Once Dakota has drunk enough healing potions that his injuries are completely gone, Lucas and I finally relax. We worked together to heal the lighter injuries so that the amulet and potions wouldn't waste power on those, but it still took some time. Dakota can only drink so fast, too.

At least there's no form of potion sickness. The main restricting factor with potions is actually having them, and the weaker nature of the ones we can currently brew up means more are needed to reach the same level of healing.

Fortunately, the high amount of Mana in the soil allows for quicker regrowth on the plants, and it shouldn't be long before we have a holy slime to provide goo for us. All we need is one more plain magic slime and Collin can start the conversion. That's one benefit to living here – we probably have a greater supply of necessary alchemical reagents than most other places due to the Mana in the soil.

"One thing that amazes me," Dakota says as he finishes removing the remnants of his armor with [Earth Mastery]. "The fact that healing potions seem to replenish lost blood, too."

"Yeah," I say. "If it didn't, you'd be sitting your ass in the wagon for the ride back. Instead, you're going to help me lift the deer up into it. I might be able to manage the weight on my own, but the size will make it awkward."

This could be done with [Air Mastery], but I'm not feeling like doing that right now.

"I'm going to assume you reached SL 2?" He asks as he stands.

"Yup," I answer as we walk over to the deer. "The boosts I gained were fucking huge. I haven't checked my Status yet, but I'm fairly certain our new Perk is retroactive."

"Has to be," he says. "I gained stats that suggest it. Also gained a new Class during the fight."

"Really?" Lucas asks. "Does it help you not get hurt more? I told you I had a plan to make it safe for you to get close."

"Yes, actually," Dakota gives him an amused look. "It's just straight-up called [Tank] and gives Constitution and Mind each Level, along with some Aura and Aura Regen. And your plan was to double-cast a lengthy spell. Someone needed to help Carter and Wyatt hold it down until you were able to."

"Aura means nothing here!" Lucas counters. "And those blades could have killed you!"

"I saw how they affected the undergrowth as he passed," Dakota crouches at one end of the deer while I crouch at the other. "It was easy to figure out how they worked. It seemed like they weren't actually slicing that deeply into things, so figured it'd be safe. Could be just that the way they move prevented them from actually slicing clean through."

"That was still stupid," Lucas says as Dakota and I figure out a good grip for the monster carcass.

"Three…" I start counting down. "Two… one… Hyup!"

Dakota and I lift the deer king's corpse and bring it over to the wagon, shifting it onto there. Once it's on, Dakota summons water to clean up what blood's still on him.

As he does that, I call up my Status. We all start pulling our shirts and hoodies back on while I do this, the others also probably checking their Statuses as well.

Name: Carter Leif Elm Age: 19 years Species: Human Sex: Male Level: 2 Experience: 2/42 Aura: 0/717 Aura Regen: 0.0114/second Mana: 97/1,092 Mana Regen: 0.243/second Strength: 46 Constitution: 61 Agility: 33 Dexterity: 35 Magic: 138 Mind: 86 Vitality: 60 Soul: 60 Skill Points: 8 Attribute Points: 6

I'm not sure if the math adds up on everything considering I don't keep careful track of every detail, and I'm still not sure if our stats naturally fluctuate, either. Grandma told me that she wasn't certain but that it was possible.

What I should do with my currently-available Attribute Points is actually something I'm not sure about. Thanks to having four Perks, three of which are multiplied by the Status Level I reached when calculating how much to add, I'm now decently above what a normal person probably would be upon reaching Status Level 2.

The average person will probably only have their Class mastery threshold bonuses when gaining their first few Status Levels. Those do seem to be multiplied by the Status Level acquired, though they're still relatively minor boosts.

While Agility and Dexterity are sitting a bit behind for me, they also aren't that important for me. Adding more into my Magic feels like overkill at the moment, while my Mind is probably the highest out of anyone and anything currently in the area. Added defense wouldn't be a bad idea, but I'm not fond of getting struck in the first place (even if it may not seem like it at times). I really don't need a lot of Strength, either. If I need muscle, I'll leave it to someone who focuses on that.

These stats may actually make it take me fighting some tougher monsters than the others to gain Class Levels, though I'm not really concerned by that. That just means that the others can get caught up to me a little easier.

