"Hoi, there!" Thomas calls out as he enters my range of sensing minds.

Another four days since the last visit, which suggests he's decided on a schedule and I can expect him every four days from now on.

"Hello," I greet him without looking away from the herb I'm trying to transplant.

"Is that… something special?" He asks. "I've seen it in a few places and use it in food. Tastes good with some, but it refuses to grow in the garden. Tried growing it near some of the plants basil is good to grow by, since it resembles that a little but it just doesn't grow."

The herb has ovate leaves with a slightly-glossy finish, their veins a distinct yellow rather than the green that the rest of them are. These ones have a pretty rich yellow to their veins, an indication of their quality.

With its similarity to basil, I'm not surprised he tried growing it as if it's basil. The herb is far from it in terms of growing requirements, though.

[Lightning Herb] An herb with sweet, savory, and slightly spicy flavor which draws in lightning mana through its roots and stores them within its leaves.

"Not surprising," I say. "I don't know what you mean by planting near others it's good by, but lightning herbs require specific spots. It'll only grow in a spot with a thicker vein of lightning mana running through it. You can find thin ones everywhere, but you need sizable ones for the herb to grow. There's a good-sized vein of it flowing right here."

I finish transplanting the herb and lightly pat down the soil I filled the hole in with. Based on the way the three nature spirits are watching it, they'll probably make sure its roots take quickly. The fact that a lightning spirit is propping himself up on the back of one of them to look over his head supports that idea.

The lightning spirit looks similar to the other spirits so far, though his body is more yellow in color and has small, blue-white sparks dancing through his skin.

Though none of them have fully manifested themselves, so Thomas can't see them.

"Lightning mana veins?" His mind is filled with more confusion than his tone.

"Mana comes in many varieties," I brush my hands off as I stand and turn to face him. "Plain mana is the one most people are familiar with, and what mages use to cast their spells. However, there's mana attuned to each type of magic, including the more nuanced ones within some of the schools, such as the specific elements within elemental magics.

"They flow in very thin veins all over the word," I continue. "In the soil, the air, the water – everywhere. Some of these veins are thicker than others, and some plants grow best near thicker ones of certain types, while others might need to be planted on top of said veins, such as the lightning herb. With a Mistland so close to here, there are quite a few larger mana veins of the various types."

This section of the area which Zolbiatz sent me to actually has several larger veins for each type. That's perfect for growing many different varieties of magical plant.

"How can you tell where they're located?" He asks, the type of suspicion in his mind suggesting it's because he believes me to be a mage.

"Lightning spirits," I say. "Asked them if there were any sizable lightning mana veins here and they pointed at one. Well, he actually danced along it, but-"

The lightning spirit that was watching me plant the lightning herb manifests himself and starts dancing along the larger vein of lightning mana we're at.

"-close enough," I finish. "Spirits can be goofballs."

"I can see that," he watches the lightning spirit for a few moments, then shakes his head and pulls off his basket pack. "Here, the next batch of food. The loot from my trip into the mines is in there. Those gloves really helped…"

"I'm sure," I go through the food items.

An extra pound of wheat and sugar, and an additional four eggs are in the food supply this time. Most of what's in the loot from the mines are plain magic crystals, but he has a few chunks of ore and some other crystals.

The majority of the other crystals are earth magic crystals, but a couple of metallic-looking ones are metal magic crystals. Those are all definitely monster drops based on their shape, but he has a couple of blue crystals which look more like they were broken off of something rather than formed from a loot drop.

"Those grow throughout the mines," Thomas tells me. "So I can find them pretty easily. Ain't sure if they're worth anything, though. Grabbed some just in case. They ain't the mana crystals I collect for Chief's truck, their color's a bit different from those."

"They're plain magic crystals," I inform him. "They form when pure magical essence crystallizes, and technically, they're worth a decent bit. You can sell them in town for a little bit of coin. Useful in making in enchantments and some magic items, but not as a fuel like mana crystals."

"So they are magic crystals, then?" He asks. "I wasn't sure and never wanted to try using it in Chief's truck, just in case."

When uncertain about a crystal, it's better to not use it at all than to use it, just in case you're wrong. Buying them in town was the better idea. Ordinary magic crystals can grow in the same places as mana crystals, too, so it's very easy to think you have a mana crystal but don't.

"They're easy to mistake for mana crystals, yeah," I say. "These ones are all magic crystals, though. And nothing would happen if he's got a standard truck. It just wouldn't turn on if these were in the fuel slots."

I pick up a yellow-white crystal around an inch in size. It emits a faint glow that's almost imperceptible in the late morning sun. While the light wouldn't be too intense in the dark, it's enough for most people to recognize it.

"That dropped from some sort of floating orb of light-mist," Thomas tells me. "I've never managed to kill one of those before but they've been pretty annoying. They have a tendency to start glowing brighter, making it hard to see, at the most annoying of times."

