Lukey ran down the road with all due haste, rushing to get his errands done for the day so he could go back to the guild and pick up his mission. At long last, he finally got some decent armor for aquatic combat, but he didn’t intend to let it end there.

  At the pace he was moving at, it didn’t take him long to reach the Searing Seas. After entering the open building, he quickly found a table and began recording his progress in his quest log.

  Quest 1: Waterproof Weaving

  The local weaver, Ginny, has asked that I look for a material that can be used to make waterproof clothing.

  I talked to Caldoon, and he said that large crabs have organs that emit a waxy coat for their shells. The crabs can be found in Claw Cove.

  I’ve obtained a small mountain of aquaclaw oil sacs, but they can’t be used in their current state. Is there someone who can distill them into a more usable form?

  Old man Potsbury helped me distill the oils. After that he took the oil sacs and made me a bottle of dye and a barrel or waterproof coloring to give Ginny.

  I gave the bottle of dye to Ginny, and she made me an extravagant wetsuit. It seals air and glides through water easily.

  {Complete}

  At long last it was finished: Lukey’s first request as a fisherman. It started with wanting to get some better clothing, then turned into a trek through the labyrinth that resulted in getting materials for the weaver, the alchemist, the culinarian, and the chitinshaper. It became a bit of a mess, but in the end, it resulted in helping everyone in the town, at least until more fishermen could pick up the slack.

  Of course, none of this would have been possible without recording everything within his quest log. Lukey especially was quite forgetful when it came to remembering everything he needed to do, so the quest log helped immensely, both in completing major and personal goals.

  Speaking of which…

  Personal Quests

  -Upgrade Fishing Rod

  -Make New Traps and Equipment

  -Take a mission

  -Create or modify one of my arts

  -Reach Lv. 80

  Lukey quickly added his new goal to the ever-growing list. It was a tall order, but he wasn’t worried since the missions around the island would quickly push him there sooner or later. To top it off, two of the Personal Quests, ‘Make new traps and equipment’ and ‘Take a mission,’ would be finished before the end of the day, so it wasn’t like the list would get too long.

  After shutting his quest log, Lukey quickly looked around and searched for Kiran, who he found walking out of a building beside the restaurant.

  “Mr. Kiran!” Lukey called out. “I was just looking for you.”

  “Well, thank you, but it’s a bit early for a meal, don’t you think? It’s only a little past noon.” The culinarian responded.

  “I appreciate the thought, but I need something else,” Lukey waved away. “What did you do with the crab shells once you took the meat out?”

  “Oh, that. I just finished separating them. I was wondering if I should dispose of them, but if you want them, take them.” Kiran explained.

  “Thank you,” Lukey said with a bow, and he was led into the building Kiran just left.

  The building, it turned out, was both a house for the culinarian and a shed for storing all of his cooking equipment and ingredients. The room Lukey was currently in was for storage, and he could see the other room to his right through an open doorway.

  Along the wall of the room where Lukey entered, there were various barrels and crates, each labeled with a different seasoning or spice. Along the wall on the opposite side was a desk, where various cooking utensils soaked in a bin of disinfecting fluids.

  Finally, to Lukey’s left, along the far back wall, were various forms of meat and fish stacked in crates on top of one another. In one corner, Lukey could see how the stalker meat he obtained piled up to the ceiling in height, threatening to collapse if the weight were to ever shift.

  To his surprise, Lukey didn’t smell the scent of rotting meat but instead the sharp scent of spices and herbs. Strangely enough, however, he was feeling cold, very cold, far colder than it should ever be on a tropical island in the middle of the ocean.

  “It’s freezing!” Lukey chattered, holding his body for warmth. Already the wetsuit was doing its job, because without it, Lukey suspected that the air reaching his bare skin would make things far colder. A glance to the side showed that Kiran wasn’t having the same issue, wrapping a thin veil of flames around his body to create artificial heat and light.

  Then, to Lukey’s surprise, he teleported.

  A quick burst of flames, and the culinarian appeared in another corner of the room, right next to the emptied shells of the stalker aquaclaw. The stalker’s shell was leaning up against the wall, right alongside a large pile of smaller shells from the other aquaclaws Lukey killed in his trek through the labyrinth.

  This man is just full of surprises, isn’t he?

  “Wow, you already separated the meat from the shells that quickly. That’s amazing!” Lukey exclaimed. “Is it an art? I wish I had something like that.”

  “Well, actually…” Kiran said, sinking deep in thought. “Maybe you can. Assuming you’re willing to help me out every so often.”

  “What do you mean?” Lukey asked cautiously.

  “I can’t teach you just any cooking art, since that wouldn’t mesh well with your class.” Kiran explained. “However, it’s very common to have an art for salvaging materials from beasts. Almost everyone has one; I believe I should be able to teach you mine.”

  “Really?” Lukey said, fishing out the Guardian Aquaclaw’s shell from the pile. “I’d love that, but what do I need to do?”

