Chapter 29: Crafting for Coin (2/2)

Only after the old man spoke again was I able to snap out of it.

“You must be new to the university, huh?”

“Yes, I just enrolled this year.”

“I thought I hadn’t seen your face before.”

After a moment of thought, the old man pulled out a few small dolls from the wall.

He handed them to me.

“Here’s a gift. Take them.”

“No, it’s fine.”

I felt uncomfortable with this inexplicable kindness and quickly stepped back, but the old man was more experienced.

He threw the dolls straight into my arms.

I hastily caught them.

“By the way, what’s your name?”

“Evron.”

I answered absentmindedly.

I still didn’t fully understand what was going on.

I had just come to scout out other dollmakers who might be my competitors, yet here I was receiving gifts.

“I’m Mauro. I’m the head of the dollmakers’ association.”

I had thought his name was On, given the sign outside that said “On’s Doll Workshop.” But as my gaze followed the old man’s, he chuckled.

“On is the name of our association, named after the first head. Now I’m the head, so I use the name.”

The old man resumed assembling a cleaning doll as he continued speaking.

“You must be very confused right now. Wondering why I’m being so kind to you.”

I awkwardly nodded.

The old man glanced at me before turning his attention back to the doll.

“It’s an old tradition in our association to gift dolls to newcomers. Even though you’re not a member, you work with dolls, so I’m giving them to you. It’s been almost thirty years since a new dollmaker like you arrived.”

I cautiously bowed my head, showing my gratitude.

After all, there was no need to refuse a gift.

The old man smiled as he watched the completed cleaning doll smoothly move after receiving magic.

The movements were much cleaner than before.

It was astonishing that even more efficiency could be extracted from it.

“Well, you can go now. When you come back, greet me first.”

The old man waved his hand.

At that, the cleaning doll led me out.

I was thrown out without a word.

Dazed, I looked at the dolls in my arms.

They weighed heavily, reminding me this wasn’t a dream.

‘What on earth was happening?’ I put the dolls into a space pouch.

I had to analyze them when I got back; after all, the old man must have given them to me with that in mind.

I looked around again.

Other doll workshops caught my eye.

I cleared my throat and moved toward them.

Though the old man might have figured out my intentions, I couldn’t miss the opportunity to see as much as I could.

So I quietly visited other doll shops.

They all sold dolls with unique characteristics.

Luckily, no one else seemed to notice I could handle dolls like the old man had.

That must have been a special skill of his.

Relieved, I stuffed more dolls into my pouch.

I had spent almost a hundred points just buying them.

***

I made my way back to the inn.

Since I had spent so many points, I had to make sure to get results that were worth it.

I locked myself in the room and began disassembling the dolls.

Every time I examined their circuits, I was amazed.

The old man’s dolls were designed for maximum efficiency, as I had seen in his store.

Their forms made them seem like mass-produced items.

There were traces of design for mass production, with minimal materials used, yet easy to replicate with just a little manipulation.

Another doll was light, almost like a cloud.

Uniquely, it was made using ghosts as material.

The circuits glowed as it moved, weaving a beautiful pattern in the air.

‘How could someone make such a doll?’ I marveled deeply.

Another doll was tiny, even smaller than my fingernail.

Dozens of them gathered to form a giant doll.

It was like liquid, constantly changing shape.

These tiny dolls created a massive magic circle, an intricate design that must have required unimaginable resources and effort to create.

There were other dolls, too, each one different from the next.

It took me all night to disassemble them.

Each doll carried its own meaning.

I realized that these were skills I could never replicate.

All the dollmakers were advancing their craft in their own ways.

As I marveled at their immense possibilities, I came to a sobering realization: I was lacking so much.

‘How many years would I need to reach the same level as them? It seemed like I’d have to spend as much time as I’ve already lived to even get close.’

A sigh escaped me as I reflected on my lack of talent and time.

But even though I was in awe, there was a major problem.

I hadn’t examined these dolls to advance my own skills.

I had come here to find a way to sell my own dolls.

But as I examined these dolls, it became clear they wouldn’t sell easily.

***

The streets around here were quiet, and there weren’t many people walking by.

This place was at the bottom, clustered at the outskirts, and there was a reason for that. ‘How had I missed it?’

In the end, I had spent my precious points, but I hadn’t gained much.

Of course, I had learned something about dollmaking, so it wasn’t all for nothing.

But I hadn’t achieved my original goal.

In the end, I was back to square one.

Still, while examining these dolls, I came to one realization.

I understood why they weren’t selling.

It was because they were too unique.

The creators’ personal tastes were deeply embedded in them, and clearly, only a few people would want such dolls.

Of course, the shops had to be making enough to stay afloat.

Look at those dolls—’who could pass them by without a second glance?’

It was clear that people interested in dolls were supporting these shops, helping them stay in business.

But I couldn’t be satisfied with that.

I wanted to learn more, make more, and earn more.

A small shop like that was no longer enough for me.

I had to learn from their mistakes.

I began to think about how I had been selling my own dolls so far.

At my shop, I sold dolls that were nothing special.

They were just the ones I liked, the ones I wanted to make.

Even though the business had been doing fine, I was satisfied with that.

Looking back, I had been just like them.

I told myself I was making dolls for the customers, but in reality, I was just making the dolls I liked, with my tastes clearly reflected.

That had to change.

‘So, how could I sell more dolls? How could I gather more points?’

I thought back to my life before opening the shop.

Before I had a shop, when I wandered the streets selling dolls, when I did odd jobs at an unlicensed shop.

Then, I saw a memory.

It was from the island.

Back then, I had made a doll for my father.

‘What kind of request had he made?’

I suddenly opened my eyes wide.

I had made the doll my father wanted.

I had put incredible effort into it.

My father was so satisfied that he gave me the opportunity to leave the island.

That’s when my dollmaking career truly began.

That was the direction I had to follow.

Back then, I instinctively knew how to make money with my dolls.

As the years passed, my desire to make better dolls turned me away from that business sense.

That had been my mistake all along, up until this very moment.

I had to revive that feeling from back then.

I needed to craft dolls tailored specifically to the customers, adding the right functions to fit.

That would clearly differentiate my dolls from those of other dollmakers in the street.

But there was still a problem.

I looked around.

The narrow inn room stared back at me.

Other dollmakers had their shops.

But right now, I had neither a shop nor any recognition.

I couldn’t just set up a stall here.

Soon, the lectures would begin.

‘Then where and what kind of dolls should I sell?’

I narrowed my eyes.

I had a very favorable location.

Professor Irien’s tower.

It was my base.

Two hundred students would come to her lecture.

I would make dolls just for them, dolls they couldn’t leave without buying.