Chapter 11 - New Neighbor
After completing her usual morning routines of meditating and getting the bakery ready, Lilly was pleasantly surprised by a knock on the door of the living quarters above the bakery. Opening it, she found Eolande standing there with a bright smile.
Almost immediately, Eolande enveloped her in a warm hug. Without releasing her, Eolande excitedly announced, “We’re neighbors now, Lilly! I moved in just next door!”
“Oh wow, already? That’s so fast,” Lilly responded, her voice reflecting her happiness and surprise, although slightly muffled by Eolande’s shoulder. “Did the Rolands move again?”
“Yes, they accepted my offer after some haggling, and took everything and left the same day. I paid extra for that,” Eolande explained, her tone suggesting she was eager to settle in quickly.
“You’re really in a hurry, huh?” Lilly remarked, slightly amused by Eolande's enthusiasm.
“Oh, it’s been so long since I’ve lived anywhere, Lilly. I really look forward to spending a few centuries here,” Eolande said, her voice tinged with a mix of excitement and nostalgia.
Lilly couldn’t help but chuckle at that comment, thinking Eolande was joking about the centuries, probably. “Heh, well, I can’t tell you how happy I am that you’re here, Elly,” she said, her words genuine and heartfelt.
“Me too, Lilly! I’ll be the best godmother you could imagine!” Eolande’s promise was earnest, and her eyes shone with a commitment that reassured Lilly.
Finally, it seemed Eolande was ready to let go of the hug.
Lilly's curiosity piqued at the opportunity to see the interior of the house next door. “Can I see it? I haven’t been inside there since the last family lived there,” she asked.
“Please do! I haven’t actually gotten any furniture yet, so it’s very bare for now. I'm actually planning to go buy some today. I at least need a good bed,” Eolande responded, her voice filled with the excitement of setting up a new home.
“That’s a good idea. I was planning to head over to Eldrin with some questions today,” Lilly said, tying her plans into the conversation. “I made some enchantments yesterday and had some weird results, especially with the amulet.”
Lilly recounted the events of her enchanting session the previous day. When she described the exploding bracelet, Eolande's expression turned to one of concern. “You need to be careful, Lilly! You’re just starting out, and you don’t fully know what can happen. I’ll get you some protective gear so I don’t have to worry about you in the future.”
“Oh, thanks, Elly,” Lilly said, appreciating Eolande's concern. “Now, about that house.”
They made the short journey from Lilly’s house to Eolande’s new home and entered. The first floor, which had been used for selling various tools and appliances until just the day before, now stood empty, a blank canvas awaiting Eolande's personal touch.
“Are you planning to use this area for anything, Elly?” Lilly asked, looking around the spacious room, envisioning the myriad possibilities it held.
“I was actually thinking about picking up alchemy again. That can be useful for enchanting, right?” Eolande mused, her voice reflecting a mix of nostalgia and anticipation.
“It can? I don’t know about anything like that yet, at least,” Lilly admitted, intrigued by the idea.
“Right, I think mana crystals and such can be used to increase the capacity of an item. But it’s been a while since I last practiced alchemy, so I don’t remember all the specifics,” Eolande explained.
“That does sound very useful, actually. Were you good at alchemy?” Lilly asked, her curiosity piqued.
“Yes,” Eolande replied simply.
“That sounded so confident, I think you were better than good,” Lilly observed, smiling.
“Well, being close to ageless has its perks. It’s a shame there are so few elves here in Eldoria; we could teach you a lot,” Eolande said, a hint of wistfulness in her tone.
“I’m sure… How… Is it rude to ask how old you are, Elly?” Lilly hesitated, unsure if it was an appropriate question.
“Slightly, but since I’m still a beautiful young elf, there’s no harm done. And since it’s you, of course. I am 871, I think,” Eolande answered, her tone light and unconcerned.
Lilly needed a moment to process that number. It was a span of time so vast she found it hard to fully comprehend. The idea of living for nearly nine centuries was almost beyond her imagination, and it gave her a new perspective on Eolande's experience and wisdom.
“But you’re still so young-looking. How old can elves get?” Lilly asked, her curiosity about Elly's elven heritage growing.
