The next morning, she had a decision to make. The more she learned about the mages, the less attractive that option became. She had assumed that if she just got to them she would be fine, but it turned out to be much more convoluted.

Not only was Frostgate City many weeks away even on the fastest horse, but getting to the city was only the smallest requirement. To get into the city’s inner ring, she would have to either be an official mage or get accepted into one of the magic schools. The latter was her best option, and the most likely to net her a reasonable amount of resources. It might also be interesting to find out what new spells had been invented in the last few thousand years. There was a problem though: those schools had an entrance fee and a tuition, and just the entrance fee already was rumored to be a whopping 30000 gold coins.

According to her estimations, all of her family’s possessions amounted to less than half that amount.

Because of all this, staying put looked like her best option for now. If everything went wrong, she could always take another body and infiltrate a different noble family, but any family with the means to send her to such a school was also much more likely to detect a family member being taken over.

She had to focus on her advantages for now, and turn this thing around. As far as she could tell, she had at least one thing going for her: this family lacked leadership. Her parents were away on business for an undetermined amount of time, and if she could prove herself to her people somehow, she could discretely take the reins and keep this family above water. As soon as she had a little bit of influence, coming up with the gold for the magic school and the resources would only be a matter of time. Her being young again, she had no shortage of that.

As she washed and dressed herself, plans started taking form in her head. The first thing she did was summon Mira and two of her guard core. She would need credibility and an air of authority if she wanted to give orders. Plus, there might still be assassins out there, and she had no desire to confront them alone in her current state.

While waiting for them, she had her soul bridge overlay the map from her brother’s office over her vision. The castle was in the center, and right next to it passed the river that she had seen from the carriage. It originated from a mountain range to their east, and disappeared into the forest to the south.

That river was precisely one of the problems she intended to investigate, since according to her brother’s reports, the yields from their fishing operations were inexplicably low for a river that size. That was a problem, since they would need all the food they could get to survive the coming winter.

Another issue was that forest. The Mutated Forest, the map called it. It scared people, and was said to be full of monsters, or even cursed, and it cost them lives every day. Right now she couldn’t address that though, but she could certainly go check out what was going wrong with the fishing.

Soon Mira arrived, two guards in tow. “Here we are, my lady. What did you need us for?”

“Thanks Mira. After that last attack, I feel like I need some more protection than usual. Especially if there are still similar threats out there. You understand?”

“Of course, D.” the knight said, resolution showing on her face. “Don’t worry, you’re safe with us. Nobody is getting in here.”

“No, you misunderstand.” Devina said. “We’re going out. I want to inspect the fishing operations.”

Mira’s eyebrows creased at hearing that. “Wouldn’t that be more your brother’s job? Or your father? Anyway, you know as well as I that there could be assassins out there! I know you haven’t forgotten about what happened last time. Your uncle-”

Devina just walked out the door, smiling back at her protector. “I know. That’s why I’m bringing you along. I fully trust you to keep me safe.”

A while later they arrived at the riverbank. Mira grumbled had all the way, though she stayed alert and did not try to argue again.

Devina approached and knelt right next to the streaming current, her eyes scanning the water. Large fish swam by, their scales glinting in the sunlight. She frowned, puzzled by the sight of fishermen in small boats, using only fishing poles to catch their prey.

“Excuse me, my lady,” a gruff voice called out. “Are you lost? Should you be out here with those bandages?”

Devina turned to see a middle-aged man approaching her, worry etched on his weathered face. His clothes were simple but sturdy, suited for a life on water.

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“I’m fine, thank you,” Devina replied, her voice carrying a hint of authority. “Are you the head fisherman?”

The man’s expression shifted, a mix of surprise and wariness crossing his features. “No, my lady. I’m just an assistant, Gregor is the head fisherman.”

Devina nodded, her gaze returning to the river. “Why aren’t you catching those large fish? They seem plentiful.”

The assistant fisherman chuckled, though there was little humor in it. “Begging your pardon, my lady, but those big ones are too smart for us. They just take the bait off the hooks and swim away.”

“And nets?” Devina prompted.

“They’d bite right through ‘em,” the man replied, shaking his head.

Devina’s eyes narrowed slightly. “I see. Please fetch Gregor for me. I’ll need to speak with him.”

As the assistant hurried off, Devina could feel the eyes of the other fishermen on her. Their expressions ranged from curiousity to skepticism, and she noted how some of them whispered among themselves.

A few minutes later, a tall, broad-shouldered man approached. His beard was streaked with gray, and his eyes held a hardness that spoke of years battling both the river and the hardships of life.

