Seris still hasn’t arrived, and it’s almost midday. I’ll give her an hour before I head to town to check on her.


    That’s the last of it.


    I need to plow the entire thing to keep the surface layer from growing back, but other than that, there’s nothing else that’s required of me. I’ll have plenty of time left in the day. I don’t want to use the pickaxe to dig up new areas of the field. I want to let it repair itself.


    I haven’t used my sledgehammer in a while. I might not need to expand my field soon, but I can see a use for the rocks. I can hire someone to create a cobblestone path or do it myself after learning how. I will have plenty of time to kill, so I’ll look to do the latter.


    did not like that.


    will hurt you, beast,” Cal growled, taking a threatening step forward. It was not convinced.


    It has gotten very bold. My inaction has given it the courage to show me attitude.


    It’s a hollow victory, but it’s still a victory. I can’t actually bear to harm the little thing, given that it has become a sort of companion, but it doesn’t need to know that.


    I don’t see anything that catches my attention. Maybe the quality degradation hinges on the tasks completed instead of increased stress in a short period of time. I expected the plow to degrade by the time I reached the end of the dirt field if I was going at a slower speed. If it happens earlier, I’ll know the answer if speed and stress change how a tool degrades.


    [Common Plow] has degraded to Good Quality.


    [Common Plow: Good Quality] Upgrade: 86/90


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    I could do four more lines to get the upgrade, but it’ll only get the plow to the Uncommon rank. It won’t give me any special choices that make it worth the rush. I’ll let it happen naturally.


    They’re both a little silly to me, but at least Seris isn’t a moocher like the little beast. Speaking of her, I should head to town—


    She has perfect timing, as always.


    How is my tiny dirt patch requiring all this?


    I heard it smells horrid in small quantities. With the amount on the way, it might permeate every part of my field and drown me in the smell.


    She’s being serious.


    Confidence is good to have.


    There’s the real reason. Seris is comfortable around people she knows but retreats into a shell when there are too many unknowns. If it was only Tavia, she would have likely approached me. The workers pushed her into skipping.


    I forgot about the test Drex was doing on the dirt.


    I need to travel to Lumina and get a basic water spell. The guild subsidizes the price of such spells, so cost won’t be a concern. I should be able to modify the spell to meet my needs.


    A trip to Lumina will take up an entire day. It wouldn’t be wise of me to go until after the [Tier] boost period ends.


    Unfortunately? Did he expect me to just stand aside? This is a golden opportunity to gain a skill that will help me greatly.


    It will be much faster than that. All-day work is a dream. A few [Tier] increases will drastically reduce that time.