Nobina and Eric talked a bit before she headed back downstairs. Lunch was right around the corner, so she had to make sure she had everything she needed before departure. Before she could do anything, Mimiki appeared with the biggest smile on her face.

“Oh Nobina,” called Mimiki, waving her over. “Do you need help getting ready? I have a pack meant for short trips, but nothing for long ones.”

“Kind of,” she responded, rubbing the back of her head. “I don’t exactly know what I need for this trip. I haven’t actually gone on a long adventure like this so… Any assistance would be great.”

Mimiki nodded, showing a look of understanding.

“Makes sense. I’ll head to the adventuring stores and pick you up a bag of what you might need for a long journey. I know you have your other two bags, so perhaps some sort of large bag that can hold the other two would be good. Besides, the fact your Gaze bag keeps glowing might draw problems if it’s out and about. Best you have a way to conceal it, especially that light.”

Nobina couldn’t agree more with that. The Gaze bag has been forcing its will more and more with actions outside of just putting items into the bag. It had been shooting them out of the bag directly sometimes, making it so she couldn’t control when she took some items out. So far it hadn’t been too big of a problem, but entering a new city would likely change that fact.

“I’d appreciate it,” said Nobina. “I’ll go ahead and sort my companions and perhaps check out the potion and medical sore.”

Mimiki smiled, giving a thumbs up.

“As expected of a fledgling adventurer,” she nodded. “You’re getting a good grasp of good places to visit before an adventure. Soon, you’ll be able to write your own adventuring book without anyone’s help.”

Nobina couldn’t help but chuckle, shaking her head.

“Perhaps, but a book with information from people who are much more knowledgeable has so much more meaning. Until I can call myself a notable adventurer, I shall continue to lean on you for assistance.”

“Sounds good to me,” nodded Mimiki.

With that, the two departed to their respective destinations. Nobina found herself enjoying her walk back to her inn. There were still people greeting her here and there, but she had finally grown used to it. It wasn’t a moment too soon either because she’d be saying goodbye to her hometown for now.

“I wonder what the cities of this nation are like,” she asked herself.

A lot of her curiosity stemmed from the memory of the last time she decided to go on an adventure to a random city. It was a while back, but it was the most comparable thing she had to what she was about to do. Though, in her mind, this felt more like a business trip with a lot more danger and excitement. She was acting as a representative of their town’s guild, after all.

When she reached the inn, Harris was surprised to see her there.

“It’s a bit early for lunch,” said Harris, serving another customer. “Are you back early to eat or get something?”

“Oh, I’m going on a journey to another town, so…”

As she said that, the nearby patrons all had concern looks on their face, talking to each other. Nobina was confused as to why they were acting like that, but Harris seemed to know instantly.

“Nobina,” said Harris. “Will you be back soon? A lot of the people in this town feel safer with you here and would be heartbroken if you left forever.”

Seeing that, she shook her head vigorously.

“Oh I’m not leaving forever,” she responded. “I love this town and plan to return as soon as possible. I’m just leaving to help get monetary support for the guild.”

Hearing that, all of the civilians and adventurers there seemed relieved.

“Oh she cares so much,” she heard a male civilian say.

“I bet she’s going to get enough money to make sure we are all treated well,” smiled another female adventurer.

“She’s so cool,” said the daughter of one of the mothers there.

That last line almost made Nobina cry a bit. To be called cool felt wrong, but at the same time she was filled with joy to be someone that a kid looked up to.

“Glad to hear that,” said Harris. “Please don’t let me keep you.”

With that, Nobina headed upstairs to her room. Once she was there, she saw that Pausers and Lebron were playing around and having a good time. It was still hard to believe Pausers was such a deadly animal, considering he and a normal corgi were playing together.

“Wait a second,” said Nobina, walking up to Lebron.

Lebron, happy to have attention, jumped towards Nobina, practically begging to be picked up. She couldn’t resist picking Lebron up. When his face got close enough, he gave Nobina a few licks, making her melt in pure joy.