Eolande chuckled, “Hah, your birthday present just got a bit larger. Outside of our homeland, Tariel, there are very few really old elves. You need some luck to survive for so long. Even though one year can be relatively harmless, eventually the odds stack against you. The oldest elf I’ve seen in Eldoria was around 3000 years old, I think. But the elven king in our homeland is approaching 5000. He's old. At that point, you can even call me old if you want.”
“Oh sure, I just have to get to 4100 myself first,” Lilly joked.
“Don’t even remind me, Lilly. I’ll find an immortality potion for you yet, you wait and see,” Eolande playfully assured her.
“Oh gods, does that exist?” Lilly asked, a mix of amusement and wonder in her voice.
“It will!” Eolande declared confidently.
They then moved up to the living area of the house. Lilly vaguely remembered being in this space years ago.
“It’s changed a lot since the last time. I’m pretty sure it got smaller,” Lilly observed, looking around.
“Yes, that’s exactly what happened. The house shrunk. Isn’t it amazing?” Eolande replied, her tone dripping with sarcasm.
“Hardy har, I get that I grew. I’m just making observations… Will you be able to fill up all this space?” Lilly asked, glancing at the expansive area.
“Well, it certainly is a bit much for one person, so you’ll have to visit often,” Eolande said, a hint of warmth in her voice.
“I will, Elly. You bought the house for my sake, so of course, I’m coming over,” Lilly promised, feeling a deep sense of gratitude and connection to Eolande.
Their conversation flowed easily as they toured the house, discussing plans and possibilities for the space. Lilly felt a renewed sense of closeness to Eolande, not just as a mentor but as a family member who had chosen to be part of her life.
A thought occurred to Lilly as she considered the abundance of space in Eolande's new home, which had previously accommodated a family of four. "Hey, if you don’t mind, maybe I could do my enchanting here? My room is a bit… full,” she suggested, hopeful.
“Absolutely, that would be perfect, Lilly! Just pick a room and I’ll prepare it for you!” Eolande responded enthusiastically, clearly pleased with the idea.
“Great! I don’t mind what room you give me, and it doesn’t need much equipment at all. Just a table and a few chairs is good,” Lilly said, relieved at the prospect of having more space to work.
“I’ll take care of it, Lilly. Now, I guess you have to go see Eldrin. He seemed a bit too happy to be rid of me, so tell him I’m a lot happier here. No, that won’t bother him, tell him I’ll still visit often. That will do,” Eolande said with a playful smirk.
“Heh, I’ll tell him, Elly. Just come over when you’re ready, or if you need help with anything. If I’m not there, Gramps will be happy to help with what he can,” Lilly offered, knowing her grandfather would be more than willing to assist Eolande.
“Will do, Lilly. See you later!” Eolande said, her voice filled with contentment.
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Lilly then set off for Eldrin’s place, her mind busy trying to organize all the questions she had. There were quite a few, and she suspected they wouldn’t have easy answers. She hoped Eldrin could at least shed some light on most of them or point her in the right direction for further learning.
Upon arriving at Eldrin's place, Lilly knocked on the door, half-expecting that she might have to wait if he was in the midst of an experiment. Eldrin, however, promptly called out from inside, inviting her to come in. Lilly opened the door and stepped inside.
She was immediately greeted by an unusual sight. Eldrin was floating next to a tall bookcase, apparently using magic to levitate himself. It was a reminder that in the world of magic, the boundaries of possibility were constantly being expanded. 'Anything is possible with magic, I guess,' Lilly thought to herself.
“You can float, Eldrin?” Lilly asked, unable to hide her surprise.
“Sure can, Lilly. It’s a spell I use to reach books out of reach, or when my legs get tired. But it’s a hassle to cast or learn, sorry,” Eldrin explained, his tone casual.
“No problems. I can only imagine how I would mess it up. Looks nice, though,” Lilly replied, smiling.
“It’s handy. I wasn’t expecting you for a while yet, but I anticipated you might have some questions this week, so I didn’t make myself too busy,” Eldrin said, lowering himself to the ground.
“Is that why you just let me in without checking?” Lilly inquired, curious about his security measures.
“No, very few people can even reach the door due to the formation you put your signature into, so I knew it would be someone I could trust,” Eldrin clarified.
