Chapter 635 – Progress Updates.

“He seems to be doing better this time around.”

Roland murmured to himself as he looked over Bernir’s trial information. By now, he could roughly gauge how far a person had progressed in the trial. All he needed to do was compare the time dilation that occurred within the ascension space during the first attempt to the second one. Once he knew how much time had passed inside the trial, the rest was simple calculation.

“But that is probably not enough time.”

Even though the internal time had increased, it was not by much. Bernir, who had been sitting motionless in the chair, suddenly moved and his eyes snapped open.

“No! Get away from… huh?”

This awakening was far more intense than the last. After seeing some of the final images recorded from the trial, Roland understood why. The last moments showed disturbing scenes of people dying, and a few faces even looked familiar.

“Isn’t this one of the Union dwarves?”

He tilted his head in confusion but quickly turned back to the console to begin the process of saving Bernir’s memories. Thanks to this technology, each attempt became easier, and the tests showed that Bernir was retaining more memories each time.

“It’s fine. Just breathe, Bernir. You are back.”

“Ahh. It is you, Boss. What was that faceless creature?”

Bernir could recall a portion of what had happened. It seemed the trial had shifted into a management scenario. From what Roland could tell, Bernir had been tasked with crafting weapons for multiple people. It was not as simple as producing individual pieces of equipment. He had to run the entire smithy, purchase materials, and even manage other workers. It was a much trickier challenge for someone who had never truly held a leadership role.

‘With his current stats, he could probably learn a basic identification skill. I should buy him the skill book.’

After learning what the main trial required, Roland could finally plan which support skills would help Bernir the most. Identification was usually tied to classes with high intelligence, which made it unsuitable for craftsmen who focused on strength, dexterity and endurance. However, Bernir was level one hundred fifty and met the minimum requirements for the lesser version of the skill.

Even without a combat class, certain abilities like identification could still be learned by craftsmen, though they rarely did so because of the high cost. Identification in particular could be mimicked with simple runic magic, so there wasn’t really a point to it.

“Sorry, Boss. I failed again.”

“Do not worry about it. Most people fail their first three attempts, and many do not clear it until the eighth or even later.”

“Haaa…”

Bernir’s shoulders slumped forward, and he stood up from his seat. He was about to go away, but before he could, Roland grasped his good arm.

“Boss?”

“Here.”

“…”

The assistant’s eyes twitched as he was handed a pile of papers. He scanned them quickly. There were books about managing businesses and workers, as well as ones on how to perceive scammers and how to spot untrustworthy merchants.

“Just study these before you enter again, and do not worry. I will bring better ones for you later.”

“Th-there is more? How did you even know what the trial would be about, Boss?”

Roland could see the confusion in Bernir’s eyes, but he quickly explained.

“I had a hunch, but I did not want to overwhelm you with too much homework before you tried again. Do not worry. I will bring you more once you finish this. You need to be prepared for every possibility.”

Bernir’s head slumped as he heard he would have to read even more books, but Roland only shook his head and answered calmly.

“You will get through it.”

The two parted, and for the moment, Roland returned to his main room with Sebastian, surrounded by many glowing panels. Text streamed across several of them, the light reflecting off his focused gaze. No ordinary person would be able to absorb that much information, but in half a minute, he had already read all the reports his people had sent.

“Robert is doing well as the temporary leader. He has managed to clear out all the crime syndicates. The people in the city even gave him a nickname. Durendal the Just.”

He continued reading about his brother’s progress. Even though the city was cut off on one side, trade continued to flow through Albrook, and soon it would also move through the underground railway.

“The Union seems to be doing fine; I don’t really need to oversee them.”

Another report described the work the dwarves were doing. The railways were being laid at a steady pace, and the construction of a runic train was already underway. He did not need to involve himself because the dwarves considered train building an honorable task and worked overtime to complete it, even when the pay was meager.

“Arthur’s mother’s case is on hold for now.”

The test for creating runic eyesight was progressing quite well, but one problem remained. Aeloria, Arthur’s mother, was locked away in Isgard, which made it impossible for him to perform the proper tests that might help her regain her sight. Even if he managed to create a suitable device, he was certain that the Duke’s people would refuse to deliver it to her. She was guarded carefully in her little bird cage, and even well-intentioned gifts would not reach her.

“But it still needs refinement to suit a noble lady. Something made of silver would probably be best.”

Roland did not know much about the trends followed by noblewomen, yet he could draw inspiration from the modern world. People there often wore ornate masks to masquerades, especially designs inspired by the Baroque period. This style did not seem to be known in this world, so perhaps it would allow Arthur’s mother to stand out and leave an impression.

“That blacksmith made it to the city, but his requests are being ignored. I hope he will not be in danger.”

The man he had saved was being watched by his own people, and the information that arrived suggested that his case was not being taken seriously. A report had been filed along with a request, but the guild was making the process difficult. They were considering sending someone to investigate, yet Roland knew that no evidence would be found. The man would be left in limbo.

“He will not be able to return to the dungeon easily. Not many people travel there, and most would rather avoid the burden of protecting a blacksmith who has very little to his name.”

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The man seemed stuck for the time being and would have to wait for the examination to be completed. If his request was denied, he might try to earn enough money to join an expedition and hope that no one double crossed him on the way.

“Then there is the Institute and Julius.”

So much work was piling up that Roland was unsure where to begin. He wished he could focus solely on the dungeon, since his levels were increasing quickly. He did not need to return to the Institute any time soon, but his sister would be attending again. He did not plan to watch over her constantly, yet he needed to be certain she was safe.