  “Just come here whenever you have time, and I’ll have you work on anything that needs prepping. I’ll even pay you assuming you do a good job.” Kiran explained.

  “It’s a deal!” Lukey said, lifting the guardian’s carcass above his body. “By the way, I’ve been meaning to ask, how is it so cold in here?”

  “Apologies,” Kiran stated, “that would be one of my arts at work, an inverted one that makes it colder instead of heating things up.”

  “Inverted?” Lukey asked. “You mean you can make it work in reverse?”

  “Easily,” Kiran explained. “Heat is just motion; instead of making them move faster, I remove the heat and make things move slower.”

  Interesting… Maybe I can do something similar with my arts. This is definitely something to consider for the future.

  Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  “Alright,” Lukey said as he walked to the door. “Thanks for holding onto this for me; I’ll send someone over later to pick up the rest.”

  After saying their farewells, Lukey left Searing Seas in search of the chitinshaper.

  …

  For the love of the sovereigns! Would it kill these people to make some signs?

  Once again, Lukey was lost in Tranquil Waters as he tried to navigate his way around. Clearly, the town was much bigger than he initially thought. Caldoon probably wanted to make it large first, likely in anticipation of a large populace once more people begin living here.

  After carrying the guardian’s shell all over town, gaining several strange looks as he did, Lukey finally decided to take a rest. He sat the carcass down near and began taking deep breaths to regain his stamina. After a few moments, however, he began to hear something in the distance.

  Is that…squealing?

  After picking up the carcass, he followed the noise to its source, his eyes widening as he absorbed the scene.

  In front of one store, stood a crowd of women and girls who were all staring into the window display. The crowd consisted mostly of islanders, with some luxe thrown into the mix as well. The crowd was a healthy mix of all ages and looks: young, old, beautiful, and not-so-much.

  One of these women stood out to him, which only surprised him further.

  “Mom!?” Lukey called out.

  A few of the women in the crowd turned around, one of whom was Leah. After realizing who it was, the others turned back, whereas Leah attempted to extricate herself from the herd.

  “Lukey? Hey, it’s good to see you again. Caldoon said that you’d be staying in town for some meeting yesterday. Did you get a place to sleep?”

  ‘Meeting,’ huh? I guess he never mentioned that the ‘meeting’ was a party where we ate and drank till nighttime.

  “I’m fine; I slept at an inn. Got breakfast and everything.” Lukey explained. “Hey, why is there a herd of women here in the middle of the day? Don’t they have anything better to do?”

  “Everyone here is finished with their work, me included.” Leah said. “As for why everyone is here, take a look.”

  Consigning himself to investigate, Lukey forced his way through the crowd of women until he reached the window display.

  Set up within the display were what looked to be various forms of jewelry, each one set up on its own wooden display. There were earrings, necklaces, rings, and even bracelets, each one giving off a slight shimmer that only made them even more alluring. What’s more, they all seemed to be made of shells, either tied on a piece of string or fused together with others to create elaborate designs.

  So, that’s what these girls are after. Jewelry does indeed make a woman’s heart sing.

  Curious, Lukey used [Insight] on one of the pieces.

  There’s nothing special about any of this junk, besides the fact that it looks pretty.

  Wait…

  Hidden in the description of the pointless item was the magic word Lukey had been looking for: "chitin."

  Don’t tell me the chitinshaper set up shop? Now I wonder if he can even make the armor I need.

  Lukey peeled himself away from the display and shoved his way through the crowd until he reached his mother again.

  “I don’t see anything of value here; it’s just cheap trinkets.”

  “Oh, come now. I’ve heard stories of how the wealthy women of Avalon wear the finest jewelry and how the luxe deck themselves in gold from head to toe.” Leah said, swooning. Then, she grabbed him and screamed. “IS IT TOO MUCH TO ASK FOR YOUR MOTHER TO FEEL PRETTY ONCE AND A WHILE!?”

  “Ah, dammit!” Lukey cried, covering his ears to shroud himself from his mother’s verbal assault. “If you want it so bad, why don’t you buy it yourself?”

  “I would, but the owner isn’t opening today. He has been open for the last few days; now, he’s shut the door and refuses to let anyone in. If only the emperor or someone close to him could convince him to open,” she asked with pleading eyes.

  “Fine,” Lukey sighed. “I’ve got business with him anyways. Which piece do you want? I’ll buy it for you.”

  “Really?” Leah squealed. “In that case, I’ve been eyeing the orange Coral Earrings!”

  Lukey took another deep breath, then grabbed the guardian carcass and moved towards the front door of the shop. Fortunately, carrying a corpse above his head made a great repellent to the crowd as he made his way through. After reaching the door, he knocked and spoke loud enough for the person inside to hear him.

  “Open up! I’m on official business on behalf of the emperor of the island.” He lied. “He requests that you commission a piece of equipment for him.”

