“So, where are the materials you gathered?”
Suo Liya’s face flushed faintly as she shot An Dong a soft glare.
“Oh, right, right, I almost forgot the main point.”
An Dong slapped his forehead, then, with a chuckle, pulled the materials from his backpack.
“This many!?”
Suo Liya’s eyes widened in shock, gazing at the table laden with materials before her.
“It’s all thanks to Yan and their help that we managed to gather so much.”
An Dong chuckled, patting Yan on the shoulder.
“Ah, haha, though most of it was actually gathered by Tian Jiu and Guan Ying.”
Yan gave a helpless smile, glancing at Tian Jiu beside him, only to see the young Tian Jiu shyly lower her head, seemingly a bit embarrassed.
“I truly can’t thank you all enough. With this much, I could make ten sets of equipment, let alone just one.”
Suo Liya exclaimed excitedly, her bright gaze then falling upon Tian Jiu.
“You’re Tian Jiu, right? What a lovely name! And you’re so adorable, plus you play the game so well. It’s truly enviable.”
“N-no, not at all.”
Tian Jiu blushed, shyly waving her hand.
“Hey, hey, whether a character looks good or not depends on how they’re customized, right? And Tian Jiu is a Priest; she certainly couldn’t have farmed this many materials by herself… Ow, ow, ow!”
An Dong’s tactless complaints were abruptly cut short as Suo Liya swiftly pinched his ear, her slender fingers twisting it while she wore a helpless smile.
“That’s why I say men are so dense… Tian Jiu must be just as charming a girl in real life.”
She looked at Tian Jiu, as if to apologize for An Dong’s thoughtless words.
Tian Jiu could only blush, offering a faint, shy smile in response to Suo Liya’s praise.
“Enough chitchat with this blockhead. Tian Jiu, Yan, please order anything you like; it’s my treat, a token of my gratitude for helping An Dong farm materials.”
“I was thinking the same thing, ah, ow, ow, ow!”
An Dong murmured in agreement, but Suo Liya twisted his ear twice more, causing him to instantly clamp his mouth shut in pain.
“Haha, in that case, we won’t stand on ceremony.”
Yan chuckled, ordering a cup of Blue Mountain coffee, while Tian Jiu opted for an apple pie and a cup of bubble tea.
“I’ll start forging the equipment now.”
Suo Liya nodded with a smile, releasing An Dong’s ear. Her slender fingers lightly tapped the air, bringing forth the forging system. Immediately, a virtual, semi-transparent forging table materialized from nothingness.
“Sister-in-law, you’re amazing! You actually mastered the Blacksmith profession so soon after the server launched?”
Yan remarked with a hint of awe, looking at the scene unfolding before him.
“Hmph, hmph, your sister-in-law didn’t just master Blacksmithing; she also has Tailoring and is an A-rank Refiner.”
An Dong said this with no small amount of pride.
“Ha, please excuse my showing off.”
In contrast, Suo Liya offered a modest smile. As she spoke, she tossed the [Blacklight Steel] onto the forging table, activating the furnace function to process the material.
“Eh? You actually mastered so many crafting professions? Wait… isn’t this every crafting profession except Alchemist!? That’s truly incredible.”
Yan was genuinely stunned, his mouth slightly agape as he praised her in disbelief.
While most crafting professions shared similar principles and primarily required the same “Dexterity” attribute points, players who mastered multiple professions were exceedingly rare. Each profession demanded extensive accumulation of proficiency and a significant investment of effort and time.
“Well, I decided to quit the game, so I rarely log on to level up by fighting monsters anymore. That’s why I put all my attribute points into the ‘Dexterity’ stat for crafting professions.”
Suo Liya offered an embarrassed, wry smile, her hands, however, never ceasing their work. She swiped open another interface, and a semi-transparent, sewing machine-like mechanism appeared before them.
“Although I’ve learned many crafting professions, I’ve spread myself too thin and haven’t truly mastered any of them.”
“My Blacksmithing can’t forge equipment with ultimate stats like ‘endgame sets’ (TL Note: Refers to equipment with the highest multi-attribute bonuses in the current version of the game).”
“My Refiner profession can’t refine to S-rank, only A-rank. And my Tailoring is merely for processing fabrics and designing appearances myself; it’s nothing to boast about.”
Suo Liya tilted her head, a helpless smile gracing her lips. She hung another material they had farmed, [Tough Leather], onto the sewing machine and operated it skillfully. The rough dropped material gradually transformed into exquisite pieces of leather in her hands.
This was a Tailor’s skill: processing fabrics, threads, and leather items to add a certain amount of defense and other attributes.
Nevertheless, the ultimate artisan for forging equipment remained the Blacksmith profession; weapons, clothing, accessories, and the like all fell within a Blacksmith’s purview.
Although Suo Liya’s meticulous crafting process was quite a spectacle, offering a kind of enjoyment to Yan and the others watching.
Yet, for most Blacksmiths, this tailoring step before forging armor was largely optional.
After all, the primary purpose of this process was merely to refine materials, making them tidier and resulting in slightly more aesthetically pleasing garments.
“In short, I’m just a jack-of-all-trades, master of none; none of my crafting professions are truly top-tier.”
Suo Liya spoke with a hint of self-deprecation, yet not a trace of inferiority could be seen in her eyes.
