Jack took a deep breath, glancing around at his teammates. “Alright,” he said. “Here’s my suggestion. Let’s have Riku help with trapping. Esther can stay with me and help me with mead. We can revisit this once Amari gets back and the waves get tougher.”

  “So we give a minor to the mother? Even though she could potentially have a major?” Marie asked with a raised brow.

  “That’s right.”

  “Isn’t that a little wasteful?” Horace asked.

  “In this case, I believe it’s the most efficient,” Jack said.

  “Why not just have the kid brew instead?” Horace asked.

  Jack frowned. “He’s a kid. I don't feel comfortable with having him make alcohol, man.”

  “But wouldn't the system make it so that he thinks he's mixing juice?”

  “Maybe. But even so…”

  “I agree,” Amari said, interrupting the pointless discussion.

  “Fine,” Marie echoed.

  Jack paused, reflecting on how easily the team trusted him now—a stark contrast to how things had been with Amari in the beginning. Back then, Amari had accused him of being ill-mannered and a jerk. And now? Amari had just taken his advice and implemented it without a second thought. The contrast was almost startling.

  Jack clenched his fists slightly. He’d worked hard to earn this trust, and he wouldn’t let them down.

  Horace laughed. “So… we outsource trapping, uh? Like I said—no such thing as too many traps.” He gave Marie a sheepish grin before adding, “Properly marked traps, of course.”

  Marie rolled her eyes but didn’t object. “Just make sure he’s safe, okay? The last thing we need is any accidents out there.”

  There was another roaring sound coming from Amari's side. “Gotta go,” Amari said abruptly before disconnecting the call.

  Jack frowned. What was going on on his end? What was that roar? And why has he found aid packages, but we have no notifications on our end? He had so many questions, but Amari seemed too busy to answer.

  Jack approached Esther and Riku, crouching slightly to meet the boy’s eyes. “Riku,” he began gently, “we’d like you to help Horace set traps outside the walls.”

  Riku’s eyes lit up. “I get to set traps? Really?”

  Jack smiled. “Really. Horace will teach you everything you need to know.”

  Esther’s lips pressed into a thin line as she glanced between Jack and Horace.

  Horace approached and placed his hand on the boy's shoulder. “I won’t let anything happen to him. We’re just reinforcing areas we’ve already cleared, and I’ll be right there by his side the whole time.”

  Esther hesitated, her gaze flicking to her son, who was practically vibrating with enthusiasm. Finally, she exhaled and gave a small nod. “Alright. But if there’s any danger, you bring him back immediately.”

  “Of course,” Horace said with a reassuring smile.

  The pair walked away under Esther's concerned gaze.

  With that settled, Jack turned to the mother. “I’ll need your help with brewing. We’re going to mix up a batch of mead. It’s not difficult. We just need to figure out where to do this,” Jack said, glancing around the courtyard. “We could set up here or go back to the well where it will then age. The fermentation process might work better down there, but…”

  He trailed off as Esther stiffened, her gaze lingering on the well. Her shoulders tensed slightly.

  “You’d feel better staying here, wouldn’t you?” Jack asked.

  “I just want to keep an eye on my son. He’s excited, but…” Her gaze flicked back to Riku, who was chatting animatedly with Horace near the walls.

  “Then here it is. We’ll make it work.”

  Jack focused his gaze on her, prompting the system to divulge more information. Sure enough, a window opened, and he found the option to deposit a profession. Jack selected [Brewing], feeling a slight tug as it left his list of skills.

  You’ve temporarily loaned the [Brewing] profession to Esther. All [Brewing]-related skills and recipes are locked.

  Jack opened his menu, and his suspicions were confirmed. Not only were the exclusive brewing recipes grayed out, but synergies like the amphora recipe and the Jolly Good Fellow tune were locked, too.

  That answers what happens with synergies, Jack thought.

  “Do you need me to walk you through it?” he asked, pulling supplies from his inventory.

