After Eryk dumps the soap-powder-water outside, he grabs another bucket, filled with clean water, and we head into the back room again. The entire time, I can't help but think about soap. I turn it over in my head again and again, but whatever it is, it's not coming to me right now. By the time we're safely locked in the back again, I have to give up on it. Maybe it'll come to me later.
"Ok, where was I...?" I speak aloud, trying to get my thoughts back on my testing. For the copper slag samples, I got completely distracted by the strange, squishy gray metal. So now I give the uncombined copper slag a test, mostly just rolling some of the little, gritty shards around in my palm.
There's nothing immediately obvious, but I try adding some water to see if it's like the other one, and I do get a hot soapy feel again, though with a bunch of other little bits of rock and stuff mixed in. I quickly wash it of since my hands are already stingingly clean. But now I'm wondering, what happens if I add water to the other stuff we've made? The burning powder had a similar reaction to spit, which is kind of like water I guess? Would it do something different with actual water?
And why water...?
Putting aside all these strange ideas - mostly since I already burned up all of those test samples - I get on to my actual mana tests. First is the copper slag we didn't combine. Just like the original ore, it gives me special light mana. So the slag does contain whatever creates it... Besides that, it turns a speckly yellow too, kind of like tin lighting up, but it doesn't actually make any light around it. It just gets those little specks of yellow coloring that disappear as soon as I drop the mana field. Hmm...
There's one other thing, though I'm not entirely sure what to make of it. The shards twitch just a tiny bit when I hit them with the mana field. I push harder, and one of the chunks tilts a little more, then rolls onto its side. It isn't exactly changing shape like sulphra does, and the effect doesn't only occur when I first hit it with the mana field. It keeps being pulled, but not strong enough to be a magnet. That must mean there's some non-magnetic metal left in the slag, right?
When I give it a try with a strong durite magnet, nothing happens. I push a mana field back over the powder, and this time, a few of the little chunks start sliding toward the magnet. Still not strong enough to call them magnetic, so it must mean that there's still some metal of some kind in the crushed up slag. But... metal that only acts like metal inside a mana field? Or maybe it's not a metal, but acts like one in a mana field anyway? Or maybe... I mean, there are some metals that aren't really affected by magnets, and some that push away, so anything could be possible...
Moving on to the combined copper slag, I don't get special light mana anymore. This pretty much confirms that this slag contains multiple, individual substances, which all have their own reactions to mana fields. So I guess the mana-giving substance inside combined with whatever else the slag contains - maybe the one that turns yellow, I don't see that happening anymore either. Unless the special light mana comes from the yellow one itself... Either way, whatever does combine makes this blobby, soft metal. But... they don't combine with the soap powder for some reason...?
I poke at it some more. While the soft metal doesn't give mana, it does come up and stick to my wrist pretty strongly, so it must be magnetic. Another test with my strong durite magnet though... "This one's also different in a mana field?" I continue speaking my thoughts aloud while nudging it with the magnet, nothing happening, and send a glance up at Eryk, who's been frantically scribbling every thing down for later. So... one only acts like a metal, while the other is actually magnetic. But just in mana fields for some reason...
As for the soap powder that comes out of it, I can't find any reaction. Since that's all for these samples, I turn to the next ones in line.
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After all of that, it turns out that the leftover slag from the most expensive metals - titanium and illium - are actually the least interesting of the bunch. Being a heavy, dark gray metal, these ones don't do anything particularly interesting like the burning or soap powders, they're not squishy like the other metal we made, and they don't burst into flames either. They're just really plain. In a mana field, they get pushed away from magnets instead of pulled toward them, like chromium does normally, but after some extra poking around, that's it, there's nothing else I can find.
"Mmm..." I mumble while staring. We got so many strange and interesting things out of the others, it's kind of suspicious that the leftovers from the best metals are the ones that do the least. "I guess they already get all the cool stuff out of the ore..." I mumble to myself.
With all my testing done, I look back up to Eryk as he finishes writing up his notes on everything. "Thanks. I'm going to have to think about all this more and I'd like to do more tests when I can, but I'm glad I got to learn more about all this stuff." Even if I am just muddling my way through it, I'm used to that with magic already, and I really do feel like I've learned a lot this time.
I gesture down to the uncombined copper. "Now that I know where I can get special light mana, can I buy some of this? U-uhh, please?" I remember to tag on a bit late.
