cassioferreira
patreon
HC: Handyman | Ch. 98 - Flora
🕑 Added 2024-10-01 17:27:50 +0000 UTCFor the third consecutive month, the Krakens had maintained their spot as the top guild in New Earth. With tens of thousands of members, the guild housed some of the best players in the game and controlled more in-game property than anyone else.
Their real-world assets couldn't compare to their virtual empire, but they still owned several buildings scattered across the globe. Herbert worked on the 16th floor of one of these buildings.
As usual, he sat at his desk, chin resting on his hand, scrolling through the auction website. It had been two days since he found anything noteworthy. His best discovery that week was a potion that significantly boosted pet growth—a decent find, but not enough to impress his supervisor.
As he refreshed the page, something unusual caught his eye: a musical instrument he hadn't seen before—an ocarina. Bards were one of the most coveted professions in the game, but very few players had managed to unlock it. The Krakens had only three bards in their ranks.
Instruments were notoriously expensive, yet the ocarinas that had just been listed were available for 50 credits.
"Ocarinas are made of clay," Herbert mused. "Could it be a pottery recipe?"
Intrigued, he sent a memo to the team handling profession research, instructing them to keep an eye out for any pottery-related recipes involving ocarinas. He also purchased three of the available colors and sent them to each of the guild's bards, hoping one of them would take interest.
It was a small win, but Herbert savored it. He decided to go to the vending machine and buy a soda can. He deserved it.
After drinking a refreshing coke, he sat at his desk. With a sigh, he returned to his routine, scrolling through the auction listings in search of the next hidden gem.
*
Jack hadn’t even left the marketplace when two notifications popped up:
You’ve sold an earthenware ocarina at the buyout price.
50 credits transferred into your bank account.
You’ve sold a pot hive at the buyout price.
100 credits transferred into your bank account.
He froze in place, hardly believing it. Just a moment ago, he doubted whether anyone would want to buy his items. He never thought that someone would buy it this quickly. Horace had been right. It was foolish not to list them on the auction site, just because Beeatrice insisted it wouldn’t work.
Jack stared at his notifications, waiting. Hoping more sales would roll in at buyout prices. None did. But it didn’t matter—he’d already earned 150 credits in minutes. And with Beeatrice buying another pot hive from him for 50 credits, he was about to hit 200 credits total.
He opened his bank app from within the VR space and looked at his balance. He’d done it. He had enough to cover the rent. He wouldn’t even have to lean on the 100 credits his mother had offered to help him.
His hand rested over his chest, feeling the heavy beat of his heart. Emotions swirled inside him. It had taken hours of grinding, crafting, and adventuring to earn this much. Amari, Horace, Marie, and other players helped, but he could say that his success came from his own hands—his skills as a handyman. He’d made it.
Although he never believed that his father would actually kick him out, knowing the rent was covered lifted a huge weight.
And it had only been ten days since he started playing.
For the first time in what felt like ages, he believed in himself. This job—this game—was the answer. He could make this work. He would make this work. There was still so much room for growth, and he was already making a decent salary.
If everything sold at the buyout price, he’d rake in 1,500 credits. Fifteen hundred! He could pay rent, cover the VRX helmet rental, and still have some left over. More than he’d ever made at any job before. And this was only the beginning.
The pressure on his shoulders eased, replaced by a sense of freedom.
Jack caught movement from the corner of his eye—Beeatrice was approaching. She wore the same yellow and black outfit from their video chat, looking even more striking in person. More than a few people glanced her way as she passed. She really was pretty, though shorter than he expected. She couldn’t be more than 150 centimeters tall.
She walked up to him near the statue where Snowy, his mount, was munching on the flowerbeds. Her eyes locked on the hive strapped to Jack’s back. For a moment, he wondered whether she was looking at the pot hive, but her subsequent movements told him otherwise.
Beeatrice stretched out her hand, and instantly, several of Jack’s bees flew toward her, landing on her hand. She observed them for a while, petting them gently with her other hand. “They look happy. You’re doing a good job.”
“Thanks,” Jack said uncertainly. She had charmed up his bees so easily. They usually attacked whoever dared came too close, but they seemed more than happy to interact with Beeatrice.
After a pause, she made a small bow. “We finally meet in the flesh. Hi, Jack.”
Jack had the distinct feeling that if this girl hadn’t liked how he cared for his bees, she would have just left. Moreover, why was she bowing? Unprepared for Beeatrice’s formality he fumbled to bow back. “H-hi.”
“Shall we trade then?” she asked, flashing him a smile.
“Yeah, here’s your order,” Jack replied, summoning the pot hive from his inventory.
The moment she saw it, Beeatrice’s composed demeanor evaporated. She went from a poised, elegant woman to an excited girl, circling the pot hive, inspecting every detail. Jack grinned—based on what he’d seen when they did a video call, he’d chosen yellow and black stripes for the hive, hoping she’d like it. Clearly, she loved it.
“Oh man, I love the colors,” she gushed. “Fantastic. Fifty credits, right?”
Jack nodded.
Would you like to trade with Beeatrice? [Y/N]
A trade window popped up. Jack accepted, dragging the pot hive into it. On the other side, a wire transfer of 50 credits appeared.
For a brief moment, uncertainty crept in. He’d just sold a pot hive for double that price on the auction site. Sure, no one else had bought one since, but it still made him think this pot hive was worth more than 50 credits. He shook off the feeling. They’d agreed on the price, so he clicked “accept.”