  “I’ve done some work at the local winery before. I’m good. Just tell me what you want me to do.”

  “Simple, really. Just make mead. You have the honey and water here, and I’ve prepared jars you can use for fermentation. Use these amphorae to store it once it’s ready to age.”

  Esther nodded and set to work. She first took stock of the ingredients and materials available. She started moving the pots around, grouping the largest ones. She ended up with ten huge pots Jack had made using the coiling method, lining them up in two rows of five.

  A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

  She disappeared briefly and returned with a ladle, a large spoon, and a few cloths.

  Where did she get those? She’s just as resourceful as her system description makes her out to be.

  She began pouring the honey into the ladle and counting aloud as she measured how much went into each pot. The faint aroma of honey filled the air, blending with the earthy scent of the courtyard. Jack inhaled deeply, finding the smell oddly comforting.

  She then reached for the water, carefully pouring it into a ladle and then into the pot to mix with the honey. After pouring the right amount into each pot, she stirred the mixture. The gentle slosh of liquid mingled with the soft clink of pottery, creating a calming rhythm that filled the courtyard.

  The firelight flickered against her features, highlighting the faint sheen of sweat on her brow. Her sleeves were rolled up just enough to stay out of the way, and every so often, she brushed a stray lock of hair from her face with the back of her wrist. Finally, she finished mixing her first batch of mead. She grabbed a cloth and placed it over the pot.

  Esther has crafted [Mead].

  +1XP in [Brewing].

  [Mead] is now fermenting.

  Jack watched from the sidelines, letting her work uninterrupted. When Esther finally ran out of water, she paused, straightening up and wiping her hands on her skirt. Her movements slowed as she glanced at the empty jars, then turned to Jack. “I’ll get more from the spring,” she said, her tone calm and matter-of-fact.

  Jack raised an eyebrow. “Do you know where it is?”

  “I do,” she replied simply.

  “Alright,” Jack said after a pause. He considered offering to go with her but decided against it. She seemed confident, and he suspected she’d welcome the chance to check on her son from atop the walls.

  “Just be careful,” he added.

  Esther nodded and walked off, her movements as steady and deliberate as they’d been while brewing.

  Jack couldn’t help but watch her departing figure with admiration. She’s an incredible worker. Even though she was just a computer program, Jack felt nothing but respect for her. Widowed, left to care for her son on her own, famished and weak, yet here she was—working tirelessly without a single complaint.

  I wish I could take these two with me, Jack thought. Having an NPC like her around makes everything so much easier.

  But he knew it was wishful thinking. All he could do was appreciate her help while he had it.

  Turning back to the fire, Jack decided to get busy, too. He grabbed a cooking pot and threw in a stack of insect fat, setting it over the flames to boil.

  Just in case we need oil.

  The fire crackled beneath the pot as the fat blobs began to melt, bubbling and hissing into a thick, golden liquid. The acrid smell became sharper, mingling with the earthy, slightly sweet scent of the melting fat. Jack watched the transformation with a mix of curiosity and distaste.

  While the fat melted, Jack pulled out his ocarina. This was why he had asked Esther to help with brewing—her task was mechanical and time-consuming, freeing him to focus on mastering the new songs in his repertoire.

  The Clay Dome song still eluded him, and he didn’t even know what it did yet. But he was determined to figure it out before the next wave hit. Settling onto a low stone near the fire, Jack began working through the tricky sections of the melody.

  Bending a note on the ocarina required a delicate balance of breath control and finger adjustment. He had to partially uncover a hole, tilting his fingers slightly to regulate the airflow while simultaneously modulating his breath. Too much pressure and the note would shriek sharply out of tune; too little, and it would waver, losing its clarity.

  He leaned forward, his brows furrowed as he played each note. Every time a bend sounded too sharp, or a transition faltered, he paused, carefully adjusting his fingers and breath until the sound felt right.

