Chapter 24: The Queen (1/2)

The cart came to an abrupt halt, waking Ilea from her doze. “We’ve arrived lady adventurer.” Greg says, as he started unhitching the horse, whose name apparently was White Ash. Getting up from her lying position, Ilea grabbed the bags but only belatedly remembered to act like they were heavy.

Getting down from the cart, she placed them a couple meters behind herself. Getting two silver coins from her pouch, she handed them to Greg who was a bit shocked at the amount. “Lady, that is way too much for a simple transport. I didn’t expect anything to be honest!”

Reassuring him that it was fine, Ilea bid him farewell before turning around again. “Greg. Another question. You work with the wood as well or do you just sell it?” He quizzically looked at her and then smiled.

“I do I do, whenever I find the time. Tables, beds, whatever it is. Just come by at my farm east of the city. It’s only a couple hours down the road.”

‘Do you have a business card as well?’ She thought as she nodded at him “I’ll do that maybe. Thanks again and have a good day!” She said and walked down the alley.

Greg said his goodbyes as she turned around, going up to the nearby workshop undoubtedly going to sell his cargo. Ilea meanwhile activated her Sphere skill to perceive anything in a 15m globe around her. Seeing nothing, she increased her pace.

Going from back alley to back alley, she sometimes slowed down as people approached or a beggar laid near the walls. She threw a Drake scale at one of them who just confusedly thanked her. She saw him trying to take a bite out of the scale just before her range of perception left him behind.

Chuckling, she walked through the city until she came out near Earl’s shop. ‘Busy as ever I see…,’ she wondered at the people walking in and out of the blacksmith’s shop.

Stepping inside with her massive bags, a couple people stole glances at her but nobody said anything. There was a line at the counter of four people while an attendant she hadn’t seen before talked to them. Standing in line, Ilea looked at the plentiful gear in the shop ‘Guess he did fulfill those contracts hmm?’

Two minutes later, she stood in front of the clerk. ‘Well that sure was quick.’

“Hello, I’m Ilea. Can you get Earl for me? Tell him it’s the healer.” the attendant was confused at that.

“I’m sorry miss but the head smith is currently quite busy. I’ll have to check the schedule but I can’t promise anything until the upcoming spring.” He explained regretfully.

‘Ah fuck this…,’ Checking the shop with her sphere, she found Earl working in the back. The clerk only blinked as the healer in front of him disappeared.

“Spring? Are you fucking kidding me you old cunt?” She blared, startling the smith out of his work. The sword fell to the ground, which Ilea caught in a quick fluid motion. Earl just stared at her hand, as she handed the glowing piece of metal back to him. Bare handed.

Gesturing to the anvil, she placed it there. “I forgot how nuts you are.” Turning to Ilea he extended his hand but thought better of it, instead patting her on the back. “How is our little Berserk healer doing? Any new developments?” He asked, a smile spreading on his face.

A hint of fear evident as he kept glancing at her completely fine hand and the level next to her class that changed to two question marks compared to the last time when he had still been able to see her level.

Ilea quickly caught him up on her past month. The smith apparently hadn’t been doing bad either. Having fulfilled some rather big contracts in an incredible time with even less sleep, his status had risen by quite a bit. And apparently his smithing skills as well. Hence the attendant out front, dealing with the ever increasing customers.

“So you’re a rich fuck now. Congratulations. Why not get some apprentices?” He nodded at that

“Yea yea, I know but they are all so… adequate. Haven’t found one to really strike me as the one ya know?”

‘Is this a love story or what?’ She nodded and motioned to the front. “Hey, I have something for you. And a request or two maybe.” The attendant seemed conflicted if he should check with Earl but relaxed as both the healer and his boss came out from the back room.

“It’s materials I gathered a while ago. You still have the charred scales right? Should be enough for a set. Well I thought before I get you the higher quality hide, I can get something with this in the meantime.” She opened one of the bags and he whistled.

