Cal didn’t change pace when he saw the Overseer, but he did change direction and approached the man.
The Overseer’s presence brought up another reason he decided to pick [Green Thumb]. The information on the skill options was all there for him to think over. That was not the case for the reward the laws of the world gave him.
His initial attraction to [Pocket Dimension] could still be the correct choice. It was a versatile reward that would do more than just store objects. Not only would it let him keep things of interest hidden, but it could also give him another ace up his sleeve.
One of the biggest reasons Cal had chosen [Mist Walker] was his hope that it could act as an option of last resort. If it ever came to a point where he had exhausted everything and was on the edge of life and death, he wished for [Mist Walker] to turn the tide and allow him to come out ahead.
That was what he wished for when he saw that he would have ‘complete control’ over the mist domain. The penalty that came with [Mist Walker] would make anything less cause it to be a severe lapse in judgment.
[Pocket Dimension] had no penalty, which made it an acceptable option even if he was wrong about what it could be capable of. Cal imagined that he could use it as a way to surprise any enemy by using the hidden nature of the [Pocket Dimension] to pull weapons from it at critical times.
It could give him instant victory, assuming that the [Pocket Dimension] could be used instantly.
However, as appealing as [Pocket Dimension] was, he needed to gain more knowledge of what types of [Class] that existed above [Mage]. Right now, all he knew was that they existed and nothing else.
If he rushed and made a choice before attempting to find out, he might come to regret it.
Either the Celestial Order allowed him to do so, or the Overseer took it upon himself. No matter which option it was, Cal found that impressive. Due to this, he already considered the Overseer to have a significant influence in the guild.
“You’ve once again exceeded my expectations, Initiate Cal,” the Overseer commented without looking away from the patch once Cal was close. “An Advanced-rank tool. Very impressive.”
Cal twitched in surprise. He expected the Overseer to speak about how he was cultivating crops successfully, not about the tool he carried on his back. Especially since the man hadn’t even looked at him yet.
This is another reason I didn’t pick [Pocket Dimension]. The Overseer already knew of the unnatural rate at which I was gathering high-level equipment. Hiding them would just bring up more questions.
“I thought so too, but with how the tools work when I use them, it’s really not,” Cal said with a shake of his head. There was no way around the fact that he had to reveal possessing Advanced-level equipment would be a common occurrence.
I suspect that he knows something about the [Class] I received. There’s no other explanation for the change in his attitude.
The Overseer finally took his attention off the land and looked at him with raised brows. “Interesting. I assumed this would be the case after how your tools miraculously upgraded after use. Still, I didn’t expect it to be at this rate.”
Cal gave a small shrug as a reply. He wasn’t sure what to say anyway, so it was best to be silent.
“I think it’s best in both our interests if I lay out the obvious. You aren’t going to return to the core guild, Initiate—” the Overseer stopped and narrowed his eyes. “It seems you are due congratulations, Apprentice Cal.”
“… Thank you,” he said with a nervous chuckle, not having expected his [Tier] increase to be noticed so easily. This only confirmed his suspicions about the Overseer being far more than he seemed.
“Hmm, you don’t care about the increase in status,” the Overseer commented. “Very well, I shall keep this hidden until you decide otherwise. Was I right about my assumption about you staying here for the long term?”
Cal’s eyes flickered to his field before he nodded. “I’m progressing too smoothly to even think about leaving.”
There was a brief moment of silence when the Overseer looked at the sledgehammer on his back. “How many tools do you have at the Advanced-rank?”
“Nine,” Cal again chose to be truthful. It was too easy to determine if his statement was a lie since the proof was in the storage room.
“… Nine?” The Overseer repeated, finally looking a little surprised. After some thought, he asked, “In your estimation, how soon will you get your first Rare-rank tool?”
This I can twist a little.
“I would say half a year at a minimum. The gap between Rare-rank and the others is massive.” Cal thought it was closer to a month, but there was no reason to give such an optimistic answer.
The Overseer nodded slowly, clearly considering something. After a few seconds, he said, “Would you be willing to part with your tools? Of course, you will be fairly compensated.”
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I wanted to discuss this before he left anyway. I’m glad he brought it up.
Cal put on a conflicted expression. “… I could be convinced, but it depends on what I am offered. It might look easy for me to upgrade a tool to the Advanced-rank, but the trait the tool gets is out of my control.”
The latter part about the trait wasn’t completely fabricated, and that half-truth helped sell Cal's statement.
“I see,” the Overseer nodded. “I don’t particularly care about the trait the tool has. Can you supply me with three Advanced-rank tools every month?”
“You don’t have any specific requests?”
“Not at all. I don’t care what trait you can offer me either,” the Overseer confirmed.
It’s like he needs it as proof. Perhaps there is someone the Overseer answers to, and this is what he needs to show that what I’m doing is worthwhile.
Cal still thought that three would be a little annoying. He would need to sacrifice progress on the tools he wished to upgrade to the Rare-rank and instead spend time to upgrade spare tools to give to the Overseer.
“I can do that,” Cal didn’t voice his concerns. It didn’t matter since he suspected this wasn’t really an option. And even if it was, satisfying this request is something he was willing to do after the help the Overseer had given him.
