I enjoy the nighttime vista for a little longer. Eventually I get up though, as it gets a little chilly despite it being early summer. Trying to retrace the way I took to get here I still end up on the dirt road at a slightly different spot than the one where I left it. It isn't an issue though. As long as I don't get actually lost a little detour is fine.

It is my best guess that it is still well before midnight when I at least return home. Just as well. That way I can still get some restful sleep in. I can't crawl into bed just yet though. Well, in theory I could, but it is best to start the processing of fresh herbs right away to make sure none go bad. And I have brought home quite the haul.

I clean the Night Candles and tie them in small bundles which I once again hang above the fire place. They still glow in a pale light, when I darken the room, reassuring me that I didn't pick any Troll Candles.

Once again I start a fire in the fireplace and once again I make sure it burns low and long, to provide heat without too much smoke rising above.

I don't want to stay up all night to put on fresh wood though, thus I have to get a little creative. Thankfully I learned a technique of stacking the wood in such a way that one log will burn after the other instead of them all burning at once. Well, that should work in theory at least. I have to admit that I never got it quite right before, but even if the fire just burns for a few hours it should be enough.

I light the fire with the help of the lens of my enchanted staff once again. Very practical, as I don't have the patience necessary to light a fire the usual way right now. I just want to go to sleep and once the fire burns I do just that.

I change into a nightshirt and skip into bed after making sure the window Sour Creams likes to use is open, falling asleep before long.

Surprisingly enough the fire is still burning when I wake up next morning, although it won't last for much longer by the looks of it. Just as well, it has served its purpose and, even better, it still provides me some warmth while I get dressed.

Once I'm ready to tackle the day, I rearrange the remaining firewood a little, to stoke the fire a little higher, even if just for a while. Then I pour the cat curled up at the foot end of my bed some cream.

I could head out to visit the bath now, but I don't. Instead I wait by the backdoor with my things, as Agnieszka is supposed to drop by. Thankfully I don't have to wait long.

Agnieszka looks tired but at the same time happy. I can relate.

She is carrying a thick bundle of clothes.

I get up from the bench to help her, relieving her of some of that load.

“Thank you, dear. Should we conclude our business before we head off to the bath?”

I nod and guide her inside.

“Let's do that.”

Agnieszka arranges my new clothes on the bed under Sour Cream's watchful gaze.

I head to the front room in the meantime, to get the coin I owe her. My heart aches a little as I retrieve a small fortune. Sure, the strong chest still contains plenty of clinking coins, but now most of them are bronze Crowns, as I have to part with much of my silver.

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Agnieszka on the other hand beams.

Ha! I would too in her place.

The small fortune changes owners and we shake hands to finalize our transaction.

Well, I'll just have to see it as an investment. Those clothes probably will last me quite some time. Years or maybe even a decade or two if I'm lucky. Maybe even longer if I make an effort and put a self repair enchantment on them.

That, of course, will be an expense on its own, but it probably will be worth it as well. Sure, the enchantment won't keep the clothes from tearing and any big damage will have to be mended, but it will help minimize the damage that is the result of the usual wear as time passes.

After putting away the clothes, except for the new overall, we leave for the bathhouse. Sadly we don't have time to linger though, as our exchange took up some of our precious early morning time.

I don't mind though, as I get to start into a new day wearing a new overall. It might be a pretty simple piece of clothing, but I like it. Even more so, as new clothes have that fresh fabric feeling you only get to experience for a short while. It is enough to reaffirm my decision to enchant these new clothes. Yes, I want these to last.

Eventually we have to return home and get to work though. I part ways with Agnieszka near her house and head to mine to open the shop.

Sour Cream has already licked her bowl clean, while I was out, and has gone beck to napping already.

I make sure not to disturb her too much while I take the dried Night Candles down from their place over the fire that has gone out by now. They are nicely dried as far as I can tell. Most go right back up over one of the rafters. Some I keep on the workbench though, as I plan to make some mana potions later today.

I have no customers out front this morning. Usually this would bother me, but today I'm glad for the chance to work undisturbed.

The first order of business is to get some potion bottles ready. Like with the healing potions I decide to make ten mana potions. I cut cork for the stoppers and prepare the wax to seal them as well.

There is something else I have to do today as well though. I need to carefully measure the volume of the bottles. I use water and the precision scales for this purpose.

Today's potion won't be a brew like the healing potions after all. No, the main ingredients today will be dwarven stone oil and ectoplasm and I'm loathe to waste any of either.

Thus I measure the potion bottles and make some calculations. Then I measure out a carefully calculated amount of these two ingredients into separate cups. Then I get some enchanting dust. I don't get any from my dwindling reserves though. Instead I work the mill for a little while, as I don't need that much today. The resulting, glittering dust goes into a separate cup, on which I put a lid to make sure the wind doesn't blow it away.

Then I grind some of the dried Night Candles into a fine powder. Only afterwards do I measure the correct amount of this ingredient into another bowl. It simply is easier to weigh the powder than the whole plants.

This is it. These are the four ingredients I need to make a pretty potent mana potion.

I put a small cauldron over the fireplace and get more firewood yet again to light another small fire. Then I begin the process of actually creating these mana potions by pouring the stone oil in.

Fumes start to rise as it begins to heat up. I can't shy away though, as I have to keep stirring it. On one hand I have to make sure it doesn't burn. On the other hand the consistency of the oil tells me when to add the other ingredients. Thus I keep stirring although my nose itches terribly.

Eventually the oil becomes thin enough as it heats up for me to add the ectoplasm while I keep stirring. The change is much more spectacular than anything I have cooked up here before. As I stir in the ghostly substance, the oil becomes almost completely transparent as well.

When no more splotches of darkness remain I add the powdered ingredients. First the enchanting dust, then the powdered Night Candles. And as I do so, still stirring the mixture all the while, it starts to sparkle and glow ever so slightly. Very good!

Now I have to be quick though! I get the potion bottles and scoop out the right amount for each one while the contents of the cauldron are still warm and not too thick and syrupy.

Each filled vial goes into the stand for potion bottles and once all ten are filled I quickly stopper and seal them.

Only a thin film remains in the cauldron. Very good! Nothing will go to waste.

For the briefest of moments I close my eyes and take a deep breath. The latter I regret almost immediately. There still are some of the fumes in the air. While I scramble to open all the doors and windows as far and wide as possible I realize that Sour Cream has disappeared while I was busy. Of course. She has an even more sensible nose than me after all. I find her napping on the bench out front in the end.

I take a moment to get some fresh air as well. The potions are done after all. I might as well relax a little now. Oh, and judging by the position of the sun, I might go and get lunch as well. I don't want to miss it two days in a row.