"Status Level 3 takes an additional 42 EXP," I let the others know. "So four Level 10 mastery thresholds. Also, despite very likely being much stronger than someone at only 2 EXP into Level 2, it doesn't seem I'm strong enough to handle the ambient Mana in the air yet, so at the very least, I'm not so OP that I'm equal to double my SL."

"Not yet," Wyatt grins. "But you'll probably reach that at some point."

"Maybe," I shrug. "Or maybe not. But if I'm OP, then you all probably are, too."

"Perks of having some Perks early," Dakota says. "Most people probably won't. Some of those in the group we were in do, but only because you shared information with your Grandma. And she only told the magic-blooded ones about [Aura-Infused Body]."

"That would be too difficult for normies to get, anyway," I add the points to my Mind. "I don't think their bodies are built for an easier acquisition of it like a magic-blooded person's is. All in favor of heading back home?"

"Aye!" Wyatt raises a hand as Dakota and I do.

"I am," Lucas says. "T-that was terrifying. E-especially Dakota getting h-hurt so b-bad."

"Well," I say. "We can probably rest safely knowing that there's little chance of that happening again anytime soon. I'm pretty sure the breezestep deer king was the strongest monster around unless we go to where others roam. I haven't seen the morphed coyotes so those probably aren't coming down this way, and the slimes are keeping to their area."

"T-that suggests t-they're getting s-stronger!"

"Well, yeah," I say. "They kind of are. When Todd, Tessa, and I went to go more maginiite from the Dungeon, it took all three of us to fight the slimes safely. But since they stick to the lake, the only problem will be if we go there and the king is there."

"It's not like we aren't keeping up with it," Dakota tells him. "I mean, the four of us just gained massive Levels. We're more than ready to take on a Rank 1 Dungeon."

"We'll have to make more potions first," I tell him. "That can be something Lucas and I work on this afternoon. For now, let's head back. Do you need help with the wagon? The weight of the snake probably wasn't too much, but a heavy bird and a really fucking massive deer were just added to it."

"Let me see," Dakota walks over and gets into position, then grabs the handle and starts pulling. There's some resistance at first, then the wagon begins to move. "Nope, my increased Strength is enough. I might need some help if I get stuck on a root or bush or something, though."

"I'll push for that," I tell him. "Let's go, everyone!"

We make our way back towards the house, though we stop when we reach the System Shop. It's already on the way home so there's not really a reason to not stop here and collect our Quest rewards.

"By the way," I say as I grab the box with my reward tokens in it. "Are you able to tell me the average stats of someone who's just reached Status Level 2?"

"For the primary stat," the golem apparently can tell us this. "The expected amount is 78 Points. For the secondary stat, it is 67 or 68 Points. For their primary energy force, it is 552 Points. For their secondary energy force, it is 140 Points."

"Well I'm just blasting all four of those out of the water," I say. "Perks are OP as fuck. When do people normally get their first Perk?"

"It is not expected for a person to acquire a Perk until Status Level 5," the golem says. "However, exceptional persons or persons who are aware of how to unlock certain Perks may acquire them earlier. In a world which recently suffered a Mana Flood, such as Earth, it is not uncommon for exceptional people to acquire Perks earlier than Status Level 5, as well as people they mentor. Deliberately attempting to acquire a Perk is risky, however, and is not recommended in most cases."

That's an understatement.

One Perk I had required constantly suffering damage from Mana and healing from it. If the magical energy assaulting a person's body is too strong and the healing too weak to properly repair things in time, it's lethal. For another, it required regenerating Aura while suffering damage and healing. That came with it the same lethal risk as the previous.

Then there's the Perk that requires going blind into a Dungeon, knowing only what the name says about it, and completely clearing it in that go. Grandma gave me more information on that Perk and it apparently requires the completion to be for the first time the Dungeon ever entered, not just the first time you enter it being the time it's cleared for the first time.

That could lead to not being properly prepared for it and dying from something stupid or not being able to properly handle the terrain. A Rank 1 version of the island grove would probably be risky enough that we'd need shoes with spikes to add grip as we cross the vine-root bridges.

And now there's a Perk for taking down three extremely strong monsters within a day. We did it in under an hour, but I doubt spreading it out over a day would have mattered much. Just one round of bad luck in any of the three royal monster fights we took on today would have ended our lives.

Not that risk stops us… but I'm ignoring that little detail.

"Are there any Perks which don't require risking our lives?" I ask.

