At the inn we meet, among others Tamara and her gang. She is really shaping up to be a proper leader by the looks of it. I just hope she will be able to work things out with Danuta in the long run. The witch is, after all, the much more experienced adventurer and although she doesn't appear to be very competitive I'm not quite sure she'll be willing to stand back behind the younger dwarven woman.

Well, whatever, it really isn't my business. No I have a different kind of business to discuss with them. I greet them with a wave as I head their way while Elzbieta heads directly for a free table to get comfortable and order something to eat.

Curiously enough it is Szmuel who perks up first and most as they take note of my approach. I flash him a smile, taking care not to show any teeth as I do so.

“Hey! You are all taking good care of yourself, right? Have a hearty meal and some rest, yes?”

Szmuel is quick to nod, in between bites of his meal. A moment later the others nod too. I keep talking, to keep the interruption of their meal as brief as possible.

“Well, I'm done with the appraisal of the things you left at at my place. Want to drop by after lunch to talk about the results and pick them up?”

This time around it is Tamara who nods.

“Sure. Right after lunch?”

“Please. I have been thinking about keeping the shop closed for the rest of the afternoon, as I want to work on another little project.”

After receiving another round of nods I leave them to their meal and rejoin Elzbieta at the table she picked for us. It seems she already ordered for both of us, as Krystina is coming over with two bowls of spicy chicken and drinks to go with it just as I sit down next to Elzbieta.

I raise an eyebrow as I behold the bowls Krystina places in front of us.

“Isn't that a bit much? And … its not too spicy, right?”

It isn't that I dislike spicy food, but contrary to a popular saying, there can be too much of a good thing. Elzbieta doesn't seem to share my concerns though. She just shakes her head and starts to dig in.

Taking great care I mimic her. My worries are unfounded though. Neither the meat, nor the diced and carefully steamed vegetables coming with it are too spicy. Maryla and especially Patryk really know what they are doing.

As Much as I would like to take my time and enjoy the meal, I pick up the pace anyway. I don't want to keep Tamara and her group waiting for too long. And besides, even at the increased pace I'm barely matching Elzbieta anyway. Well, I can't really fault her for it. It is good after all and she is eating for two.

Afterwards we head back to the shop together, the young adventurers, Elzbieta and I. I don't open up the shop out front though. Instead we all head in through the back.

They eye the things I have appraised and sorted with visible curiosity and I decide to have a little fun with them, while Elzbieta moves out into the backyard with the mana mill for the time being.

I start off with all the things that aren't anything special at all. Especially the various brass trinkets. Before they can actually get disappointed though, I disappear behind the counter to get the two very special finds from the strong chest.

Their eyes grow wide as I gently place both the wand and the brooch on the counter. The way I treat these two items already gives away that they have to be quite special.

“An ancient wand of web and an equally ancient brass and opal brooch of health. Both are incredibly rare. I'd suggest auctioning them off through the guild.”

Now they have stars in their eyes. Well, not really, of course, but they still look like little children who just received their first sweet treat. I decide to keep going.

“I don't know the exact prices, especially not for auctions. Krystina might be able to help you out in that regard. I'm pretty sure though that either of these two items can earn you a few gold Crowns at the very least.”

Now their mouths stand open. Sure they have to have been hoping for something good, but this is probably well beyond their wildest dreams. Or, at least, it is well beyond any moderately reasonable wild dreams.

Szmuel's exclamation sums it up pretty well.

“Mewow!”

The rest of us break into laughter.

Eventually we all calm down again, and I feel I need to put a little damper on their good mood.

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“Just don't get reckless. Gods and goddesses only know when you'll have another haul like this.”

It's Tamara who responds after taking a deep breath to calm herself. She looks at her comrades, a stern expression on her face.

“Yes. These auctions with the guild tend to take a while. No spending money we don't have in our purses yet!”

A very reasonable attitude. It gets the others to clam back down too. They simply nod in response. Once that is settled Tamara pays me without raising any further questions as I hand her the receipt I put together.

Maybe I should make a habit out of that? Not having to haggle certainly sounds like a winning move to me. Yes, this thought bears further consideration. For now though I just enter the transaction into my ledger and drop the coins into the strong chest.

Just as the adventurers leave with their appraised and sorted loot my next visitor makes their presence known. It's once again Urszula with Milena, her youngest. We all know what they are here for. Thus we get to it without any further delay. It's a good thing too, that she shows up now, as my breasts have been starting to ache rather fiercely already. The little girl is pretty hungry too it seems. As a result the whole affair doesn't take terribly long.

Once the two leave again, with Milena now peacefully napping, it gets quiet around the house again. Well, relatively quiet anyway. Elzbieta is still humming to herself. I join her on the bench out back for a moment.

“Mind if I head out for a little bit?”

She tilts her head, without interrupting her work with the mill.

“Oh? Where are you going?”

I nod in the direction of the creek just beyond the garden.

“I want to go looking for some shiny rocks in the creek. Those shields I got from the youngsters last time can be set with stones. I want to give it a try and add a polished pebble to one before I enchant it.”

She tilts her head the other way as she thinks about it.

“A pebble as a gem? Are you sure?”

I just shrug.

“A small polished quartz. Better than wasting money on real gems. Right?”

She thinks about it some more. Then she nods.

“I'm not quite sure where you might find stones of the right size though.”

I nod downstream.

“I'll try the place where I got my ocher for the chalks. If I don't find any there, I can search some other spots a little upstream on another day.”

She nods again.

“And are you going to polish them yourself?”

This time I shake my head.

“No. I'll ask Nawoja and Olgierd at the smithy. Maybe they can set the shield I have in mind with the polished stone right away too. That would be the best approach. At least I think so. Well, anyway, will you be alright on your own for a while? I really shouldn't be too long.”

She nods once more.

“I'll be fine.”

With that out of the way I get ready for my little trip. Essentially I just grab a basket while leaving my sandals at home, since I expect to be wading in water for some time at least. Then I'm off with one last wave.

In the end my trip doesn't take me long at all. It is even quicker than I anticipated since I'm already a little familiar with the terrain. And I find several pebbles that seem suitable in the spot where I got my ochre.

Some are almost clear. A few have a slight rosy tint. Most are a little milky. The aren't real precious stones, but they sure look pretty enough for what I have in mind. Eventually I have to stop myself from gathering too many. I still have to carry them back after all.

I even make a quick stop at the smithy on my way back to share my idea with Olgierd and his wife.

They agree to do the work I ask of them. It'll take a while though, and of course I have to bring the shield I want fitted with one of the stones. Thus I return back home after leaving the stones with them.

I'm just in time too, as Elzbieta is just about to finish with her workload for the day. After taking care of her paperwork and grabbing the old iron shield in question we head back down to the village square to finish our business for the day.

Just as we are about to part ways there, so she can head to the tavern while I visit the smithy once more, she suddenly stiffens. Her grip on my arm tightens all of a sudden. Her voice shakes a little as she speaks up.

“Valeria? Could we maybe visit Wislawa at the temple first?”

I'm a little confused at first. Then I notice the way she is holding her belly and realization dawns upon me.

“Oh? Oh! Sure!”

I'm of course worried. Yet, at the same time I'm excited too. I can't help it.