“Magic is cool,” Lilly remarked, still fascinated by the myriad ways magic could be applied. “But yeah, lots of questions. I was enchanting some stuff yesterday, like this carving tool,” she said, showing him the tool. “And I tried using the amulet for that enchantment. When I did, it seemed to adjust something in the enchantment so that only the full power I could use would be enough for it to finish. Can you explain that?”
“Really? That’s incredibly useful then, I think. Did you test it other times as well?” Eldrin inquired, his curiosity evident.
“Yes, I tried enchanting one of the bracelets you gave me with a fire-resistant system, but that one exploded during the mana charging. And once on a hammer for my blacksmith friend, Mia. The hammer seemed fine, and I thought that was because both that and this carving tool were made of steel instead of iron,” Lilly explained.
“So, it doesn’t adjust the power based on the material, at least. It seems like it just adjusts the enchantment itself to perfectly suit your full power, as you said. The effect of that is, as long as the power you use is larger than the power of the material, you will always extract the full potential of that material,” Eldrin pondered, his expression thoughtful. He paused for a moment before continuing, “And then the excess mana from your spell is folded into the enchantment, empowering it further. That’s the power that made the bracelet burst most likely, whatever material you used shouldn’t have nearly enough power to do that to iron.”
“That sounds incredible then! But is that something I would be able to do on my own eventually?” Lilly asked, her eyes wide with both excitement and a touch of concern.
“Yes, after a lot of training, any enchanter can adjust the process to suit their maximum power. Your power might be higher due to the amulet, of course, and you can’t adjust it to suit the material, but this is like a big shortcut if you want to make something really powerful,” Eldrin explained.
“Hmm, but should I still train like a normal enchantress instead of relying on the amulet?” Lilly pondered, considering the implications of relying too heavily on the amulet's power.
“Probably, but I’m sure the training will be easier if you consider the process of using your amulet. If you can sense what it does, it should be easier to adjust,” Eldrin suggested, offering a balance between traditional training and leveraging the amulet's unique capabilities.
“Okay then, that’s what I was most curious about. Ready for more?” Lilly asked, prepared to delve deeper into the complexities of enchanting.
“Sure, throw them at me,” Eldrin replied, ready for her questions.
“Can anything be enchanted?” Lilly inquired, her question reflecting a broader curiosity.
“...Do you mean like any object?” Eldrin clarified, trying to understand her question's scope.
“No, I was thinking more about people, actually,” Lilly clarified, her question taking a more serious turn.
“Oh, wow, that’s… a touchy subject. Theoretically, yes, but trying is illegal and would require a lot of training on subjects to get anywhere. It has been done, though, and it has created some exceptional warriors in the past. But we can only imagine the lives it took to get to that point,” Eldrin explained, his tone indicating the ethical and moral complexities of such a practice.
“Oh, that’s grim,” Lilly said, her face showing a hint of regret for asking that question.
“Well then, easier question; what metal should I use if I’m using the amulet to enchant?” she shifted the topic to something less morally ambiguous.
“... A lot of metals can take more mana than steel. Let’s see, from worst to best, silver, titanium, gold, electrum, cobalt, orichalcum, mithril, palladium, and adamantium, are the best metals for enchanting. There are better ones, but those are made by special processes. Alloys exist, but for enchanting, you generally want the metal to be as pure as possible. For something affordable, I would suggest titanium, electrum, or cobalt. Mithril might be best for jewelry,” Eldrin listed, offering a wealth of information.
Lilly quickly jotted down Eldrin's suggestions, her mind already racing with the possibilities these metals offered. She was eager to discuss these options with Mia, envisioning the enchantments they could create together.
Lilly nodded, absorbing Eldrin’s advice about enchanting materials. “But you don’t need to enchant metal, you know. Wood and stones are often used, and then either inserted into other things or used by themselves,” Eldrin added, expanding on the range of materials suitable for enchanting.
“Oh, is that what Elly meant by alchemy helping enchanting?” Lilly asked, connecting the dots.
“The best materials from wood and stone are either prepared or made by alchemy, yes… Who is Elly?” Eldrin inquired, slightly puzzled.
“Eolande, of course! Her name is a bit of a mouthful, so I asked her if she had a nickname. She liked Elly because it sounded like Lilly!” Lilly explained with a smile, clearly pleased with the nickname.