"The difficulty level of a Perk is dependent upon the specific requirements for the Perk and the qualifications of the individual," the golem states.

"Thank you," I say as Wyatt snickers. "That was… helpful."

"You are most welcome."

"You're sassing me, aren't you?"

"I am incapable of feeling emotion and therefore, am incapable of performing sass."

I'll just file that on the list of things to doubt.

"Alright," I look at the other guys. "Ready to head home?"

"No," Lucas says. "We don't have a tome on holy magics and I might have enough for that."

"It's 25,000 syscre for the general tome," I tell him. "Considering the cost comparison to the scrolls and Skill-specific tomes, it probably teaches a decent amount. Thinking of trying to learn a stronger healing spell?"

The strength of our magical power doesn't increase how much [Lesser Heal] can mend, only how quickly it mends what it can heal. We'd need something stronger to handle bigger injuries.

"Y-yeah," Lucas nods. "S-so that if D-Dakota gets badly h-hurt again, I-I can fix him u-up e-easier."

"Not a bad idea," I say. "I'll be using the tome, too, since I'm the backup healer. Mind if I give you some to help cover the cost? I know you can afford it, but it's only fair to share the cost if we're both using it."

"N-no," Lucas shakes his head. "B-but you're letting me use your tome for nature magics, so it's probably just fair that I pay for this."

"Speaking of nature magics," I say. "I'll probably start learning those now that I have four more mastery thresholds I can reach before the next Status Level. It'll add to my versatility. And I just want to learn some nature magics."

Learning them was always in my plans, I only put them on hold because of the limited Levels needed for the mastery thresholds. Now that there's more breathing room, I can start studying the art.

"You know what I want?" Wyatt was apparently feeling left out. "Rewards for getting Perks! The golems just said that most are for risking things! How come the only rewards we get for them are for our stats? Come on! I want some goods! Hey!" He looks at the golem he's in front of. "Gimme rewards for getting Perks!"

The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

"Which of your Perk Rewards would you like to accept first?" The golem asks.

All four of us stare at the golem for a few seconds.

"Hey," I say. "How come you've never told us we had rewards for earning Perks?"

"You did not ask," the golem answers.

"Seriously!" Wyatt throws up his hands. "Of course we're not gonna ask! We were only told about the stat bonuses!"

These damn golems… I can't help but feel that the gods know that it's going to frustrate people when they find out about the Perk Rewards. I am trusting Grandma when she says that the gods don't do things to affect their own entertainment, but stuff like this really makes it hard to believe that. It sucks that I don't know how to get a god to possess a golem… and that when they do possess one, they act as if they aren't possessing it and so won't answer questions not related to the reason they took over.

I have a lot of questions for the gods and wish I could just… have a chat with one.

"Can I take a look at my Perk Rewards?" I ask the golem I'm in front of.

"Here is the list of Perk Rewards currently available to you," the golem says as a window appears in my vision. "You may only accept one at a time as you will need to make a selection for each. You may do so through the menu in your vision."

"Thanks," I begin examining the menu.

Available Perk Rewards: [Mana-Infused Body] [Aura-Infused Body] [Dungeon Pioneer] (Tier 0) [Slayer of the Royal Monsters]

They look to be listed in the same order I received them in. One question I have is about the [Dungeon Pioneer] Perk and how the rewards for that work since it can be upgraded.

"If you receive a Perk which can be upgraded," the golem says when I ask. "Then a new reward will become available upon reception, independent of any lower tiers. Should the upgrade skip any levels, then you will receive a separate reward for each skipped one in addition to the one currently held."

So if I go from [Dungeon Pioneer] (Tier 0) to [Dungeon Pioneer] (Tier 2), I'll receive the reward for Tier 1 and the reward for Tier 2. I'm not surprised such a thing was factored in, since for the most part, the System and its features are beneficial. Skipping rewards would be punishing us for being good.

"Alright," I access first Perk's reward menu.

[Mana-Infused Body] Option 1: 25 [Basic Mana Recovery Potion]s; 25 [Basic Healing Potion]s Option 2: 10 [Mana Crystal]s; 10 [Holy Maginiite]; 1 [Mana Slime Egg]; 1 [Holy Slime Egg]; 10 [Mageblood Berry Bush Saplings]s; 10 [Heartberry Vine Saplings]s; 5 [Magano Sprout]s; 5 [Regenileaf Sprout]s

"Carter?" Lucas probably just saw the reward choices for this. "Uh… I'm torn."