"Spooklights," I say. "Their normal way of acting in places like mines. In the darkness of a swamp or thick forest at night, they'll trick you into thinking they're a lantern being carried and lead you into an ambush as you try to meet up with the person carrying said lantern."

"Oh," he stares at it for a few moments. "I guess it ain't as potent as the ones in the lanterns and lamps in town, though. That barely glows. Couldn't use it to see by in the tunnels."

"Speaking of that," I say. "How do you illuminate your way in there?"

Different Mist-touched areas can have different ways of being lit up naturally, or they might be dark and need someone to actually bring light in. Just knowing they're mines doesn't give me any information on the light situation within.

"There are small specks in the walls," he says. "They glow a bit. Tried harvesting them in the past, but they stopped glowing. It's enough light to see by for most of it, except a few spots I've been to. Ain't been too deep, though. Ain't comfortable doing that with how tough some of the beasts get."

"Better safe than sorry," I say. "And the lamps and lanterns using these you've seen in town use weaker ones than this. They emit a glow passively, but channeling mana into it makes it glow brighter. I can fashion it into a lantern for you."

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"Channel mana?" He asks. "Then I'd need to use mana crystals to keep it lit. What's in the mines probably won't be enough for that and Chief's truck. We don't use the truck that often, but I don't see many clusters of the crystals in the parts I've been in."

"Hm?" I stop examining the crystal. "Oh, right. This area has enough ambient mana that I can make it draw on that instead. The monster and vermin ward on my property runs that way and it consumes far more."

"The what?"

"The wards," I explain. "Think of them as a sort of invisible barrier which prevents things from entering. Anyway, I can make you a lantern with this which runs off the ambient mana, if you want. Even fashion it so you can wear it, keeping your hands free."

"What's the price?"

"I can split it into quarters," I say. "Fashion two of those for you – one as your main, one as a backup. You don't need that large of a chunk to get decent light. The other half is all I'd want in return."

That would let me make magic lanterns for myself.

"Alright," he seems suspicious of that payment. "Any of the others you want?"

"The magic crystals," I answer. "The plain ones, I mean. And these mushrooms."

The mushrooms are stone-grey in color, the tops of their caps a darker grey than the undersides and stems.

[Stonecap Mushroom] A tough mushroom with an earthy taste, which absorbs and stores earth mana from underground.

"They're good for eating," I tell him. "Making fertilizer with, or even making some types of potions. With the right other reagents, I can brew up something which temporarily boosts your Constitution, your resistance to damage."

That piques his curiosity.

"What other reagents?" His expression and tone are more neutral than his mind.

"Varies," I answer. "Most simple potions need three base reagents, but they're flexible. One leaf, one juicy, and one non-juicy. Well, that's a more simplified way. Something a lot of beginners refer to it as is one leaf, one fruit or berry, and one vegetable or fungus. Roots can also work for that last one. There are so many things they can be, though, just describing them to you won't help. I don't know the local flora that well yet so can't tell you for sure."

"Oh," his disappointment is pretty tangible to my [Empathy].

He was really hoping for something that can boost his defenses.

"We can consider the payment for the bow and arrows to be completed with these," I point to the crystals and mushrooms I separated from the rest. "That's enough to make up for it."

Relief enters his mind, though there's something else in there as well.

"When are you planning on leaving?" I ask.

Surprise fills his mind, along with confusion.

"What do you mean?"

"The more I think about it," I say. "The more it would make sense for you to want to leave sooner rather than later. You said you need to prepare, but I got the feeling you've been preparing for awhile now. Your happiness with the arrows and request for the gloves could be out of it making it easier for you to earn money, but I think my perspective on how much it costs to move is a bit skewed due to my upbringing. You could just head off to another village somewhere only needing the supplies for the journey. Places out in the sticks like this dislike outsiders, but they're more accepting of those who are from a similar background. If it's not out in the sticks and is just a farming village near the sticks, it'd be even easier for you to get accepted. Someone would let you stay in their barn or even their home while you get a house built on a new plot of land. Am I right?"

Reluctant acceptance.

"Yeah," he answers. "Was originally going to leave with this past trip to town, but didn't want to not pay you back for the arrows. Also been trying to convince-never mind that. Didn't want to go without paying off the arrows, they really do work well. And the lamps will be useful if I go hunting wherever I go and while I travel. Might not leave then, though. Need to convince-never mind."

That's twice now, and he's had a high amount of agitation before he cut himself off both times. I can make a guess about what it is, though.

"Need to convince a certain father to give his cursed son to a church?"

His agitation spikes.

"Fuckin' hell!" He swears. "I told him not to-"

"Visit me," I finish. "Yes, I'm aware. He mentioned that, too."

"Damn that guy!" Thomas snaps. "And he didn't mention it when I spoke to him!"

"On your way here?" I guess.

"Yeah" he starts pacing around, agitation and nervousness mixed in his mind in equal amounts. Dylan wasn't kidding about Thomas being worried about my retaliation if the curse spread to me. "Really sorry about that, I ain't sure what he was thinkin', bringin' a curse near you. I told him not to! We've been tryin' to convince him to give the kid up to the church so the curse can be contained, but-"

"It's okay," I tell him.

