Housekeeping (3)
Thud. Thunk.
"Man, I scored big time."
I spread out the iron tools and daily necessities on the table, a wave of satisfaction washing over me. They were a bit worn and scratched from use, but at half the price of new ones. Half.
"Sucked 'em right up."
I'd haggled down the shop's defective stock—leftover junk—and snagged it all cheap. The owner, probably eager to offload what might've been stolen goods, bowed and scraped, handing everything over for 30 silver coins. I'd planned to blow my entire silver stash on basics, but I had 20 left over. I'd pay Rien back later. For now, time to use these tools to make what I needed.
Why the rush?
Tomorrow was the entrance ceremony, and classes started right after. I was swamped. Super busy.
I rolled up my sleeves.
"Let's get to it."
First up: two drying racks. One for cooking, one for laundry. The cooking one was obvious—for smoking meat. The other? To fix my recent wardrobe woes.
"Too much dust and wrinkles."
I'd been drying clothes wherever—fishing rod stands inside the hut, rocks, tree branches. Dust stuck everywhere, and uneven spreading left them crumpled. Better to make a smoking rack and one extra while I was at it.
"Timber first."
I grabbed the hand axe and headed deep into the forest. Thick branches that would've been impossible before now jutted toward the sky everywhere. They couldn't be too bulky for the frame, so I chopped down a few suitable ones. After about ten, sweat poured down my back. Was this the limit of Strength 16? Stamina was a factor too, so I hugged the branches and hauled them home.
Just to test, I dug spots for two uprights side by side and stacked crossbranches on top.
Crack, crack.
"Nope. Darn."
It collapsed spectacularly. Needed something to secure it. Vines? Nah.
"Gotta lock it tight."
Hanging food and clothes meant no wobble—collapse would be a disaster, forcing a rebuild.
As I pondered the design, inspiration struck.
Mortise-and-tenon joints.
I peeled bark from the joining spots with the carving knife. No time to do every inch, so just the key areas. Next: precise grooves matching diameters. Artisan-level stuff, but I had Clairvoyance. Infusing mana into my eyes drew dotted lines showing exactly where to cut. I followed them slowly, repeating for six more branches. Took nearly three hours.
But mortise-and-tenon assembles like a dream once grooved. I fitted them together, tapping gently with the axe poll. Perfect fit. Done.
◈ Can be used as a smoking rack or drying rack.
◈ Mortise-and-tenon construction makes it sturdier and more stable than standard racks.
Passive Skill: Crafting
"It popped up, huh?"
Crafting unlocked here instead of at a forge. Higher levels speed up production—time saver. Gotta craft more to level it. Plenty ahead.
"And my creation got the status window seal of