"Same here," Dakota says. "One is a more immediate reward, while the other might be better long-term."

"Collin will absolutely explode if we don't get Option 2," Wyatt says. "He seems to love his slimes and wants more of them. Wait. You're all looking at the one for [Mana-Infused Body], right?"

"Yeah," I say. "At least one of us should go with Option 2 as it will massively increase the supplies available to us. It might not be a bad idea for the others to go with Option 1 so that we have the immediate rewards as well.

"Hey," I look at the golem I'm talking with. "How come we get choices for this? Is that something you can answer?"

"When it comes to Reward Perks," the golem says. "There are always at least two options present. The first option allows for an immediate benefit, proving potions, equipment, weapons, and other supplies as a reward for risking one's self and obtaining the Perk. The second option grants the materials which can be used to create the items from the first option, based on what is available in that area or what will grow thrive in that area. While the second option does not provide an immediate benefit, it can allow for a long-term supply of resources in some cases, or for one to have superior supplies crafted."

This setup is probably intended more for ordinary people, not magic-blooded folks like us. A small group like us accepting Option 2 could probably supply several communities with mana potions and healing potions once things are set up. The saplings and sprouts aren't needed for us since I already have those plants at my house and we've talked about possibly having them transplanted to their own plots so that we can grow them more.

However, the slime eggs and crystals are extremely important for us. We could make a lot more than twenty-five of each potion with just the crystals, even in the volumes that the System Shop provides. The only thing we really need right now is better-quality plants, but that's coming as the ones we have absorb more and as we figure out better fertilization methods for them.

Not even a month has passed since the Mana Flood yet we're able to consistently make mana potions that restore 18-23 Mana per dose. It probably won't be too long before we've improved the plants I have enough that all of the mana potions we make are [Basic Mana Recovery Potion]s.

The main factor for us right now is the magic crystals and slime goo – and the latter isn't as much of a problem as we thought. Slimes produce around 1-2 gallons of goo a week. If their home is big enough to allow that size and them still be comfortable, then they'll just grow in size up to around three feet. If it's not, then they "release" the produced goo that would increase their size beyond what their home is good for.

Collin's currently trying to convince his slimes to excrete the excess slime into the glass jars he's put in their enclosure. It's… kind of working? Though the mana slime goo we're using right now comes from one that a few of us took down at the lake. They aren't all water slimes there, which is fortunate for us since we can't just separate mixed goo for use.

Grace also mentioned that she wants to try using [Magic Crystal Extraction] on the goo to see if she's able to refine the goo into magic crystals, too. If that works, then we won't have to worry about holy maginiite, either. That will probably only boost the healing potions when used with the holy oak leaves.

"I'll take Option 2 and give the eggs to Collin," I say. "You guys can take whichever you want, just keep in mind that we probably won't be using the saplings and sprouts for growing but as fertilizer for the ones we already have if you do…"

"We're already going to move those to another spot," Lucas tells Wyatt and Dakota. "They're growing too much for the back yard. We've been grinding up the extras and putting them in the soil at the roots of the main plants."

"Which might be helping them increase in quality, I don't know," I say. "But yeah, we already have plenty of those thanks to the Mana in the soil making things grow faster."

"Collin and Chance will probably go with Option 2," Dakota says. "So I'll go with Option 1. We could use the potions for our run into the Dungeon."

"A-and for the spiders," Lucas says.

"Nah," I say. "I have an idea for dealing with those. The fights made me realize something."

"What?" Dakota asks as Wyatt accepts his reward now that the discussion regarding them is over.

"If we have to fight a bunch of them to get to the Dungeon Gate," I say. "Then their queen will probably show up, and there's no way we'll be prepared for that. So we can just use [Wind Mastery] or the wind-based flight spell that the owl king used to get to the Dungeon Gate and just bypass the spiders entirely."

"And if the spider queen is there?" Dakota asks.

"Then we'll decide the incentive isn't necessary," I say. "Especially since we now have a supply of holy slime and potentially one of holy maginiite. The god who issued the incentive likely just felt I'd be happier with you here, which is why they gave it to me. They knew I'd mention the Dungeon to you and that you'd give in to your desire to be with us rather than the others and come running. The reward for it was probably to help with a problem we were having at the time, which might not be as much of a problem now."

