I mix in with the crowd heading toward the East Gate in the late morning, thankful for at least a moment without every passing person's eyes on me. I walk for a while, keeping a close handle on my basket so I don't drop it in the crowd. While I go, I use most of my focus to clear away most of the remaining earth mana inside me, while the last bit of my mind wanders idly.

I make it to the East Gate, probably not long until the fifth bell, and begin moving north. I'd never paid too much attention to the specific buildings before, since they all blended together, but now that I'm looking closely at just the ones beside the wall, I see that these are much more unique. First off, there's another stable just like Mina's. Right near the East Gate, another long building is completely surrounded by the smell of horse waste. I wrinkle my nose at the memories and keep moving.

Others are large, or small, some tall and skinny, or just one floor. They basically all wood, but some a little stone here and there. A lot of them are painted and colorful too. There are pretty wide spaces between one building and another, more than the tiny alleys between most houses. Are these really all stores?

I glance down at the marked up bandage lying atop my basket repeatedly. I'm trying to get these four marks in my head so I will be able to recognize them on the building I'm looking for.

As I walk, I keep looking at the buildings, searching for those marks, but also because they're different from the usual three story buildings that cover most of the areas I'm familiar with. Most of them don't have any of this writing on them, they only have different sorts of symbols by their doors, usually hanging on big pieces of wood. I'm not sure what most are, but I do recognize when I walk past one that looks like a spoon. Do they make spoons? Or does it mean something else? Pushed forward by my sudden curiosity, I open the door into the building and walk inside.

"Welcome, is there anything I can..." a man starts, but stops when he sees me.

"Ah, I'm sorry, sir. I was just wondering what you sell here," I apologize.

"Nothing for your kind! Out, out!" he starts shouting at me immediately, and I flail backward out the door, stumbling in my haste.

I stand in the street, blinking confusedly a few times. From what I heard earlier, I thought I'd be be kicked out of high class shops, but I'm in the northern section of the city now. Shouldn't these be shops that serve lower class commoners? Or at least not refuse them on sight? I push away the bad feelings that seems to come automatically from being yelled at. Now isn't the time to be feeling like this, I have something important to do. I must be missing something, I'll figure it out later.

I continue up the road that leads directly along the buildings, all of which appear to be shops rather than houses. I don't know why they're all clustered together against the wall, but it's kind of cool how they're all together. Even if I don't really understand what any of them might sell just by looking at the outsides. But then I stop in front of one building a good deal larger than most others. It's a stone construction, so of course it stands out.

"I'm pretty sure I could have found this place even without the name..." I grin to myself a little. Practically built into the outer wall, the stone building spews massive torrents of dark smoke into the sky. It's maybe two stories tall, except for the long row of huge four story chimneys jutting from the top, almost as tall as the city walls. As expected, there are marks on the building. I match them up against the ones Gremory wrote on the bandage, though I can't say for certain whether I think they look that similar to how he wrote it. Well, I guess most of the basic shapes are the same, but the ones on the building seem a lot more swirly looking for some reason, so it might have been hard to tell if not for the building itself.

Given the size of the building, there are a whole lot of people going in and out. I feel like there are a couple different entrances, with different types of people going into each one. For now I'll try for... the shop front if they have one? If they make a bunch of metal ingots, they must sell them somewhere. Looking along the front of the building, there seem to be two groups. People in more fancy clothes who look like merchants, some pulling empty carts like they're here to pick things up, all move toward the left side of the building, with some dressed similarly, hauling their fully loaded carts away. Far fewer, dressed more plainly, go toward the right.

After some effort, I spot the two entrances past the tall adults all around. The left side has a pair of normal looking wooden doors, while the right entrance has really huge doors instead. So I guess the left one where the shop is, while the people going toward the right side entrance work here? Thinking that, I follow the merchants.

I try to get a good look at the clothes, glad to see a wide range of different levels of wealth. I... might not look too dirty to get by? At least some of them are smudged with soot like me, probably because they work as blacksmiths if their muscles are any indication. Gulping a little, I follow the merchants and smiths through the set of doors into the building.

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Once inside, there are people wandering, milling about while all sorts of bins line the walls and tall shelves, all arranged around the large shop to turn it into a maze of people and goods. I stand on my toes to look into one wooden crate on a low shelf to find that it's full of gray metal bars. I tentatively touch one. Mollite. So they definitely have what I'm looking for here, I just need to find out what other metals I should study. I look around, trying to tell who is running the shop.

