Facing the vast expanse of Crystal Tree Ferns on the island, Brad wiped the sweat from his brow, feeling a drive like never before. As a crystal craftsman, he had first come to know the great lord, His Highness Liszt Flame, through polishing telescope lenses.
But the process had not been smooth. After polishing the crystals in the castle warehouse, he could only keep company with volcanic glass. Once the volcanic-glass carvings were finished, he had gone a long time without work—although the lord still paid him wages, he had no way to earn any additional income.
His living conditions had declined compared with his days in Coral City.
However, after the lord became a Dragonrider, his mindset swiftly changed. To be one of the craftsmen under a Dragonrider was an honor worth starving to death for.
What was more, the current situation clearly would not starve him to death. If anything, it might work him to death.
"Such miraculous trees—each entire tree is crystal, pure natural crystal. It's simply unbelievable. Even if I carved for decades, I probably couldn't finish carving all the crystal in this Crystal Tree Fern forest... It seems I should consider joining the Craftsman School of the Knight Academy and training more crystal craftsmen for the lord."
When there was no work to be had, one's craft was the guarantee of survival. No one wished to pass it on carelessly.
This was especially true of free commoner craftsmen, who regarded their skills as family heirlooms, more precious than their own lives. The old Brad had been unwilling to join the Craftsman School and teach his techniques.
Yet now, looking at the countless Crystal Tree Ferns, his awareness suddenly rose to an entirely new realm—being a crystal craftsman of a Dragonrider family, with no worries in