“Oh Lebron,” smiled Nobina. “I… I wish I could bring you along.”

The moment she said that Lebron seemed to stop and give her a curious look. Nobina set her down on the bed, where Pausers was sitting.

“Listen you two,” said Nobina, not convinced either would understand what she was saying. “I’m going on a trip to another town. I know I sometimes leave you to your own devices for a few days, but anything longer I would rather have someone trusted watch you. Even if you two don’t necessarily need food, I know that you do enjoy it so… I think I’ll have Sarah watch over you two. Any objections?”

Both of them shook their heads, making Nobina happy they understood.

At least, she thought they understood. As they couldn’t speak, it was hard to get a sense of their true intelligence. If Pausers was an Alpha Death Hare, he must have a good amount of intelligence.

“The fact that you and Lebron play together must mean you have some intelligence,” said Nobina to Pausers.

Part of her wondered if Lebron had anything special, but she would have been content if he was just a normal corgi with a few special things.

With that, Nobina inventoried all her items and came to a realization. She had far too many special items at this point. Due to how long she was going to be away, she wasn’t sure about keeping all of them here.

“Wait… Eric has a special item storage, doesn’t he?” she asked herself.

It would have been ideal if Eric could store the special items she didn’t use. Besides the various grenades, there were a lot of potentially dangerous or valuable things that could be taken should someone break in while she was away.

“Actually, I think my rent expires soon anyways,” she sighed. “Guess I might be saying goodbye to this room.”

Feeling a bit disappointed, she headed downstairs to ask Harris about it. However, she was surprised by his response?

“Hm? Oh right, you previous paid for that room,” he nodded. “Don’t worry about it. I’ve decided not to charge you as long as you live in our town. I might take a hit, but I would rather have you here than anywhere else.”

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

Nobina covered her face, surprised by such generosity.

“Oh really? This… this is a lot to do for someone like me…”

Harris shook his head.

“You’re our town hero Nobina,” said Harris. “Don’t you forget that. Also, I’m preparing you some food for the road. It’s not too much, but it should let you save your rations for a few days.”

“Harris… thank you so much,” said Nobina, giving a bow.

“It’s my pleasure,” he smiled.

With that, Nobina headed off to consult with Eric regarding the storage of her items. Reaching the guild, she saw Eric speaking with Sarah.

“Oh,” said Eric. “You need something Nobina?”

“Yeah,” she said, joining them behind the counter.

“First, can I store my extra items in your house Eric?”

“Of course,” he nodded. “Such valuable stuff should have been secure a long time ago. Anything else you need from me?”

“The next one is for Sarah,” said Nobina, turning her attention to her. “Can you watch over my two companions Sarah?”

“Lebron and Pausers? Sure,” she smiled. “They don’t need food, right?”

“It’s not necessary, but they enjoy it,” replied Nobina.

Sarah gave a nod.

With those two things sorted, all that was left was going to the medical office and potion store. She headed to the medical office first since they closed during lunch. When she arrived, Witmi greeted Nobina and asked if she needed something specific.

“I’m going on a long journey, so I wanted to get some medical supplies I might need. I know healing potions generally cover everything, but some basic stuff might be useful. Though, I’m not an expert so…”

“I got a few things,” said Witmi, going to a drawer behind the counter. She brought out a nice small red bag that she handed to Nobina.

“This is a field medical bag. It holds some basic stuff to help with basic injuries that don’t necessarily prompt a healing potion usage. Sure, you can also dilute the potions for minor scrapes and bruises, but it’s always better to save with this stuff. It also has instructions so don’t worry about not knowing what everything does.”

“How much for…”

Witmi gave a chuckle, shaking her head.

“Do you need to even ask? It’s on the house.”

“Thank you so much,” nodded Nobina. “I really appreciate how kind all of you are.”

“You’ve earned it Nobina. Anyway, enjoy your trip. Bring us back something nice if you can,” she smiled.