"No, it's not!" He says. "No one should be near a curse! It's just-"

"The local mages are powerful enough to have lived for centuries," I interrupt. "At least, according to Dylan. If they're that old, then they can sense curses from dozens of miles away. They'd have also broken it so they don't have to feel such foul energies. And can you blame Dylan? You told him you suspected I'm a mage as part of the warning, and he's a father concerned for his son. He wanted to see if the newcomer mage who seems friendly enough to you would break the curse."

Slight embarrassment enters into his mind.

"He told you that, too?"

"Yes, he did," I answer. "How many have you told your suspicions to? I don't want people coming to me for magic help for every little thing. People not as experienced with magic tend to overestimate a mage's actual abilities."

Mostly because the majority of mages are limited to either what little abilities they've managed to develop as a first-generation mage or to the magics that their family focuses on. No point going to a fire mage to water crops, for example.

"So you are a mage?"

"I didn't say that," I say. "I said that I don't want people coming to me for magic help."

"Oh," he says. "I guess that'd make sense. And I only told Chief. Everyone else, just that you're an adventurer who wants to settle into the area. Ain't sure why you'd want to settle so far from everyone else, but whatever. Where's your wolf?"

Thomas looks around, only now realizing Aluci's gone.

"Probably in the pond that feeds the stream," I answer, though I decide not to mention that he's also probably an aquatic creature right now. "Back to the previous subject, though. It's pretty obvious to me that you're doubting me not being a mage. Is it really because of the bath?"

"Yes," he looks toward the bath. "It's a single piece of stone with perfectly-smooth edges. You'd need to be a master stone-worker to do that, and have a giant chunk of stone. I'd have noticed its presence. And how the water flows through its walls… definitely magic."

"Enchantments."

"Maybe," he says. "But how you'd get the tunnels for it to flow? Had to have been magic."

It's hard to argue with that logic, and I guess it should be fine to admit it. At least, as long as he actually keeps quiet about it. Being honest about this might earn a little more trust from him, too, though I hope he doesn't try coming to me for magic-related stuff.

That really does get annoying.

"I am a mage," I tell him. "But I really don't want people coming to me for help with every little thing. The last time I stuck in an area without a local mage to help things out, I was getting a dozen requests a day. That's not an exaggeration, either. The most I was asked for help with in one day was twenty-three and it was rare I had less than ten requests. And their population was only about a hundred and fifty."

"Ours is only a third that," a third? That's a lower population than I thought. "But… I guess it makes sense. I'm constantly getting asked to hunt this or that and deal with goblins here or there."

A bit of reluctance is in his mind. Something else holding him back from leaving is that he doesn't want to leave them without a proper hunter here. Someone who does more than hunt for food, but who also makes sure the local monsters are dealt with.

"Can I ask you something?" I ask.

"What?"

"What's your plan, for when you leave?" I ask. "Return to being just a farmer, or still do hunting? What do you really want to do?"

"I'm not sure," he admits. "But I think I'll still hunt monsters if the area needs it. This life ain't bad, to be honest. It just ain't easy to get a partner out here. Most of the population is over forty. There's me, then Dylan, then you, then Elaina – she just turned nineteen – then the next is twelve, followed by nine, both boys, and then a four-year-old girl, then the cursed kid. That's eight people under forty, and that's including you and the cursed kid."

"Nolan's not cursed," I tell him again. "The mages would've ended it just to deal with the bothersome energies.

Thomas thinks about that for a few moments. I can tell he's still a little skeptical, but now that I've confirmed I'm a mage to him, he's accepting my statement that Nolan isn't cursed.

"So if you could stay in the area," I say. "Settle down with someone, you would?"

"Only want to leave since it'd be easier."

"Since no one wants to move into an area so isolated from everywhere else?" I ask.

"Yeah," he confirms. "I'd have to be something really special to earn attention like that."

If he moved somewhere a little less isolated than here, he'd find a husband or wife fairly fast. He's attractive, caring, and talented. All he'd have to do is help out a little while settling in and he'd probably have two or three guys and gals interested from the available pool of single young adults.

Him moving would also probably mean the other locals would come to the adventurer for help with things they normally ask him for assistance with. Even not knowing I'm a mage and being suspicious of the outsider wouldn't really affect that. I want to retire, not do adventuring work.

I really don't want to become the village's errand boy. Even if there's little chance of us becoming a partner, I know an incentive that might keep him here long us enough for us to find out – or for him to find a partner from town who's willing to move here.

"If you're willing to stay just a few more months," I tell him. "I can teach you the basics of magic. Learning that can bolster your hunting abilities, even let you take on things in the Mistwood itself. Whether you want your husband or wife to be a farmer from another village or a townsfolk who's never even gardened before, that kind of ability is very attractive in a partner."