."

"I don't want a haircut...it's nothing. I would like to get a haircut. What is the price?"

Weed was pretty much forced to pay to have his hair cut.

-The art stat has temporarily increased by 3% and has various effects on a variety of production skills. Not applicable to sculpting.

-Attractiveness has increased by 5% for three days.

The instructor told him after he finished cutting the hair.

"I've never directly seen Moonlight Sculpting. But it's not that I've never heard of it. Do you know the history of sculpting? Sculpting has historically been striving to develop. As I said, it's related to history."

Dancers have fine appearances and sensual bodies.

After the Hairdresser Guild, he visited the dancer's guild and danced with the instructor.

"The foot goes here...then a quarter turn."

Weed's dance lessons cost him 80 gold.

-Agility has increased by 2%. Upon death or when the body is fatigued then the agility will return to normal.

-The pleasurable dancing has increased attractiveness by 1.

Attractiveness and agility increased after dancing with the instructor.

"I've once danced underneath some moonlight sculptures. My body felt very light. For some reason, I could dance better after I saw the sculpture. Maybe I am mistaken."

Weed could kind of understand the quest.

'It's to experience a wide variety of different types of art forms.'

It could not be ignored that a large amount of money was consumed in the process.

Weed had to buy three of the best cheapest perfume from the perfume instructor.

In return he got to hear a story from the instructor.

"The angle at which you view the sculpture changes the feeling it gives. Those feeling arouse different types of emotions. But even if someone saw the same sculpture in the same direction but at a different time of day then it was different. Would you like to know why?"

Weed visited the Calligraphy Guild, the Antiques Appraiser Guild, and the Crafts Guild. A mountain of items were acc.u.mulating in his backpack.

He could not bear to go see the Architect Guild.

'It costs too much to buy a house."

Weed confidently went to the painters guild.

At a first glance sculptors and painters were similar, but the methods that they used pursued their means were completely different.

Because of that they were forced to know about each other.

The painting instructor was amazed when he saw Weed.

"The man with amazing artistic ability! What questions do you have?"

"I would like to know about moonlight sculpting."

"Moonlight sculpting...I think I have heard of one such story before. Painters create two dimensional art while sculptures create three dimensional art. In the past, there was a compet.i.tion between the two. Have you heard of it?"

"A compet.i.tion?"

"It was to produce one lion. They both equally expressed the lion's strength and majesty."

"I wonder who won then?"

Weed hoped the sculptor won.

He did not choose to become a sculptor, but he would be pretty angry if the painter won.

"The painter painted and the sculptor cut away. Vibrant pictures showed up on the canvas from the painter while the sculptor made a beautiful sculpture. In the end, no one won. It was useless to compare sculptors and painters because of the fundamental differences between the two as it had always been in the past. It only served to blur the distinction between the two."

What the painter said made sense. Then he came to his purpose.

"Painters and sculptors do not have to be so estranged. This is my most favorite, favorite painting..."

It was a very large watercolor painting.

Weed asked with tears in his eyes.

"May I ask that you price it reasonably?"

"I'm willing to give it up to you for 1500 gold."

Weed paid for it with trembling hands.

'I will never come back to Rhodium.'

He only had 7000 left of his original gold. Even though he had saved up his money without any spending it, he now ended up poor.

But thanks to it he was able to hear about moonlight sculpting.

"Sculptures exist depending on the environment and the nature of the location. If you make a sculpture in a dark place, then the sculpture will also be dark. But what would happen if the sculpture glows?"

"Do you mean as in light?

"These sculptures can radiate light. This sculpting gives the user the ability to freely control light. That is moonlight sculpting!"

Ttiring!

- You have gathered all the information about moonlight sculpting. Go to the Sculptor's guild instructor.

Weed headed to the Sculptor's Guild. Surprisingly there was a large number of people gathered.

Chattering

"Rather than plain wood, high quality patterned wood seems to be better for making artistic sculptures."

"I'm certain that rare trees give more proficiency.

Novice sculptors!

Because of Weed's actions in the Kingdom of Rosenheim, more people began to choose sculptors. In other places it was hard to be a sculptor. That was why there were a lot of sculptors in Rhodium.

Information exchanges about sculpting development was taking place.

