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HC: Handyman | Ch. 83 - Tough Clientele
🕑 Added 2024-08-30 11:04:15 +0000 UTCJack wiped the sweat from his brow as he stirred the bubbling pot, the rich aroma of the stew wafting through the air. When he glanced up, a line of hunters and fishermen stretched, each eagerly awaiting their turn. He had been cooking non-stop for hours, tirelessly feeding the growing crowd. The rumor about a bushcrafter who could whip up a stew that boosted XP for an hour had spread like wildfire, evident in the sea of expectant faces.
“How much longer will it take?” a rowdy hunter called out from somewhere in the middle of the line.
“I’ll be right there with you!” Jack shouted back. He turned to the players who had finished their meals and gathered around the fire, chatting and laughing. “Ladies and gentlemen, if you wish to chat, please move over to the lounge,” he said, gesturing to a collection of logs arranged in a U-shape around a cozy fire pit. “I need to attend to my other customers.”
If not for Jack’s chuckles when he referred to the logs as a lounge, he might have thought these customers were deaf. They kept chatting and sitting down. Under Jack’s stern look, one of the quieter patrons eventually moved over as requested, prompting the others to follow suit.
Satisfied with this small victory, he ushered in the next group of customers. As they gathered around the pot, Jack checked his inventory with a frown. He was out of water and ingredients.
“I’ll be right back. I need to get some ingredients.”
The new customers didn’t seem to mind, especially now that they were next in line. Jack quickly set off to replenish his supplies, darting between the familiar harvesting spots he’d scouted earlier.
His first stop was a fallen log nestled in the shade of a large oak tree. He knelt, brushing aside some leaves, but found the wood barren—no sign of the plump, earthy mushrooms he desperately needed. Not enough time had passed for it to respawn. He moved to another spot, a moist patch beneath a thick cluster of ferns, but it, too, was empty. He checked one last spot, the shadow of a towering boulder. It was just as fruitless.
Jack pushed onto the nearby berry bushes. He first approached a patch that usually bore blueberries, but the branches were stripped clean. The only movement was his bees, busy sipping nectar from nearby flowers.
He moved to another bush that typically produced elderberries, but it was no different—bare branches and buzzing bees were all he could find. He smiled briefly at the sight of his bees, recognizing them as his own, but the fleeting joy quickly faded as the reality of the situation set in. Back at the camp, there were still many hungry mouths to feed and no ingredients to cook with!
Jack turned his gaze toward the dense jungle. He hesitated momentarily, the thought of allosauruses roaming nearby sending a shiver down his spine. But he had no choice—he needed more ingredients. Jack threw caution to the wind and plunged into the undergrowth, moving quickly but quietly.
He scoured the area, sticking as close to the tree line as possible. In case an allosaurus appeared, he could run to the safety of his camp. Though he didn’t frequent this part of the jungle often, he found some ingredients.
You’ve harvested 2x [Dandelion].
You’ve harvested 1x [Jerusalem Artichoke].
He gathered what little he could. He would have to venture deeper into the jungle to get more, which could be risky. Jack retreated from the jungle and made his way to his last resort—the lake.
He raced through the rocky shores under the impatient eyes of his waiting patrons. He filled his flasks with water. His eyes scanned the shoreline, and there were patches of green strands clinging to the rocks and drifting lazily in the shallows.
Jack approached the rocks and began picking the algae, their tendrils clinging to his hands as he gathered them. The texture was soft and slightly slimy, with a fresh, salty scent.
You’ve harvested 2x [Stonewort].
You’ve harvested 3x [Stonewort].
You’ve harvested 2x [Stonewort].
After hearing a fisherman mention that this algae was edible, Jack had been coming here to harvest it, and it had become a staple in his [Survival Stews]. Jack gathered as much algae as he could before hurrying back to camp.
Once there, he tossed the algae and the water he had collected into the pot. He added a pinch of salt and pepper, then hovered over the pot, waiting anxiously for the water to boil.
Congratulations! You’ve crafted [Survival Stew].
