Chapter 46

Sophie

Day 44 of First Landing, Day 4 on the Road

It had been a dream to sleep in a proper bed again. I need to bring a mattress and pillow back to Thornhill, no question.

Yesterday, we’d all agreed that I’d take the bed. I offered to sleep on the wool rug, but James and Orion—being oh-so chivalrous—fought over who would sleep on the floor. After their little contest, I ended up with the bed to myself, and the two of them on the floor.

Lucky me.

With no nosy eyes on me, I checked my cards and realized I was just one level away from being a level five merchant. No way was I leaving without closing a deal with Thistletail and Nibfoot—I was so close to a new skill that I could taste it.

While sweeping the house, I noticed several masks hanging on the wall near the second-floor hallway as decoration. My Lokan wasn’t great, but I had to strike a deal for those masks given our little predicament with the matter of well... avoiding human slavery. I excused myself, pretending to use the outhouse, then slipped behind the barn to expand my wagon and pull out some more special tea.

Breakfast was soft-boiled eggs with barley bread and some neon-green preserves with specks of yellow seeds. Orion had offered to cook, but Thistletail, the farmer’s wife, insisted it was no trouble. I brought out my tea for them to try, and they drank it like it was their morning coffee fix.

Orion passed, choosing the offered goat milk instead, while James sipped politely, adding a few spoonfuls of honey and goat milk to his cup. Even in small amounts, the tea gave you a warm, content feeling—waking you up without the harsh rush of caffeine. I had to remind myself not to indulge too much.

Can’t get high on my own supply, after all.

“This is delightful! What kind of tea is this?” Missus Thistletail asked.

Our charming mouse host brought the teacup to her lips, letting the floral scent linger. The liquid had a soft blush, like the finest pink pinot. For me, it tasted grassy with notes of strawberry.

“Firecracker Berry,” I replied, using the Lokan word for tea, but sticking to the English name for the berry.

“Fye-ur cra-kur?” Nibfoot, Thistletail’s husband, echoed, wrinkling his nose in delight after every sip. “I’ve never heard of such a plant, but it’s wonderful.”

“We have... more,” I attempted in Lokan before turning to James. “Tell them we can sell them a bag if they’re interested.”

James translated swiftly, and I hung on every word. If I wanted to make it as a real merchant here, learning the language wasn’t optional. My Polyglot skill was still stuck at level 1, and honestly, I probably should’ve paid more attention back in class instead of pestering Orion. But hey, James could handle the translating for now, right?

“We’ll take all you have, if you don’t mind,” Nibfoot said eagerly, through James. Oh, he was hooked. Perfect. “We don’t have much gold, but we can offer candles—or maybe a wheel of cheese.”

Orion’s eyes lit up at the mention of cheese, but I quickly shook my head. These farmers were poor. We couldn’t squeeze that much out of them even if I wanted to. We could only spare them one serving, for our masks and my level up.

“There are several masks decorating your second floor. We’d like two of those,” James requested.

Thistletail shook her head gently. “Those are for Lumindawn, our summer solstice festival,” she explained. “They mean a lot to us. My husband and I met during Lumindawn. He was wearing a fox mask, and I was wearing a fox mask, and—funny enough—when we finally took them off, we were both mice. Ever since then, we’ve made a tradition of collecting Lumindawn masks every year and spending the festival trying to find each other in town.”

She laughed softly, her fingers lightly grazing her husband’s arm as they shared a tender, nostalgic glance. Two souls wrapped in the memory of that fateful night.

“All of them?” James asked, clearly trying to get the masks to hide me and Orion in town. “We don’t need all, just two. We’ll return them once our business in Kronfeldt is done.”

Nibfoot hesitated, taking another sip. He wanted the tea badly. “I suppose we could lend you the rabbit and boar masks—we only got those last year.”

“That doesn’t seem like a fair deal,” I pressed, which James translated. “Just a rental for a whole bag of tea? Surely, there’s something else you can offer. Maybe some bags of barley?”