  The progress bar over the pot indicated the fat was ready. Jack stopped playing, shuffled to remove it from the fire, and placed another pot on the ground to prepare for straining. Grabbing a large cloth, he spread it over the second pot to use as a makeshift sieve.

  He picked up the hot pot with both hands, the searing heat biting into his palms.

  “Ouch! Ouch!”

  At first, he winced, but the sensation quickly dulled into a faint warmth. “Must be my fire resistance. Cool,” he muttered.

  Slowly, he poured the fat through the cloth. The liquid passed smoothly into the second pot, leaving behind little fragments of insect shells caught in the makeshift sieve. Jack examined the cloth, nodding in satisfaction. “Good. It worked.”

  He put the strained fat back on the fire for a final round of refinement before resuming his ocarina practice.

  After one more round of straining, he received a notification:

  You’ve crafted [Insect Oil].

  +30XP in [Bushcraft].

  “That wasn’t so bad,” he thought, looking at the golden oil shimmering in the pot. He took a cautious whiff. The smell wasn’t unpleasant, but it wasn’t exactly appetizing either. Shrugging, he poured the oil into a pot and stored it in his inventory before placing another batch of fat on the fire.

  By the time Esther returned with fresh water and resumed mixing honey, Jack was fully immersed in his playing. Esther moved quietly, pouring and stirring with steady efficiency. The faint clink of pottery and the rustle of her skirt occasionally broke through Jack’s focus, but for the most part, he was lost in the melody.

  As Jack worked on each transition and bend, Clay Dome began to take shape. It was an earthy, calming tune, its opening notes low and steady, rolling into one another like waves lapping against the shore. As the song progressed, higher passages added a delicate, fragile beauty, reminiscent of pottery spinning on a wheel. In some sections, as Jack bent the notes, the empty amphorae around him trembled faintly, resonating with the frequency of the ocarina.

  While each batch of fat slowly converted into oil, Jack’s mastery of the song improved. The sections he could play in one go grew longer, but his first attempts to play the entire melody fell apart. The system didn’t recognize his efforts, no matter how hard he tried. Gritting his teeth, all Jack could do was adjust his fingers and try again.

  Meanwhile, one by one, the pots of mead finished fermenting. Esther began straining the dead yeast out of the mead and transferring it into amphorae. Once they were filled, she placed the stoneware containers to the side, away from the sun and the fire.

  Jack had to admit that he failed to play Clay Dome properly more than once because of the sheer number of notifications flooding his vision. Each batch of mead that finished fermenting brought a generous reward:

  Esther has fermented [Mead].

  +30XP in [Brewing]

  Esther has fermented [Mead].

  +30XP in [Brewing]

  By the time the fourth pot finished fermenting, Jack was rewarded with a pleasant surprise:

  Congratulations! You’ve reached level 2 in [Brewing].

  Sadly, the level-up didn’t unlock any new skills, but progress was progress.

  And then there were his bees, who hadn’t stopped working since their arrival.

  A bee returns to the colony with nectar.

  +10XP in [Beekeeping]

  A new egg is laid.

  +5XP in [Beekeeping]

  To top it all off, he kept receiving notifications about the oil.

  You’ve crafted [Insect Oil].

  +30XP in [Bushcraft]

  Jack was progressing in multiple professions simultaneously, and the steady flow of notifications was exhilarating—but also distracting. He took a deep breath and tried to refocus, determined to master Clay Dome. Pushing aside the system messages, he poured all his effort into playing the song correctly.

  Finally, after what felt like hours, the song clicked into place. It wasn’t perfect by any means, but it sounded musical enough. Jack felt a subtle shift in the air as the final note rang out.

  The amphorae, jars, and cooking pots trembled violently as though gripped by an earthquake that ignored everything else. A dull red glow spread across their surfaces. It wasn’t bright or blinding, but it carried a certain weight—a quiet, unshakable confirmation that the melody had done something.

  “What’s happening?!” Jack yelped.