Cornflower Witch

Chapter 438 Workshops and Missions

The following morning, Hilti returned to the mission hall, where many students were coming and going. Some were asking questions at the windows, while others were chatting with their contacts.

Hilti glanced at the bulletin board and found that the quest related to 'Gem Bearing' was still there, so she noted down the number and went to the window to inquire.

"Are you interested in taking on this mission?" The other party glanced at Xilutiya, somewhat surprised, after all, this girl was only at the second rank, and should be a freshman.

"Yes."

"Are you sure you have enough knowledge of rune and gem processing techniques? This quest requires a high level of skill," she reminded her again.

After thinking for a moment, Hilti took out three small, finished gem bearings from her waist pocket and placed them on the table.

"This is something I made; it should showcase my skills, right?"

"Please wait a moment." The other person nodded, took out a special monocle from under the counter, and then picked up one of them to examine it carefully.

Under the light, the delicate and exquisite runes within the gemstone are revealed, with patterns forming admirable loops, without any superfluous traces, and with smooth and clear lines.

"If you made this yourself, then it certainly meets the mission requirements." The other party nodded and then notified the back-end team.

"Please fill out this form and register your student ID here first."

Soon, another uniformed person came out and led Siltiya to the second floor of the hall, where there were several alchemy laboratories. He opened one of them, took out a delicate little box, opened the box inside the box, and found six neatly arranged rubies, all of 'Tier 3, Excellent' quality.

"Because the gemstones that need processing are quite precious, I will wait here until you have completed this part of the processing."

“I understand,” Hiltiya said, indicating her understanding.

Afterwards, she sat down at the table, picked up the tools, adjusted them, and then picked up one of the gems to carefully observe its structure and texture.

After finalizing her design, she began cutting the gemstone with tools, then grinding and processing it bit by bit, and finally using a special technique to engrave lines and veins inside the gemstone.

About an hour later, the first gem was finished, and Hilti breathed a sigh of relief.

[Ruby Bearing (Thrust)] (Tier 3, Excellent); A watch bearing made from Tier 1 rubies, engraved with four runes: (Mercury, Solid, Wear-resistant, Fine-grained).

The power of a third-tier gemstone far surpasses that of a first-tier gemstone. When inscribing patterns and veins on a third-tier gemstone, one must be extremely careful, otherwise it may affect the power within the entire gemstone, causing it to explode or shatter.

Because she was unfamiliar with the craft and also worried about damaging the gem, Hilti was extra careful during the processing, which took her a lot of time.

Although she thought an hour was a long time, the staff next to her thought that this girl was already exceptionally talented. After all, with second-level mental strength, it was sometimes difficult to stabilize the lines of the inscribed runes. The slightest relaxation or fluctuation would cause the gem to shatter.

After inspecting the finished bearing, the other party nodded approvingly.

"The quality is good, let's continue." He estimated that the girl could only complete three today, because manipulating tools to inscribe runes also consumes a lot of mental energy, and a second-level apprentice could not work for too long.

But what happened next was beyond his expectations.

Forty minutes later, the second jewel bearing was completed, with a quality rating of 'Level 3 Excellent'.

Thirty minutes later, the third jewel bearing was completed, with a quality rating of 'Level 3 Excellent'.

Twenty-five minutes later, the fourth jewel bearing was completed, with a quality rating of 'Level 3 Excellent'.

Twenty-one minutes later, the fifth jewel bearing was completed, with a quality rating of 'Level 3 Excellent'.

Twenty minutes later, the sixth gem bearing was completed, with a quality rating of 'Tier 3 - Rare'.

When the sixth piece was processed, Shilutiya successfully upgraded the quality by one grade, reaching the level of rarity.

The other person picked up the machined bearing, looked at it again and again, and seemed incredulous.

The so-called 'excellence' requires that after processing, the entire rune line is clear and smooth, without any superfluous lines, and can operate and cycle for a long time under standard conditions without generating power dissipation.