I could practically feel my Barter skill kicking in. I’d take the mask rental for the tea, no problem—but I wanted to see what else I could get.

Nibfoot shook his head. “We need the barley for ourselves and the livestock. The rest goes to the Duke’s tax collectors. These are his lands, after all.”

“You don’t own the land?” James asked, his voice full of sympathy, though it was common for a feudal system.

“Nay. We keep what we make from the goats—wool, cheese, and such—but not the crops. We keep a bit of the barley for our own needs, though. It’s not so bad. Thistletail sells candles and wool in town, and we rent out rooms to travelers like you. We do alright,” Nibfoot said, sipping contentedly.

“A wheel of cheese. Tell him we want a wheel of cheese,” Orion cut in, almost bouncing.

James, ever the diplomat, smiled and asked, “What about a wheel of goat cheese, my good man?”

Nibfoot laughed. “A whole wheel of cheese for some tea? Are you mad? The best I can do is a quarter wheel.”

Before James could respond, I shook my head. “No deal.”

Never take the first offer.

Both Orion and James looked stunned, but I didn’t miss a beat. “We’ll figure out something in town,” I said in English, a sly smile tugging at my lips. “Plus, let them mull it over a bit... at least until the tea withdrawal hits. Right now, they think it’s just a drink. Soon enough, they’ll be like children craving candy.”

“They’re nice people,” Orion frowned. “We should take the quarter and the mask rental.”

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I gave him a pointed look. “Nice doesn’t pay the bills. We’ve got a limited supply of tea, and we need to make the most of it.”

“You forget I’m in charge of this expedition?” Orion whispered, his voice low and cutting.

“And I’m in charge of the inventory,” I shot back, voice sweet but firm. “You want to lug a wheel of cheese all the way to the city on your back?”

His lips twitched in frustration, but he didn’t say anything.

Poor Orion, so soft-hearted. Business isn’t for the faint of heart.

Nibfoot interrupted the tension with a hesitant offer. “Half a wheel. That’s the best I can do.”

I paused for effect, then smiled. “Half a wheel... and our boarding fee of three Thirds back.”

Nibfoot’s face hardened, clearly not expecting a counter like that. His wife, sensing the brewing storm, gently placed a hand on his arm. “It’s alright, dear. They’ve been helpful, and it’s not like we’re losing much.”

Nibfoot’s glare softened, but it was obvious he wasn’t thrilled. Still, he grudgingly agreed, and I handed over the tea in a small clay jar, a month’s supply if portioned out carefully. His nose twitched with delight as he took in the aroma. Perfect. They’d be begging for more before the month was up.

After helping them with the morning chores—hauling water, feeding the goats, chopping wood, the usual—we saddled up our elk and rode towards the city. The masks were safely stowed in our bags, and the half-wheel of cheese would be waiting for us on the return trip. I watched as James gave both Thistletail and Nibfoot a warm hug before we rode off, waving to the couple until they disappeared behind us.

If everyone in this land was that easy to deal with, this journey would be a breeze.

On the road, I finally got the chance to check my skills. Barter had hit level three, unlocking a skill pack.

Currency Exchange - C

When you make a deal involving non-currency items, you’re more likely to persuade others to trade in the currency you prefer.

Word of Mouth - C

You bring in more customers as a positive word of mouth spreads more quickly.

Fire Sale - C

Get rid of undesirable or defective products more easily.

I wrinkled my nose at Fire Sale. What kind of merchant wants to be known for selling junk? Word of Mouth could be useful when I had more stock, but right now? Limited supply meant I needed to squeeze every drop of value out of it. Currency Exchange was the clear winner. I could already see how I could exploit it.

As I made my selection, a thrill surged through me—I’d finally reached level five in my Merchant class. The Dealer’s realm beckoned. The bright sky darkened into an unsettling void, leaving only a table between me and the ominous Dealer. He loomed in the shadows, a figure cloaked in promises both tantalizing and dangerous.