  Inside, Lukey could hear a mad rush of footsteps as whoever was inside practically ran towards the door. A moment later the footsteps stopped, and Lukey could hear a set of locks being undone. A few seconds later, the door cracked open to show a black, insectoid face.

  “The emperor!?” The ant man said. “Urgh, very well, you can come inside, but please keep those females from entering.”

  After undoing another lock, the man opened the door just wide enough for Lukey to enter. As quickly as he could, Lukey shoved the guardian's corpse inside and sidestepped into the building. After making it inside, the ant-man quickly began redoing the locks on the door.

  Once he was inside, Lukey took a deep breath and absorbed his surroundings.

  On the ground were four tables, two at the sides and two together in the middle of the room, full of various displays of jewelry. In the back of the room was a counter where the shopkeeper would stand behind, along with a desk of unfamiliar equipment behind it.

  Then, Lukey looked back at the man who let him in.

  His head was covered with black chitin, making it look like he was wearing a permanent helmet. On top of his head were two antennae that constantly twitched about, and in front were two red, elongated eyes. His mouth looked roughly human with some sharp teeth, but it was accompanied by two mandibles that sat beside both corners.

  The ant man was tall, but the rest of his body was quite skinny, which clashed with the form he saw when the man first arrived on the island. His arms, legs, and body were all very skinny and protected with black chitin. Unlike what Lukey saw before, the man had humanoid hands with five fingers and was currently wearing boots, pants, and a loose shirt, like him.

  “You look a lot different than when you arrived on the island.” Lukey inadvertently said.

  “Yes, well, that tends to happen when I’m not wearing armor.” The ant man said, pointing to the back where a set of black armor was propped up on a stand. “I’m a Formii, not some Coleopii warrior. The only reason I wear it is to scare off slavers and bandits.”

  The Formii man took a few moments to continue fixing the locks, then turned to face Lukey.

  “Now, I believe you said something about a commission?” He said, then turned his gaze toward the empty shell Lukey threw on the floor. “And I assume this has something to do with it?”

  “I do, but first I should introduce myself. I’m Lukey, and I work with Ocean’s Bounty, the newly established fisherman’s guild.” He spoke. “And I assume you’re Ki’ida.”

  “That I am human.” Ki’ida confirmed. “Now, please state your business or get out.”

  “Alright,” Lukey said, somewhat irritated by the man’s attitude. “I need armor, and maybe some coral earrings.”

  “Coral Earrings?” Ki’ida scoffed. “No offense, but you couldn’t pull them off. And armor? What business does a human have wearing chitin? Don’t you typically wear steel and leather?”

  “The earrings aren’t for me; they’re for my mom!” Lukey shouted, becoming increasingly irritated. “And these crab shells are the only armor that is effective underwater. Can you make it or not?”

  “Underwater armor?” Ki’ida mused. “That is certainly… different.” Then he began inspecting the guardian shell, poking and opening it to measure it thoroughly with his gaze. “Interesting… I can certainly cut this into shape… Maybe make a few pieces that can be attached with leather straps. But the leather…”

  “You can buy waterproofing oil at the alchemist’s place.” Lukey interrupted. “But why pieces? Can’t you make me a full set of armor?”

  “A full set of armor? Do you have sand between your ears? A full set would take months to make! That kind of thing is far too much for a pupa like you.” Ki’ida waved off. “I can have a set of pieces ready by tomorrow, much better suited to a young hunter like yourself.”

  “Tomorrow?” Lukey exclaimed with some interest. “Fine, I’ll take it. Now, can I have a look at these?” Lukey pointed to the various pieces of jewelry around the store.

  “By all means,” Ki’ida said, taking the guardian shell to his work desk in the back. “The coral earrings you’re looking for are over there, by the way.” Ki’ida pointed towards the right side of the store.

  It didn’t take long to find the earrings, and Lukey ended up paying a bronze and fifty tins for everything.

  “By the way. Why a jewelry shop, of all things?” Lukey questioned.

  Ki’ida sighed.

  “I needed a way to make money, and selling jewelry was simply the easiest way. The shells are plentiful here, and they’re easy to make too.” Then, Ki’ida pointed to the window outside. “And as you can see, cheap jewelry is also high in demand, much to my dismay.”

  Lukey chuckled.

  “Being in high demand is normally a good thing, isn’t it? I don’t see why you’re complaining.”

  Meanwhile, Ki’ida scoffed.

  “Normally? Yes. But I didn’t escape my homeland just to be dominated by women all over again.” Ki’ida stated in an irate fashion. “Until I can hire someone to deal with the customers, the shop remains closed.”

  Lukey wanted a better explanation, but he could tell the chitinshaper was in no mood to recall his past. So, he simply said goodbye to the man and left the shop. After he did, Lukey gave the earrings to his mother and went along his way.

  Today was long, but he finally got his preparations done.

  Time to head back to the guild.