“Anyway, what I wanted to say is that the best result doesn’t always come from the easiest or biggest resource. It comes from knowing how to explore your resource to its fullest potential.” Anne stated triumphantly. Done, her trap was laid and he only needed one more step to be caught on it.
“I can’t solve your problems, but I can give two ideas. I don’t think the mountains can block everything, not equally. So, while exploring you might find easier paths with weaker beasts. Still, you don’t need to kill or capture the stronger beasts, give yourself time to grow stronger. And while on it, you can observe the beasts and gather byproducts, like eggs, scales, and fathers. Who knows? You could even find some weaker beasts and slay them as you go further in.” Anne advised in a teacher’s tone.
Her words gave him more confidence, but she suggested nothing that he hadn’t already thought of.
“It’s not much, but I have some books that might help you... Lend me a hand and get that grey thin book at the second…” She said while pointing to a bookshelf in the customer’s area. The books placed there could be sold at will, while the ones stored in the rooms behind her could only be lent or used in special situations.
The hunter didn’t hesitate in following her commands. Somehow, he started trusting her and hoping she could change his predicament. Soon, he returned to the counter holding a low-quality greyish soft cover book.
With these three books, she was confident in helping him and thus hooking in another regular customer. Anne started with the exquisite book covered in brown leather.
“This is a mapping book. Give me your hand.” She caught the hesitant palm and, with a pen, drew a drop of blood over the book cover.
“Apio!” She muttered a simple incantation as the blood disappeared into the book. Then, she turned the first page and said:
“This blood mark is your position. Now, draw a simple representation for the bookstore, a square would do.” She instructed seriously.
The confused hunter was a little scared by her actions but chose to continue following her lead. After confirming that he could choose the size and position, he drew a big rectangle in front of his ‘blood mark’.
However, as soon as he finished, the page glowed slightly, the rectangle became bigger and his mark appeared inside the bookstore representation. Rick’s eyes widened as he finally understood the power of the mapping book. Barely holding his excitement, he looked at the storeowner and asked:
“Can I draw the mountains on it?” He could only repress his bursting feelings and say these few words.
“Yes. Each page is independent and the drawings inside will be resized and repositioned as you draw other elements. For example, if you go outside and draw a roadside stone, the page wouldn’t change or would only change a little. But if you draw the mountains, the bookstore would become smaller to fit the right scale. Remember that you can only draw something that you’re seeing. The book will drain energy from you, so don’t draw too much at once. You should use it smartly. Also, pay attention to the number of pages...”
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The man was speechless, countless applications passing through his mind. With the mapping book, he can mark spots and won’t be lost. Suddenly, he remembered what she said about finding a better path through the mountains. It turned out to be possible. Then, he remembered that everything would come at a cost, and with this kind of function, the book wouldn’t be cheap.
Seeing his complicated expression, Anne already knew what he was thinking but didn’t dare to ask.
“The book is valuable... One of a kind, and amongst the most expensive that I can sell.” She probed.
The answer to her doubts came faster and clear, he couldn’t afford it. She could only proceed from a different angle to avoid losing such a high-potential customer.
“What if we make an exchange? I can give you the book, but you would need to come here after every expedition and allow me to copy the maps you draw. What do you think?” She sounded amiable like she was doing him a favor.
The excited hunter tried to calm himself to think better. The book did look valuable and it wouldn’t cost him a coin to let her copy the maps. Of course, he would lose the chance of having a secret path, but how could he even do that without the book?
“I accept, miss.” Rick said confidently. He wouldn’t fault someone who helped him.
Without hesitating, Anne asked Moruh to prepare a binding contract, and the familiar complied. In no time, a silver scroll and a pen floated in front of the feline creature. The words written by an invisible hand described their previous deal, though Rick couldn’t understand it completely to verify it. He didn’t think the agreement had any actual power, and he also didn’t plan to break it.
“Now, to the other books. This one you got is a ‘Syllable for the common tongue’, an essential, truly. Study it carefully and you should be reading in no time. You just need to touch the words and you will ‘feel’ their sound. One silver coin and it’s yours.” Anne explained patiently and let him test the book.
Bookmancy was a wondrous thing, it could create shortcuts in learning and save time to explore what was truly important. Unfortunately, people had forgotten about it, now those who knew how to read were less and less.
“Last but not least, the ‘Beastiarium Generalis’ translated for the common tongue. It should be considered a treasure for hunters. It has the record of over two thousand common beasts, with details like behavior, habitat, and drawings.” She presented the ancient-looking book proudly.
Rick was still thinking about the mapping book until he heard about the beastiarium. He could hardly believe so much power was contained in a single book. If he could have it, he would no longer be hostage to any guild or to exploring the beasts by himself. Sure, experience would still be needed, but he wouldn’t be empty-handed.
“This one is too precious, it can’t be sold or taken out of the bookstore. You can only study it here. Even then, the price for studying it is a little rich, five silver coins. But fret not, I can exchange it for your game and the syllable will be a first-time gift.” She said quickly.
Closing the deal meant she would have a recurrent client, so not earning from it was still acceptable. The fox meat and skin wouldn’t be worth five coins, but delivery from the town wouldn’t be free too.
Rick hesitated for a moment. He was hoping to get three or four coins from the fox, which would get him through the month, but now it was gone. Of course, he knew he was getting the better part of the deal, and he didn’t dare to waste such an opportunity, but it was painful nonetheless.
“Deal!”