I was in no hurry to go back to Earth. First, because it was Earth, and second, I was postponing Mahya’s annoyance about the indiscretion in the Archive. And I had the perfect excuse—my Storage was too full, and I wanted to get to level ten in my Merchant class.

I took out all the dishes I got from lord Damarion’s spire and re-examined them. The plates consisted of a substance that wasn’t china or porcelain but resembled both. It was as breakable. I fed some chipped plates to the core and took care of the rest. Over the next four weeks, I painstakingly inscribed the durability rune for dishes on every piece. There was also a lot of glassware that didn’t look worse than the glassware from Earth. I inscribed the durability rune on all of them and all the glassware I had from Earth. All told, this project took me seven weeks, and we reached the summer.

After a week in the meadow, Rue came home with a friend. It was an honest-to-god honey badger. It was twice as large, and instead of black with a white stripe, it was greenish-brown with a white stripe. Besides those differences, it looked the same. Again, it was another proof of my theory that all the animals started from the same origin and developed differently in each world.

“Help friend,” Rue announced, his deep telepathic voice echoing in my mind as he nudged me with his enormous head, his tail wagging expectantly.

I glanced over at him, curiosity rising. “What’s the problem with your friend?” I asked, already suspecting what he might say.

“Friend have bad leg,” Rue explained, his tone serious now, ears perked forward as if expecting me to act immediately.

I approached the badger carefully, expecting a bite or something, but he also looked at me expectantly.

“You can communicate with him?” I asked Rue, raising my eyebrows in surprise.

“Yes! Friend smart,” Rue responded eagerly, his enormous paws shifting on the ground as if proud of this accomplishment.

I diagnosed the badger and discovered that something had mangled his hind leg. He also had worms, a lot of worms. I cast Anesthesia, took out my operating table, and fixed the leg. It was a lot of work. The badger had a crushed bone in his hind leg that healed crookedly, and he was missing a lot of flesh, tendons, and muscles. After working on him for three hours, the leg was fine. The worms were an issue. Healing Touch only made the worms more energetic, and Purify or Clean had no effect. I suspected only Cleanse would help, but I didn’t want our lovely, hidden meadow to be covered with badger diarrhea.

After my treatment, the badger was hungry, but I had no idea what badgers eat. I gave him some vegetables, and he ate them with gusto. He displayed the same enthusiasm when I fed him the cooked stew from the metal boxes I confiscated from the guards. That solved the issue.

The following day, I told Rue, “Explain to your friend that the treatment is not done yet. We need to fly away from here and complete the treatment.”

He looked at the badger for a while, growling occasionally, and the badger growled, snarled, hissed, snorted, whined, and chittered. It was very interesting to watch. Finally, Rue said, “Friend understand.”

I carefully grabbed the badger, cast Anesthesia again so he wouldn’t freak out in the air, and flew with him to the nearest stream. Just in case I flew low. Unfortunately, when I cast Invisibility, I was invisible, but the badger wasn’t. I didn’t want stories to circulate about a flying badger.

When we got near the stream, I channeled the Cleanse spell into him. I didn’t know how much to channel, so I stopped at 7,000. If it was enough for Rabban, it should be enough for a badger. I left him near the stream and flew up. When he woke up, he rushed to the water, drank a lot, snarled a few times, and ran into the trees. I flew higher.

After a few hours, he ran back to the stream, drank a lot, and lay there panting. I landed and gave him a bowl full of the guards’ stew. He finished it in record time and looked at me expectantly, purring. I didn’t know that badgers could purr—live and learn. I fed him more, and he ran to the trees again. This sequence repeated four times, and he finished all the stew stock. The poor guy looked like skin and bones but was in high spirits—licking my hand and purring like an engine. I fed him some other odds and ends I had, especially cooking experiments that weren’t great but not bad enough to throw out. He kept eating and eating and then lay down and fell asleep. I cast Clean on him a few times and flew him back to our meadow where Rue was waiting.

From that day, I had two pets. When they left in the morning to explore, I had to give Rue food for two. In the evening, the badger ate dinner and watched movies with us. He was smart and knew he got a good gig going. When I first diagnosed him, I discovered he was a mana beast; he had a small beast core in his head. At least now, Rue had a friend with whom he could spend all his days while I was busy.

After I finished taking care of the glassware, I switched to the cookware. Some were in bad shape, so I fed them to the house. For the good stuff, I first channeled Restore, looked in the book for everyday runes, and found a rune to prevent rusting. I engraved the rune on all the cookware, including some from Earth that didn’t look too alien. This project took another two weeks. By this point, I was out of ready food. Rue ate like ten, and his friend wasn’t far behind. I spent a week cooking using a lot of my ingredients from Earth. Rue grumbled about it, but the badger didn’t mind.