As for the 'rare' quality, it requires processing to ensure that the entire rune network is flawless and can withstand power circulation under high-intensity operation without internal cracks or damage.

Although it's only a one-level difference, it's like the gap between 90 and 100 points on an exam—seemingly small, but extremely difficult to achieve. Even highly skilled mages specializing in enchanting can only occasionally create one or two 'rare' quality pieces when they're in good form, with a probability of less than 5%.
"You're in luck this time." The other party nodded and carefully put the bearing away. "Although there's no explicit rule, it's customary that if the quality of your work exceeds the requirements, the party issuing the task will often offer more compensation later."

"We processed six today. You must be very tired. That's enough for today. You can come back tomorrow morning." He stood up and packed up his things.

"This... okay." Actually, Hiltiya wanted to say that she wasn't that tired, and had only just started to get into the swing of things.

But continuing like this would be too conspicuous, because second-tier apprentices usually don't have that much mental strength, and processing three roots would be a bit of a stretch.

After going downstairs, Hilti didn't leave immediately, but continued to wander around looking at various mission notices and requirements.

After slowly reading through all the notices here, the girl began to summarize and reflect.

Although processing parts can earn a considerable income, it is still not as good as selling complete creations. Besides, who exactly are these large-scale creations they produce sold to? The mage members in the academy should not have such a large demand.

With some questions in mind, Hiltiya went to an empty counter to ask.

"Oh, is that what you want to know?" The woman behind the counter looked at the young-looking Siltiia and answered with a slight smile.

"The large orders posted here are often outsourced by some of the more powerful alchemy workshops."

"After graduating from the academy, many mages will join or establish their own workshops to solicit business and orders, and obtain funds and resources."

"Some workshops, because of their great reputation, often get a lot of good orders. However, the number of members in the workshop is fixed. Sometimes they are too busy to handle it all, or they simply do not want to continue to expand their staff. So they outsource some of the parts and creations they need and post them in the mission halls of various colleges."

"The college will take a cut of the profits, and these tasks also provide many students with opportunities for practical training, so all parties are very willing to participate."

"As for your question about whether guests will mind if they find out, they generally won't."

"Since it's a product made by this workshop, even if it's outsourced, the quality will be guaranteed. Compared to unknown workshops, they have a higher level of credibility."

"However, there are also distinguished guests who will specify a particular expert or master craftsman in the workshop to make it. This is a matter for them to discuss internally and has nothing to do with us."

……

"You want to know which creations are in high demand recently? Let me think."

"Currently, the Mage Alliance is waging war in the west against barbarian tribes in the mountains. War supplies are selling very well."

"In addition, the Shadow World is currently exploring new mineral deposits. If you can make the corresponding Insight Lens, you can quickly find buyers for all the consumables needed for the expedition."

After listening to the other party's answer and explanation, Hilti bowed gratefully.

"Thank you."

"Hehe, it's alright, little sister. You're probably only in first grade, right? There's no need to be in such a hurry to make money." The other person saw the badge on the girl's chest and kindly comforted her.

"Once you reach the third tier, you should be able to access missions related to the Shadow World. The academy will also organize activities for you to gradually become familiar with it."

"Although exploring the secret realm is somewhat dangerous, the income is quite good. Even if you are not strong enough, you can still do it under the protection of the team."

"I see."

The world in the shadows? She hasn't been there in a long time. It seems the development of the Mage Alliance is different here. Members are only allowed to go there once they reach the third-tier academy.

Indeed, mages are really weak in combat at lower levels, and without the conversion of core secret techniques, the spells they can cast are very limited, making them far less powerful and capable than the second-tier students of the Woodland Alliance.

Afterwards, Hilti said goodbye to the receptionist and returned to her lodgings to rest. Just before going to sleep, she suddenly remembered something.

It seems she has class tomorrow, so she won't be able to go to the mission hall.

Sorry, I'll have to stand that staff member up.

　Thank you everyone for your donations. I will compile a thank-you list later. Thanks(ω)

　　
　
(End of this chapter)