"Fair enough," he says. "Alright. I'll get the potions, too."

We accept our rewards for the [Mana-Infused Body] Perk, and find that the reward options for the [Aura-Infused Body] are the same, except with the stuff related to Mana swapped with stuff related to Aura. There are apparently aura slimes… which I guess I should have expected.

Since things are basically the same with that, we do the same thing, with me accepting Option 2 and the others accepting Option 1.

Next is the reward for the pioneer Perk.

[Dungeon Pioneer] (Tier 0) Option 1: 1 [Looter's Backpack] Option 2: 5 [Ironhemp Sprout]s; 2 [Frosthemp Sprout]s

This reward seems underwhelming, but if I remember correctly, hemp has a wide variety of uses. It can be used to make canvas and ropes, and the backpacks we'd be getting from Option 1 are probably made from it. The first of the two sprouts is probably the primary material and a pretty durable one, while the second is probably used for an internal pocket meant for keeping items cool.

We don't really have anyone who can weave canvas from it, but Todd and his Dad might pick up a book on it if we have the sprouts. They already make twine and rope and while I know it's not the same thing… I could say "please".

Dakota doesn't have this option available as he hasn't been in the first party to complete a specific Dungeon yet, though he'll probably get that once we take on the Rank 1 Dungeon.

"I'll get the backpack," Lucas says. "I don't think we need that many sprouts, and a backpack now is good for our coming trip. Your ring can only hold so much…"

"I'm getting the sprouts," I say. "They'll probably be a good long-term investment. Wyatt?"

"Same," he says. "Backpack sounds good at first, but there's something that's probably better in the reward for the royals."

"There is?" I ask as I call up that one.

[Slayer of the Royal Monsters] Option 1: [Spatial Storage Ring] Option 2: 5 [Dimensional Maginiite]; 1 [Dimensional Slime Egg]; 5 [Metal Maginiite]; 1 [Metal Slime Egg]; 1lb [Raw Iron]

That seems like an excessive amount of iron, but maybe part of it is meant to be fed to the corresponding slime to convert it into a different variant? Though if that were the case, I can't imagine why they wouldn't just give us the corresponding egg.

The item reward makes sense to me, though. The royal monsters are bigger than their normal variants and if someone takes down three in a day, they would probably have an issue transporting all of it. Granting those who can do such a feat with this will make transporting the remains of future royal monsters they slay easier.

"Depends on how big the ring is," I say. "It might be-"

"The [Spatial Storage Ring] received from the [Slayer of the Royal Monsters] Perk Reward contains a cubic space that is five feet on each side," the golem in front of me states. "While it does not provide a stasis as your [Dungeon Loot Ring] does nor grow in size in relation to a Perk, it is capable of holding items not from or crafted within Dungeons."

It seems we can ask for information about the Perk Rewards.

"I'll get the plants," Lucas mutters, apparently deciding the ring is a superior option.

Which it is, so I don't fault Dakota and Wyatt for selecting that option, either. I opt for the second reward choice, however. At least one of us should grab that slime egg so that Collin can raise it and Chance can potentially make even better versions of the rings.

"Hey!" Wyatt says. "Can I ask about the bags?"

"What would you like to know?" The golem he's at asks.

While Wyatt does that, I accept my rewards and load the boxes their tokens are in into the wagon with the packs and monster remains. Lucas and I do a little bit of shopping, while Dakota relaxes on a bench and Wyatt argues with a golem.

"I know it's not even lunch time yet," Dakota says as the four of us start making our way home. "But I think after today, I need a few more days before another serious fight."

"S-same," Lucas says. "A-and I want to practice with h-holy magic more b-before we go to the D-Dungeon. J-Just in case of a s-surprise at the gate."

"In case spiders are swarmed around it or their queen is there?" I ask, and he nods. "Yeah, understandable. It's not like we need to go tomorrow. We have another eight days before I won't get the incentive. Let's take some extra time to train a little bit more. We're all strong enough that the Dungeon itself shouldn't be a problem, but we can still prepare ourselves better in case of surprises."

"I second that," Dakota says.

"Same!" Wyatt says. "I need to mix up more potion bombs. Used more than I expected and want to get some closer in strength to me now that I've gained some more Levels. Mnnnnh!" He stretches a bit. "But I don't think I'm going to be up for doing that today."

