"CHEERS!" Bert raised his mug in the air with a booming shout and one massive foot braced against the long wooden table.

The several dozen individuals crowding the rebuilt goblin longhouse — a rowdy mix of Adventurers and cave goblins — echoed his cheer. The large man threw back his mug and drained it in a single gulp, eliciting another cheer from the crowd.

Even for a man of Bert's size and constitution, the Deep alcohol was working its magic, if the slight rosy color spreading across Bert's face said anything. The goblins had really broken out the good stuff for their welcome.

Maggy smiled at the scene, sipping conservatively at her own drink. Robert might have been their charismatic leader who could charm the leggings off royalty and cultivators alike, but few people could out-party Big Bert.

When the expedition party first arrived in the goblin village several hours ago, the villagers were — understandably — weary of the Adventurers. If their stories could be believed — and the ongoing construction and repairs said they likely could — then the village was still recovering from a bandit attack.

Bandits who dared call themselves Adventurers as well.

It didn't take much to understand why the goblins would hesitate to welcome them.

Yet, between Robert's politicking and Bert being Bert, the villagers slowly warmed up to the group. Most of the expedition party was currently camped outside the village, throwing their own little party, while the party leaders — Robert, Maggy, Bert, Garrelt, and several team captains — were invited to the goblin's longhouse for a welcome feast.

That brought them to the present.

Bert sat back in his seat, where a goblin quickly refilled his mug. Maggy was pretty sure there was a bet going around regarding how many mugs the large man could down. Not that Bert was the only one having a good time.

Garrelt stood around with a group of hunters, regaling them with the tale of one of his hunts. The man animatedly waved a large drumstick as if it were a sword while the hunters listened in awe.

Robert sat next to Antchaser and the goblin who was introduced as the village Elder. The three of them huddled over a small map, pointing at various markers and occasionally sipping their drinks.

Maggy… Maggy sat at the table's edge, picking at the food on her plate and attempting to blend into the background as much as possible. A few goblins had approached her and tried to strike up a conversation, but after some awkward small talk, they wandered away.

Maggy had never been one for social gatherings like this. She was far more comfortable in a lab or library than in a room full of people talking. Some people, like Bert, may have been the life of the party and enjoyed every moment. But Maggy had found that such things drained her more than anything.

As she sat there, wondering if she could sneak away to find some peace and quiet, Maggy felt someone slide in beside her. Maggy turned, expecting to see another goblin. Instead, she met the gaze of an older human woman beaming at her.

Maggy's eyes widened, and she froze. Then, suddenly, she lunged at the woman and wrapped her in a tight hug.

"Grandma Maria!" Maggy squealed.

Dr. Maria laughed and patted the young woman on her back, returning the hug. "Hello Magnolia, it's good to see you too."

Maggy grinned from ear to ear as she pulled away from the older woman. Of course, Dr. Maria wasn't actually her grandmother. Rather, the older woman was such a common sight in the slums and poorer parts of Halirosa that almost everyone who grew up there would know the doctor by sight, Maggy being no different.

Dr. Maria's policy of offering free treatment to anyone under the age of 16 had greatly endeared her to the less fortunate of Halirosa. Many started worrying about the old doctor when no one had seen her in the last few months. So seeing her here, alive and well, filled Maggy's heart with joy.

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However, that joy soon turned into confusion.

Maggy furrowed her brow. "What are you doing here, Maria? Do you know how many people have been worried about you?!"

Dr. Maria laughed and patted the young woman's head. "Don't worry about me, child. I may be old, but I'll likely outlive all of you! The benefits of being a Spiritual Doctor and all that," she winked at Maggy.

She turned away and looked down into her own mug, swirling it as she continued. "As for why I'm here… the same reason as you, my girl. I was hired to do a job. Didn't expect to be gone this long, I'll admit, but that's life. You never know it will throw your way."

Maggy frowned and tilted her head. "A job? All the way out here?" Maggy looked around the room at the gathered goblins. "Couldn't they have found a doctor in one of the bigger Deep Tribes? Why did they go all the way to Halirosa to bring you here?"

