After settling his horse and quickly organizing his inventory, Garrett immediately rushed to the warehouse to gather materials, then hurried to the industrial district to begin constructing various equipment.
First came the Dwarven Master Forge. The structure was nearly as large as the adjacent smithy building. It required considerable effort and substantial iron before Garrett finally completed its construction.
Next were various dwarven workstations and anvils of different sizes. One even featured a massive power hammer that required ceiling reinforcement to install properly.
After consideration, he decided to excavate a large underground workshop beneath the industrial district and relocate all the dwarven equipment below ground.
"Now this feels like a proper dwarven working environment," he said with satisfaction.
All underground, as it should be.
He loaded the smelting array with coal and stone.
As the fuel burned and released energy, the stones within gradually liquefied, producing containers of molten rock.
He immediately poured the lava into water, forming obsidian. Then he mined it using his dwarven refined steel pickaxe.
Just like that, the necessary material was obtained.
Moments later, in a newly prepared chamber, he opened his crafting interface.
[Achievement Unlocked: "Enchanter"]
Before long, a structure with an obsidian base, diamond-set corners, and a floating tome hovering at its center was placed upon the floor.
The Enchanting Table, finally completed!
Sensing someone nearby, the book opened automatically, orienting its pages toward Garrett for easier reading.
Quite mystical indeed.
Upon touching the tome, strange runes appeared across the pages. Garrett could decipher only fragments, the rest appeared as arcane script.
Only one enchantment property could be previewed in advance.
Of course, he wasn't planning to enchant anything immediately. After all, to maximize the enchanting table's potential, bookshelves were required.
[Achievement Unlocked: "Librarian"]
Soon, rows of tall bookshelves surrounded the enchanting table. As if summoned by some force, translucent runes drifted slowly from the bookshelves, gathering toward the floating tome at the table's center.
Gazing at the enchanting table, he suddenly realized: next time Halbarad visited, he would definitely call him a wizard again. And this time, there would be absolutely no way to explain it away.
Wizard it was, then, not an unpleasant title, really.
Confirming that the enchanting table had reached its maximum effectiveness, he excitedly withdrew his ancient elven blade and placed it upon the table.
Shhh.
The sword lifted from his hands and hovered above the enchanting surface.
Three options appeared within the tome. He dismissed the first two immediately, and focused on the third: [Sharpness IV...?]
Excellent, seeing this meant that at least one of the enchantments would definitely be Sharpness IV. The others would be random.
He checked his accumulated experience.
Level 47, sufficient to enchant quite a few items.
Without hesitation, he took out lapis lazuli.
Whoosh.
The lapis instantly dissolved, transforming into a stream of light that merged with the sword.
The final properties appeared before him:
Sharpness IV, Unbreaking III, Sweeping Edge III.
The sword's attack power increased from 9 to 11.5.
"Not bad at all."
He lifted the ancient elven blade. At first glance, it appeared much the same as before, but closer inspection revealed it now shimmered with a faint, ethereal glow, truly extraordinary.
The enchanted radiance didn't interfere with the light the sword emitted when orcs were near. Instead, it added a divine quality to the blade.
The more he examined it, the more pleased he became, he could hardly bear to set it aside. This weapon could fell an orc with a single strike.
Still, Sharpness IV didn't feel quite perfect.
He retrieved his elven steel armor and placed each piece sequentially on the enchanting table for enhancement.
Protection IV, perfect, enchant it immediately!
Unbreaking III? Didn't seem reliable enough, enchant a book to refresh the available options.
And so, his experience level steadily declined.
By the time he reached level 29, he had obtained a complete set of Protection IV elven steel armor, plus a book enchanted with Unbreaking III.
Seeing he was just short of another level, he went to cull another group of chickens. Then he enchanted another book.
Sharpness IV, Respiration.
Most fortunately, Garrett obtained exactly the properties he desired. And thus, a Sharpness V sword was created, boasting 12 points of attack power, surpassing any weapon in the original game.
With a complete set of Protection IV armor and an ancient elven sword even more powerful than the finest steel, he reckoned that if he encountered that twenty-strong warg cavalry he'd met in the Trollshaws again, he could now face them directly, no need for guerrilla tactics anymore.
As for trolls, the same applied, he could simply overpower them without employing any special strategies.
At this point, enemies below a certain threshold could no longer pose any genuine threat to him.
Leaving the enchanting table, he looked at his sword, which bore only three enchantments, and still felt it wasn't quite sufficient. But whether the enchantments were adequate or not, one thing was certain, he was depleted of experience.
Was there another method to acquire quality enchanted books?
Fishing.
Fishing could not only yield treasures but also grant experience.
The only obstacle, he needed string for a fishing rod.
String... Difficult to believe that after all this time, he still hadn't obtained any.
Would he truly need to venture forth and battle those man-sized, flesh-eating spiders? But those only existed in Mirkwood or the dark lands...
Wait.
He suddenly recalled a settlement he'd passed through in Bree-land. The farmers there appeared to be cultivating flax.
Flax, wasn't that...
He departed immediately, without hesitation.
---
A day later, he returned with seeds, planted them directly into prepared soil, and used bone meal to accelerate their growth.
[Crop obtained: Flax]
[Crafting Recipe Unlocked: 1 Flax = 1 String]
Perfect, no need to battle terrifying giant spiders after all.
Right on the spot, he established a flax field, used bone meal to mature the plants, and crafted a fishing rod.
He cast his line with enthusiasm!
Before he realized it, night had fallen.
Bows, leather, spoiled meat, bowls, tripwire hooks, sticks, water bottles, enchanted books...
"Too bad, nothing with good enchantments."
Looking at the chest filled with fish and miscellaneous items, he stretched wearily.
Still, after a full day of fishing, he had advanced past level 30 again.
Immediately, he crafted a new fishing rod and enchanted it.
Luck of the Sea III, Unbreaking III.
Unfortunately, there was no Lure enchantment available.
"Still pretty decent."
Luck of the Sea III more than doubled the likelihood of obtaining treasures compared to an unenchanted rod.
By now, night had completely descended.
He went to the ranch to tend the animals once more.
Click.
Several pieces of wool dropped into his inventory. This was the first time he had ever obtained wool.
Come to think of it, he'd never crafted a bed before.
The thought suddenly struck him.
After all, he didn't require sleep. If he chose, he could remain alert indefinitely.
In fact, he had never slept a single night within his own territory. He was always either mining or constructing. Even the "bed" in his chambers was merely two wooden planks arranged together, no bedding, nothing.
To be honest, it couldn't even be called a proper bed.
He fell into contemplation.
He didn't mind the spartan accommodations, but if guests ever visited, having them sleep on bare wooden planks was... rather inhospitable.
Not everyone was accustomed to such austere conditions.
Finally, he crafted his first proper bed.
Then he placed one in his master chamber and all the guest rooms.
"This should suffice."
He arranged three beds side by side in his bedroom, creating a large sleeping area.
Thud!
He collapsed onto it.
"Ahhhh, so comfy~"
He released a contented sigh as he sank into the soft wool bedding. Drowsiness crept over him, something no other resting place had ever induced.
Honestly, it was worthy of being crafted through his abilities, almost comparable to the beds in Rivendell...
[Respawn Point Set]
What?!
Whoosh!
Garrett's sleepiness vanished instantly as he bolted upright.