"Oh, it looks like they have uniforms," I mutter. Mixed among the various merchants and others, some are dressed in eye catching blue uniforms, surprisingly clean. It makes me even more nervous about approaching one, but I have to if I want to move forward.

So I walk up to one of the men in uniforms. I try to pick one who at least looks sort of nice. He has blond hair, and is pretty tall. He... doesn't see me standing in front of him. I'm below his line of sight. I rub my fingers as clean as I can on the side of my robe for a moment while working myself up. Then I tug on his pant leg, getting him to look down at me and quickly draw my hand back.

"Why hello there little one, what brings you to our shop today?" he asks kindly, leaning down a little so he doesn't tower over me so much. I'm getting a very strong feeling that he's much higher class than I am just based on his clothes, so I try to be extra polite while I speak to him. No room for messing things up like I did with Gremory. At least I'm prepared this time. I have the right words in my head.

"I would like to ask about what types of metal ingots you sell here and how much they would cost. If it wouldn't be too terribly much trouble, I was hoping you might describe some of the metals I'm unfamiliar with?" I keep my voice steady, even has I go over the words and phrases I'm not used to using. I know it's asking a lot, so I make sure to keep my tone nice and polite, and show him a small smile.

"My my, what a polite one you are," he compliments me. I think that means it worked! "I take it you're training to take over your parent's store? Which shop is it? We have good relations with many of the stores in town," he boasts. I hide my grimace.

"I'm sorry sir, I'm not here on behalf of a store," I bow a little as I apologize, giving myself time to figure out the right way to say the next part. "I've come because I'm personally interested in studying different metals." I've finally converted most of the earth mana, so simply redirecting to a true topic that doesn't really address his line of questioning doesn't make me wince in pain for the first time in days. He looks me up and down once more, surely reevaluating me. If I'm not here from a store, why am I covered in soot like a blacksmith? I can feel the question in his eyes, so I try to answer it before he asks. "I went to a blacksmith to ask about some different metals I've seen, but he didn't know enough himself, so he directed me to this shop because you would know more."

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

"The blacksmith didn't know enough...?" he asks doubtfully.

He must think I'm too young to ask questions that difficult, I need to prove I know what I'm talking about before he gets a solid grasp on my social class. To do it with polite speech, and without giving too much away... "Well, for instance, one of the metals I asked about was magnetite. But blacksmiths don't work with magnetite. Do you sell any here?"

He shakes his head. "We refine raw metals, magnetite is found as-is. We don't deal in it." Well, that's a dead end, but at least he seems to be giving me a chance. I haven't lost his interest yet. I need to show him I'm at least competent enough for him to give the names and prices of different metals.

"If you don't deal in magnetite," I try copying his last phrase since it sounds good, "I suppose you wouldn't be able to tell me about different metal's interactions with it then..." He raises an eyebrow, I think I've got him interested, so I go on. "Like for instance, the way nuvrite changes temperature near it?"

He chuckles. "Come on, don't be silly." He says. I blink a few times.

"Wait, you didn't know that?" I ask, tilting my head. "Where can I find someone who can explain it to me..." I pout. I'm... not even faking. Not completely.

Why doesn't anyone know about these things?

"You don't really expect me to believe something like that," he scoffs indignantly.

"Hmm..." I put on an act like I'm thinking for a few moments. I definitely have his full attention now. If I can show him something he doesn't expect, he'll probably be willing to deal with me! I keep my excitement in check though, and draw my nuvrite coin and the still magnetite-like pin from my basket. I double check I have the right pin, before handing the two things to the man.

He glares at the pin. "This isn't magnetite you know," he almost growls at me. The expression makes my heart race, I have to force myself to stay calm.

I work to explain quickly, "I-it's magneti-tic iron," I stumble over my words in my hurry, and they all come out wrong. Ok, not so calm, I guess.

"Magnetitic?" the shopkeeper repeats slowly. It feels like he's looking right through me.

"Magnetic," I try to cover for the word as if it was intended. "Like, it uhh, acts like magnetite, so it's magnetic." I try not to let my simple smile slip. Hardly seeming appeased by my excuses, he brings the two pieces of metal together. Thankfully, that's all it takes to prove me right. His eyebrows go up as he touches the metal together a few times, clearly aware of the changing temperature of the nuvrite whenever he moves it near the iron.

Finally, he clears his throat loudly, probably trying to hide his embarrassment at being proven wrong by a small child. A lot of adults don't seem to like that. "So... it seems you have found something very... interesting. May I ask what brings you here today?"

Ok, it's working, now just a little more... "I was wondering if you could tell me about the different metals that you sell here. And maybe if you think there's anyone who might know more about the unique things metals can do, you could maybe... ask them for me?"

