System Change

The halfling woman continued through the thick book before stopping. She looked up. “Would you prefer an all-in-one company that has everything, including Builders and Runesmiths? Or would you just like to look at both occupations separately?”

Derek frowned. “Uh… both, I guess.”

The woman nodded. “Is your request a large one?”

Derek nodded. “I plan on constructing a new building.”

The halfling closed the book and smiled. “Please follow me to the back.”

Derek shrugged and followed the woman to the back into a small room. Malorie, Rudy, and Brandi followed behind.

“Have a seat, all of you. Someone will be with you in a moment. I must get back to my station.” The halfling said. Then she walked out and closed the door behind her.

Derek waited a short while before another woman walked through the door. She was a cheery woman with golden blond hair.

“Hello.” The woman said through a large smile. “I’m Wendy. I’ll be helping the four of you today.”

Derek stood. “Thank you, Wendy.”

The woman nodded and sat, dropping the same book on the table between them. “Okay, so I hear you are looking for a contractor to build an entire building and facilities. Is that correct?”

Derek nodded. “Yes, it will be for both a business and living.”

Wendy nodded and placed her hand on the book in front of her. The book glowed for a moment, then stopped. “And you are only looking for contractors who are available immediately?”

“Yes, either today or tomorrow at the latest.” Derek confirmed.

Wendy injected the book with mana again.

Derek was intrigued by what she was doing. “What are you doing when you do that? Injecting your mana, that is.”

Wendy smiled. “I’m sorting through all the listings in the book. Moving the ones that meet your requirements to the front, while shuffling the others to the back.”

“That’s convenient.” Derek said.

Wendy nodded. “Do you have the material readily available?” She asked.

Derek shook his head. “No, I was hoping the contractor would provide that.”

“Do you know what material you would like?” She asked.

“No.”

“Would you like to look at a list, or just wait for the meeting with the contractor?” She continued.

“I wouldn’t mind seeing a list. It would be good to learn a bit about materials.” Derek said.

Wendy pulled a piece of paper out of her storage ring and handed it to Derek. “This list has all the most common building materials, and their average price per basic building. As all materials have different weights or shapes, it is hard to compare prices otherwise.”

Derek nodded as he moved his eyes to the list. He looked at the description of the ‘basic building.’ It was a single floor, 500 sq ft building. It was a good enough example for Derek to get the general price of the materials he was going to end up having to buy.

The list included different stones, ores, woods, and other types of building materials. At the bottom of the list was the Dragon Formed Obsidian that the Crown Hotel was built with. After viewing the price, he immediately adverted his eyes to something else. 50,000 gold for a single small building. And that doesn’t include the cost of actually building it, just the materials needed.

With that visual, he started thinking about what it must have cost Alanah to build her hotel and restaurant in the material. The thought was staggering. Derek immediately crossed the Dragon Formed Obsidian off his list of possible materials.

The obsidian stuck out like a sore thumb. Nothing else on the list was even close to the cost of the material. The next expensive was wood from a Bone Willow tree. Still, it was only half the cost of the obsidian.

“Is it possible to mix and match materials?” Derek suddenly asked.

“Of course. It’s usually the preferred method.” Wendy answered as she watched him study the list.

Derek nodded. He would go with a type of stone for the entire basement and foundation. Then, he wanted to choose a nice wood for the rest. Derek had a little more than 20,000 gold to his name, so he would need to watch his spending.

“Do any of the other materials have a problem holding paint? Like the Dragon Formed Obsidian.” Derek asked.

“No. That particular type of obsidian is special.” Wendy answered.

Derek’s eyes moved up the list, towards the less expensive materials. “How does the Pixy Yew look?” He asked.

To his surprise, the woman pulled a small piece of lumber out of her ring and placed it on the table. It was a dark piece of lumber with a slight blue sparkle to it. In Derek’s mind, it was quite nice.

“Why is it so inexpensive?” Derek asked. “Is it that much worse than the other types?”

