At the entrance of the shop stood a young woman, blonde hair tied up in two big buns, fingers wrapped tight around a long wooden staff.

  Renee.

  Viktor let out a low, amused chuckle. Well, this was... unexpected. He could never imagine he would see her here, in a place like this, and alone, without any of her companions.

  And... it was not an unwelcome turn of events.

  After all, he wanted to know more about that bald Southerner, Ekon. And what better way to dig than through his friends?

  The best part was that Renee was ideal for that purpose. Ba’atar barely spoke, while the Druidess looked like the sort of person who could spot a spy before he even opened his mouth. This girl, on the other hand, was young, a little naive, and straightforward. Perfect.

  Maybe Alycia wasn’t the only one having a lucky day today.

  “Hey, Quinn,” Jeanne whispered, leaning close. “What should I do?”

  “Why are you asking me?” Viktor replied. “You are the shopkeeper. Just greet the customer, I guess.”

  “I don’t know how.”

  “You’ve seen Claire and Rhea do it, right? Just say the exact same thing.”

  Jeanne straightened and cleared her throat. “Welcome to the Adventurer’s Guild—”

  Viktor kicked her leg.

  “Ouch—Ah, I mean... Welcome to our shop. How can I help you?”

  Renee blinked at them. “Um... what do you sell here?”

  Girl, don’t start with such a difficult question.

  He glanced at Jeanne, who looked like she was racking her brain to come up with an answer. He then turned back to Renee, half-expecting her to spin on her heel and walk out immediately. To his surprise, she began to wander around the shop, her eyes curiously scanning the shelves.

  “What is this?” she asked, picking up a round, flat disk of brass.

  The item had a series of lines etched in circles, tracing its face. At its center, a small pivot held a thin, movable arm that could sweep across the disk like a hand. Tiny holes and notches marked points along the surface, forming patterns that meant absolutely nothing to anyone who was not a certain blonde.

  “I don’t know,” said Viktor and Jeanne.

  Renee raised a brow. She put it down and picked up something else.

  “How about this?”

  “I don’t know,” said Viktor and Jeanne.

  “And this?”

  “I don’t know,” said Viktor and Jeanne.

  A long silence followed.

  Renee stood there, staff resting on the floor, eyes drifting between the two of them as if she was trying to decide whether they were pulling her leg. Jeanne avoided her gaze, suddenly very interested in a speck of dust on the counter.

  Thankfully, the awkward atmosphere was quickly cut short as the door swung open again. The owner of the place had finally returned, staggering slightly under the weight of a bulging sack filled with god-knows-what.

  Alycia froze as three sets of eyes were locked on her. Then she noticed Renee.

  “Oh, a customer?” Her face instantly lit up. She dropped the bag without ceremony and marched over to the girl with all the enthusiasm of someone who had been waiting their entire life for this exact moment. “Welcome! How can I help you?”

  “Well...” Renee hesitated. “I was just wondering what all this stuff is actually used for.”

  Alycia’s eyes sparkled. And just like that, she launched herself into a monologue.

  She snatched items from the shelves one after another and thrust them into Renee’s field of vision, all the while vomiting out a nonstop stream of jargon. The poor girl nodded along, her expression growing more blank with each passing second. It was obvious she had deeply regretted asking that question. She endured the pounding verbal barrage, while waiting for the blonde to pause for breath, but if Viktor had learned anything from those lectures, it was that such pauses would never come.

  I need to do something. Fast.

  After all, his plan was to befriend Renee to get closer to her companion, and letting her flee the shop in terror was certainly not part of it.

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  So he strode over and tapped Alycia on the shoulder. She finally paused, turning her head just long enough for him to slide in with a question.

  “Is there anything specific you’re looking for?”

  The young woman let out a long, audible sigh of relief.

  “I... I’m just curious about these odd-looking items,” she said, “but actually, I am looking for something. I’m not sure you have it, though.”

  “And what might that be?”

  “Some kind of tools that can help me to safely climb a very tall tree and cut down branches high above the ground.”

  “Only the branches?” Viktor asked. “Why not just chop down the whole tree if it’s in the way?”

  “No, no,” Renee waved her hands frantically. “My friend doesn’t want to fell trees unnecessarily. She just wants to thin the canopy so sunlight can reach the forest floor.”

  Her friend? Oh, it had to be the Druidess. Probably trying to plant some herbs for her potions. But of course, all that careful forest etiquette made things so much harder than they should be. Normal folks would just clear a patch of wood and call it a day. No one bothered with that kind of delicate nonsense. So good luck finding tools for that.

  “Oh, that’s easy,” Alycia said nonchalantly.

  Everyone stared at her in disbelief, but she didn’t seem to notice, or care.

  “As for climbing,” she said, moving her hands in demonstration, “you need a strong, durable rope to support your weight while ascending. Some padding to wear around your body so you can attach yourself safely. And gloves and boots with rough surfaces to hold onto the bark. For cutting, you need a specialized pair of scissors, sharp enough to slice through branches, with long handles to reach spots far away. Well, I don’t have a set ready at the moment, but I can make one for you. When do you need it?”