Unexpectedly, Eryk makes an uncertain face in response to my question. I thought it would be no big deal, so why...? "Are you sure? Taking one of these out of here would probably draw attention, more potential thieves like the one earlier." Oh, that's why he's worried. It makes sense... "You could just take some copper ore, that would get the job done, wouldn't it?"
"It would," I agree, "but... the ore makes a bunch of other mana types, and the copper in it makes lightning too." Getting this one, which only makes special light would be better, the same way alba is better than nuvrite. Not about to explain all of that, I simply add, "This is better for me than the ore."
"Hahh, fine," Eryk reluctantly agrees. "I'd like to keep working with this, I'll get you another one." I wait a bit while he goes into the workshop and returns with a chunk of rock. He tosses it to me. "There you go, just be careful, alright?"
"Sure, but..." I look between him and the rock. "You'll just... give it to me?" I blink at him.
Eryk shrugs. "I may be able to sell it eventually, but for now it's worthless." That's true, I guess... I still feel weird just accepting things from him for free, but I can't really argue...
Peering at the bumpy chunk of rock, my eyes trace the odd, faint swirls and rings of color, varying the shades of gray within the stone. A little push of mana confirms it's what I need. I guess he just broke it off one of the cooled troughs of copper slag in the workshop.
"Sorry we can't make an ingot out of it, since it's just rock, you know?"
"Oh, no," I dismiss the concern. "This works just fine. Thanks a lot, I'll definitely learn a lot from this, as much as I can," I claim.
Eryk gets serious for a moment. "You better." Then he smiles again and lightens up. "I'll have to ask around and see if I can find anything else about what we've made. I'll let you know if anything turns up." Then he rubs a thumb along his chin, as he does when he's thinking.
"Strange substances like these are more like alchemy. That's totally outside outside my field, but maybe I can dig up someone among my relatives who knows something, or someone they can point me to..."
I smile happily and nod. "Sure. I guess I'll... just go practice more, now," I finish a little lamely. "I always need more mana practice, especially now that I can make special light. It's going to be really useful, but it's really hard to control." I still remember when I made some into fire, just trying to hold a tiny speck outside of my body was insanely hard. I couldn't even do it for a full tick before I risked losing control over it.
Should probably do my practice with something safer, like water...
My thoughts continue to spin through those sorts of ideas while I collect my things and say goodbye to Eryk for the night. John picks me up to carry me home. He's clearly more alert than usual after the trouble earlier today, but not seriously on edge at least. I point him into the northeast district, and we get going.
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I'm really glad that we don't run into any more trouble on the way home. In fact, there are hardly any people we have to avoid in the northeast district. Maybe they backed off after the scene they caused earlier? I don't feel anyone watching us either, the whole way there.
It's an easy trip home, where I wave bye to John, then stop at the base of the stairs, before heading up to my room like usual. That's right, I still have this sack of foods. I have to write that letter to Karl Liffan. But I don't have any paper for that...
"Hmm..." I grumble, scratching my head while I walk to the back of the house. Where can I buy paper anyway? I could wait to ask Eryk or Claire tomorrow, but I want to get this done as soon as I can. I'm sure I could find some in the central market, and I still have time today...
When I reach the back of the house, I go down into the cellar and empty the sack of food back onto the table where it goes, then head upstairs again. I should do my homework before I head out, I decide, since it'll be too dark when I get back. Sitting down on my bed, I start reading. Looks like it's about guilds today. How they were originally founded to help the nobility collect taxes, and eventually turned into organizations for managing businesses.
It also goes through how they have branches set up in cities all over, and there are a surprising number of different guilds, for managing all sorts of things. Like, there's one just for making candles. And even though there are more than a dozen listed, there's a note explaining that isn't even all of them.
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I'm already vaguely familiar with some of the basics from Eryk mentioning guilds before, and none of these papers gets into much detail on the specifics of what any individual guild does, so I finish up pretty quickly. It's not long until the eleventh bell, but I should have time, since there's no strict curfew anymore.
"Alright," I huff out as I stand, still holding my homework. It seems a bit silly, I bring papers home every day for my homework, but I've never had any of my own to write with before. "Oh, I'm going to need writing stuff too, won't I?" Besides just the paper, I'll need a pen and ink too. These things are supposed to be expensive, right? It's a good thing I have a ton of money saved up thanks to Emily and the others. The large animal parts have been selling for a lot lately.
