We pulled up to the first town after Ram-Son and, without saying much, headed straight for the inn. My whole body ached, and I felt utterly exhausted, even though I didn’t want to admit it. Al looked about the same, and as soon as we reached the room, I collapsed onto the bed, grateful for a few hours of rest. Rue lay on the floor beside me and put his head on my belly for an ear scratch before sleep.

Mahya stretched out by the window, rolling her shoulders. “We’ll get a few hours in, then back on the road?” she asked.

“That’s the plan,” I muttered, closing my eyes. “Just need to recharge.”

Al mumbled something about being tired, too, already stretched on the bed, eyes half-closed. It wasn’t long before the room fell silent as we drifted off.

When the morning sun peeked through the window, I stretched and groaned. "All right, let's get going," I said, rubbing my neck.

But of course, Al had different plans. “I have been informed that there is an alchemist present in this town,” he said.

I stared at him, still blinking off the last remnants of sleep. “Really? We just got here. How did you hear bout it?”

He grinned. “In Ram-Son. It will not consume much time. I will return shortly.”

“You do realize there’s a whole world ahead, right? Might be fun to enjoy it occasionally,” I said.

Mahya chuckled softly from her spot near the door, pulling her braids back into a neat tie.

Al shrugged, already halfway out. “One must persist in achieving higher levels.”

I sighed, watching him disappear out the door. “That boy’s obsessed,” I muttered.

Mahya glanced at me, a small smile tugging at her lips. "Not everybody is as lazy as you."

I rolled my eyes. “Yeah, yeah, whatever.”

While Al was shopping, Mahya and I explored the town. It looked like something from a history book about America in the 1700s. The houses were sturdy, made of wood, with huge porches and slanted roofs. The main street was a dusty road, all worn out and with watering tubs and hitching posts. Even though it was quaint, the place had a lot of life to it. People in the town were busy with their daily tasks, doing them quickly while also talking to each other in a way that made it seem like a close-knit community. A woman passed, balancing a basket of bread on her hip as she chatted with the woman beside her while two men leaned on a fence, laughing over some shared joke.

The farm animals, different from anything I had seen back home, caught my eye immediately. Some animals looked like cows but had thick, fuzzy fur, making them seem like they would do better in colder climates. Chickens walked around the town square. These chickens had beautiful, shimmering feathers that sparkled in the sun, and their tails were as long and graceful as a peacock’s. They resembled more the kikidas in Shimoor than the chickens on Earth. Everywhere, I saw the horses with the pig snouts and big, round bodies.

The smells and sounds of a busy market filled the air as we walked around town. People selling everything from freshly baked bread to intricately made trinkets called out what they offered. One booth had a variety of strange fruits, and some of them had a faint glow inside that made them look like they might have special powers, but when I sensed them with my mana, they had very little of it. It looked like all their mana went into making the glow. The people moved with both purpose and ease, like they didn’t need to rush.

The town’s structure was simple, with a well in the center where people gathered. Different businesses were around it, like a blacksmith working, a general shop with a strange mix of items, and our inn. There was also a busy bakery with the smell of fresh bread filling the air, a tailor shop with everyday clothes and tough work clothes, a cobbler who made and fixed shoes, a cooper who looked like he worked hard all the time making barrels and casks, and a small, simple bookshop had a few books and scrolls for sale.

A group of kids ran around the well, playing some chase game, their laughter cutting through the bustle of the town. Rue spotted them immediately, his ears perking up, and without a second thought, he charged toward them. The kids barely had time to react before Rue was in the middle of their game, wagging his tail and trotting along as if he’d been part of their group all along. They squealed in surprise, but within seconds, they patted his fur and laughed even harder as Rue playfully bounced around with them.

It was hard not to laugh watching the massive dog prance around with a bunch of kids half his size, easily keeping up with their energy. The sound of their laughter mixed with the usual noise of the market, making the place feel even more alive.

Mahya and I zeroed in on the bookstore. I spent the mana to learn the language—I didn’t bother until now since I didn’t need it, and felt Mahya do the same. We browsed the store but found nothing interesting. A couple of books on magic initially surprised me until I read a page or two and understood. Compared to the books I had from Lis, they looked like primers for kindergarten and talked only in generalities.

There were some fiction books that didn’t look interesting, a couple of books on herbal remedies, and some basic cookbooks with easy dishes. Along with some light volumes on local history, some guides on gathering and basic survival skills, and even a children’s book with vibrant drawings of animals. I came across a dusty old book with myths and legends, but the author had condensed them to sound like bedtime stories. Mahya grabbed a brochure on fundamental blacksmithing procedures, although it provided nothing more than what any apprentice would already know.

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The shopkeeper, an old man who read a book behind the counter, occasionally lifted his head and observed us with mild curiosity. He seemed happy to let us browse at our leisure. Looking around, I saw a little area devoted to local crafts, including a basic pottery guide and another on basic weaving designs. Even a poorly illustrated handbook on the foundations of carpentry included more misleading than useful diagrams.

Oh well, maybe in the next town.

Al returned after a few hours with interesting news, his eyes shining. “Please look at the Map in the north-eastern direction. You will observe a substantial expanse of verdant terrain. Initially, we mistakenly identified the area as a forest due to the absence of any labeling. However, the alchemist revealed that the area is a vast and renowned swamp, particularly esteemed by alchemists for its abundant collection of medicinal flora. According to her description, this swamp is significantly more abundant than typical swamps, and swamps in general are known for their abundance of medicinal and alchemical herbs.”

