The Salcret town square. Where she had originally arrived back to real civilization, and sold her hammer first thing after resting up, where their first [Guild] house was located.

Her first safe harbor and return to some sense of normalcy, to getting to build something, however temporary.

Livia was going to miss it. The feeling felt illogical, she had only been here less than a year; less than half of one. But this community was proof that there was a place for her in this world. Even Karl the [Organizer] had come to respect her. Begrudgingly.

Except it was Margaret’s hammer. Darker thoughts sometimes intruded, but they were no longer a given whenever she thought of something from home.

Livia was learning to separate the personal from the rest, only the nights remained really difficult on occasion, but she could always bother Mr Beard if sleep was proving particularly elusive.

His droning voice was the perfect cure. Him getting so offended by her falling asleep was just an added bonus.

Lena had finally managed to help them find a very good cart, and for quite a decent price– from a relative of hers who was rather ancient and forgetful–the old granny had had the cart standing in her garden glade for a decade, covered in flower pots.

Thankfully it had not degraded in the least, since the lady subconsciously considered it one of her gardening tools, and she had the Skill [Pristine Toolbox]. Funny how that still works, when she had forgotten she even had the old thing.

The elderly woman was a symbol of the community and nobody charged her anything and she was welcomed wherever she went.

She had stopped properly remembering her possessions decades ago, besides the place where she lived. The only thing she cared about anymore were the people all around who she paid a great deal of attention to, and cherished every memory of.

Despite her distracted nature, Lena clearly thought of her as you would any other grandma, although their actual relation was more complicated; absent-minded she may be but she was always around.

It drove home how some of them were really leaving their homes behind to start afresh. To gamble and take a chance in a new land, a new world, across the sea. Okay, that’s too far. This ain’t the Mayflower.

Standing with the cart was their lazy oxen, or so Harold claimed.

To Livia the thing seemed like an energizer bunny, at least when comparing it to the oxen from home. It was already a native creature, with a stubby third horn poking out between the two regular ones, and more muscles than seemed healthy. But Harold had used [Touch of Chaos] to give it an additional pep in its step, and now the thing was practically bouncing to get going.

Albert was there, after a lot of drama yesterday when the scheme by Bunke and the rest to send him on the first trip out this year was revealed to the opposing group.

Albert was adamant he wanted to stay in Salcret now that he was sober again. Bunke made it clear however, that he would have no place for such an apprentice at the brewery, who was so lacking in ambition. Despite hours of arguing, in the end that was that.

Besides the [Hometown Brewer] there was, of course, Elin and her two siblings: Alfred and Felix who looked like they were raring to go already.

Even Hyde was making a rare appearance inside the town, when Livia had not expected him to join up until they left from Brunner’s place.

The mosswolf was looking very different from when Livia last saw him quite a few weeks ago… However; Kalle, Harold and Oscar were already giving the poor thing a bad enough time with their snickering whenever Hyde actually waddled, so she was merely shaking her head in bemusement over what the mosswolf must have been getting up to, and leaving it at that.

Besides them and the [Guild] members there was Billie from the lumber mill, although she was still not sure about joining up with the [Guild] and really had no other reason for going.

And five more people who were just heading out to go visit Dormata, and who joined Livia’s expedition for a standard fee simply because they looked like the fastest group.

The other one was made up of a bunch of traders who were hauling the majority of Salcret's lumber for Dormata, pulled by a pair of oxen who were similarly boosted by Harold after they agreed to pay a fee for the privilege, although the effect was not perfectly under his control, or the creatures had minutely differing affinities, so the strength of the results varied.

Either way they had conspired to keep the perkiest ox.

On the carts were all kinds of assorted goods–the two large kegs of Cloven Honeybee Mead and the small one on top, a pair of woodworkings–although they were still saving room to add on some more made by Brunner. They had a pair of orchard-grade apples–some more sacks of other high tier normal ones, and a stack of extensive maps of the local frontier made by the same painter who had made the [Guilds] own map of Doc Forrest.

When the fellow actually gained a level during wintertime from the new hobby it inspired him to turn it into a good side-trade, although they had no idea what they would sell for yet. Most people did not need maps, and those who did could usually afford scouts.