"I could use a coin pouch too..." I mutter while putting away my homework, then loading multiple handfuls of different kinds of coins into a sack, and awkwardly tying it to my clothes with a mess of bandages. I'm not used to carrying things around without a basket, now that I think about it. "Ah, whatever," I sigh. "It'll do for now." Even so, I double check that despite the way it's tied, my money is nice and secure. Then I shuffle through my basket of metals and generate a mix of fire, lightning, and air mana, to help me get to the market quickly, and to find what I'm looking for once I'm there. Not too much of each, but enough to help out.
When I open our door, Eve is right on the other side, about to come in, and we both stop short. She blinks at me, looking me up and down and clearly catching my very visibly tied on bag of money. "Are you going out?"
"Yeah, I have to buy some stuff."
"Mm, be careful," she warns, still eying the large sack of money at my side. "It's pretty late."
"Yeah, I'm going to make it quick," I assure her. I can see her considering offering to come with me, so I quickly move past her in the doorway, trying not to run as I wave back. "See you in a bit!" Then I'm on the stairs, and I stumble-climb my way down as quickly as I can. Even though Beth showed how I am getting taller, this still hasn't gotten any easier...
I leave the house, and start at a quick run south. I keep an eye out for people as usual, but it's pretty clear today. I only have to duck onto side streets a couple times. I do flinch once, when I feel eyes on me all of a sudden. But it's different this time, not the ordinary feeling of people looking at me. It's like earlier, that same super hidden feeling. Despite being on a nearly empty side street this time, I still have absolutely no idea who is watching me, or from where. Chisa overhead doesn't see any sign of anyone either... And again like earlier, the feeling passes as soon as it comes.
I grumble to myself, but keep moving. I make great time at my pace, arriving at the central market not too long after the eleventh bell. Emily should be getting out of work sometime around now, shouldn't she? My friends haven't met her out in the forest yet at least.
While considering that, I begin walking through the central plaza. And that's when Emily shows up at the forest. I guess she got out of work a little earlier then. While they deal with that, I focus on my own business.
The crowds are definitely starting to disperse for the day, but there are still plenty of people anyway, which makes it hard to move, and even harder to find what I'm looking for with all of their huge adult bodies blocking my sight. Even when they aren't, I can't even see the tops of the a lot of the merchant stands because they're taller than I am.
Despite the difficulty, I work my way through the market, searching the best I can, and eventually ask one of the merchants if there's anyone who sells paper, but the old lady at the counter shakes her head and says she doesn't know.
Where could it be? I know that even vulgant class businesses use paper, or at least those wood sheets for writing, so they must sell them somewhere the lower classes could buy them.
The next person I ask thankfully points out a building on the north end of the plaza, a little ways west from the central road. It's a mid-size building, about two floors, with a wooden sign swinging in the late evening breeze as the wind picks up.
The picture on the little sign looks like it had an image of a cart cut into it, but fresh, dark paint covers it with... I tilt my head a little. The dot in the center and swooping, wing-like lines on each side are pretty easily recognizable. It's The Fairy Mark - the mark of Baro. Because it's a shop?
I mean, he's the God of Health and Prosperity, so he does seem to be the favorite of businesses... With fresh paint like that, they must have done it recently, probably after the attack on the city, like a lot of other places around town have.
Looking past that, a second, long sign nailed to the front of the building has the shop name, in pretty straight letters, so it's easy to read. 'Barry's General Store.'
Even though it's getting late, there are lots of people going in and out of the shop, so I join the crowd pushing in through the front doors, into the crowded building. It's hard to see at first, but it quickly becomes clear that this place isn't laid out like other shops I'm used to. Instead of an open area for everyone to move around and look at things, there's just a small space everyone is packed into, with a long wooden counter, and a bunch of people in uniforms on the other side. After shuffling around a bit, I get the impression people are forming lines in front of each shopkeeper. Probably because they're so busy. So, I wiggle my way to the back of one line, and wait for a bit, moving closer step by step as each person in front of me does their business.
From the tiny bits I can see and hear, it seems like everyone makes their order, and a bunch of store employees grab whatever they want out of a storeroom behind the counter. Based on the size I saw from outside, most of this building must be used for storage space. There's a constant stream of employees moving in and out, carrying wooden crates, or arms loaded with stuff. I even get the impression that they're buying things from customers, since they regularly leave the counter with new loads of stuff in their arms to deposit in the back.
The whole business looks like a mess, with all the people running around, the packed lines of customers, a few people shouting at the shopkeepers for some reason... I can hardly follow a lot of what happens, until I eventually make it up to the counter myself.