“So you want to go to a swamp to collect plants?” I asked.

“Indeed. This is an opportunity that I cannot decline.” Al's eyes lit up as he spoke, and his words started coming out quicker. He walked back and forth with a bit more energy than usual. “She informed me that the mana levels in that location are exceedingly high, and based on certain plants I had seen at her residence, her statement seemed accurate. Their mana reserves were abundant, comparable to worlds with mana levels beyond forty rather than being in the low thirties.” His fingers twitched, like he could barely wait to mix up new potions.

“Swamp sounds muddy and gross,” Mahya muttered, wrinkling her nose—clearly not thrilled about the idea of trudging through the muck. “Can’t you find these plants elsewhere?”

“I can, and I purchased the entirety of the stock she was willing to sell. However, the quantity was quite minimal. I will deplete the supply in half a day of brewing. I have successfully sold all of the potions I had prepared thus far in Ram-Son, necessitating the production of a fresh batch. Additionally, there is another aspect to consider. I experience greater professional growth by selling potions that I have personally collected plants for, rather than purchasing them from others,” Al said, with his jaw set in a stubborn expression.

"Well, then let’s go visit a swamp,” I said, half-joking. But inside, I couldn’t shake the feeling that this would be far more trouble than it was worth. Swamps, monsters, and unstable boats? This better pay off.

“It is not as straightforward as you think,” Al said. “Drawing from my previous encounters and making an assessment of the herbs observed at the alchemist’s, it is evident that we must make preparations.”

“What kind of preparations?” I asked.

“An abundance of earth, nature, water, and life mana is necessary for the formation of a marsh. These are precisely the categories of mana required to grow potent herbs, monsters, and mana beasts. I conducted a thorough inquiry with the alchemist, and she informed me that the majority of this swamp is filled with deep water. The depth of the waters is insufficient for our boat to navigate, but it is too deep to walk. We must also consider the fact that it is significantly more challenging to move and conduct combat in water. Consequently, we require a solution that allows us to move freely on water and a platform from which to fight.”

“We have the E-foils,” I said.

“Won’t work,” Mahya said.

“Why not? We can move with them quite freely,” I said.

“Move to fight, sure. But Al wants to harvest. He won’t be able to do it on the E-foil. It’s not stable enough,” Mahya said, and Al nodded in agreement.

“I have two kayaks, one inflatable and one rigid, two canoes, one inflatable and one rigid, a dinghy, and a rowboat,” I said.

“Too slow,” Al said.

“Why do I suspect you are trying to steer the conversation so I come to the conclusion that I need to deploy my house?” I asked Al.

He looked in every direction but at me, blushed, and fidgeted.

Busted!

Finally, he said, “It is the most logical conclusion.”

“First,” I told him, “If you want me to open the house, you can just ask. We travel as a group and can ask each other if we need something. Second, I’m not sure about the house. I have no problem opening it near or in the swamp since it is our base of operations. But I don’t think it will work beyond the first location. After you harvest everything you want in the first spot, what then? Close the house, wade in deep water a few meters, and then open it again? And after you harvest the plants again, do you close and open it again? This is not the solution. We can put the house at the mouth of the swamp, then maybe move around the edge with a boat and harvest what we can. Going deep into an area teeming with monsters and mana beasts on a slow boat isn’t the best solution.”

“The edges will be devoid of beneficial plants. The alchemist explained that the swamp is so perilous that everyone harvests only at the perimeter. She believes abstaining from harvesting for several years inside the swamp will yield plants with abundant mana that are very potent. I am interested in finding a solution that will enable me to explore the depths and harvest there. Naturally, without jeopardizing our safety.”

“I think I have a solution, but it will take time, and we’ll need to fight,” Mahya said.

“What?” Al and I asked simultaneously.

“We have the jet skis. I can convert them to Magitech. With help from both of you, I believe the first one will take about a week or two weeks at the most. The others will take less time since we’ll already have a blueprint. The only problem is that we gave the boat all our mana crystals. To convert the jet skis, I need crystals, and for crystals, we need to kill monsters.”

“I can’t believe I’m saying this,” I admitted, rubbing the back of my neck. “But we took care of the pims in the valley pretty easily and even conquered a sentient dungeon. We’re a strong team, so let’s find monsters, harvest them, and start working on the jet skis.”

“It’s not that simple,” Mahya interjected. “At the mana levels here, there aren’t that many monsters, and it’s difficult to find them. You can find individual monsters in the wilds, but to get the numbers we need, we’ll have to register with the Adventurer’s Guild to access their boards. They have all the information about monster concentrations.”

“Adventurer’s Guild?” I asked.

“Yes,” Mahya replied.

“Like in the books?” I continued with a huge grin.

She shook her head and said, “You’re an idiot.” But I saw the smile she was trying to hide.

We checked the Map and estimated that the distance to the swamp was about two days of traveling at a leisurely pace—our leisurely pace, with the vehicles, the locals probably needed a week. A relatively large city was on the way close to the swamp, with a large river that cut the city in two and continued toward the swamp. After consulting, we decided to go to the city—Pemisor—and register there with the Adventurer’s Guild.

I’m going to be an adventurer like in the books! Yay me! And I’m not an idiot!

I stuck out my mental tongue at Mahya.