“I consider this my best piece, Initiate Cal. You won’t go wrong choosing this.”

Cal hummed noncommittally as he stared at massive strips of leather being offered to him. “I’m sure. Seris hasn’t led me wrong so far.”

The man beamed at the girl in question. “Our Seris has always been reliable.”

Our Seris? Is she the town mascot?

Cal glanced at her as he nodded. “Let’s go over this again. A leather strap that hangs across my shoulders which can support up to three large tools. Another strap that goes around my waist, with small pouches and holes for a few smaller tools. And a bag you will make with the leftovers.”

“Yes, yes,” the leatherworker nodded eagerly.

“You’re asking two silver for them,” Cal commented, stating a fact. It was well over the regular price for such work.

“Yes, yes,” the leatherworker continued to be a bobblehead. “I take pride in my work, Initiate Cal. I will guarantee a refund or a replacement if it fails you for any reason during its intended use.”

I don’t see a downside to this. This man is a lifelong resident of the town. It’s not like he can run away from his promises.

“Go ahead. Send it with Seris when it’s ready. She’ll have the payment for you.” Cal officially gave her the first task as her boss.

“Oh! Our Seris is moving up in the world!” The leatherworker schmoozed. “Seris, you’ll have to tell me when—”

Cal had to turn away and walk out of the shop. Keeping a straight face in that man’s presence was becoming difficult.

He really reminds me of the hanger-ons that followed me around in the core guild. It's not a pleasant association to have.

He looked around the sleepy market with some disappointment. Meeting Seris and Orrin and experiencing the surprisingly lively Dockside Bazaar had given him unrealistic expectations of the town.

This is likely a good thing. My funds are running out at an uncomfortable pace. Who knows how much I might have spent if there was something interesting here?

... Having to worry about money is a strange feeling.

Cal heard the leather shop's door open before Seris stood beside him. “Are you sure he’s trustworthy? He tried too hard to ingratiate himself.”

“Ohhh,” Seris extended the word with a look of realization. “That’s why you looked so annoyed! He didn’t mean anything, boss. That’s just how he talks to anyone who looks like a customer.”

“Hm, I see.” Cal found that hard to believe. At least, he found it hard to believe that the man was fanatically salivating over every customer like he was toward an Initiate. “Anyway, you might have been right about the market. There isn’t much here.”

“I told you,” Seris said with a shrug. "Other than the leather shop and the blacksmith, it’s just normal stuff for the people living here, like food… and other people things.”

Mortal food is useless to me.

“People things? Well said, Seris.” Cal chuckled. “Even still, I find it surprising that so few are here. Where does everyone spend their day?”

“They’re probably working at the port,” Seris perked up. “Do you want to go there now?”

“In time,” Cal ignored the happy little jump she made. “Before that, where can I buy a map?”

I will need maps of the surrounding territories. Although I don’t plan to leave the guild’s territory as quickly as I originally intended, I see that happening in the future.

Seris stared at him blankly. “I don’t know. Maybe in one of the larger towns.”

Cal was taken aback. “There are none in a town where sailors are frequent visitors?”

“Uh, they might have some, but I don’t know of anyone in town that sells maps.”

I didn’t expect that. Luckily, I have a hands-off solution.

“I’ll need you to do that for me, Seris. Find out where I can find maps of the surrounding territories and a map of the Celestial Order’s territory.”

Seris narrowed her eyes, looking defiant. “But that’s not part of my job.”

“That’s true,” Cal agreed readily. “How would you like that to be part of your job? I want to hire you as my assistant.”

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

Seris’s eyes lit up with joy, giving away what her reply would be. “Yes! How much do I get for this, boss? One gold a month? No! That’s too cheap for a big shot like you. Two gold! Right?”

… I can see why she thinks this would be her payment. I did splurge multiple lifetimes worth of currency for a mortal yesterday.

“I was thinking one silver a week,” Cal corrected with a raised brow. “That is more than generous.”

“Oh, well, I guess that’s fine, too,” Seris said, holding out a hand. She was too quick with it and seemed far too happy, even though he was offering far less than she had assumed.

Cal chuckled as he shook her hand to seal the deal. “I suspect you were trying to see if I would pay you that ridiculous sum.”

“What can I say, boss. You might have gone for it,” Seris admitted without shame. “Besides, if you actually agreed, it would mean that amount is nothing for you.”

“I hope you use this attitude when you deal with other people in my place,” Cal praised indirectly. There was another reason he wanted to hire Seris.

“Yes, boss,” Seris gave him the usual sloppy salute.

The interface seems to give me skill choices based on my activity. I dealt with Benan, smashed rocks, and interacted with kids. All the skill choices I recently got were related to them. I have to be mindful of what I do from now. It would be foolish not to try and tailor the skills I get offered.

Any task I feel would be detrimental to that, I can offload to Seris.

