NOVEL NEXT Chapter 86: But she was just… inspecting me so thoroughly!
The scent of leaves that had been put over sleepy eyes still lingered in the air where Rob had been moments before, now presumably off to test his newly enhanced gadget. Griesa had declared his modifications "good enough for a glorified paperweight," a backhanded compliment Rob had nonetheless accepted with a single nod. Lena's Bubble Buckler, however, was apparently a more intricate undertaking, requiring "delicate recalibrations of the aetheric resonance," and Anders' Arcane Dissonance Brooch demanded "a thorough understanding of pre-Cataclysmic anti-detection matrices." In other words: more research.
With Lena and Anders occupied with their own grumbling and muttered magical theory, only Griesa and Blorbo remained in the cluttered workshop. Griesa turned her attention to the table as her head cocked to one side.
Finally. It's my time for an enhancement!
"Hmm…" She began a slow, deliberate inspection, her gaze sweeping over every surface. She ran a finger along one of Blorbo's legs, while the other side held her monocle closer. "Mmhmm," she murmured, then tapped a corner of the tabletop. "Interesting…"
What do you mean? Say something human!
Perched on her hat, the little rat, Kurix, scribbled furiously in a tiny notepad, its quill scratching against the parchment.
"Kurix, you got that?" Griesa talked to the rat.
She circled Blorbo, her eyes narrowing as she examined the way the legs were attached to the tabletop. "Hmm," she repeated, a thoughtful expression on her face. She even peered underneath, her nose inches from the dusty underside.
Blorbo, basking in the undivided attention, felt a surge of something akin to pride. She's taking her time, he mused, his non-existent chest swelling. She's truly delving into the intricacies of my design. It must be my hidden depths she's sensing, the subtle magical energies woven into my very being. Perhaps my aura is so uniquely powerful, so subtly disguised, that it demands this meticulous appraisal. This has to be the legendary Skill Appraisal of the Ten Thousand Realms! She recognizes my latent potential, the extraordinary capabilities waiting to be unlocked!
Finally, Griesa knocked on Blorbo's surface once and declared with utmost certainty, "This table… is the worst one I've ever seen!"
Worst? Me? But she was just… inspecting me so thoroughly! I thought... we had a connection!
"I really, truly tried to find even a single redeeming feature, a glimmer of magical ingenuity, a whisper of inherent enchantment… but there was absolutely nothing!" She threw her hands up in the air, and the toolbox clattered softly on the workbench. "It's just… a table! It's so bad the only chance for it to win a table duel at all is for it to look so useless that the opponents severely underestimate it."
Well, okay. That only means I can only get infinitely better from here! Enhance me now, then!
Griesa stared at Blorbo, her lips pursed in thought. Kurix, still perched on her hat, tapped his tiny chin with the end of his quill, seemingly mirroring her contemplation. Minutes ticked by, filled only with the scratching of Kurix's quill and the occasional sigh from Griesa. Blorbo, despite the initial insult, found himself on the edge of his seat. What wondrous upgrade awaited him? Perhaps self-cleaning functions? Or maybe the ability to subtly influence dice rolls during tabletop games? The possibilities, though table-centric, were exceedingly vast.
Stolen story; please report.
Finally, Griesa snapped her fingers. "Aha!" she exclaimed, a spark of something that might have been inspiration in her eyes. She leaned in towards Blorbo. "Alright, you abysmal piece of furniture, I think I have just the thing…"
Before she could elaborate, the workshop door burst open with a loud bang. A woman with vibrant green hair pulled back in a severe ponytail and wearing heavily reinforced leather armor strode in. She look equally desperate as she looked determined as she clutched a rather battered-looking mini-table to her chest. That table was even smaller than Blorbo.
"The Grease Queen!" she exclaimed so loudly that her voice echoed five times in the cluttered space. "Thank the gears you're here! I heard you're the only one who can help me!"
"The Grease Queen?" Griesa's eyes widened as if it was the first time anyone other than herself or her dad called her by that name. "Oh, yes. It is I! How can I help you?"
"The Grand Table Duel Championship Regional Qualifiers, of course!" the woman declared, clutching her table tighter. "It's tomorrow, and my Reginald here… well, he's seen better days. I have to win this. My family's honor, my entire life savings, it all rides on this tournament! And they say you're the miracle worker, the table whisperer, the one who crafts champions!" Her gaze was intense, pleading. "Please, Grease Queen, you're my only hope!"
Griesa eyed the battered table with a critical gaze. "Hmm," she mused again, stroking her chin. "Not every table possesses the inherent spirit of a champion, you understand. Some are simply born… pedestrian." She glanced at Blorbo. "However," she continued, turning back to the hopeful duelist, "your Reginald here… he has a certain… resilience about him. A stubbornness, perhaps. I can work with that."
Why do you sound so mature and professional now? Is it because she's a paying customer and I'm not? That's how you treat poor people, huh?
She tapped Reginald's tabletop again. "I can't promise you a flawless victory, mind you. The true masters of the duel have tables imbued with generations of arcane craftsmanship. But," she said, a glint in her eye, "I believe I can make Reginald good enough, just good enough, to take you to at least the regional official knock-out rounds. That, I find, is usually breakeven for most casual investors in this game."
Official knock-out rounds? Regional? Does that mean there are local knock-out rounds first? And then qualifiers for the regionals? There's like a qualifier for the qualifier too? How much money goes into funding all this? What's the economy of this bizarre sport?
Griesa circled the mini-table slowly, much like she had with Blorbo, though this time her expression was less one of bewildered disgust and more like how people would normally look at something they didn't hate. She tapped the tabletop, wiggled a leg, and even sniffed the wood.
Then her eyes widened. "This smell… This is Konjacwood!" She jumped back. "It's the mythical wood of the far East that I just happen to know because I am an engineering genius! Who did you get this from?"
"W-well… A merchant called Master Shifu. He said this would be a great piece for hopeful contenders," the woman replied.
Master Shifu?! Isn't that who we're looking for?
Then a quest showed up atop the customer's head.
[QUEST AVAILABLE–A Chance Encounter (1)]
Objective: Find out 3 key information about Master Shifu.
Reward: +800 EXP, +5 CP, +5 HP, +5 Random Stat Points for each clue revealed.
Prerequisite: 35 PER (You cannot accept this quest—PER: 34)
Failure: Master Shifu continues to be an enigma.