[Camping] has strengthened your meal.
[Mud Hut] has strengthened your meal.
+150 XP in [Bushcraft]
Survival Stew (Common)
Crafting grade: B
Item description: A nutritious, tasty meal from ingredients you’ve crafted in the wild. Item effects: +1.5 stamina per second for five minutes. +1.5 HP per second for five minutes.
Survival buff: Prevents loss of stamina and health for 15 minutes after leaving camp. The buff wears off when entering combat.
XP buff: You gain a 10% bonus XP for an hour after having the meal. You can only receive this buff once a day.
B grade bonus effect: +0.5 to regeneration effects.
Durability: 6
As the aroma of the stew began to fill the air, the mood around the fire shifted from crabbiness to contentment. However, the same could not be said for those still waiting in line. The crowd grew increasingly restless. At this pace, people might start leaving. The spawning points he knew couldn’t respawn fast enough to meet the demand.
He tried thinking of solutions. One idea was to ask fishermen to pay for their stews with fish rather than silver. He could also request that other patrons with ingredients do the same. It would cut into his profits but allow him to keep going. Thankfully, his yellow-and-black cavalry arrived just in time.
A bee returns with pollen.
+10 beekeeping XP.
A bee returns with pollen.
+10 beekeeping XP.
You've reached beekeeping, level 5!
You’ve learned [Honey Harvesting].
Honey Harvesting, Lvl. 1
Description: Your bees have worked hard. They have enough to feed the colony—and you too!
Effects: Passive. The bees produce honey—rate scales with intelligence.
Requires: An empty container.
[Honey] available for harvesting: 23.
After giving the bees enough time to harvest and process nectar, they were finally ready to pull their weight. All he needed was to get his hands on some containers, and the honey would be automatically added to his inventory. This was a game-changer. If he could sneak away to make honey pots, he could finally keep up with the overwhelming demand.
But what would happen if he stopped serving food, even briefly? As he glanced up, he saw a group of fishermen approach, only to shrug and leave upon seeing the long line. Jack clenched his teeth. It felt wasteful to ask patrons for ingredients when he had his army of bees to provide him with honey. Taking a break shouldn’t make a difference. He was leaving the camp to forage ingredients all the time. What would a longer break do?
He finished serving his current patrons before addressing the restless line. Climbing atop a log to gain height, he blew his ocarina in a sharp succession of notes to grab everyone’s attention.
“Hi, everyone! Sorry for the wait, but I need to take a 30-minute break. I’ll be back soon!”
“Come on!”
“Are you serious? I’ve been waiting for 10 minutes already,” came the frustrated replies.
Jack felt his ears burn with embarrassment, but he continued his plan. He couldn’t keep up with the demand without the help of his bees. He sprinted back to the lake, searching for the clay deposit he had harvested earlier. After gathering enough clay, he collected some flint for glaze-making, then hurried back to the camp—only to stop dead in his tracks.
Where there had been a bustling crowd of players just moments before, now the camp was deserted. His heart sank. Everyone had left. It was disheartening.
“They’ll return after thirty minutes,” Jack reassured himself. “The buff is too good to pass on.”
He set to work making honey pots. It was oddly soothing to return to the basics, crafting pinch pots like the ones he’d first learned to make. This time, though, he shaped them with narrower openings, better for storing honey.
You have molded an [Earthenware Pot].
+20 XP to [Pottery].
He quickly moved from one pot to the next, leaving them to dry under the sun. Time was of the essence, so he skipped the decorative carvings and immediately bisque-fired the pots once they were dry.
You’ve bisque-fired [Earthenware Pot].
+30 XP in [Pottery].
The pots fired faster in the hotter fire, and within moments, they were ready. Jack then prepared the glaze, grinding the flint with a satisfying crunch in his pestle and mortar. He mixed the powdered flint with ash from his previous fires and a bit of water to create a clear glaze.
You’ve crafted [Clear Glaze].
+10 XP to [Pottery].