He just shakes his head, "I'm sorry, I don't know if anyone knows about anything like that. But if it's our stock, I can certainly help you with that. What sort of budget are you working with?"

Now I'm really sweating nervously. This is where he finds out I'm a peasant... Just when I finally got him to take me, a small, dirty child seriously... "I'm... not really sure what my budget is..." I say slowly, lowering my eyes.

"Why is that? How much do you have on you now, to start?"

"Well..." I scratch my head. There's really no getting around it is there? "I don't actually have any money with me at the moment..." That's hardly better than admitting I don't have any money at all.

I see his eyebrow visibly twitch. "You have no money with you?" His eyes go over my clothing once more. Despite the strange look, the dirt all over me must make it clear now where I stand.

It sounds like he's a moment from dropping the nice act. "You don't have any money, do you?" he asks bluntly.

"I can earn money," I plead, quiet to avoid other customers overhearing, "what I need to know is how much money I actually need to earn. I have no idea how much the metal costs. That's why I'm here!" I squeak.

I think he's fed up, he stands up straight, no longer leaning down closer to my level. His words come quick and clipped. "Tin and ignium ingots, three nuvrites each. Mollite, five nuvrites. Durite, seven nuvrites. Nuvrite ingot, eight nuvrites. Copper ingot, one copper two nuvrites. Nickel, one copper six nuvrites. Iron, five coppers. There's no way you can afford anything beyond that." I recognize the names of some of those metals but not others. I rapidly repeat them in my mind, desperate to memorize them. There's no way he'll tell me again.

I speak rapidly to myself to working things out. "I have the iron already and copper coins can take the place of a copper ingot, same with nuvrite. So tin, ignium, mollite, durite, and nickel." I blink a couple times as the numbers arrange themselves. "Three coppers, four nuvrites." He raises an eyebrow. "Thank you very much for your time and patience, sir." I bow my head. "I'll come back when I've earned enough money."

"Yeah, yeah..." he says dismissively. I bow again, but he just looks at me weirdly. I take the hint and scurry out of the shop quickly, it feels like the people nearby are starting to notice me.

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I sit briefly against a building, just off the main road so there's no one to stare at me. My head is spinning as my pent up anxiety releases all at once. I breathe deeply for a little while. Once I finally calm down, I can think things through more.

Three coppers and four nuvrites, that's what I need. Well, add one extra copper so I can keep the copper coin, and I can ignore the nuvrite since I already have one. That's four copper, four nuvrite. Four hundred forty barr. Today is Saraday. I only have a few days before church, one of my few remaining opportunities to talk to Reena and maybe figure out what she wanted me to know so I can survive.

I only have maybe twenty one days left. That's three weeks, three possible chances to talk to Reena. But for all I know, the sixty day estimate could be off by who knows how much. Maybe fifteen days if they were rounding to the nearest month... It's so close now, they might call us to battle any day... I have no way of knowing when. I have to make as much progress as I can before church. How can I earn four hundred barr in three days?

I start on my way to the forest. It's almost the seventh bell, I have about five bell's time left to figure out whatever I can. I run. the West Gate is all the way on the other side of town. Slipping through the crowd fast, I get there just as the seventh bell rings. I'm panting heavily, drenched in sweat. I'm probably getting myself too worked up, but I need to keep at it. This can sort of be considered a fight too. Or a race at least, against time.

For now, I head south. The vast majority of the money I made came from those tamarans I sold. I know they won't be enough on their own though. I can't even carry enough of them back home in the next three days to make enough money.

Then it occurs to me. Hobins. They're the most expensive thing from the forest I know of. If I can kill and sell hobins, I'm sure I can make a lot more money. But what do I do without a knife?

I'll figure something out. Maybe I can use the hobins' claws? They cut through my skin well enough, maybe they'll work on the hobin too. So I keep running south through the forest. Of course I don't know exactly where I'm going, so I end up stumbling through the brush and tree branches, getting snagged, scratched, and tripping repeatedly as I run. I go anyway, until I feel like I'm around the right area, then start searching the trees.

I'll need to find some tamarans if I want to lure the hobins. I look around in the branches overhead, panting breathlessly.

It takes longer than I thought it would. When I finally find some, it's probably past the ninth bell already. I scurry around in the trees, quickly grabbing one in each hand. Then I drop out of the trees, landing and rolling.

Hobins go after fruit left on the ground, and it seems that they hide in brush so...

I scan the ground for a good spot to set up.