“Of course,” Nobina smiled back.

Nobina left the medical office and headed towards the potion store. Once she was there, she saw that Siva was behind the counter, seemingly crafting potions. It looked interesting, so Nobina tried to get a look without disrupting her. However, the moment she got a bit too close, Siva turned and almost jumped, seeing Nobina right next to her.

“Ah,” she said, barely avoiding knocking over anything around her. “You scared me Nobina.”

“Sorry,” Nobina responded back. “How’s the potion making going?”

“A bit annoying,” she chuckled. “Getting the right balance is key for a high-quality potion. I think I get one every twenty or so crafts. Else, they just turn out a bit inefficient.”

“Oh? Do you use an ability for that?” asked Nobina, her curiosity growing.

“Nope. I don’t have such an ability, remember? This is all skill. Oh, and did you need anything?”

Nobina explained how she was going on a journey, and Siva nodded the whole time.

“I see, I see,” she responded. “I’ll give you the standard potion belt assortment. You still have your old belt, right?”

Nobina nodded, handing it over to Siva. She nodded, heading to one of the shelves to load the belt. It only took a few minutes before she was done.

“Here you go,” said Siva, handing her the potion belt.

Nobina attached it to her person, giving her a nod.

As she finished that, she saw her Gaze bag glow.

“What is that?” asked Siva.

“Oh,” said Nobina. “My special bag. It produces items at random. Let me see what it made this time.”

Siva’s eyes were kept on the bag as Nobina went into it. Once she did, she pulled out a small bag with a note attached to it. Reading it, it said the following.

“A small seed that is guaranteed to grow into a ripe fruit-giving tree of choice within the next twelve hours. Send a prayer and thoughts as you plant, and they will be felt. Seeds from this tree will behave as is natural to them. Be mindful of local ecosystems!”

At the very end of the letter was a familiar symbol of white branches forming a V.

“Everything you’ve given me is so… magical,” smiled Nobina.

“What is it?” asked Siva, who was standing nearby.

“This seed grows a fruit tree rather quickly. All I have to do is give my prayers and thoughts and it will grow.”

“Wow,” said Siva, her face in awe. “What tree are you planning to grow? Oh! Perhaps the elf fruit tree known to provide the nutrients that let them live longer.”

Nobina’s jaw dropped upon hearing that. Did such a tree really extend people’s lives?

“Does it only work for elves? What about normal people?” asked Nobina, barraging Siva with questions.

Siva laughed, shaking her head.

“Silly. It’s an elf secret. I hear only elf royalty can eat these fruits. Anyways, I wouldn’t suggest actually growing one here unless you want the elves to take it by force or destroy it.”

Hearing that, Nobina shook her head vigorously.

“Oh absolutely not,” she replied back. “I think I have a few ideas, but I’ll speak to Eric about them first.”

“Sounds good with me,” nodded Siva. “Better share whatever fruit you give though. We barely have enough of them back home.”

With that, Nobina headed out of the potion store and towards the guild. Once she was there, she saw that Mimiki had returned with two rather large bags.

“Oh Nobina,” said Mimiki. “I got us everything we’ll need.”

“Uh,” said Nobina, looking at the bags. “Can we really walk all the way there with those bag?”

Mimiki and Eric gave her a confused look.

“Uh… We are going to have a carriage Nobina. There’s no need to rush to our destination.”

Nobina felt a bit stupid forgetting that such a thing would be used. However, she also felt relieved the trip would be more relaxing.

“That being said, we’ll have to work extra hard on training to make up for the non-walking,” nodded Mimiki.

“Of course,” sighed Nobina.

The three of them chatted a bit before Nobina found a chance to talk to Eric.

“Oh Eric,” said Nobina. “I have a special seed that grows any fruit, and the tree grows in twelve hours. So…”

The two of them stared at Nobina, prompting her to give a confused look.

“Nobina,” said Eric. “Time and place for everything. You can’t just say stuff like that out in the open.”