Wendy shook her head. “No, but the sparkling blue tends to keep buyers from it.”

“Why is that? It doesn’t seem too bad to me.”

“You are looking at a piece that has been kept in the dark for a long time. The longer it absorbs sun, the brighter the sparkles. It makes it hard to sleep when you room is bright. Also, even in the day, it will cause the light, both natural and unnatural, to have a blue tint to it.” She explained.

“So, can’t you just paint over the wood on the inside?” Derek asked.

She shook her head. “It’s not that easy. You can paint over it, but, depending on the paint, the light will eventually bleed back through. People find that it’s too much trouble to paint their buildings so often. Also, it doesn’t do well in residential areas because of how bright it can become.”

“If it wasn’t for all that, where would you place it on the list?” Derek asked.

“The strength and durability could place the Pixy Yew somewhere around the Sun Oak.” She answered.

Derek looked over the list and was surprised to see the Sun Oak close to the bottom of the list. “That’s one of the best woods on here.” Derek said.

“It is.” She agreed. “The supply of Pixy Yew is so abundant that its price has fallen to what it is. As of right now, it is only used by some crafters to make decorative weapons or items.”

Derek nodded. The cost of the Pixy Yew was 650 gold. If he used it both for the first and second floor, it would cost him maybe 6,000 gold. He would find a way to use it. Derek found a more durable stone for the basement. Hopefully, it would hold up to any explosions or wear and tear that Brandi may cause.

“Do you have a piece of the Bola Stone?” Derek asked.

Wendy nodded and placed a dark gray piece of stone out of her ring. It looked like a slightly darker concrete.

Derek picked up the piece. “What would I owe you if I crushed this?” He asked.

Wendy narrowed her eyes. “Why would you need to do that?”

“To test the durability.”

She glanced at the Onyx Badge on his arm, then back to him. “50 silvers. I’ll need to replace it.”

Derek put 50 silver down on the table, then tightened his grip on the stone. It wasn’t terribly easy to crush, but he didn’t have to exert himself. Also, Strength wasn’t his forte. He thought for a moment before deciding that it would do for now.

He nodded. “I would like a contractor that works with Bola Stone, Oak, and Pixy Yew. Runes can be attached to those three materials, correct?”

Wendy nodded, then sorted through the book once again before finally opening it. “I have arranged the book in order from all-in-one contractors to individuals. Their price is in descending order, from most expensive to least expensive.” She said.

Derek took the book and chuckled. The prices were listed as cost to complete the same building that was on the list of materials. He immediately skipped the most expensive contractors. His blueprints were simple and hard to mess up.

Finally, he picked out three all-in-one contractors. He went with the all-in-one because they offered other furnishings as well, such as bedding and kitchen.

“I would like to meet with these three contractors.” He said as he pointed out the ones that he picked. He wanted to make sure that whichever one he picked had a decent Runesmith.

Wendy took the book back. “I’ll get in contact with Vanguard Construction, Alabaster Homes, and… Billy’s Crew.”

Derek nodded. “I would like to meet with them all at once.” He said.

Wendy was not surprised. “That can be arranged. Is there a time that works best for you?”

Derek shook his head. “The earlier, the better.”

“I’ll see what I can do. Please wait here for a few minutes.” She stood and walked out.

“What’s the Oak for?” Malorie asked.

Derek smiled. “I figure we can just cover the outside of the Pixy Yew with regular Oak. That way, we should be able to keep it from absorbing the sun. If it doesn’t work, we can always put a layer on the inside as well. Either way, it should get rid of the lights at night and keep it from lighting up our rooms when we’re trying to sleep.”

Malorie nodded. “It will cost extra to build, but if the wood is as good as Wendy said, it would be worth it.”

Derek nodded. “That’s what I was thinking.”

A few minutes later, Wendy came back in with her trademark smile. “Great news. All three contractors will be here in twenty minutes.”

“That’s great!”