“Excellent! As for compensation, I can offer you two choices. One guildmark for every tool you give me or a waiver for the profit sharing the guild requires for our farmers. So that would let you keep all of what you earn from your crops instead of only half.”
That’s below the market rate for Advanced-ranked equipment. Still, considering I will provide farming equipment, it is somewhat fair. However, giving up fifty percent is a steep cost. No wonder the other Initiates look for other sources of income. Nismus’s smuggling operation suddenly makes more sense.
“Will I be able to change which option I want in the future?” Cal would make significantly more than three guildmarks by being exempt from taxes in the future.
“You may switch between them as you desire.”
Cal felt a sense of relief. If that hadn’t been the case, he would have been forced to choose the latter option, which would fix his current situation of being nearly moneyless.
“Then we have a deal,” he replied with a smile. “Let me get you the tools for the first month right now.”
Cal didn’t wait for the Overseer’s confirmation before rushing to the storage room. Getting the money now would erase one of the worries in the back of his mind for days.
He knew the tools that he would be giving up. There was no need to overthink it since he could get these back after a day’s worth of nonstop work. The three alternate pickaxes all had the same ‘Self-Repair’ trait and were all expendable.
Sure, keeping them would have made it possible to have a pickaxe to use at all times, but they were so easy to upgrade that they would be the first he would get rid of.
I need to tell Orrin to make me several more of these.
Cal happily exited the storage room and returned to the Overseer with three fantastic, Advanced-rank pickaxes. For some reason, the Overseer wasn’t as excited as he was.
“Apprentice Cal, should I expect three pickaxes every month?” The Overseer asked drily.
Cal had been offering the Overseer his pickaxes when the question was asked, making him freeze—primarily out of shame. That was precisely his plan until he was told to do otherwise. He didn’t expect it to be discerned before he handed over the first month’s quota.
The Overseer narrowed his eyes. “I should have considered this to be a possibility. I’ll allow it for now, but be prepared for him to reject this in the future.”
“Understood,” Cal accepted, relieved when the Overseer took the pickaxes. He gladly took the three guildmarks in return.
You have sold all your alternate pickaxes.
Three alternate equipment have been removed.
“By the way, Apprentice Cal, this is a job well done,” the Overseer motioned to the patch. “There have been attempts at reviving the Northern Wastes in the past, but those tries never had the care you’re putting into it.”
Cal preened under the praise. He was just following the steps Drex told him, but he still did the work. “I only wish to replicate this with the rest of my field.”
“You’re well on your way. Now, I didn’t visit this early without reason. I wanted to discuss the order you wanted. I’ll be able to procure it by this evening, but I wanted to ask if you really wanted to give up the Starlit Marble for it. We can work out a deal for you to keep both.”
Cal stared at the Overseer with visible confusion. He had zero clue about what was being discussed. “I have to admit I have no idea what we are discussing right now. Which order is this?”
The Overseer paused for a moment, tilting his head, before chuckling. “Forget I said anything. It seems I was mistaken.”
“… Alright.” Cal now wondered if the Overseer somehow knew that the Starlit Marble had no effect on him, so this was a way to offer to replace it. He decided that it was, so he played along. He cleared his throat and said, “Er, actually, that order should proceed. We can replace the Starlit Marble. No need for me to keep it.”
The Overseer laughed lightly as he nodded. “Sure, we’ll go with that. How is your relationship with Initiate Tavia?”
Cal blinked at the abrupt change in topic. “Fine? We seem to be meshing well.”
As long as I ignore her horrid taste in design.
“Good, good. I hoped that was the case when she practically ran to you when she left the core guild.”
“Ran to me?” Cal was ignored.
“It seems you have everything in control, Apprentice Cal. I’ll mostly be hands-off other than visiting monthly for the tools. Do you have anything you want to ask me?”
He considered a few things he was curious about and was harmless to ask. “What would have happened if Tavia didn’t have my place to escape to?”
The Overseer observed him for a few seconds before sighing. “The guild would have done its best to fix the issues she faced as long as she stayed within the territory. The other option is not worth being spoken out loud.”
That doesn’t bode well for what happened to her. Tavia never showed up in the core guild like she did this life, so I might be mistaken. I don’t think I will ever know what really happened.
“I see,” Cal said solemnly.
“As I said, it’s not worth discussing. It won’t come to pass,” the Overseer dismissed casually. Almost insultingly casual. “Is there anything else?”
Cal remembered that the Overseer asked the same thing right before leaving the last time he visited. It wasn’t important, but he thought it was interesting nonetheless.
“Yes, I need access to the library in the core guild.”
“That can be arranged. You can access it starting today,” the Overseer said immediately. “You know, if you officially change your status to Apprentice, you will have access without needing my intervention.”
“I'd rather have as little attention on me as possible,” Cal rejected the idea.
“I feel that is doomed to fail in time, but as you wish. Stay busy, Apprentice Cal. I want to see how much you progress in a month.”
Cal watched the Overseer leave his field before scratching his chin in thought.
The Overseer is more amenable than I could have thought. It looks like I have someone firmly on my side. There’s no doubt he has ulterior motives, but nothing comes free, so I can accept that as long as I benefit.