“Pleasure doing business with you,” Beeatrice said, her tone bright.
“No problem,” Jack replied.
Beeatrice immediately equipped the pot hive, even though it had no bees in it yet. The striped pot perfectly complemented her outfit. “It looks so cool!” She took it off again to inspect it closely. “Have you considered adding candle holders?”
“What?” Jack blinked. “Candle holders?”
“You know. For the candles.” Catching Jack’s confused look, she continued. “You know, when you unlock the [Candle Making] skill…”
Jack finally recalled reading something about candles when he was first doing research about this minor. “Oh! Right! I’d forgotten about how we can make candles. No, I hadn’t considered it.”
She laughed, amused by how someone could know so little about beekeeping. "So, what level beekeeper are you?" she asked curiously.
"I’m a novice, level eight right now,” Jack answered, surprised that she wasn’t leaving.
"Ah. No wonder you hadn’t considered candle holders then. You haven’t started making them. There’s a cool recipe for a candle that boosts bee productivity. You unlock it at Journeyman, level 6. That’s why I was suggesting it. Since you carry the hive everywhere, adding a candle holder to the pot would help keep your bees buffed at all times.”
“I see. Thank you for the hint.” It sounded similar to the bard song that boosted bee productivity. Jack imagined what a bunch of bees would look like under the effects of a stat-boosting candle and his productivity-boosting song.
"Haven’t you read about the minor? I have great videos explaining the entire skill tree if you want."
"I did research, but honestly, I’d forgotten about the candles. What got me the most excited about the minor was that I can control an army of bees and use it to attack mobs," he said, smiling.
"Boys! Wait a minute,” she added, pausing thoughtfully. "This pot hive has that perk, doesn’t it? You can carry it around and summon the bees to attack. Smart. That removes the hassle of carrying the hives around. I hadn’t considered it before."
Jack laughed. "If you hadn’t considered it, why did you even want to buy it? Isn’t that the whole point of having a portable hive?"
Beeatrice shrugged with a grin. “I’m just a beekeeping freak. If it’s bee-related, I need to have it.”
“Fair enough,” Jack said. “Mind if I ask? Why are you so into bees?”
She sighed dramatically but then smiled. “Well, since you made such a beautiful hive, I’ll tell you the story.” She paused, then began. “When I was a kid, I really wanted a puppy, but my parents said no. We lived in a tiny apartment, and the landlord didn’t allow pets. But one day, I found a bee at my window—she had only one wing. I felt sorry for her, so I tried to take care of her.”
Jack blinked. A bee with one wing?
“At first, I didn’t know what I was doing,” Beeatrice continued. “I found a little box, filled it with petals and leaves, and brought her tiny droplets of sugar water. Slowly, she got stronger. She couldn’t fly, but she’d crawl onto my hand, and it was like she was my pet. I named her Flora.”
Beeatrice’s eyes softened as she spoke, clearly lost in the memory. Jack listened, fascinated despite his initial skepticism. Could someone really befriend a bee?
“I’d watch her explore my desk while I did my homework,” she said, smiling. “She never stung me, and she’d tilt her head like she understood me. We even played little games. She made me notice things about bees I never had before. Eventually, she passed, but Flora sparked my love for bees. She wasn’t just a bee. She was my first pet. She was… well, my friend. Since then, I’ve been in love with bees.”
Jack was quiet for a moment, absorbing the story. “That’s… not what I expected,” he admitted. He wasn’t sure if her friendship with the bee was the fruitful imagination of a small child or reality, but there was no doubting the sincerity in Beeatrice’s voice. She considered that to be her friend.
He glanced at the pot hive on his back. Could each of his bees have a personality, too? The thought that each bee had its own feelings and thoughts was mind-boggling.
"Interesting," Beeatrice remarked, still admiring her new pot hive, interrupting Jack's thoughts. "There's no limit to how many of these you can carry."
Jack blinked in surprise. "There isn’t?" He glanced at his own pot hive, realizing it didn’t occupy an equipment slot. "Huh, you’re right."
"That means, theoretically, you could carry four at once," she continued with a playful grin. "Of course, you'd be moving at 20% speed. Haha!" Her laugh hinted at some skit she might plan for her videos.
Jack’s eyes darted toward Snowy. "Wait... Right!" His mind began racing. Snowy didn’t suffer from speed debuffs. And bushcrafting dabbled in all sorts of trades. Hadn’t Ariadne said that bushcrafters who were good enough could rival other professions such as cooks, gardeners, and such? If memory serves him right, he saw a recipe for sale at the bushcraft XP store that would work perfectly for this situation!
"You’re a genius! I’ve got to go!" he exclaimed, the excitement building in his voice.
Beeatrice looked puzzled. "What’s got you so excited?"
But Jack was already lost in thought. Not even a notification of a sale of another ocarina at buyout price managed to capture his attention. "Well, it was great doing business with you, Beeatrice, but I’ve got to run."
"Okay..." She shot him a curious glance but quickly returned to admiring the hive. "Thanks again for making it look so amazing. I love it!"
Jack mounted Snowy, already planning his next move. Beeatrice's offhand comment had sparked something big, and he could barely contain his excitement. He nudged Snowy forward. "Let’s head to the lake, Snowy."
Comments
Coleman
Accidental stacking buffs Ho!