“Is there anything else you want to do here?” Seris prodded.

“No,” Cal sighed when he saw her knowing grin. “We can go to the port.”

“Yes!” Seris cheered. “I spend most of my time there whenever I’m not hunting. The stories the sailors tell are so interesting!”

Cal hummed absentmindedly. He was thinking of the Initiates he would meet again on the way.

I really don’t have an interest in joining their operation. I have nothing against it, but I absolutely abhor wasting time. Standing around and watching others make purchases is the definition of that. Perhaps my view will change if I am in dire need of currency, but that is not now.

The guild will not cut me off since they still have hopes that I will be reclassified as a [Mage] in one month.

“Boss!”

“Hm?” Cal had walked to the bazaar on autopilot. Seris was staring at him tensely, and he quickly saw why.

Vaela was walking towards them.

“What should I do?” Seris asked with darting eyes, clearly eager to be anywhere but here.

“Stay,” Cal ordered. “You’re working for me as my personal assistant. You might have to speak with people like her in the future.”

“Do I have to?” Seris almost whined in a whisper.

Cal ignored that and smiled apologetically at Vaela. “I still haven’t made up my mind, but I have to admit that I’m leaning toward not participating.”

He was surprised to see that Vaela didn’t look dispirited by that.

“It’s not for everyone, especially new Initiates. As I said before, this is an open offer,” Vaela smiled. "And hello, by the way, Cal. Nice to see you again.”

Cal smiled back sheepishly. “Hello, Vaela.” He noticed that she was ignoring Seris. That wouldn’t do. “This is my personal assistant. Seris, meet Vaela.”

Vaela was visibly surprised. It might have resulted from being put on the spot, but she offered a greeting.

Seris’s hesitant wave was given a strained smile from Vaela. She turned her attention back to Cal. “A personal assistant? Do you see yourself being too busy in the future?”

“I hope that’s the case,” Cal smiled but offered no extra information.

Vaela chuckled at the short answer. “I will assume you plan to impress the Overseer by performing a miracle in the Northern Wastes. I’ll watch out for Seris if she runs into trouble, so focus on what you’re doing in peace.”

She’s not that far off.

“That’s kind. Thank you, Vaela,” Cal nudged Seris, who mumbled an inaudible thanks before trying to make herself invisible.

“It’ll take barely any effort on my part, so it’s no trouble for me. It looks like you’re in a rush again, so let me get to what I approached you for. You’re invited to a little get-together in three weeks. We have it every few months, and it's a perfect place to meet everyone properly.”

Cal raised an eyebrow, noticing the discreet glances he was getting from multiple unknown Initiates around the bazaar.

"That sounds interesting. I’ll be there.” The date was far enough that he should either be settled or out of the area altogether.

“Excellent!” Vaela smiled—she did that a lot. “I’ll inform the others. I’ll let you be.” She paused and looked at Seris. “Take care, Seris.”

Cal had to stop himself from laughing when Seris started choking on air as Vaela walked away. “Was it that much of a surprise?”

“Boss, that’s the first time one of those Initiates acknowledged me!” Seris looked like she might faint.

“Well, you might have to get used to it,” Cal patted her on the back.

“You know, you’re a pretty cool guy, boss.”

She has forgotten I’m an Initiate, too.

He smirked but didn’t say anything. They made quick work of the bazaar, passing it without getting distracted by the sellers trying to hawk their wares. Benan was in his spot, but he was one of the few who didn’t do anything to attract them.

The only thing that the man did was give them a slight nod.

He did swindle eight gold out of me. He must be content for now.

They entered what could be considered the start of the port.

The mix of fresh salt air and the ocean breeze was stronger than ever, with an occasional waft of fish from the many fishing boats unloading their catches.

Cal looked around and noticed an absence of Initiates, which was strange to him. Plenty of merchant vessels were unloading their cargo, so there was undoubtedly profit to be had.

The guild may have placed strict rules about interference here.

“Interesting, right?”

Cal glanced at Seris to see her waiting eagerly for him to agree. “That’s yet to be seen. What could possibly interest me here?”

I wanted to be mindful of the places I visited, and I’m already breaking that. What skill will the interface offer if I actually enter the port? A fishing skill? I should back out.

“Boss, are you not a farmer? A bunch of crop seeds come into the ports all the time. They get shipped off to the city, so this is the only place you can see them in town.” Seris’s eyes grew wide. “Oh! And I saw a large animal thingy with something heavy attached to it. You can probably use it for farm work, right?”

Cal stared at her silently in surprise.

Seris lost her confidence. “… I guess you don’t need them? I heard you couldn’t farm in the Northern Wastes. Sorry, boss. We can—”

Cal interrupted her. “You did good, Seris.”

She regained all the confidence she had lost. “I knew you’d love it!”

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