Chapter 80: Jielika

Knock, knock, knock.

A rhythmic and steady knocking sounded, echoing through the empty hall.

Gao De, who had been busy all morning, stood up, quite surprised.

Was there business at the door? The Craftsman Guild's "advertisement" should only have gone up this morning; was its ability to attract customers really that strong? Or was it some passerby who noticed the cloth banner he had hung up just at noon? Thinking this, Gao De walked to the entrance and opened the door.

The visitor was an extremely beautiful and young lady, her pale purple long dress shimmering with light, outlining a figure with great charm.

There was a faint, water-like melancholy in the lady's eyes.

Behind her stood an elderly man in uniform with a respectful expression, who appeared to be a "butler" figure.

A beautifully decorated carriage was parked by the roadside, and the sturdy horses gently flicked their manes in the breeze.

"Hello, may I ask if Master Google is in? I have something to discuss with him," the young lady asked politely.

"If the Master Google you speak of is the restoration craftsman Google Ditu, then that is me," Gao De replied just as politely.

"Ah?!" The beautiful lady covered her mouth with her hand, her eyes widening in great surprise.

"You are Master Google?"

When Anna had pitched "Google Ditu" to her, she hadn't mentioned his age.

Following common sense, she instinctively assumed that a restoration craftsman recognized by the Craftsman Guild must be a man at least thirty years old or older.

Yet, upon meeting him, she was shocked to discover that this master was even younger than she was.

This made her subconsciously hesitate.

"Yes. If you are here to have a magical creation restored, please come in; we can discuss the details inside." Gao De turned his body, clearing the path, and pointed to the guest area he had specifically tidied up in the hall.

All beginnings are difficult.

For a technical job like a restoration craftsman, as long as the skill was up to par and the first few jobs were completed well, business would naturally pick up through word-of-mouth among customers.

And the young lady before him was clearly of noble status and extraordinary.

If this job were done well, it would definitely be a huge boost to his "career."

Therefore, Gao De also valued this business that had come to his door very highly.

The young lady nodded in acknowledgment and then stepped into the room.

The old man did not follow her in, but waited at the door.

Led by Gao De, the young lady sat down at the table in the hall.

"Sri Lankan black tea, is that alright?" Gao De asked politely, not holding out much hope for a positive answer.

Although Sri Lankan black tea was a mid-range tea, it was generally decent for entertaining guests.

But clearly, the lady in the purple dress before him did not fall into the "general" category.

"That's fine, thank you." The young lady nodded slightly, her manners elegant.

Gao De pinched a small amount of tea leaves from the canister, placed them into an exquisite cup, and poured in the prepared hot water before sitting down with the two cups of tea.

"How should I address you?" Gao De placed one of the cups of black tea in front of the young lady.

"Jielika." Jielika took off the exquisite white gloves she was wearing, picked up the teacup, took a symbolic sip, and set the cup down again.

She looked at Gao De with anticipation mixed with slight doubt and said, "Master Google, I would like to restore this magic necklace. Do you think it's possible?"

She took that exquisite necklace out from the side pocket of her dress again and displayed it before Gao De.

Gao De carefully observed the crack in the center gemstone of the necklace, and upon confirming that although it was split in two, there were no missing parts, he immediately felt relieved.

According to the rules of 【Restoration】, as long as the object had no missing parts, let alone being split in two, even if it were shattered into a hundred or eighty pieces, as long as there was enough patience and time, 【Restoration】 could perfectly repair it.

Gao De shifted his gaze to look at his very first client in his career as a "restoration craftsman" and asked cautiously, "What is your estimated repair budget?"

"If it's not possible—" Jielika's words came to an abrupt halt.

After hesitating for a few seconds, she asked uncertainly, "Do you mean you can restore it?"

"Of course." Gao De was also a bit puzzled in his heart. "Could it be an alchemical creation above the 1st Circle?"

It didn't look like one, he pondered to himself.

Gao De, a pirated "restoration craftsman" who took shortcuts through spells, did not realize that a restoration craftsman capable of repairing 1st Circle magical creations could not necessarily repair every 1st Circle magical creation under any condition of damage.

If a restoration craftsman could truly repair magical creations under most conditions of damage, the value of a restoration craftsman wouldn't be so much lower than that of an "Alchemist."

Generally speaking, only the restoration of alchemical creations with minor damage or wear fell within the scope of a restoration craftsman's business.

It was precisely because of this that Jielika was testing him in this manner.

Because the damage to her necklace actually no longer fell within the restoration domain of a restoration craftsman.

In fact, Jielika didn't hold much hope in her heart either; she was just driven by emotion to make an attempt, never expecting to hear a definitive answer from Gao De.

Jielika widened her beautiful large eyes and blinked. "No, it's just a 1st Circle alchemical creation."

Her voice became cheerful. "10 gold coins... no, are 15 gold coins enough?"

"Miss Jielika, under normal circumstances, the repair cost for a 1st Circle alchemical creation is between 6-7 gold coins, depending on the value of the item itself and the degree of damage; the repair cost will fluctuate appropriately."

Gao De reminded her tactfully, "10 Saint Xi En gold coins is a reasonable price; 15 gold coins exceeds the market rate."

Although he really wanted to earn a bit more... but the background of this lady before him was clearly not simple. She didn't know the market rate, but he had to. Otherwise, if word got out, being sought out to settle accounts and refund money would be a small matter, but a ruined reputation would be a big deal.

Gao De was clear-headed; long-term business was the wise choice.

"It's fine, I'm not short of this little bit of money, as long as you can restore it well!" Jielika said heavily.

Are 5 gold coins also "little money"? As expected of a wealthy person. Gao De suppressed the "jealousy" in his heart and nodded. "I guarantee to restore it to its original state."

He had already reminded Jielika of the market rate; since Jielika still insisted on the high price of 15 gold coins, in terms of reason and sentiment, he had no reason to refuse again.

If someone insisted on sending money, was there any reason not to take it?

"Re—really?" Jielika still dared not believe it.

For this degree of damage, the young restoration craftsman before her not only dared to accept the restoration task but also dared to guarantee it with such a certain tone.

"It's just that this will take a few days," Gao De said with a gentle smile, explaining, "The restoration of 1st Circle magical items is not simple, and the damage to your necklace is relatively severe."

"I understand." Jielika expressed her understanding.

"One week, give me one week," Gao De thought for a moment and said, "On the 10th of the Sun-Shining Month, you can come to pick it up."

When his mana only supported casting five cantrips in one go, it took him ten days to restore the Tooth of Hidden Mist, which was also a 1st Circle supernatural object.

Now that his mana had increased, enough to cast seven cantrips in one go, the time to restore a 1st Circle supernatural object had decreased accordingly.

"Do I need to pay a deposit?" Jielika suppressed the excitement in her heart.

"No need, Miss Jielika, I trust your integrity." Gao De smiled.

Actually, I trust your financial strength, he said to himself.

"Alright, I will visit again in a week." Jielika put her gloves back on, stood up elegantly, stroked her chest with one hand, and performed a chest-stroking salute to Gao De.

"This is a necklace my mother left me. It has very important significance to me and is by no means an ordinary alchemical creation. I leave it to you, Master Google."

"I will do my best." Gao De guaranteed again.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 81 =====