Weed walked up to the second floor.

The first floor instructor knew how to deal with basic sculpting. How to cut wood, how to make shapes, how to use a carving knife, and other basic knowledge.

However, the second floor instructor gave special quests and skills information.

Weed went up to the receptionist on the second floor.

"I wish to learn moonlight sculpting."

The elderly receptionist blinked.

"What sculpting?"

"Moonlight sculpting."

"Have I heard of moonlight sculpting? I'm old so I can't really remember. I don't think I have possibly heard about it?"

The elderly receptionist looked like he had no idea.

"There is however a person that introduces people to create sculptures and is more knowledgeable about such things than me in Rhodium."

"Who is he?"

The old man pointed to a middle aged man in the corner.

"He's Rhodium's finest sculptor so he's the one you need to ask about sculptor related questions. But you must have a modest sculpting level or he will not be willing to talk to you."

"Thank you."

Weed went up to the sculptor. He had a carving knife and was making a wood sculpture.

"Nowadays its a problem that young people have no patience. Patience is unrivaled. Patience! When things start to hurt a little or get annoying they give up and they can't taste the pleasure of fine sculpting? Ah, tsk tsk!"

The mumbling continued endlessly.

That was probably because a large number of people started choosing sculptor recently without knowing about the hards.h.i.+ps it entails. The sculptor poured out stirred and disinterested complaints. He tended to not raise his head when others came near.

Weed immediately initiated his flattery.

"You're an excellent sculptor."

"I hear that alot. I'm sick and tired of hearing it."

For a sculptor that was the best compliment but he did not even budge.

Weed looked at the shape of the wood in his hands.

"Elven elkwood.."

"Whoa! It appears you have traveled around and learned a little bit about sculpting."

The sculptors desires was hidden in his way of speaking. Still, the sculptor was concentrated on his work and didn't look up.

'Maybe it wasn't good enough?'

Weed looked closely at the wood he was using. He had tried using the material several times. It was a bit expensive. It was also thick and hard.

'The material itself isn't much.'

The elven elkwood was rounded by the sculptor to make a bowl.

"In this world things need forms."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"Aren't there people out there that would rather make a commodities than works of art?"

"Then you consider this bowl I sculpted to be trivial?"

"Not at all. What I am thinking are original sculptures. Art came about to fit human needs."

"It looks like you wish to know something. Come and sit down."

The sculptor willing gave up the seat next to him.

People with high pride are often not given enough recognition in the art world.

Art from the beginning did not start as art. Painting, music, and sculpting began depending on need and then sublimated into art. At the heart of it was its application.

Weed knew what to say and that created the right level of intimacy with the sculptor.

But that was natural for Weed.

He saved quite a bit of money by carving his own cooking tools. Stone table, wooden spatula, and frying pan! He even sculpting a barrel for seasonings. Weed beckoned the sculptor to take a short break.

"It seems that you and I can have a conversation. Since we are colleagues walking down the same road after all."

"Thank you. I wish to ask you a question about sculpting."

Weed politely asked the sculptor who readily answered.

"What is it that you wish to know about sculpting?"

"Do you know about moonlight sculpting?

"Moonlight sculpting? Those that reach the pinnacle of earthly sculpting can learn light sculpting. People tend not to believe. It is an impractical story."

"Impractical story?"

"Yea, it is one from sculpting...if you want to learn moonlight sculpting then you need to know its origins. Here take this."

The sculptor reached into his bag and pulled out an ore and gave it to Weed.

"It's hard to cut precious ore to make sculptures. It is not easy to shape ore. There is a large risk and it dulls hundreds of carving knives. However, if you wish to learn about moonlight sculpting then you need to make light on your own."

Ttiring!

Find the Lost Light.

Light sculpting.

Cut down ore to make a sculpture.

The lost art of Moonlight sculpting can be learned.

Difficulty: Profession related quest.

Restriction:

Sculptor only.

Quest can be accepted regardless of the number of quests in progress. Advanced sculpting required.

Fame and stats must be above a certain level. Quest can not be done if art is low or if the player is infamous.

Essentially he had to learn it himself. He needed to learn how to perform Moonlight Sculpting on his own. That was the last trial to learn moonlight sculpting by carving this ore.