After the cookware, I switched to the linen, towels, etc. The book of runes for cloth stayed with Mahya, and I didn’t feel like embroidering, anyway. Instead, I channeled Restore, cast Clean on everything, folded it nicely, and moved on to the furniture.

Some of the furniture ended up in my core’s bottomless belly, but I restored the suitable pieces. In the rune book, I found runes for furniture:

Rune of Preservation

* Effect: This rune preserves the furniture’s material, protecting it from wear and tear, aging, or damage from the elements. It also prevents dust and grime from settling, keeping the furniture clean.

* Application: Used on outdoor furniture, wooden cabinets, or antiques to maintain their appearance and extend their lifespan without frequent repairs or cleaning.

Rune of Regeneration

* Effect: This rune gradually repairs any damage the furniture sustains over time, from scratches to dents and even broken parts. The furniture slowly regenerates back to its original state.

* Application: This product is ideal for heavily used or older furniture, like tables, chairs, or cabinets. It offers exceptional utility in homes with children or busy workshops where furniture frequently sustains damage.

Rune of Cleansing

* Effect: When activated, this rune repels dust, dirt, and stains, keeping the furniture clean and fresh with no regular upkeep. It also neutralizes odors, making the surrounding area pleasant.

* Application: It is perfect for upholstery, rugs, or dining furniture, ensuring they stay spotless even in messy environments. It is ideal for homes, taverns, or busy workspaces.

Initially, this specific rune book didn’t impress me. But the more I used it, the more I appreciated it, and I sent a mental thank you to Lis. It took another three weeks to restore and engrave all the furniture. The longest project was the tables and chairs from the floor below the ballroom. There were a lot of them—hundreds.

I wanted to work on the knickknacks, but after some consideration, I decided not to. They were specific, and there was no reason to put myself in danger.

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

The last thing I tackled was the books. It took me a long time to go through them one by one. There were children’s books, old leather-bound tomes, and countless volumes on topics I couldn’t imagine anyone ever needing. Still, I took the time to scan each title. Various noble families had over fifty books dedicated to their genealogies, detailing intricate bloodlines, marriages, and alliances, most of which I had never heard of. Some volumes were so old that the pages threatened to crumble at my touch. A large section contained basic magical primers—books designed for children or novices explaining the most fundamental spells and theories, the kind that barely touched the surface of real magic. There were also historical records, accounts of treaties and wars long past, and several texts focused on etiquette and courtly manners, perfect for someone needing a crash course on behaving in a noble society. A few dusty tomes even covered agricultural practices, as if a marquise would ever need to plow a field.

All those were useless to me. The only ones I kept were some books about various crafts and a few fiction titles. The crafting books, though basic, had potential. There were many on woodworking, leatherworking, and metal forging. Each was filled with detailed illustrations of tools and techniques. One book, Mastering the Forge: An Apprentice’s Guide, provided step-by-step instructions on forging everything from horseshoes to swords. Another, Carving the World: A Beginner’s Manual on Woodcraft, described the art of shaping wood into furniture and ornaments. Some even delved into alchemical crafting with basic recipes. And some books about amulets and other means of protection. None touched on advanced Magitech or complex enchantments, but their content offered a solid foundation—a stepping stone to more intricate creations that Mahya and Al might find helpful.

The fiction books were a welcome escape. They spoke of legendary heroes, distant lands, and old myths, and their tales added some imagination to the otherwise dry collection.

I placed all the “keep” books in my library and channeled Restore into the “giveaway” books. Once they were like new, I paid another visit to the orphanages at night and dropped the books off with them.

At the bottom of the pile, I reached the three carriages I had confiscated from the thieves who had tried to steal Rue and the core. I fed the cage wagon and the mages’ wagon to the core. For the third one, I had other plans. I put it on the deck and told the house, “Absorb this carriage and return it without the seats, bigger and in a different color.”

Well, it worked partially. I got it back without the seats, but it was still the same size and color.

I got annoyed and complained to the core. “Hey, I fed you a ton of wood and metal. Take this carriage, and give it back bigger using that material.”

The deck sucked in the carriage and returned it still the same.

Annoying core.

“You can absorb the carriage,” I told it and went about my cover differently.

The carriage disappeared, and I experimented with the storage rings. It turned out that I still couldn’t have two rings on the same hand, but could have one on each. That reminded me I hadn’t checked the content of the rings I had collected, and there were a lot of rings. The rings from the safe were empty, but the others had some interesting things. The rings from the mages, the lord’s wife, and his family, had money and some odds and ends. His ring was different:

Large Void Band

Stores items in a total volume of twenty-one cubic Migur (28.56 cubic meters).

The ring contained more chests of gold coins, two chests of gems, the notebook and parchment I sold him with the ritual, and many papers signed by various noble families as subordinates to him. The house ate the papers, and the gold and gems went into my Storage.