There's silence for a few more minutes, no doubt as the others think about what they want to do with the rest of their day.

"It's kind of eerie," Dakota says. "Not having a single monster attack us on our way home. Normally, we still have to deal with two or three. The monsters becoming quieter after their royal variant dies is creepy."

"A little, yeah," I say. "But also consider that those which might have still attacked us are probably sensing how strong we are. Some of them can probably feel that they'd have a chance at taking maybe one of us, but not the whole group. You and I can both tank nearly any attack from a normal monster in this section just from our Constitution alone."

"I know," he says. "I also find it a little creepy that they can sense whether or not they have a chance against us."

"Instincts bred out of people, maybe?" Wyatt offers.

"Maybe," Dakota says.

"Looks like they're making decent progress on Trent's and Grace's place," I say.

We're now close enough to camp that we can see the work being done on their home. Additional trees have been cleared from the lot and moved to the side, and the temporary structure has been broken down and removed. Chance is brewing up something while Patrick and Teresa work.

When we get closer, we can see that the foundation has already been set into place, and Patrick and his wife are currently working on the walls. Rather than building one layer of wall at a time like Chance I did, they're doing all three layers at once. That's resulted in my brother needing to maintain two brews at once rather than only one at a time.

Trent's pottery workshop is being given a separate building about twenty feet from the house and doesn't have any walls started yet. They'll probably work on that after the house itself is done. Setting up a place to sleep in is more important than setting up a place to work right now.

Based on the walls already set up, including interior ones, the house is going to have one larger room that's probably the living room, kitchen, and dining room, then three additional rooms. One will no doubt be a bedroom, one will probably be empty until plumbing enchantments are figured out, and the third will probably be either Grace's office or just storage.

"Welcome back!" Patrick calls when he sees us.

"How's the work going?" I ask as we stop walking.

"Not bad," he answers as Chance looks at the goods in the wagon and frowns. "We should have at least the house up by tonight, then the finishing touches and Trent's workshop done tomorrow."

"Trent and Grace are over at Tessa's," Teresa tells us. "Escaping the Mana Burn and I think playing games."

"Do you guys want some help?" Dakota asks. "After we get this stuff taken care of, I can come over if you need it."

"Some muscle would be useful," Patrick says. "Thanks."

"I'll be making lunch soon," Lucas tells them. "Maybe an hour or so? Want me to bring you guys some stuff?"

"If you're okay with that," Teresa says. "Then we'll take you up on that offer."

"By the way," Chance fixes his gaze on me. "Didn't you say you wanted a wagon 'just in case'? Carter, that looks like 'just in case I go through with my plan of hunting some big shit'."

"Well," I say. "In all fairness, I expected the stonefang viper snake queen to be big. Hunting her and the magihawk king was planned. The breezestep deer king probably thought that we'd been exhausted enough by our fight with the latter that he could take out Lucas to prevent healing, then the rest of us after."

"If he hadn't attacked," Chance says. "How long would it be before you suggested going and taking it on?"

"I was going to offer that honor to Tessa and Todd," I tell him. "But maybe… a week after getting back from the Dungeon? At most?"

"How did the cart hold up?" Teresa asks. "Did the construction hold up well? And Chance's enchantments?"

"Yeah," Dakota answers. "The royals in there probably weigh over a thousand pounds when combined, but the only issues were if the wheels got stuck on something."

"That's good to hear," she says. "I suspected the wood would hold up considering how difficult it's getting to cut, but wasn't sure."

"That's encouraging them!" Chance exclaims.

"We'll leave you to it," I tell them. "Need to drop these off at Todd's. Are they home?"

"I think Daniel is," Patrick tells me. "Todd might be at Tessa's with Trent and Grace."

"Alright," I say. "Thanks."

"I'll be back once we get everything dropped off," Dakota tells him. "The beasts are a bit too heavy for one person alone."

"See you in a bit, then," Patrick says.

We head over to Mr. Baxter's, which isn't too much of a walk, and Dakota pulls the wagon around to the back of the yard. Mr. Baxter's currently in his butchering hut, taking care of a breezestep deer.

"Hey, Mr. Baxter!" I greet him as he looks over. "We have some beasts to sell you."

Mr. Baxter looks over at the wagon behind us, then sighs and shakes his head.

"I don't yet have the funds for that," he says. "But I can certainly do some trades."