He smeared the glaze onto the pots using dry grass and then fired them again. Finally, he had a collection of honey pots.
You’ve glazed-fired [Clear Earthenware Pot].
+20 XP to [Pottery].
You’ve crafted [Clear Earthenware Pot].
Crafting Grade: B.
+100 XP to [Pottery].
Appropriate container detected. Would you like to select [Earthenware Pot] as the default container for honey? [Y/N].
Jack confirmed immediately.
You’ve harvested 10 [Honey].
You’ve harvested 10 [Honey].
You’ve harvested 3 [Honey].
Jack grinned triumphantly as the notifications popped up. He opened his inventory and selected one of the earthenware pots he had just crafted. A shimmering golden liquid filled the pot. The honey had a warm, amber hue. The pot itself, simple yet sturdy, had become a treasure trove.
Unable to resist, Jack dipped a finger into the honey, scooping up a small, glistening dollop. He brought it to his lips and tasted it. The flavor was rich and complex, with a deep sweetness spread across his tongue.
Jack found himself enjoying beekeeping more with each passing moment. Even though working in the game could be fun, having the bees work for him was much better. If only they could learn to make pots and cook, too!
Jack looked at the clock with a proud smile. The short break had allowed the ingredients around the camp to respawn, and now, he was ready to get back to business. He had already earned a decent amount of bushcraft XP but was still far from affording everything he wanted from Erwind.
He stood up, surveying the empty shoreline with a frown. He had expected customers to return after the thirty-minute break, but there was no sign of anyone. Had he lost all his customers over such a short break?
He grabbed the ocarina and started playing, hoping it would draw customers.
You’ve played [A Morning of Spring].
+200 bard XP.
Your bees work harder!
A bee returns with pollen.
+10 beekeeping XP.
A bee returns with pollen.
+10 beekeeping XP.
He kept playing for several minutes, but no one came. He put the ocarina down and scowled. Really? They had all left? It felt incredibly unfair. Thirty minutes—was that too much to ask? He scratched his head in thought. His XP buff lasted one hour. Players probably figured that it wasn’t worth getting it from Jack’s meals if they could spend the time they were using to wait in line to hunt.
His shoulders slumped. He’d been so happy about the honey income, but after making just a short break, he had lost so many customers! Jack’s mouth went dry as a realization struck him with the force of a truck.
Lydia. She worked at a café, and he often urged her to ditch her boss and take off with him for just thirty minutes. Her café was popular, but wasn’t it on a street teeming with competitors? The more he thought about it, the worse he felt. He had always assumed that leaving for thirty minutes was no big deal, but now, after today, he was beginning to understand just how unforgiving the world of customer service could be.
He sat there for a moment, mulling, as the sun dipped lower in the sky, casting long shadows over the lake.
“Excuse me, lad. Are you open again?”
Jack snapped out of his thoughts and saw a customer standing before him. “S-Sorry, I was lost in my thoughts. Yes! Can I serve you some food?”
“Please! I was on my way to the other camp, but since you’re open again, I’ll take advantage of that XP buff.”
Jack quickly poured stew into a bowl for the customer, his spirits lifting as another patron arrived. Customers were trickling in again, though the rush was nothing like the first wave. He realized he needed to be more careful about taking breaks in the future. He also owed Lydia and her boss an apology.
Comments
Coleman
Truly the greatest horror of retail is customer apathy. Even great products can fail without an engaged customer base.
Julia Pennoyer
I like how Jack is growing. I like these little moments when he realizes how his past actions hurt those around him
Ender419
This was great chapter full suspense and awe! I hope Jack is able to figure out new cooking recipes and/or source different ingredients to accommodate all of the cooldowns for some of the foraged ingredients. Going deeper in the jungle may help alleviate his problems as per the term high risk high rewards.
Harley Dalton Jr.
Tyftc. I'm curious to see what buff (if any) the honey gives.
Cássio Ferreira
Thank you for your comment!
ByLAWphoto
Go, Jack! Grow, Jack!!