Eldrin raised an eyebrow, a hint of surprise in his voice. “...We had to call her Eolande. She must really like you, Lilly.”
Lilly’s smile broadened at this. “...You did hear about her buying a house next to mine, right?”
“Well yes, but she’s done that to me before, to more easily be able to bother me,” Eldrin said, a touch of humor in his voice.
“Oh right, I was supposed to tell you that she would be coming over often still,” Lilly relayed Eolande’s message.
Eldrin’s expression changed slightly at this, a mix of resignation and mild annoyance evident. Lilly couldn’t help but feel a sense of accomplishment – mission achieved!
“...Do you actually dislike having her around, Eldrin?” Lilly asked, sensing a more complex dynamic between Eldrin and Eolande.
“...If I’m honest, it’s usually nice. But she’s a lot better in small doses, at least for me. Living with her for two weeks is a lot more than a small dose, and unlike with you, she teases me constantly. Just wait until you’re a respected enchantress and she still treats you like a child,” Eldrin shared, his tone a mix of fondness and mild exasperation.
“I understand how you feel, but I don’t think I’ll mind. It’s a good constant to have, whatever happens she’ll still be the same as now, from our perspective. I feel bad for her honestly, it must be extremely hard to see people she loves grow old so many times,” Lilly responded thoughtfully, thinking back to the scene at the graveyard.
“You’re surprisingly insightful sometimes, Lilly. You’re right, she’s one of the few things still with me from my early life. But let’s keep this between us, huh?” Eldrin said, a note of sincerity in his voice.
“Okay, I only have a few more questions left now. If I get more mana by passively meditating, will that increase the demand on the item I’m enchanting?” Lilly asked, shifting back to enchanting.
“Very likely. As you are, you will be able to enchant most materials going full force. But I would still advise you to keep meditating passively as well, since it has a positive effect on your final product. You also need more mana if you want to avoid using the amulet,” Eldrin advised.
“Okay, that’s what I expected. Can I sell my enchantments?” Lilly inquired, considering the practical aspects of her craft.
“There’s nothing in the way of that. I would suggest selling them to Gallus to start with; he’ll give you a mostly fair price. You should still consider opening up a shop on your own eventually, since the cost he will take from displaying and selling your items is considerable,” Eldrin suggested.
“Great! Last question, are there any enchantments I should do so that I can improve my enchanting? Like increased focus or mana sense or stuff like that?” Lilly asked, eager to enhance her abilities.
“Hmm, I would consider making one for focus or dexterity. If you’re planning to use crystals or wood, the carving process becomes a lot more demanding, and it will help the enchantment in general as well. Beyond that, I wouldn’t know,” Eldrin offered, providing Lilly with practical advice for her future projects.
“That’s all I have then, thank you, Eldrin!” Lilly expressed her gratitude, feeling enriched by the wealth of information she had received.
“No worries, Lilly. It’s great to see you progress so fast. I’m only worried you’ll eclipse my own knowledge on the subject soon,” Eldrin replied, his tone a mix of jest and genuine admiration.
“Already? I expected the subject to be a lot bigger.”
“My knowledge isn’t extensive; there are many aspects of enchanting I haven’t explored myself. Like transmutation, double enchantments, and celestial enchantment, for example,” Eldrin admitted, revealing the vastness of the field.
Lilly’s eyes sparkled at the mention of these new concepts. The idea of pursuing more than one enchantment on an item hadn’t even crossed her mind before. It opened up a whole new realm of possibilities in her enchanting journey.
“But we’ll make an assessment during our next lesson, Lilly. I’ll see you then,” Eldrin said, concluding their conversation.
“See you, Eldrin!” Lilly left Eldrin’s place, her mind buzzing with excitement and ideas. As she headed home, she pondered her next steps. ‘I’ll have to speak to Mia about the new metals, but perhaps I should talk to Gallus first to understand what profit I could make. To get a budget for my next creations?’ she thought, planning her approach to manage the practical aspects of her craft.
Her walk home was filled with thoughts of future enchantments, collaborations, and the endless possibilities that lay ahead. With each step, Lilly felt more certain of her path as an enchantress, ready to explore and master the magical arts with dedication and enthusiasm.