  “Not immediately,” Renee replied. “So you can take your time.”

  Alycia nodded. “I’ll make a list, estimate the cost and time, and give it to you. Pay half as a deposit, and I’ll start immediately.”

  Damn. At a time like this, the blonde looked like a completely different person.

  As Alycia walked over to the counter, spread out a parchment, and began to scribble calculations, Viktor turned his attention back to Renee. Time to strike up a conversation.

  “You’re an aeromancer, right?” he said casually. “Why don’t you just fly up there and cut the branches yourself?”

  She looked mildly surprised. “Oh, you know me?” Then she nodded. “Well, I can launch myself into the air, but that’s usually in open spaces. In a dense forest, with obstacles everywhere, it becomes dangerous fast.”

  “Can’t you just hover in one spot?” Viktor asked. She definitely could. He had seen her do exactly that in the dungeon.

  “I can. I do it by conjuring an upward flow of wind around me to stop myself from falling. And that wind also affects everything nearby. Again, it’s fine in the open, but when I get close to the branches, they start getting pushed around in unpredictable ways.”

  “Can’t you localize the wind? Only under your boots or something?” Viktor asked. That was how the Acolytes of the Deep handled their water-walking spell. Only the water directly under the points of contact got solidified, while everything else was untouched.

  Renee shrugged. “A more experienced aeromancer could manage that kind of fine control. But for me, the wind I can precisely shape is too weak to hold my weight.”

  Ah, yes. The limits of being a mage. Years of study and endless practice were required to advance further. Viktor, on the other hand, could just forge a Thauma to achieve that exact effect in an instant. But of course, that was a secret he had no intention of sharing.

  “Your friend is the Druidess, right? Why doesn’t she have a solution? I mean, her kind grows things in forests all the time. Surely, someone must have run into this problem before.”

  “I don’t know.” Renee shook her head. “Maybe there’s a potion for it, but she doesn’t have it with her at the moment.” Then she looked at him more closely. “You seem to know a lot about us.”

  Viktor chuckled. “Who in this town doesn’t?”

  In fact, everyone in this room had all been present when Ekon made that announcement in the Guild’s mess hall.

  “Oh. Right.” Renee let out another sigh, but this time, it was not one of relief.

  “What’s the matter?” Viktor asked.

  “Well, if you know my party, then you probably also know what the other adventurers think of us now. After the expedition, everyone is giving us the cold shoulder.” She sighed again. “What happened to Brynhildr and Dagnar was... unfortunate. But it had nothing to do with us. In fact, we did everything we could to help them.”

  “Then why didn’t you say so to everyone?” Jeanne chimed in. “Explain what actually happened?”

  Because doing so would only invite even more uncomfortable questions, Viktor thought with amusement.

  Seeing the complicated look on Renee’s face, he decided to help her brush off the questions.

  “Everyone loves a good bit of drama,” he said. “Give it time, and they’ll find something else to be distracted by. Then they’ll all forget this ever happened.”

  “I don’t think so. It’s not just Brynhildr and Dagnar. They blame us for the dungeon, too.”

  Viktor lifted a brow. “The dungeon?”

  “You know how dungeon delving used to be quite easy? Now it’s different. A dozen adventurers died just last week. And people say it happened because of us. That when we entered that building in the desert, we angered something we shouldn’t have. And now the dungeon is taking it out on everyone.”

  Viktor suppressed a laugh. No, the change of policy was due to the Dungeon Master finally achieving his goal and no longer having a reason to play nice. But of course, people needed someone they could blame. And Ekon’s party was the perfect scapegoat.

  “Ignore them,” he said. “The ones who couldn’t even make it past the first floor have no right to criticize anyone. Besides, was there any other way to move forward other than entering that building? If not your party, someone else would’ve gone there eventually.”

  Renee blinked, then gave an appreciative smile. “You’re very level-headed, you know? I wish more people were like you.”

  “So, what’s your party up to now?”

  “We’re not really taking any job at the moment. I’m helping Mandragora with her herb planting. Ekon and Ba’atar... I’m not sure. Probably chilling somewhere in town.”

  “No plans to leave Daelin, then?” Viktor asked. After all, just like Jeanne had said, adventurers were free to go wherever they pleased. If they were not welcomed here, they could just find a different town.

  “No,” Renee said. “Just a temporary pause. A rest. And honestly, I need it. That last dungeon run was... exhausting. I almost got killed several times.”

  I know. One of those near-death experiences was courtesy of me.

  Alycia finally returned with her parchment. She handed it to Renee.

  “Ten silver coins in total. I can have everything ready for you within a week.”

  Renee nodded, reaching into her purse. She counted out five silver coins and placed them in Alycia’s hand.

  “Thank you very much!” she said with a smile, almost as bright as the ones she had before the battle in the mortuary complex happened. “I’m so glad I found this place.”

  Viktor watched her go, the door clicking shut behind her. Not a bad start for a befriending attempt. He hadn’t learned anything particularly important yet, but at least he had one foot in the door.

  Now it was just a matter of opening it wide and stepping inside. Carefully.