Is it wrong to fleece adventurers at the item shop?

Once I'm done admiring my newest achievement, I quickly set out to clean the floor and return the various bins to the places where they should be. By the time I'm done I have worked up a sweat once more.

Sour Cream stops by briefly to watch, what in her eyes probably are silly antics and to get me to refill her bowl with the last of the delicious cream from the jug Krystina brought by yesterday. Once the bowl is licked clean again she heads out.

It is only then that I realize that the rain has stopped. Well, good for her. I don't plan to go out anyway. Not today anyway. I plan to visit the bathhouse and get a proper bath again for a change tomorrow morning though.

First I open the shop again, since I still have an hour, or maybe two of daylight. Maybe someone will drop by now, since it isn't raining anymore. I check the floor one last time, before I retreat behind the counter, and wince. It will take a little more effort to properly clean up after all. Since I know what I'm looking for I can still see where the coal lines were.

In the end I just sigh and shake my head though. That is something I can take care off tomorrow or another day. Maybe the remnants will be easier to remove if I let them dry first so I can sweep them away with the broom? Probably. I'll give it a try tomorrow. That is, if the floor dries until then. With the current humidity I'm not quite sure about that.

In the end I head outside as I don't want to stay cooped up inside until nightfall. With some relief I realize that the bench out front is actually mostly dry. With a little effort I'm able to position myself in such a way that I don't sit in a wet spot. Now if only there were a little more sunlight to warm me, but that just isn't possible. This spot gets its light in the morning, not the evening.

I decide to fret not and enjoy a little peace and quiet anyway. Now that the sky is clearing up some of the wild bees that have been in hiding all day come out to gather some nectar from the flowers growing all around me before it actually gets dark as well and I decide to watch them. Watching the little insects hard at work is actually rather calming.

The peace and quiet doesn't last though. Not for long anyway.

Just as I try to work up the motivation to get up and close the shop for the night I spot a disturbance in the distance along the road to Barter Town. I squint hard, but it still takes me a moment to realize that it is Agnieszka on her oxen cart. She isn't alone though.

Someone is riding alongside her cart. Someone wearing armor that glitters and shines in the evening sun. And there is another rider following the cart, leading a third horse, a pack horse probably, along by some long reigns.

Could this already be lord Antek's reply to the recent trouble? Or is it just a wandering knight who decided to provide aid? Those do exist after all, even if the local lords tend not to like them all that much. Well, the former is more likely overall.

They are still a little too far out to make out any details and as they are moving at the rather sedate pace of the oxen cart, they will take a little longer to reach the village as well. Should I head down there to meet them? Or should I wait here?

Agnieszka should have some things for me on that cart after all. Will she stop by my place? Or will I need to hire some help to carry things since I'm not really in any shape to do the carrying myself.

I quietly curse myself for not inquiring about little details like that beforehand. Berating myself now is not useful either though, thus I decide to head down towards the inn after closing the shop. In all likelihood that is where she will stop to see her two companions off. It is where I'm most likely to find some help for hire as well.

I just hope I don't have to file a quest for work like this. Oh, who am I kidding. Krystina probably knows all about turning work like this into a quest. And if she doesn't, she can look it up in her guidebook for sure.

I snigger to myself, thinking about that, as I make my way towards the inn. I take my time. I'm not in a hurry after all.

It is a little quieter at the inn around this time. I expect that to change soon enough though and not just because of the incoming new arrivals either. Evening is the time for both adventurers and farmers to have a drink and maybe some fun after all.

As a matter of fact, I spy Rafal tuning his instrument by the fireplace in the common room as I enter. I wave in his direction before heading over to Krystina's little realm by the quest board. Elder Jaromir is sitting that way as well, discussing something or other over a beer with some farmers.

He looks up as I approach, as do some of the others, and I greet them with a polite nod.

“I just spotted Agnieszka's cart along the road. I think she should be here before long and she isn't alone either.”

Now that makes the old mayor perk up.

“Oh? Well, that was fast. I honestly expected another day or maybe two before we would hear from lord Antek. Maybe she ran into him at the city? Never mind though. I guess we'll find out soon enough."

Some of the others mutter their agreement. None of them seem displeased with this development though.

I turn towards Krystina next.

“Agnieszka should have some things I ordered from Barter Town. Hopefully. I might need some help carrying them though.”

The young woman chuckles and pulls a sheet of paper from under her counter. It is a quest notice with most of the details already filled in. I only need to add my name, deposit the reward and pay the fee.

“I always keep some of those at hand, whenever Agnieszka heads to the city. Someone always needs help carrying things and all the adventurers likely to take a request like that on short notice know when to roughly expect her back.”

I fill in the last details and pay up.

Then she puts the notice on the board next to a few other, similar quests. It seems as if I'm not the only one who placed orders with my neighbor.

I in turn take a seat to wait for Agnieszka's arrival. I order a beer to pass the time as well. I don't sit by myself for long though. As Odolan and Tamara, accompanied by Danuta enter the inn, the two youngsters head almost directly towards me, with the more experienced witch in tow. Each of the two youngsters has a large jug peeking out of the top of their backpacks and they smell of smoke and sap.

It is the witch though who produces a familiar piece of paper, a quest note. Of course, the Twig Wight sap. I placed a quest for that.

I grin and shake my head before nodding in the direction of the quest board.

“Hold onto that for a little longer, and get that last quest note in the line at the bottom of the board as well while you are at it. It's about carrying some stuff back up to my place once Agnieszka arrives.”

At first their faces fall a little, but they perk right back up as I mention the other quest. Adventurers like to stack those whenever possible after all. It isn't much, but especially the youngsters jump at the chance to earn another coin.

Danuta sits down across from me and orders herself a beer as well.

“Made some purchases?”

“I did. With my ankle I can't carry them back home myself though.”

She nods and eyes the staff I'm using for a crutch.

Before she can say anything I speak up.

“I have been busy optimizing the enchantment for your new staff. I enchanted this one first to make sure I got nothing wrong.”

Without waiting for a reply I demonstrate. This time I make sure though to angle the lens tied to the staff away from everyone.

“Lucerna minima!”

As before the crystal lens lights up, and as before it focuses the light it emits in a most curious way as well.

One of Danuta's eyebrows rises a little.

“Most curious how the crystal both emits and focuses the light.”

I nod enthusiastically.

“Maybe there are other applications for that effect? Maybe a lens like that could be incorporated into a lantern?”

We don't get to discuss the topic in greater detail though, as the two youngsters return just as Agnieszka's wagon comes to a stop out on the village square. Still, I suspect that a lantern like that would have great potential.