“Oh, I’ve been waiting for this!” I yelped excitedly as I found myself in the Dealer’s realms. The air crackled with energy, and my heart raced as he pulled out a card booster pack. I tore into it with the kind of glee usually reserved for birthdays.

Master of Arms - B

Your wagon contains a specialized weapon rack that allows you to instantly summon any weapon stored within it to your side.

Freezer - C

A built-in compartment in your wagon can freeze food items, preserving their freshness and extending their shelf life.

Void Bound Contract - B

You have the ability to forge Contract cards at any time. Once signed, all participants must honor the terms as strictly as reasonably possible. Each contract is written in Void Script.

The idea of summoning weapons in battle was tempting, but I wasn’t planning on specializing in combat anytime soon. Freezer was practical, sure, but not exactly what I needed right now. But Void Bound Contract? Magic-backed contracts? Now that was power. I chose it without hesitation, feeling the card slide into place.

“The cards have been dealt. Until next time, fellow holder,” the Dealer intoned, and in a blink, I was back on the road, riding my elk toward the gates of Kronfeldt.

Ahead, the walled city emerged, its stone fortifications looked newly erected. Surrounding it, fields of golden grain rippled in the wind, encircling the town like a golden crown. To the west, a bustling boardwalk jutted into the lake, crowded with rickety shacks and boats bobbing lazily in the water. Beyond, a narrow valley funneled the river toward the city, merchant vessels slipping through its currents with a steady hum of trade. Surrounding the city and valley, the mountain ranges closed in, their base riddled with the scars of countless mines.

Near the walls of the city sat a stable with rough-hewn timber beams hatched with brown clay tiles. The scent of hay and manure filled the air, along with the soft snorts and low winnies of horses and mules as we approached.

This was it—our next stop. As we neared the gates, Orion and I slipped on our masks: mine a rabbit, his a boar.

Before we could make contact with anyone in the stable, James pulled out a card and transformed into a mouse-man, resembling the local inhabitants. The mouse-man looked strikingly like him, complete with long, parted brown hair and a tuft of fur on his chin. Even the expression on his face mirrored that familiar, pleased look that James always wore.

The stable was quiet, save for the rhythmic sweeping of an otter stablehand and the occasional snort from the mules and horses being tended by a large badger. Both of them stopped in their tracks, wide-eyed as they watched our elk approach.

James, ever the diplomat, took the lead. “My name is James. These are Clark and Lois,” he said, gesturing to the two masked riders on the elk beside him. Despite having spent only a day with the farmers, the words of Lokan flowed from his mouth like honey. “We would like to stable our mounts here at your fine establishment.”

He pulled out a First mint coin, its gold glinting in the light as he held it between his fingers.

The badger, who had introduced himself as Hardclaw, narrowed his eyes. “Never seen elk used as mounts before. Though I have heard of strange mounts in the Hidden Kingdom or Dunjara… You folks ain't from around here, are ye? Name’s Hardclaw. I run things here.”

James nodded, keeping the conversation light. “Aye, we come from an island village off the Azure Coast. Our elk are well-trained, just keep them away from wolves.”

Hardclaw grunted, still eyeing our masks with some suspicion. “Lumindawn ain’t for a few months yet.”

James barely missed a beat. “Ah, yes. I’m their guide, and these two are newlyweds,” he said, with a quick bow. “It’s a tradition in our village not to show one's face during a honeymoon. Consider it a quirk of our people.”

As if James cast a charm spell on the suspicious badger, Hardclaw’s posture softened, the suspicion fading from his eyes. He gave a slow nod, seeming to accept the explanation, though he still cast a glance at the elk. “Well, I ain’t ever hosted elk before. The standard rate’s five Thirds a day, but for these creatures... I’ll need a deposit of at least one First.”

James shot me a look, clearly asking for my approval. Instead of answering right away, I rummaged through my bags and pulled out a small teapot, offering Hardclaw a smile. “Can we discuss this after some tea?”