With the order for my new sign, or rather blackboard, placed with Nawoja and Olgierd I head over to the inn to tackle the next points on my agenda for this day. I wonder if Krystina is already back from the bathhouse, as I cross the village square. It doesn't really matter though. One way or another, I'll get things done today.

Krystina is, in fact, not back yet and her parents are pretty busy serving breakfast as well. It seems I will have to wait. Or rather, I can take this chance to have a morning meal myself for a change. Yes, that is what I will do. A little later I sit with Danuta and her father, enjoying a bowl of sweet porridge. It is simple but filling and there is plenty of honey. There certainly are worse ways to pass some time.

Breakfast aside, I'm a little curious why Danuta isn't with the other youngsters today. Before I can ask the witch just shrugs, as she eats her own meal.

“Tamara and Odolan want to take it a little easier for a few days after our dungeon delve. And Szmuel wants to do some local hunting quests while we wait for the guild to get back to us about that bow and some of the other things we brought back.”

It's a little unsettling, almost as if she is able to read my mind. Although, no, I'm probably just not the first to ask in all likelihood. In the end I just nod before inquiring about her plans.

“And you? Do you have plans as well?”

She eats another spoon of the sweet porridge, before she finally answers.

“I want to get some fairy gossamer cloth for a new midsummer night dress. Something fancy, you know.”

At the mention my thoughts drift to grandma's special dress in the trunk back home. Fairy gossamer cloth sounds like it might be something like that. It certainly sounds fancy as well, there is no doubt about that.

“So you are going back into the forest with your father to get some? Just the cloth or a complete dress?”

It is the aging barbarian who answers in turn.

“Just the cloth, probably. It is one thing to get raw materials from the fair folk, fancy as those might already be. Some might ask for an arm and a leg in exchange for a dress though. Well, not a real arm or a leg, but you get the idea, yes? They never give anything away for for free, you know?”

I nod as I think about it. He is right. The fair folk has a reputation and for a good reason too. If you aren't careful you could end up owing them more favors than is in any way reasonable.

“So you get the fabric in the Twilight Forest and have the dress tailored elsewhere? Or is there someone in Clear Brook, who actually works with fancy fairy fabrics like that?”

Danuta laughs out loud at my question.

“Your neighbor, Agnieszka. I doubt there is anything she can't work with. I mean, most people around here can do some tailoring. Simply things they wear everyday. But Agnieszka, well, she is the one everybody in Clear Brook turns to if they need something special. Sometimes even people from the other nearby villages drop by to see her.”

My mouth stands open, at least for a moment until I manage to regain some of my composure, at this revelation. Still, I blush a little. She is that good? And she hasn't charged me any more for the things I ordered from her? On one hand I'm glad. On the other I feel a little bad now. I'll have to find a way to repay her eventually!

The old barbarian seems to have noticed my plight. He waves my worries away and flashes me a smile.

“Don't worry about it. I'm sure you'll eventually have a chance to repay her in kind. That is just how things are in the villages out here on the frontier. People look out for each other.”

He is right. Worrying won't benefit anyone. I just have to keep an open mind and be ready to help in turn when something comes up. Thus I can only nod as I finish my meal.

It is then that Krystina returns to the inn. She heads directly to the counter next to the quest board, to take care of guild business.

The adventurers enjoying their own morning meals don't seem to be in a hurry. At least not yet. I decided to take advantage of that lull, before any can change their mind.

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I part with Danuta and Bogomil, and head over to greet Krystina at the guild counter, while her mother collects my empty bowl.

“Morning again! Ready for business?”

She smiles and nods.

“You have another quest for me, I take it?”

“Yes, yes. I would like to post the extended enchanting dust quest again, if you don't mind.”

Of course she doesn't mind. She gets a new quest form out from below the counter and gets started filling it out. Once she is done she places it in front of me, so I can double check the details.

That is exactly what I do. As I find no fault I produce the coin for the reward and the guild fee from my purse, counting the three bronze Crowns onto the counter from where Krystina collects them.

Once she has entered the transaction into her ledger and put up the quest on the board I make room for the next customer.

It seems the first ones to drop by in the early morning are other locals who have various requests they want to see taken care of by adventurers. Most seem trivial, just like that mana milling quest of mine, a few hint at things going in or around the village as well though.

I listen in a little, just out of curiosity, before I head over to the inn's counter where Krystina's father is still busy handing out bowls with sweet breakfast porridge.

The most exciting news I hear are about some raccoons that seem to be causing trouble with the farmers living nearest to the creek. Apparently chicken coops are not necessarily raccoon proof. Not too surprising, really. Still, Szmuel might just get his wish to do some hunting. Or maybe Elzbieta will take care of this issue? I guess I'll see.

Some dry walls separating fields and pastures apparently need fixing as well. I'm not sure who would be best suited for a task like that though. Well, it probably isn't too complex a task, otherwise the farmers would look for an expert after all instead of adventurers.

Krystina's father greets me with a cheerful wave.

“Want a second helping?”

He nods indicating the fresh bowl of porridge he just put into the still sleepy Elzbieta's hands for emphasis.

For a moment I'm tempted, but as I exchange hugs with Elzbieta, before she heads off to sit with her comrades, I shake my head.

“Thank you, but no thank you. Krystina mentioned that you would like to talk about the iced coffee idea.”

“Oh yes! Maryla, dear, do you have a moment?”

His wife passes us by with some more dirty dishes, as she heads to the kitchen.

“Give me a moment. I'll be with you right away.”

True to her word, she is back a moment later, minus the dirty dishes, wiping her hands with a dish towel.

“The iced coffee thing? Right?”

I nod and so does her husband. She speaks up again after joining her husband behind the counter, turning to face me, as she receives our confirmation.

“Good! We talked about it and we came to the conclusion that we would like to give it a try.”

“Would you rent out that icebox to us for the summer? Say, for a quarter of the purchase price with another quarter as a deposit we would get if we return it in working condition?”

I think about it for a moment. The bucket shaped ice box cost me a silver Crown. A quarter would be three bronze Crowns. The deposit doesn't sound unreasonable either. It really should last more than a few years in theory, unless something unfortunate were to happen. In the long run I should be able to get a decent return on this investment. At least in theory. In the end I nod.

“Just make sure you always keep the interior coated in a thin layer of clear ice, so you don't scrape the wood, and getting back the deposit shouldn't be an issue.”

The two nod in unison. Then Maryla speaks up once more.

“In addition we would pay you a bronze Crown for each serving of shaved, iced coffee we serve. To be paid out on midwinter, just before we do our taxes. Does that sound good to you?”

Actually, that sounds pretty good. Sure, it might not sound like much at first, but if people take a liking to this iced coffee treat, this could quickly add up to a small fortune. Of course it would be a while before I would see the coin. In the end I nod one more.

“Sounds good. Do you need me to roast the beans for you? Or do you want to take care of that yourself?”

This time it is Maryla's husband who answers.

“It probably would be best if you were to teach me how to do it. In the long run we probably will be able to get better prices on the raw beans since we might be able to buy them in bulk.”

That too sounds reasonable enough. In a way I'm quite glad that I won't spend hours roasting and grinding beans for someone else. I probably would end up outsourcing the task to adventurers anyway.

Before I can answer Maryla pipes up once more though.

“Should we put this in writing? It is a little more long term than deals we usually seal with a handshake after all. And if everything works out, it might involve a lot more money as well.”