The next morning comes almost too soon. Due to the strange dreams I might not be as well rested as I had hoped, but at the same time I feel strangely energized. It is a little weird. Not in a bad way though. And of course Sour Creams wake up call, a combination of soft meows and gentle kneading, helps to get me going too. Everything considered, this certainly isn't the worst way to start the day.

After taking care of my feline companion and a quick visit to the bathhouse I feel ready for the day.

The first order of business is the mana mill quest. In theory I have enough enchanting dust right now, but that could change in the blink of an eye. And anyway, it doesn't go bad. Thus having some more in stock wont hurt. And it isn't like this quest is a crippling expense.

And besides, I have new chalks to make some time soon!

Not to forget, the quest gets me more than just some enchanting dust. There is the company too, as well as some light entertainment. I rather like not being home alone. That has to count for something! Right? Well, it is good enough for me. I don't even have to think about it twice.

Setting up the quest doesn't take long either. Both Krystina and I are pretty used to it by now after all.

While I'm down at the inn I take the chance to look out for the trio of adventurers I expect to visit my shop a little later. Curiously enough I can only spot Tamara, who seems to be in the process of negotiating over a tap, probably a used one for beer or wine barrels, with Maryla.

Neither Odolan nor Szmuel are to be seen anywhere.

The dwarven adventurer waves as she notices me looking her way and I decide to make my way over. I lead with the obvious question after exchanging nods with both her and Maryla.

“All alone today? Where are the others?”

Tamara answers after she finishes negotiations with the innkeeper, exchanging some coin for the tap.

“Odolan is off to Barter Town to look up quests there in addition to the ones we acquired here. After talking with some of the others we expect to be able to take several bone meal quests since we will probably run into a lot more skeletons than ghosts. He should be back later today, so we can head out tomorrow. Hopefully.”

I nod and ask the next question.

“And Szmuel?”

“He is heading downstream to the coast, to get us an affordable, used net. I expect him to be back in the afternoon.”

I nod again. That sounds pretty good. I'm not sure if its on purpose or just due to happenstance, but it spreads out the workload I expect nicely.

“So, I guess I'll see you at the shop after you have had something to eat?”

Her stomach grumbles at the mention of breakfast.

“Yes, I'll drop by!”

With that out of the way I take my leave and head back home to open the shop.

I don't want to just spend my time waiting though, thus I get started on the preparations for my ultimate, for now at least, chalks.

I measure out the ingredients I'll need and start grinding up some of the pearls. I won't need all of them for this first experiment. In fact I probably have enough for another experiment where I can mix the ground up pearls with some crushed lapis lazuli.

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

Turning the pearls into a fine powder of just the right consistency is tiring and time consuming. It is almost as bad as working the mana mill. No, actually, it might even be worse! Since this is an experiment though, I can't exactly leave the work to anyone else.

The first one to arrive a little later is Elzbieta. Of course she is. After showing me her quest papers she gets right to work too. And with her singing to soothe my mind and ease my boredom my own work gets much more bearable as well. Yes, posting that quest really was the right call. This is money well spent!

Well, I don't have to put up with the drudgery of grinding pearls into a fine powder for long, as Tamara doesn't take too long to arrive either.

Unlike Elzbieta she comes in through the shop, calling out to me from the counter, to get my attention.

“Hello! Valeria?”

I put away the results of my partially done work, making sure not lose or waste anything, before I move from the backroom to the shop.

“Welcome Tamara. You have the tap?”

She nods and deposits the item in question on the counter.

I doubt she would bother to bring something not in working condition. I doubt Maryla would sell her something like that in the first place as well. I decide to have a look anyway.

As far as I can tell it seems to be working just fine. It faintly smells of wine, but that isn't an issue.

I place the tap back on the counter and nod, satisfied.

“I already prepared everything. Unless something unexpected happens I should be done in a few hours. Most likely well before lunch. Three silver Crowns, as mentioned before. Sound good to you?”

I offer my hand and she shakes it without hesitation, sealing the deal.

“I'll drop by around lunch time again. That way I can pick up one of the easy quests in the meantime.”

I nod and she is off again, with a little more spring to her steps. It seems this whole quest is weighing on her and every little problem resolved is removing a little of the burden on her shoulders. This might just be the fate of a party leader. I don't envy her. She seems to be doing well enough though.

Well, the only way I can relieve her of another little burden is by getting this enchantment right. So, I better get to work!

I don't dally around I return to the workshop, placing the tap at the center of the enchanting table.

I visualize the enchantment I'll need to draw one last time, from the first to the last rune, then I grab the prepared chalk and get started, letting the rhythm of Elzbieta's song guide me as I go.

I have to admit, this works surprisingly well. One rune after the other I transfer the image I created in my mind to the surface of the enchanting table, filling the circles of the enchantment bit by bit.

It seems I worried for nothing. Or rather, it is a good thing I worried so much. All the preparation is paying off now!

I hardly even notice Elzbieta switching to a different song after a while, since it uses the same melody and rhythm. All of Ksawery's silly little adventures use the same tune after all. Just as well. I have to admit though, I have never heard the ones where he teams up with Maryla the magpie before. Are those new? I'll have to ask her. Later.

Despite the slight distraction I finish without a hitch and as I place the last rune and close the second circle of the enchantment it is drawn into the tap as expected.

I take a deep breath and wipe away some sweat. At the same time I can't help but notice that my throat feels a little dry.

Something else is prickling at the back of my mind too. Something that isn't quite as it should be. It takes me a moment to realize what it is. I can still hear Elzbieta singing, but I don't hear the grinding of the mill anymore.

My brows furrow slightly as I head out into the backyard where she is sitting on the bench, soaking up some noon sun, as she sings with closed eyes.

After a moment she cracks one of her eyes open and her lips curl into a smile.

“Oh! It seems someone is done! I was wondering if I should head to have lunch on my own today. It seemed like a bad idea to shake you out of your trance since you were so intently focused on your work, so I didn't. I decided to wait a little longer instead. You good to go now?”

My answer comes out as a hoarse croak.

“Sure.”

Elzbieta winces as she hears it.

“Lunch and something to drink then. You sound like you really need it.”

Together we get ready. She returns the mana mill to the workshop and I close up the shop for our lunch break. Then we head down to the inn.

This is where we meet Tamara as well. She is just turning in quest papers with Krystina as we arrive and she seems to be in a pretty good mood. Especially when compared to earlier. Every little success counts, it seems.

She joins us at out table a little later. Today's meal is white meat pie. It is weird. It is a meat pie, sure. The meat is chicken as far as I can tell. At the same time it is sweet though. Very sweet even! Lots of sugar, honey and possibly birch syrup.

It is tasty, no doubt, but I'm not quite sure what to make of it. Neither Tamara nor Elzbieta seem to mind though, thus I refrain from commenting. Thankfully we have big mugs of a light beer to go with it.