Dr. Maria chuckled. "What I do doesn't come cheap, girly. I've got to take what opportunities present themselves." Dr. Maria looked away, though Maggy didn't seem to notice the look in her eyes. "No matter who offers them…"

Maggy's eyes went wide the next moment. "Wait, does that mean you were here when the bandits attacked?!"

Dr. Maria sighed and nodded. "Aye… I was here when they attacked… What a mess that was, too. I tried my best to help, but…" the old woman sighed and took a long swig before continuing. "Even with my help, we lost several. Magnolia, don't take some of the things the goblins might say or do to heart. They've… been through a lot. More than is reasonable, even for a place like this."

"I see…" Maggy responded, staring down into her own mug. She'd listened to the story that Antchaser had told them and assumed it had been just a standard attack. That kind of thing was just a fact of life when you lived in the smaller villages around the Crimson Mountains. Bandits could be a surprisingly… reasonable lot. Most weren't needlessly violent or cruel as long as you did what you were told and didn't cause any issues.

Most.

But the way Dr. Maria described it, it sounded like things had been far worse than normal.

Dr. Maria suddenly threw her mug back, drained its contents, and slammed it onto the table with a satisfied sigh. Maggy jumped and turned to Dr. Maria, who smiled back at the younger woman.

"It's not been all bad," Dr. Maria said. I've learned a lot here — more than I ever expected. I even picked up a long-term contract, if you can believe that!"

"A long-term contract?" Maggy parroted. Was goblin medicine that interesting? She knew they did things differently down in the Deep, but was it really by that much?

Dr. Maria nodded. "Yep. I'll have to make arrangements with my clinic in Halirosa, but that's what I have apprentices for. Overall, I think it will be a great boon to the city in the long run."

Maggy smiled nervously at the fire in the older woman's eyes. She'd never seen that look from Dr. Maria before, and it felt… odd.

Yet, the doctor looked excited, and Maggy couldn't bring herself to ruin this obvious opportunity for someone she so highly respected.

The two sat in silence for a moment before Dr. Maria turned to Maggy. "Well, that's enough about me. What brings you here, girl? After you got accepted to the Mage's Tower, I never thought they'd manage to drag you out. I still remember the excitement on that little street urchin's face when the test returned positive for Mana conversion."

That was another service Dr. Maria offered to the children of Halirosa.

Technically, anyone could cultivate or learn some minor cantrip, but to truly succeed in either cultivation or magic, one needed the talent. For Cultivators, it was as simple as being able to draw in more Spirit Energy than others.

For Mages, things were more complicated. One needed to show the potential to transform their dantian into a Mana furnace. To do that, their dantian needed to actively convert Spirit Energy into Mana instead of just the passive ability all living things were naturally capable of.

This wasn't something that could be trained naturally. It was something you could either do or you couldn't. This was also why magical ability was often thought to be mostly hereditary. The child of two Mages was far more likely to possess the ability, though every so often, the random village child or street urchin would show the talent as well.

Maggy blushed and turned away from Dr. Maria's grin. "Well… teacher said I was spending too much time in my books. He said if I wanted to be a real Mage, I needed to get out in the world…" she muttered into her mug.

Dr. Maria erupted into laughter, causing several nearby goblins and Adventurers to glance in their direction. Maggy shrunk into herself, blushing deeper as she felt their gaze.

Dr. Maria patted the girl on her back. "Don't sell yourself short, Maggy. I've read some of your papers." Maggy perked up at that, her eyes growing wide. She would have never expected Dr. Maria to read any of her work. The doctor smiled and continued, "Your theories about the Old Ruins are absolutely fascinating, young lady, and your work with runes would make some of your seniors blush in shame. It seems the bigshots in Halirosa agree with me, or they would have never brought you into this expedition."

Maggy turned away, her face almost cherry red at this point, though a small smile crossed her lips.

"Thanks…" the young woman mumbled.

Dr. Maria grinned and patted Maggy on the back again. "Don't worry, child. I know you're nervous, and rightly so! But you're far more talented than you give yourself credit for. I expect great things from you, young lady, and I've seen many, many come before you."

Maggy's smile grew a little wider, and she nodded, softly sipping her mug.

Unnoticed by the young woman, a small wasp slipped out of Dr. Maria's sleeve as she patted the girl and crawled into Maggy's robes.