Artisan's Apprentice

"Linsey, you're here!"

Before long, a young man opened the door for Linsey.

This was Qiao Er.

He looked to be in his early twenties, dressed in coarse brown clothes and wearing gloves with two fingers exposed. Sweat rolled down from his brow, and he looked extremely busy.

He was Border Town's new artisan.

He was also one of the few new Awakened in town during Harvest Day three years ago.

There were blacksmiths and carpenters in town, enough to meet the townsfolk's everyday needs.

But if an item was intricate, complex, and exceptionally difficult to make, it could only be commissioned from an Awakened artisan.

Seeing Qiao Er, Linsey greeted him with a smile.

Then he reached behind his back and pulled out two rabbits he had caught that day.

"Had a pretty good haul today. These are for you."

"You're too kind." Qiao Er did not accept both rabbits, taking only one as he warmly ushered Linsey inside. "Come on in. Don't stand around outside."

Linsey followed Qiao Er into the Artisan's Cottage.

They passed through a warmly furnished front hall and headed toward the room on the left, deeper inside the cottage.

This was the artisan's workshop.

A workbench stood in the middle of the room. Various tools—hammers, axes, hand saws, and more—hung on the left wall. The right wall was covered by a large board nailed with rough but clearly organized blueprints. Only the inner side of the room, directly opposite the entrance, held the wood, leather, and ore needed to make things.

As he reached this spot, Linsey instinctively softened his footsteps.

He could hear faint snoring coming from the neighboring room.

Qiao Er's teacher—the town's previous Awakened artisan—was also getting on in years. He had gone to lie down and rest after dinner.

Meanwhile,

Qiao Er, who had gone ahead, picked up a bag from beside the workbench and returned to Linsey. "Following your request, I tried to expand its capacity. But unfortunately, my abilities still aren't enough. I can't truly alter space itself, so this is as far as I could go."

"I'm really sorry!"

The backpack in Qiao Er's hands was primarily made of sturdy bear hide, secured with metal clasps, with an Osmanthus Flower decoration carved into its surface.

Linsey took it and gave it only a cursory glance.

He did not need to inspect it closely to know how much thought its maker had put into it.

"What are you talking about?" Linsey immediately objected. "As far as I'm concerned, there probably isn't a better bag anywhere in our town!"

Qiao Er grinned.

As the backpack's maker, how could he not know how much effort he had poured into it?

He then pulled Linsey over to sit down in the workshop.

He began explaining the backpack's functions and details bit by bit. "Look at this strap. It folds inward twice, so not only does it keep rain from getting in, but even if you jump into a river with it on and swim, the inside won't get wet for a short while. And when you hunt, don't you sometimes catch small animals that become inconvenient to carry once there are too many? Look at this rope. You can hang several hooks from it. Just tie rabbits and the like onto them, and it'll free up your hands..."

Qiao Er earnestly explained his design. Every detail reflected his care. The most important feature, and the one he was proudest of, was saved for last. "Finally, there's what my craft can do."

Linsey asked curiously, "Didn't you say you couldn't actually expand the space?"

A confident smile appeared on Qiao Er's face.

"That's impossible, of course. You know I'm only an artisan whose craft has been elevated once."

"But reality doesn't mean you have to stubbornly focus on space itself. Proper divisions and item placement can save space too, so I added some lightweight partitions inside the backpack!"

Following Qiao Er's instructions, Linsey opened the backpack.

Sure enough, the inner walls had a layer of foldable mesh partitions sewn from calfskin. And enhanced by the artisan's craft, these partitions folded away and unfolded smoothly. They were sturdy and durable while remaining light, making the best use of every bit of space!

Linsey could not help but praise him.

"Qiao Er, I really think your craftsmanship is already the best in our town!"

Qiao Er was delighted at once.

He squeezed his brows together and leaned close to whisper in Linsey's ear.

"If that old man next door wakes up and hears you say that, he'll rush over and give each of us a whack with a mallet!"

"Then I'll carry you and run. He definitely won't be able to catch us!"

"Hahaha!"

The two young men chatted and laughed for a while. Then Linsey gathered his things, picked up the backpack, and prepared to leave.

Qiao Er saw him to the front hall.

He opened the door, then turned back and watched Linsey approach from the hall before quietly asking,

"Linsey, it doesn't seem like you're having me prepare all this just for hunting."

"Are you... planning to go on a long journey too?"

There was a trace of concern in Qiao Er's eyes.

Linsey did not hide it from his friend. He nodded and directly told Qiao Er his goal. "I want to try crossing Black Mountain too. There's no future in being trapped here!"

"..."

Qiao Er fell silent for a moment at Linsey's answer.

At last, he met Linsey's gaze and spoke seriously.

"In a couple of days—no, about four days from now—come see me. I'll prepare some other things for you."

Qiao Er was young too, and he was an Awakened.

Though he did not possess the quickly developed combat strength of other professions, his longing for the outside world would not change.

Now that a friend like Linsey was preparing to cross Black Mountain, as the town's artisan and Linsey's friend, he naturally would not simply stand by and watch it happen. He intended to contribute his own effort as well.

Linsey nodded firmly and answered Qiao Er just as seriously. "All right. Then we'll meet again in four days!"

"Take care."

"No need to see me off. Goodbye."

Qiao Er watched Linsey's figure disappear down the town road.

After waiting a while longer, Qiao Er finally returned indoors with a grave expression.

But as soon as he shut the door and turned around, he froze.

At some point, another rabbit had appeared on the table in the front hall, along with a pheasant. "That Linsey..."

"I told him one rabbit was enough."

Qiao Er came to his senses. Realizing his friend's thoughtfulness, he scratched his head and smiled helplessly.

But when Qiao Er picked up the rabbit and pheasant to take them to the kitchen, he recalled how Linsey had looked when he arrived and became utterly puzzled by a new question. "Wait... that's not right!"

"When Linsey came in, didn't he only bring two rabbits?"

"Where did this pheasant come from?"