“So one set with this stuff? Bony with scales. Red or green?” Checking the scales he added “Doesn’t seem to be of a very different quality.”

She thought and decided on red ‘Fits the fire I guess and the camouflage would only really help in a forest.’“Do the red one. I’ll sell you the rest.”

“Hmm yes yes…,” Motioning the attendant away from the counter, he removed some big books from below it. “..the armor I can do for four gold in three days.” The attendant’s eyes opened wide at that.

“But Earl, the contracts and time…,” Getting interrupted by a hand on his shoulder, Earl stepped back to the bags.

“Mason my boy, do you know how much I bore working on iron swords all day and steel plate armor? This… this here…,” Opening the bags, he grinned “This is why I became a blacksmith!”

“And the sweet sweet gold of course.” Ilea added.

“And the sweet gold of course.” Earl confirmed. Getting the two bags into the back room, he emptied them onto a massive workbench. He counted the scales and bones and checked them for their quality and weight.

Ilea meanwhile fucked with the different equipment in the smithy, burning herself in ways others would scream for hours and need a healer to attend to their injuries.

“You’re like a newborn puppy. Do you not fear pain?” He asked, seemingly done with his work.

“Oh, I fear the absence of it more to be honest.” Thinking of the Demon, a thoughtful expression showed on her face.

“Well none of that seriousness now. I like that puppy more. All of the materials you could sell to the adventurer’s guild or any trader for between 7 Gold, 13 Silver and 12 Bronze up to… well up to infinity really. I could get that stuff for around 13 Gold from the guild or a trader. 10 Gold 10 Silver sounds fair?”

She just nodded at him ‘Is he really that trustworthy?’

“Deducting the cost of the armor, which includes any materials used and my labor you come out at 6 Gold and 10 Silver.” The smith said as he walked back outside.

Receiving the money, she thanked Earl again, got her bags and stored them in her backpack. ‘Back to 9 Gold eh… what do I need money for again?’ she thought but then remembered that food existed.

Looking through the markets she found what she was looking for. A small empty booklet, similar to what would be a notebook on earth. Compared to the machine manufactured and plain paper ones she remembered, this one held quite a lot more charm. She also got a magical pen in a shop nearby, leaving her 10 silvers lighter as she went back to Earl’s shop.

‘Considering a meal is a couple coppers, notebooks and pens are luxurious as fuck.’ She mused as she walked behind Earl’s shop. Just in range of her perception, she could see the scales and bones still on the table. Taking out her notebook, she took an intricate inventory of everything she had given to Earl. Checking through the rest of the shop quickly too, to make sure he hadn’t moved anything yet.

She was glad to see the charred scales were still there, hidden away in what seemed to be a secret compartment. ‘He didn’t lie about liking them at least…,’

A guard was chasing a dog through the street as she entered it, a boy frantically trying to keep pace and shouting after the dog.

Going back to the market street she got the pen from, Ilea bought some food on the go. Two hours later of eating different foods and watching the people make it in front of her, she finally got closer to her next target. ‘Street food is like a live performance…,’ thinking on that, she finished the last of her noodles while standing in front of Splicer’s bookstore.

“Hello! Schroedinger’s healer is back!” She shouted into the seemingly empty shop. ‘No customers today hmm… how does he stay afloat?…,’

The old man appeared from a back room “Schrodinger's what? Oh it’s the theoretical dealer of black market information. Greetings young adventurer!” He said with a completely straight face.

“You’re as dry as your skin old man.” she answered, removing her backpack and getting out the old tomes and diaries.

“First hand accounts of the Order of Azarinth.” She had brought five diaries and three history books. The ones holding nearly no knowledge on the Bluemoon Grass and her techniques.

His eyes became a little wider and his heartbeat quickened. Ilea was only able to tell because of her buffs and newfound sense enhancing perception. ‘Or my stats as well… at this point I’m like a superhuman and I’m too afraid to ask…,’

“Wanna buy any of them? How much would you pay? I’d take some good stories as well.”