Chapter 283: Stitched Together (1/2)
Thankfully, the section of the dorm that they lived in was still in one piece when he arrived, although there was a fair amount of smoke leaking out from the doorway to Lily's room.
Sighing again, Mike went in and surveyed the damage. As usual, it looked like something she was experimenting with had detonated. Fortunately, it only caused a small explosion, which failed to destroy even the other tools at her workbench. Of course, this might have more to do with the enhanced durability of Lily's equipment (a product of William's efforts to cut down on regular replacement costs) than anything else.
The woman in question was still sitting in front of her station, looking unharmed for the most part. Her hair was a bit frazzled and standing up in a weird way, and she was coated with more soot than usual, but otherwise seemed fine. At the moment, she was attempting to cut a clear, crystalline rock with a knife.
”Everything alright?” He asked after a few seconds, when it didn't seem like she was going to acknowledge him.
”Hm?” She asked without looking up.
”I was just checking up on you. I heard an explosion.”
”Only a little one. No reason to be worried.”
[Right. Only a small explosion. Nothing to be concerned about…]
”Okay....well, then can I ask what you are working on?” He murmured while examining the rock out of curiosity. A quick Appraise answered the question for him.
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Crystallized Water
Alchemical Item (Tier 2, Rank 1)
Created through the refinement of a particularly pure source of water, this crystal contains roughly 400 liters of water in a reduced state. It is fairly unstable, and can be returned to its original liquid form by a sharp impact, such as being thrown onto a hard surface. Due to the conservation of mass, the crystal retains its original weight.
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After reading the description, Mike looked back at the work table with a critical eye, and noted that it was slightly bowing in the middle. Which was pretty impressive since it happened to be made of massive wooden boards reinforced with steel.
”Solution to water problem.” Lily responded quickly while still working on the crystal with her knife. So far she'd barely made any kind of indentation.
”Um...what water problem are you talking about?”
”In the demi-realm. There's no water there, right?”
Mike felt touched that the ordinarily clueless and spacey woman was going out of her way to try and help the group, but he still thought it would be better to explain it to her. ”While I appreciate the effort, I think it will be okay. I can use Water Magic after all, so I can just create some if I end up needing it.”
For the first time since he entered the room, she looked up at him, a blank expression on her face. After a few moments, she frowned and muttered, ”Hm, that makes sense,” before returning to work.
He watched her for a bit, until a rather unpleasant thought occurred to him. ”Out of curiosity, what are you trying to do?”
By this point she'd given up on cutting the object with a sawing motion, and had resorted to stabbing the crystal with her knife point. ”Trying to cut off a sample, but the material is a bit too hard. Might have to use a bigger knife.”
”Are you sure that's wise?” He asked while channeling a bit of mana in preparation for taking action.
”Hmmm...yes?” Lily replied.
[Why is it a question?]
”Wouldn't trying to cut it while it's in an unstable state cause it to return to its original form?”
She started to reply, but her words were overwhelmed by the rushing sounds of water as her knife punched into the protective layer of the crystal, causing it to explode in a wave of fluid. Ordinarily, this would have led to most of the room getting soaked, but Mike acted quickly to hold it in place.
They both stared at the large sphere of clear water that was now resting on the worktable's surface.
”Hmm…” Lily frowned. ���That shouldn't have happened. Did I fail? Maybe I needed more salamander gall...”
”Was it not supposed to do that?” Mike asked as he moved the water into a nearby empty barrel. He guessed that it was the source of the original ingredients of the crystal.
”I don't think so. The process was supposed to be slower.” She muttered, more to herself than to him. As she returned to her notes, it was clear that the conversation was over.
[Well, whatever. At least this was less dangerous than her usual foibles...Actually, now that I think about, I'm fairly certain that this is the first time I've seen her make something that wasn't technically some kind of explosive. I guess that means she's improving, right?]
Feeling a strange sense of pride in Lily's accomplishment, he moved back to his own room and started working on acquiring Tailoring. As a Tier 1 skill, it didn't take much to unlock it, and after a single attempt at making something resembling a scarf, it popped up on his [Status] as a Secondary Skill.
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Tailoring (Tier 1, Rank 1)
The practice of turning cloth into clothing. Users of this skill can produce cloth items using a variety of methods and stylistic choices. Provides a minor system correction when crafting items primarily made of cloth. Higher levels of skill increase the correction and improve crafting efficiency. The correction does not apply to aesthetic choices.
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