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They were almost ready to leave, with the [Guild] house having been sold already, which had deactivated Livia’s Skills. Which was obvious in hindsight, but it had managed to really surprise her when it happened; Livia had figured it would stay on until they built their new home and reactivated the Skills there, but no sir.

It had really put a damper on her negotiating tactic when they told her.

Since the first stop was so close there was no need to move until everyone had their dinner, and then it was just a possible late night snack and breakfast at the farm before they would really be on the road and eating travelers' rations. We’re doing things by the book this time.

Everyone had said their final goodbyes and were just about ready to start walking when there was a commotion on the other side of the square.

Striding across the public space with everyone watching was [Farmer] Redd, and the Captain. They rode what passed for horses here, and certainly they were, the way a Ferrari and a Beetle were both cars. Human breeding programs were one of the few things that never slackened too much across the centuries, and the arrival on Elderwood had made all kinds of pets into super-breeds compared to before. It’s the only way to survive this continent after all.

Livia quickly caught on to the fact that she was distracting herself from the encroaching realization. The pair had four more of the large horses behind them, and the carts they pulled were stacked with all the prime timber that Redd spent his fortune on back at the auction.

Livia and the crew had done well for themselves, and the resale of the Hare’s Retreat and Lena’s house by the square had put them in a great position to compete if another auction was to be held today. It still paled in the face of all that wealth, all that pristine crafting material headed straight for the capital of humanity.

It was a quick new assessment that was made by the five strangers, and they swiftly requested their refunds and went to join up with the clear winner of the coming dash to Dormata.

They did not actually smirk, but they certainly looked pleased at this turn of events and their evident good fortune. Redd had been quite tight-lipped about when he planned to head out, since he and his daughter were seemingly heading out on their own. A privilege of the high-leveled. One of many. Okay that’s enough Livia, not the time to grow bitter.

But when the group arrived to join up with Redd, the giant one-legged [Bloodfield Farmer] simply shook his heavy, scarred head in response. And the Captain was still riding toward Livia.

That triggered the second realization.

The old man spoke in his gravelly voice. “Hello Livia, you mentioned back then how you needed to move fast all day, and had no horses, so we hoped to be able to join the [Guild] now that we have some,” Livia’s mind quickly went back to an awkward conversation when Redd had held her up right as she was returning to Oscar with her new maps. “Since we did not have any good Aspirant Skills or high level crafting Classes like you wanted, we hoped this could be an acceptable compromise.”

Evidently she had done a bit of a shit job explaining what her expedition was looking for and was all about.

“The horses are just for the trip, so I do not slow you down,” He gestured at his missing leg and Livia nearly winced in awkwardness. “But if we sell them, and this stuff,” He pointed to the thousands of silver worth of materials. “Do you think there could be a spot for us both?”

Livia closed her eyes and cherished the moment, the sheer relief flooding her body. She actually tried to squeeze out a single tear, just for the effect. Bah, theatrics why do you elude me.

Getting back to the moment, she finally said the words everybody behind her were bursting to yell.

“You are more than welcome, of course we can work something out.” She beamed at the gruff face. “You too Captain, I thought you were needed here though?”

Ronia looked surprised at this. “No, not much at all, I got my Class in Dormata. I’ve just been teaching a few of the lads around here since they were interested in the Skills I showed ‘em,” When Livia looked surprised, since her only real impression of the woman was from Harold and Kalle, Ronia went on. “They could not picture me arresting them without a combat Class for some reason.”

Now that Livia found hard to believe. The Captain stood over 6”4 tall if she was anyone to judge, the rider was in fact the tallest woman Livia had ever met, and slenderly athletic with it.

Her disbelief obviously cheered Redd.

“That’s my Ronia.” With those smiling words, and a subsequent roll of the eyes, the pair went to join their four carts to the one-cart train.

Of course, behind them came the rejected five who had been in such a rush to leave the now only real choice remaining to them.

Livia smiled like a predator faced with a gang of fair-weather fawns. How about some renegotiations?

But right after it was time to head out for real, with no turning back except under duress.

The only thing they were still missing was Sten.