When everything was ready, I filled Rue’s Storage to the brim with food, told him to guard the house, and flew to Crystalspire. On the way, I changed my glamor again and my class back to Merchant. Not wanting to exit and leave through the woods every day and raise suspicion, I found a small house to rent close to the bazaar.

Since all my stuff was enchanted, I found a spot in the magical area, set up a table, and began selling. After a few hours, the Truth Mage approached me with an air of authority, his robes billowing lightly in the breeze.

“Hello, esteemed merchant,” he began, his voice formal. “You need to swear you are not from Crystalspire and state your place of origin.”

I glanced up from my merchandise, mildly irritated but keeping my tone even. “I swear I’m not from Crystalspire.”

“Please swear to your place of origin,” he insisted, his eyes narrowing slightly.

“Why?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.

“As proof you’re not from Crystalspire,” he replied with a slight tilt of his head, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

I sighed internally. “I swear I’m from Alabama.”

His brows furrowed in confusion. “Where is that?”

“Very far away from here,” I answered with a casual wave, “on another continent.”

He seemed satisfied but then threw a curveball my way, his expression suddenly more serious. “You need to swear that all your merchandise is yours and not stolen.”

I blinked, thinking fast. Then it hit me. “I swear I enchanted all this merchandise with my own hands.”

His eyes widened, clearly not expecting that. “You’re an enchanter?” he asked, surprise lacing his words. “Why do you display the merchant class?”

I shrugged. “I’m selling, so it seemed more logical.”

He gave me the look, but then shrugged and handed me a document, clearly unimpressed. “This exempts you from tribute.”

I smiled, pocketing the paper. “Much appreciated.”

That’s how I spent all summer and a few weeks of autumn. The enchanted stuff was popular, but not like the sunglasses, so it took longer to sell. Every evening, I flew home at top speed, cooked, and spent time with Rue and the badger. Finally, my red light started blinking when I had only some linen left. I packed up early, went “home,” cast invisibility, and flew to my actual home.

Level up

+3 wisdom, +3 perception, +2 luck, +3 free points

Profession: Merchant Level 10

I allocated the free points to Vitality, and then opened my profile. Under the merchant class, I had a skill called Inventory. Curious, I activated it. Immediately, a grid of windows appeared before me, arranged in a neat five-by-five layout—five rows across and five columns down, each window representing a separate storage slot. At the bottom, there was a shape resembling a funnel, and below it was a separate grid with two rows, ten small windows each. Fourteen were with labels and the rest without: Big Mana Crystals, Medium Mana Crystals, Small Mana Crystals, Elite Gems, High-Value Gems, Mid-Tier Gems, Affordable Gems, Duron, Mithril, Gold, Silver, Bronze, Copper, Iron.

For the next two days, I played with my new inventory. I learned each window can contain 74 items—the number was strange, but that was what it was. Additionally, I discovered I could place items in a container, and they would count as one, as long as the container was similar. I could fill 74 cardboard boxes with stuff, and they didn’t need to be the same size. The same went for wooden crates, backpacks, or coolers.

I couldn’t transfer stuff from my Storage directly into the Inventory. I had to take it out and touch the window in which I wanted to store it. The money was different. Even if I touched the window to store coins, it didn’t work. I needed to store them through the funnel, and they would appear in their respective windows.

I understood what Lis meant about using it only for the money counter. Our Storage was much better. I didn’t feel what I had in the Inventory like I felt the stuff in my Storage; I had to open it and look at it. Transferring all my funds to the inventory took me a day, and the numbers completely threw me. I also had new labels at the money windows.

* Big Mana Crystals (0)

* Medium Mana Crystals (0)

* Small Mana Crystals (482)

* Elite Gems (92)

* High-Value Gems (521)

* Mid-Tier Gems (108)

* Affordable Gems (96)

* Duron (0)

* Mithril (0)

* Gold (851,923)

* Silver (1,592)

* Nickel (39,000)

* Copper (604,500)

* Bronze (18,570)

* Iron (10,830)

* Zinc (52,000)

* Aluminum (65,000)

* Steel (11,460)

* Cupro-nickel (32,500)

* Mixed Metal (1,609,500)

Oh, boy!

I knew I was rich, but I was stinking crazy rich.

Woohoo!

I discovered that Elite Gems were the enchanted gems from the safe, and the rest were a mix of gems from Earth and the spire. The copper coins were a mix of coins from Earth, gaming coins, and Shimoor and Lumis.

I finally remembered to read the description of the skill.

Inventory

Activating this skill opens a 5x5 grid of storage windows, each capable of holding 74 items. Containers count as one item.

Every five Merchant levels unlock an additional row of storage.

Crystals, gems, and coins must be deposited through a special interface that organizes them into dedicated slots for easy tracking.

I had no more excuses for the delay in Lumis. Rue and I said goodbye to the badger and flew to the Gate to Earth. I hoped Mahya and Al were close to completing their plans. By my calculation, at least two weeks have passed on Earth.