My musings about sandwiches are in short order proven to be pretty close to the truth. They contain a little more gravy than leftover turkey from lunch though. Overall it still is a delicious and filling meal. Very much so even. The light wine that comes with it helps as well.

In the end we soon part ways. Elzbieta joins her comrades for another drink, while I head back home.

It is almost as if my bed were already calling out to me, singing a siren's song full of sweet promises about restful sleep. The notion is silly of course, but I do feel pretty tired.

I giggle once more, thinking about a bed singing sweet lullabies. Although, maybe I could come up with an enchantment with a similar effect? It shouldn't be impossible. I have read about music instruments that can play a tune by themselves at the academy after all.

Would there be a market for beds like that? Maybe a baby bed? Nah, better to stick to the basics like the insect bane enchantment.

I blink in surprise as the thought strikes me. I still need to add that one to the blackboard! It is a pretty useful, utilitarian quality of life enchantment! One of the most popular even as far as I can tell. Oh, and I could give the red chalks a try as well. By now they should be ready!

And indeed they are!

I carefully remove the red chalks from their molds and scrutinize them with my appraisal skill while I'm at it.

[Ghosttouched warding chalk, Quality: Rare, A piece of advanced, surprisingly light and eerily glowing, red chalk commonly used to draw warding circles. Smells like beeswax as it is the main ingredient. Ghosts can touch and manipulate this item! Warding circles drawn with this chalk are especially well suited to ward off ghosts.]

That is a bit of a surprise. I expected another, slight variation of the usual enchanter's chalk, but this turned out to be something else entirely. It still sounds quite useful though. Just not in the way I initially intended.

And, of course, I should be able to use it for the blackboard just fine anyway.

In the end I wrap all but one of the chalks up in oiled paper as a bundle. I use the string I tie it up with to attach a price tag too, labeling it at twenty five bronze Crowns for five pieces of chalk.

That sounds reasonably affordable. Ghosts might not be the most common foes adventurers face around here, but I'm sure someone will eventually find a use for these anyway. And its not like these chalks go bad or anything. They'll keep just fine.

I take that bundle out front and place it on one of the shelves. I bring the last piece of red chalk, one plain white piece of softly glowing chalk and a wet cloth as well.

With the latter I make some adjustments to my blackboard. I rewrite the prices of the enchantments on offer in red. The effect is quite striking. Especially right now in the mostly dark shop, but even during daylight hours the effect isn't entirely lost. I have to admit I'm a little proud of it.

I add the insect bane enchantment to the list too, pricing it at one silver Crown.

Then, almost as an afterthought I add two more lines to the bottom of the blackboard.

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The first informs customers about the general availability of double enchantments. The exact enchantments and their price are subject to negotiations. The results and terms of which are to be put in writing by the village elder.

The very last line is something else entirely, although it is not exactly unrelated to the offered double enchantments. Double enchantments tend to be pricey after all.

Thus I decide to offer payment in rates for adventurers in good standing registered at the local guild office. The first rate is to be paid upon delivery. The second and third at the next midsummer and midwinter days respectively.

A deal like that should make the expensive enchantments a little more affordable.

This kind of payment plan is a bit of a risk for me though. Sure, I'm minimizing the risk by not offering the deal to just about everyone and by insisting on a written contract, but a little risk remains. There is no telling if the adventurer in question will still be alive to make the second and third payment after all.

Sure, I have not yet seen any of them fail to return from their quests in the Twilight Forest, and hopefully I won't for a long time yet, but the possibility exists. There is no denying it.

I'm tempted to erase that last line again, but I slap my cheeks, shake my head and reaffirm my resolve. No, this should be fine. I have seen similar deals offered in some of the big shops in the city after all. Not even just for enchantments either, but for other expensive gear as well. Things like full plate armor or war horses. Or plate barding for war horses for that matter.

If the risk were too great people would have stopped offering terms like this long ago. It'll work out for sure!

Still I'm feeling a little uneasy. This is a big step ahead for me after all. Oh, I know! I'll talk to elder Jaromir tomorrow morning, before I open the shop! This potentially concerns him too after all, as it might mean more work for him.

Yes, that sounds good.

Satisfied with my work so far I wipe my hands with the wet rag. This turns out to be a mistake. If anything I now have more chalk smeared across my hands than before since I already used this rag to wipe parts of the board.

I groan and return to the workshop. I should have thought of that! Well, never mind. I simply head out back and down to the creek to wash up a little. I wash the rag as well since I'm already at it, so I won't leave smears on the chalkboard the next time I need to wipe something.

By the time I return from the creek Sour Cream seems to be about ready to go out for the night as well. Except, of course, she still needs her snack. That much becomes obvious as she starts to circle around and weave in between my legs, tail held high, meowing softly.

That is more than enough prompting. In fact, it is almost too much, as I have a little trouble not tripping over her, as I get the jug and pour some of her namesake treat into her bowl.

I pet her briefly, not too disturb her too much during her meal, and see her off for the night. Then I'm alone once more.

As I get changed for the night my mind begins to wander again. Of course it does! And of course it does now, when I'm finally about to get some decent sleep! I probably should have expected something like that.

I slip into bed, under the covers and try to abandon all the stray thoughts that come to me now of all times, but it doesn't really work. Of course it doesn't work. It never has and probably never will.

The only thing that helps in a situation like that, is to busy myself with one of the things that won't let my mind come to rest until I actually fall asleep.

Should I try to make another kind of magical chalk? I burned the ocher until it turned red earlier. If I were to burn it longer it would eventually turn a dark blue, if I recall my lessons right. Maybe chalks like that would have another unexpected effect?

Well, while that sounds intriguing, it would involve actual work and I don't want to actually get back up. I'll look into it another time. Maybe tomorrow or some other day. Probably after experimenting with the precious stones I ordered through Agnieszka.

I could give the enchantment for those dancing shoes some more thought! Yes, that sounds better. Except the use of multiple circles would make it complex enough, that I'd rather write my thoughts and designs down instead of just arranging everything in my mind.

This means I have to get up again, even if just briefly. I get my enchanted candle lantern and place it on the windowsill next to the bed. And, I get my notebook and a coal pencil as well.

I snort. This takes me back to when I was much younger, well before my years at the academy, when I still used to write a secret diary every night. Until I eventually figured out that the secret diary was not so secret at all.

I roll my eyes at the unbidden memory and get busy working on the enchantment after slipping back into bed.

This is much better than some silly diary anyway and it works like a charm too! With every calculation and every rune I draw my eyes grow a little heavier. In the end I barely still have the presence of mind to take the candle lantern down from the windowsill to make sure Sour Cream doesn't knock it over or off the sill upon her return in the morning.