“Right,” said Mimiki. “Imagine if you picked a rather problematic fruit? Like an elf fruit.”

Hearing that mentioned, Nobina realized she made another mistake, causing her to sigh.

“Sorry,” she responded.

“Don’t worry too much about it,” said Eric. “Anyways, I’ll find a spot for it. In the meantime, I’ll watch over the seed so it’s safe along with the rest of your stuff.”

“Thank you,” smiled Nobina.

The three of them chatted for a bit before it was time for lunch. They decided to eat at a nearby restaurant and enjoy some simple Chizen meals. As they ate, Mimiki and Eric talked about what was going to be expected of her on the trip. At Nobina’s end, she planned to lean more on Aunai, Line, and Lila’s assistance, but she also would borrow a book about the location as well. It had been a while since she had a good info-read, but she was excited to get back to it.

Once lunch was done, they headed to the guild, where a carriage and a few horses were waiting. On the horses were Aunai, Line, and Lila. Behind them was a carriage large enough for all their stuff and for Nobina and Mimiki to sit.

“Ah, there you are,” said Aunai. “We should head out soon. Unless you want to spend another day on the road.”

Mimiki excitedly ran over to the guild. She was in and out quickly with their bags, tossing them into the back before sitting herself.

“Let’s get this show on the road,” said Mimiki.

Nobina turned to Eric, giving him her key.

“Please be careful with everything there,” said Nobina.

“Of course,” he smiled. “Good luck on your trip.”

Nobina headed to the back when Lare came out to greet them.

“Nobina,” he smiled.

Lare reached into his pocket and took out what appeared to be a crest. Looking at it, the crest had a tree she didn’t recognize.

“In the worst case, merely pull it out and tell whoever is giving you problems that you’re under the protection of the Lavil Tree,” he said, placing it into her hands.

“The… Lavil Tree?” she asked.

“It’s best not to know what that means Nobina,” responded Lare, taking a step back.

As Nobina was about to get into the back, she heard Sarah’s voice from a distance. It was the voice she used if she was using her power.

“Wait,” she said, prompting all of them to wait.

Five minutes later, Sarah arrived, completely out of breath. She had a rather large bag with her, prompting Nobina to look at her curiously.

“So sorry,” said Sarah. “It was being finished up, but I wanted you to have this before you left.”

Sarah walked over and handed Nobina a bag. Opening it up, she saw it was a set of three pieces of clothing. One for nighttime. One for casual wear. The last one, in particular, had Nobina give the biggest grin. She pulled out a purple and brown uniform. The shirt itself was white and loose, while it had nice blue cuffs and a nice leather and brown vest over it. On the lower end of the outfit, the sides of her pants had a leather skirt that covered her left and right sides. Her pants were more form-fitting and also two shades of blue. Lastly, she saw that there were also brown leather boots as well.

“The official outfit of the guild,” smiled Nobina.

“Yeah,” said Sarah. “I’m… going to miss you… Nobina.”

Hearing that, the two gave each other the biggest hug. Nobina knew this wasn’t going to be goodbye forever, but she knew she’d miss all of them. With that, she got into the back of the carriage with all the bags. She gave one final look at the adventuring guild with Sarah, Lare, and Eric standing in front of it.

“Goodbye for now,” she waved.

“Bye Nobina,” they all responded.

Soon, the carriage started to move, and they were on their way. Anyone who recognized Nobina and Mimiki came to them, asking them questions as they began moving. Before they could stop the carriage, Nobina gathered her courage and stood up.

“Everyone,” she yelled. “I shall return once I have gotten the supplies the town needs. Till we meet again!”

Hearing that, people all around began waving Nobina and Mimiki goodbye, wishing them a good trip. As she sat back down, Nobina couldn’t help but smile. She felt that everything she needed to do in the town was sorted, and it was time to finally go on an adventure. It might not have been one she wanted to go on, but it was one she’d take full advantage of not only for her sake but for the town’s sake.