“You asked for me, my lady?” Gregor’s tone was polite, but Devina could detect an obvious current of condescension.

“Yes,” Devina replied, her voice firm. “I want you to gather all the nets you have. Meet me back here in two hours. We’re going to try something new.”

Gregor’s eyebrows rose. “With all due respect, my lady, we know these waters. We’ve been fishing here for generations. If there was a better way-”

“Two hours, Gregor,” Devina interrupted, her tone brooking no argument. “Gather your men and your nets. You’ll see what I have in mind then.”

As she turned to leave, Devina could hear the muttered conversations behind her. She caught snippets of “brat” and “doesn’t know what she’s doing”, but she paid them no mind. She had work to do.

Two hours later, Devina returned to the riverbank. A small crowd had gathered - fishermen, curious villagers, and even a few of the castle staff. In her hands, she carried a basket filled with fist-sized stones, each carved with intricate symbols.

Gregor stepped forward, his expression a mixture of resignation and irritation. “We’re here as you asked, my lady. Though I still don’t see what good it’ll do.”

Devina nodded, reaching into her basket. “These stones have special properties,” she explained, holding one up for all to see. “They calm fish and attract them. We’ll use them with your nets.”

A ripple of disbelief ran through the crowd. George scoffed openly. “Begging your pardon, my lady, but that’s nonsense. Stones don’t catch fish.”

“Perhaps not usually,” Devina conceded. “But these aren’t usual rocks. Let’s try it, shall we? Unless you’re afraid of being proven wrong?”

The challenge in her voice was clear, and Gregor’s face reddened slightly. He gestured to one of his men. “Alright then. Thomas, bring the net.”

Thomas, a young fisherman with a skeptical expression, broght forward a large net. Under Devina’s instruction, he placed one of the carved stones in the center of the net.

“Now,” Devina said, “cast it into the deepest part of the river.”

With a shrug, Thomas did as he was told. The net sank into the water, and for a moment, nothing happened. Then, the water’s surface began to ripple subtly.

“Pull it in,” Devina commanded after a few minutes. Thomas and another fisherman began to haul on the net. As it emerged from the water, gasps of surprise erupted from the crowd. The net was full of large fish, more than any of them had ever seen caught at once.

Gregor’s eyes widened in disbelief. “How… how is this possible?”

Devina allowed herself a small smile. “As I said, these stones have magical properties. They create vibrations that attract the fish and calm them, making them easier to catch.”

She turned to address the crowd of fishermen. “Use these stones with your nets from now on. You’ll be able to catch far more fish, enough to feed the whole village and maybe even have some left over to trade.”

As the fishermen excitedly began to examine the catch and discuss this new method, Devina pulled Gregor aside.

“I’ll need you to organize shifts.” She told him. “We don’t want to overfish the river. And we’ll need to set up a proper system to preserve and distribute the extra fish.”

Gregor nodded, his earlier skepticism replaced by a grudging respect. “Yes, my lady. I… I apologize for doubting you earlier.”

Devina waved his apology away. “No need for that. Just make sure this new method is put to good use. Our people need food, especially with winter coming.”

As she turned to leave, Devina could hear the excited chatter of the villagers and the fishermen. She allowed herself a moment of satisfaction. She had taken a significant step towards solving their food problem, and she would soon work on some other ideas she had to solve it completely. There were many ways to get food, so this was going to be the easy part.

Her solution came with a sizable drawback, of course. From what she had seen so far, magical items were not a common occurrence. It would certainly draw attention, and once her brother heard of it he might have questions for her. She planned to avoid them or claim that a traveling merchant had left the stones, or perhaps she acquired them on her trip before the bandit attack. It wasn’t ideal, but under the circumstances, she couldn’t afford to be too discreet.

Given how George’s style of government consisted of sitting in his office and reading reports, it was possible he wouldn’t even hear of her involvement until much later.

The stones she had handed out bore basic tranquilization runes, similar to those used to calm insects in the academy gardens so they wouldn’t bite anyone. With minor adjustments, she had repurposed them for this situation.

Working with runes again was deeply satisfying, even if these were rudimentary—just a mana collection rune and a small circuit to generate vibrations. She’d even had to send someone to fetch a hammer and chisel to carve the necessary lines in the rocks.

Anticipation surged within her at the prospect of creating more intricate tools and artifacts in this new age, but she still had other pressing matters to attend to.

She had sent someone ahead to summon Elena to her rooms, and as expected, the woman was already waiting at the door upon her return.