Two men and three women had been recruited by Broken to serve as tailors. In the early phase, there was a significant amount of work that required the assistance of skilled tailors, including crafting uniforms for the workers and official costumes for the officials of Slumdon Town. They were stationed in a tailor workshop set up near The House of Slumdon.
“What does the Baron want from you, Ella?” one of the female tailors asked.
Ella, a woman in her early twenties with long, straight black hair, was busy with her work. She looked up, her face questioning. “Sir Igor said that the Baron needs my help with something.” “What’s so special about you? Why does he only need you? Then why did he hire five people if he just needs you?”
“We each have different tasks, don’t we?” Ella explained.
“Oh, I bet that’s just an excuse from the Baron. He probably just wants to buy you, Ella. He’s paying you a big salary because he wants your body!” the first woman sneered. “But why you? Aren’t I prettier than you?”
“You sure think highly of yourself, don’t you?” the second woman said. “I suppose the Baron prefers younger girls. Even the maid at The House of Slumdon is still in her teens.”
The first woman, now irritated, retorted, “Let me take your place, Ella. I’m sure I’m better at pleasing the Baron. Besides, you don’t plan on selling your body, do you?”
“I don’t think the Baron is someone like that…” Ella muttered softly.
Suddenly, the sound of heavy footsteps echoed through the room, drawing everyone’s attention to the door. A knight entered-It was Igor.
All the tailors stood to greet him. “Sir Igor, are you here to fetch Ella?” the first woman asked. “Lord Baron needs Ella’s help to craft a ranger set he will be wearing. Starting today and for the next few weeks, Ella will be working at the House of Slumdon,” Igor announced.
“But Sir Igor,” the first woman began to protest.
“I overheard your conversation. I’ll ensure the Lord doesn’t hear about it, but this type of talk ends now,” Igor said sternly, causing the tailors to fall silent.
Ella bowed slightly, gathered her tools, and followed Igor out of the room.
The other tailors held their breath until Igor was completely gone.
“What’s so special about Ella?” the first woman grumbled.
One of the men in the room spoke up, “The Baron has a knack for picking the right people. He’s proven that time and again. I think we just haven’t had the chance to see Ella’s talents yet.”
The first woman retorted defiantly, “I’m convinced there’s nothing special about her!”
The man responded with a smirk, “Sorry to say, but Ella is still prettier than you.” He said it with a small laugh.
“Shut up!” the first woman snapped, kicking the man’s chair. “I’m better in bed, and I’m sure I could satisfy the Baron!”
***
Broken had asked Yara to prepare a special room within the House of Slumdon for Ella to do her work. Meanwhile, a dedicated production area was being set up by the builders and Livelywood.
There would be a large blacksmith workshop to accommodate numerous blacksmiths, as well as workshops for alchemists, tailors, and other production classes, all situated in the same
area.
Broken planned to fully utilize all the resources he could gather from the surroundings and then focus on creating finished products. This way, he could also serve the needs of adventurers who would eventually reside in Slumdon Town. He was quite ambitious about this vision.
Broken and Yara were inspecting the newly prepared room when Igor and Ella entered through the main door. They walked over to Broken.
“My Lord, I have brought Ella, the tailor you mentioned,” Igor announced.
Ella bowed to Broken. “My Lord, Sir Igor said you needed my help with something.”
“Yes,” Broken replied. “Come in. I want to show you something.”
Ella followed Broken and Yara into the room, where a fully equipped tailor workshop awaited. It featured various high-quality materials stored in shelves and a transparent glass window offering a view outside.
“So, Ella, please take a look at these,” Broken said, laying out a set of blueprints that required both Advanced Blacksmith and Advanced Tailor skills to craft.
Ella looked stunned. “My Lord, these are high-tier blueprints.”
“Yes, and I need you to handle the tailor part. I will work on the plate and armor sections. Once that’s done, I’ll need your help to combine everything and take care of the other tasks. I’ll manage the final process, especially anything involving the monster core, myself.”
Ella nodded slowly, still unsure about the enormous responsibility being handed to her. “But, My Lord…” she hesitated, worried she might not be capable enough to complete the task.
Broken gently patted her shoulder, “Don’t worry. Just do your part, and I’ll handle the finishing touches, okay?”
Ella nodded. “I’ll do my best, My Lord.”
“Yara has prepared a room for you in the house if you wish to stay here. Feel free to tell her about anything you need, and she will assist you,” Broken continued.
Yara responded enthusiastically, “I’ll make sure Ella gets everything she needs so we can create the best ranger set for you, My Lord.”
Broken nodded, feeling a sense of accomplishment with one task already completed. “I’ll head out now,” he said.
With Igor trailing behind him, Broken made his way outside, ready to meet the candidates he intended to select as knights and troops.
He also needed to divide his time between continuing his work with the sword, the greatsword, and the pickaxe. He had an overwhelming amount of tasks to manage.
Arriving in the living room, Broken spotted Freya and Ivana already there.
“Hey,” Freya greeted him, and Ivana followed suit, approaching him as well.
“Have you heard any news from Maylock?” he asked.
Maylock had entered the Trial Domain two days ago and hadn’t emerged since.
Freya chuckled lightly as they stepped outside. “I think Maylock might be having a tough time. He mentioned he’s about to face the final challenge.”
“Ah, I hope he pulls through soon,” he replied, curious about Maylock’s fate if he managed to finish the Trial Domain. Broken couldn’t help but wonder about the damaged treasure chest, and if perhaps Maylock might end up without any reward because of it.
***
The past two days had been utterly exhausting. Maylock was beyond frustrated, having to meticulously manage his timing and resources while battling a seemingly endless horde of
monsters.
“Damn it,” he cursed under his breath. Finally, though, he completed the final challenge.
He sighed as he stepped into the center of the arena, where the protective shield had lowered to reveal three treasure chests. He took out the silver key, eyeing the chests before him. One of the chests was already open. That must have been Broken’s doing.
But the second chest had clearly been forced open.
“Damn!” he muttered. “What kind of cheat skill did he use to pull this off? He’s a real game
breaker!”
Then, Maylock crouched down to inspect the third chest, only to find it damaged.
He tried to insert the key, but it wouldn’t fit. “Don’t tell me I won’t get any reward from this
dungeon?”
He fell silent, slumping to the ground in dejection.
“Damn, I’ve wasted my time on something completely useless,” he groaned, feeling utterly
defeated.
“F#ck!!”