"Hello little one, what can I do for you this evening?" the man at the counter asks with a smile. Despite that, a shiver runs up my back. Something about his eyes, or the way he's looking at me, suddenly has me on edge.
Hiding my reaction, I speak politely. "I'd like to buy some things, please."
"Sure, what are you looking for?" he asks, and I catch the way his eyes flick to my hair, then off toward my side, just for an instant. If anything, him not staring is what makes me suspicious...
"Parchment paper, a pen, and some ink, please? Oh, and a coin pouch, and a belt, if you have them?" I try asking. What does a 'general' store sell, anyway?
"How many sheets of paper would you like?" he asks back, with hardly a moment's delay.
"Umm, how about, uhh, five?" I end up throwing out a nice round number. I don't know if I'm going to mess up on my first attempt, or if I'll need to write more things later, so having some extra paper is probably a good idea.
"Alright, that will be..." he pauses to think, "one azrium."
"Umm..." One azrium? There are azrium coins? Wait, if it's some amount I don't even know about, doesn't that mean these are insanely expensive?! "I-I'm sorry, how much was that again?"
He raises a brow. "One azrium. Or, ten nickels if you'd like."
One hundred thousand barr?! I know writing supplies are supposed to be expensive, but- but still!
I don't even have to check my coin pouch, I already know there's no way I have that much money with me. I start backing up, hands going up like I'm surrendering. I clearly don't belong here after all. "I'm sorry, I don't, umm, I'll just..."
"-Oh, don't worry," the man cuts in, leaning down closer over the counter. "For a little cutie like yourself, I'm sure I can give you a discount. How does... seven nickels sound?"
"That..." He took a huge amount off there, thirty percent of the total price. I might just have enough... I start to check through my bag and pull the money out to place it on the counter. A lot of the coins are coppers and irons since that's what I normally use, nickels are the highest value coins I even carry. It's a good thing I brought a lot since I expected this to be expensive. I can't believe I was still underestimating it so much though...
"Three, four, five... umm, I'm sorry, I still don't have enough," I apologize when the total on me only comes to about fifty eight thousand barr. I'm still more than ten thousand short. Maybe I should buy less paper? I don't need so much right now, and I could probably bring the price down that way...
"Hmm..." the man is considering the pile of coins while rubbing a thumb along his jaw when I look up at him. Then he smiles. "This'll do." With that, he sweeps my money into a drawer behind the counter, and grabs one of the people running stuff back and forth, sending him to get my things.
"A-are you sure that's alright?" I couldn't even afford the cheaper price!
"It's fine," he laughs it off, then leans close again, his voice dropping lower. "Good prices bring customers back after all." I can't help but smile back. Even if he has a weird look, he's surprisingly nice. It's not long after that the boy comes back with my things, and I'm sent on my way with a wave and a smile.
Back in the street, I take some time to breathe. That shop is pretty crazy, isn't it? With all those people shouting and everything. And I spent a ton of money in there too. But I managed to get the stuff I need to write on actual paper, so now I can write that letter to Karl Liffan and help out the caretakers.
I shuffle through the things in my hands. I have the paper, the pen, the ink in a little, sealed glass container... The coin pouch looks much better than my tied together stuff with a bag and bandages. It's made of solid leather, with a thick drawstring to pull it closed, and a strap to hang it securely on a belt. The belt is also leather, and looks black in the dim light. It's too big for me, but I'm sure I can manage. Probably just have to wrap it around two or three times before tying it off. For now, I throw it over my shoulder since it fits better that way than trying to get it around my waist with my hands full. I attach the empty coin pouch, and hold onto the stack of paper, pen, and ink carefully, so I don't break them or anything. Especially since they're all so expensive.
Looking up from that, I see the stalls quickly being taken down for the night, and the streets emptying of people. Oddly, Barry's General Store is still totally packed, with no sign of business slowing down. Weird.
My shopping trip is done, so I quickly get going home for the night like everyone else around here. There's barely any time left until the last bell now, and it's getting really dark with the last bits of sunlight fading behind the horizon. I run to make the best time I can, but still only make it halfway there before the last bell.
Thanks to the air mana I made earlier, I can still see surprisingly well, despite the near-complete darkness. I guess the moons coming up already provide enough to kind of see by. And with no one else to worry about, the street is nice and clear, allowing me to run home without having to dodge any more suspicious people today.
Now that I have everything I need, how should I write this letter? And how do I get it delivered...?