But I could still earn around 400 coins a day including the travel time between hunts and the time it takes to take the goods to the trade post. 400 coins for almost 6 hours of work though. At the end of the day I had a savings of around 3200 copper coin, or 32 silver.
It wouldn't last me long with the draft.
Not long at all.
The more time I spent browsing through the draft the more I realized I would have to start taking notes, there was simply an absurd amount of information to sift through and organize.
Since you were in the virtual world it would be strange to have a pen and paper at your side, there was an in-game function to solve that. In order to accommodate players who wished to keep notes on things without having to log off, a window could be opened where you could simply write, type, or voice out what you wanted and it would be recorded. You could view it at a later date on your computer, cell, or tablet if you wanted, or simply open it again in-game.
It was pretty convenient.
Though with the complexity of the draft, I could definitely see some guilds just paying for a broker to sort all of the information for them. And even having them participate in the auction for them as well. Such things happen in real life all the time, after all. Even with all my patience, combing through 2,700 NPCs with varying ratings is a nightmare, and the list is completely reset every week!
Chapter 30: Recruit! Recruit! Recruit!
(Sunday, April 25th Game Day / Monday, February 8th Real Day)
Sorting through the Draft Menu, I pulled up all the crafters that had a high potential in the blacksmithing proficiency, arranging them from highest to lowest. From there I reduced my search parameters to those with potentials over 8.5/10.
To my surprise, there were ten such NPCs and of those ten, two were level 20, three were between levels 10-19, and then the other five were between level 0 and 9.
Between them all, the level 0 and level 4 NPC both had potentials at 9.1/10 and 9.4/10 respectively, the highest in the group. The third highest was a level 12 NPC at 8.9/10.
The level 12 and level 4 would both be excellent picks just from potential alone, and the level 0 was certainly worth a look at as an apprentice type to the higher level NPC, but then I noticed a few other details as well.
Gender was listed, Age, Health Rating which predicted lifespan, Marital Status, Dependents, Personality and other traits I didn't consider as that important.
The 8.9/10 potential level 12 NPC was as follows:
Male, 32 years of age, 8.8/10 HR, Widowed, No Children, and Cynical Outlook.
The 9.4/10 potential level 4 NPC by comparison was:
Male, 24 years of age, 8.4/10 HR, Married, Two Children, Complacent Outlook.
And lastly the 9.1/10 potential level 0 NPC:
Male, 18 years of age, 8.7/10 HR, Single, No Children, Optimistic Outlook.
A huge grin appeared on my face at the realization of how the system worked.
There's always a detrimental part to the NPC. High level with no tag-along NPCs but a bad temperament, low level with three tag-along NPCs but extremely high potential and a slightly-positive temperament, or bottom level with no other negative aspects and a very good potential rating and attitude.
It was a no brainer here.
I had the time to develop these blacksmiths and wasn't in need of a serviceable craftsman at the moment, both critically important when making a decision.
Other guilds in the central kingdoms with various amounts of players were more likely to be in need of a craftsman that could start working immediately.
I was sure that the level 12 would go for a high price at auction, a dollar in hand is worth more than two dollars down the road, or so economics goes. But I've got the time for the investment and the wait will be worth it.
Thus I tagged the level 0 and level 4 NPCs with high potential in blacksmithing.
But there was more work to be done, so I rolled up my nonexistent sleeves and pressed on. I would need to enlist the services of two NPCs with high potential in carpentry, as I would need them to rapidly construct buildings.
Next was a shipbuilder, so I could conduct long range trade and utilize the river. I also wanted a trade post, so I wouldn't have to venture out to the local villages myself with pelts on my back, so I needed one NPC with a high potential in trading.
I had no need for an inn, but a tavern with alcohol and a cook would be great for morale, so I looked for two female NPCs that had a decent attractiveness rating and high potential as a barkeep and waitress. Next was the cook, I'd be bringing in plenty of meat so it would be great if we could all enjoy some nice meals.
Status buffs as well, Hooyah!
I was up to nine NPCs and could afford seven more with my 3200 copper coins; I had placed an order for some live chickens back at Andal after killing the Earl that I was expecting within an in-game week, so I needed someone who could breed livestock for me. The goal was to eventually get some sheep, goats, and cattle too.
That made ten.
Since I wasn't that experienced with farming I wanted at least one agriculture expert on hand, getting barley, oats, and bean seeds from the south was expensive but they would arrive at the same time with the chickens.
"Hmm," thinking to myself, I could afford five more NPCs and thought it would be nice to build up quickly before prices go up as more and more guilds start looking to build. I needed to pick the best available while I could afford it.
While lost in thought I ended up muttering, "Ah, I almost forgot." I could use a leatherworker with the amount of hides I've been bringing in, and a tailor or weaver would help to mend or make clothing, ropes, nets, or even a sail. I suppose an alchemist would do well here as well.
But as I thought over everything that I was planning I found myself stuck, "What should I do about the last two NPC slots? Ah, I'll get two general laborers with high potential in strength and endurance." They'll help with the construction work and can work the farms or fishing nets later, that'll be perfect.
And with that I had completed my draft, I would gain 16 new skilled workers in six real-world days barring everything goes well, but I had a lot of work ahead of me.
I wasn't expecting to get so many add-on NPCs… with the draft I'll go from 3 mouths to feed to 32 mouths to feed. If I include myself… 2 Companions, 16 Skilled Workers, 7 Spouses, and 6 Children would need food and shelter.
"Oi, that's a lot of mouths."
I had already built a lodge but it's going to be cramped for a while.
Well at least the weather's warm!
As I had finished all of my work I exited out of all of the menus to find Katherine and Selene both staring at me like I was some crazy drunk that had been rambling on nonsensically for the past few hours.
I took exception to those outrageous claims made by their silent stares.
"Ah, hello ladies, what brings you here at this hour…?"
Selene decided to enlighten me, "Well, it's nighttime for one."
"Oh, so it is…."
Looking around the room I noticed there was a rather large pile of fur hides collecting dust along the side. The same furs that Katherine and Selene had collected. While I toiled in the dirt, they had been hunting nearly every day for the past month and change.
During my downtime while constructing the lodge, I would skin the hides of the animals they had brought back and there were at least a hundred wolf pelts in the corner, probably triple that in fox pelts, and I didn't want to count but I took a guess that there were a thousand rabbit pelts as well.
In truth, I had completely forgotten about the pelts and the massive pile of dried jerky that weighed in excess of a few thousand pounds.
A thought occurred to me, "Oh, that solves the food problem! Excellent!"
Selene continued to be the only one to respond, "What are you talking about now… I think Katherine and I might be best leaving if you're so mentally unstable…."