“But when it comes to the aesthetics of clothing, in this game, I possess a confidence that yields to no one.”
Yan paused for a moment, surprised by her confident smile, then quickly understood.
“Speaking of which, sister-in-law, you’re a manager at a clothing factory in real life, aren’t you? No wonder you’re so skilled at garment production.”
“Of course. After all, before I married An Dong, I was just a regular female university student who graduated with a degree in fashion design, working as a laborer in a clothing factory.”
Suo Liya cast a glance at An Dong beside her, a complex smile gracing her lips.
‘Ah, these things happen so often.’
‘One studies a beloved major in university, only to end up in a job barely related to their field after graduation.’
‘Perhaps Suo Liya also entered university with the dream of becoming a fashion designer, only to be disheartened upon realizing that after graduation, she could only work as an ordinary seamstress in a clothing factory.’
“Well, thanks to An Dong, at least now I’m still considered a manager at the clothing factory. Occasionally, when our family’s online store launches original Hanfu or JKDK (TL Note: Japanese school uniform styles) uniforms, they still entrust me with the designs. It’s like fulfilling a dream from my youth, I suppose.”
Suo Liya smiled with contentment, gently leaning into An Dong’s embrace, a blissful expression on her face.
‘Ah, ah, I’m too old for this kind of display.’
Yan, watching the affectionate couple before him, gave a helpless smile and shifted his gaze to the semi-transparent forging table.
The [Blacklight Steel] gradually melted into scorching, orange-red molten iron within the forging table’s furnace function, slowly flowing into an adjacent black square box to cool and be stored.
Suo Liya returned to her work state. She didn’t bother with the processed steel but instead, with practiced ease, finished processing the leather pieces one by one on the sewing table. Following this, she conjured a blank canvas and began sketching and drawing upon it.
“Eh? Is this the Tailor’s garment design function?”
Yan watched Suo Liya with curiosity, observing as she gradually sketched the outline of a piece of armor on the blank canvas. The design also indicated the materials for various parts and specific sewing techniques, leaving Yan somewhat bewildered.
“It feels so professional.”
Tian Jiu whispered in admiration, her eyes wide as she gazed at the design, seemingly filled with longing.
“Well, it’s alright.”
Suo Liya offered a modest smile.
“However, most Tailors in this game aren’t very knowledgeable about specific sewing techniques or material selection. While many possess decent artistic skills and good aesthetic taste, the appearances automatically generated by the system functions are quite appealing.”
“But different sewing techniques and material choices not only affect a garment’s texture and comfort but also, to some extent, its appearance. Perhaps this is the only area where I slightly surpass them.”
She tilted her head, offering a gentle smile.
“That’s truly impressive…”
Yan nodded, echoing the praise with a semblance of understanding.
Suo Liya didn’t mind, simply placing the processed leather and the already prepared fabric she had taken from her backpack onto the sewing table. Under her skilled and nimble hands, an armor lining gradually took shape.
“This should do it.”
Having completed the lining that served as the garment’s framework, she smiled faintly, placing the design schematic and the lining together on the forging table, next to the already cooled, refined steel.
“The rest is just waiting for the system’s forging function to complete. Soon, you’ll be able to see the new armor.”
Suo Liya gracefully raised her hand, tapping the ‘Forge’ option in the air. A light gradually enveloped the items on the forging table, indicating they were now being processed.
“Speaking of which, sister-in-law, why did you choose to become a crafter in the game? Don’t you do the same kind of work in real life? Doesn’t it get tiresome?”
Yan took a small sip of his Blue Mountain coffee, asking with a hint of confusion. He found it somewhat incomprehensible; while a love for garment making could explain it, he still wasn’t entirely convinced.
In fact, he had been grappling with a similar dilemma recently: he practiced spearmanship in real life, and his in-game profession was also a Spear Player. It felt as though he was doing the same thing every day, which left him with a slight sense of incongruity.
He wondered how a reliable adult like Suo Liya viewed such matters.
“Well, liking the work is certainly the primary reason…”
Just as he expected. Yan heard the anticipated answer, feeling a slight pang of disappointment.
“But more importantly, it’s truly about wanting to do something for the person you love.”
“Eh?”
Yan looked up and saw Suo Liya’s shy, yet undeniably blissful, smile.
“An Dong loves this game. So, since I can no longer play with him, what can I do for him? I kept pondering this question during the period right after I quit playing.”
Blushing, she glanced at An Dong beside her. Seeing his still cheerful and sincere smile, she seemed to feel reassured.
“In the end, I chose to become a crafting player. Even though I can no longer accompany him on adventures, I can make him new equipment. This way, even if I’m not physically by his side, I can quietly support him, adding… even a tiny bit of help. For me, that’s already deeply satisfying.”
‘Could it really be… a reason like that?’
‘One could even call it grand.’
Yan offered a helpless smile, seemingly realizing he had just given the couple another opportunity to shower him with public displays of affection.
“Well, there’s one more reason.”
Suo Liya’s tone suddenly shifted. Her eyes narrowed, and a somewhat playful smile appeared on her face.
‘Oh? There’s more?’
Yan looked at her, puzzled.
She simply smiled faintly, her red lips parting slightly.
“Because… I am the Saintess.”
“Huh?”