B3—Chapter 16: I’m Going to Be an Adventurer

We stopped at the first town after Ram-Son and went straight to the inn. Exhausted, we needed a few hours of sleep. In the morning, our plan was to continue driving, but Al found out that there was an alchemist in town and went to buy herbs. That boy focused too much on leveling. I couldn’t understand it. I just wanted to enjoy the journey.

While Al was shopping, Mahya and I explored the town. It looked just like something out of 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 cute, 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.

The farm animals, which were different from anything I had seen back home, caught my eye right away. There were animals that looked like cows but had extra legs and thick, fuzzy fur that made them seem like they would do better in colder climates. There were chickens walking 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 the big round body.

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 but useful, and there was a well in the middle that people could gather around. 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.

Mahya and I zeroed in on the bookstore immediately. I spent the mana to learn the language—I didn’t bother until this point since I didn’t need it, and I felt Mahya do the same. We browsed the store but found nothing interesting. There were a couple of books on magic, which originally 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 images 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.

The shopkeeper, an old man with glasses resting on his nose, 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 badly illustrated handbook on the foundations of carpentry included more misleading than useful diagrams.

Oh well, maybe in the next town.

Al came back 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 actually 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. She informed me that the levels of mana in that location are exceedingly high, and based on certain plants I had seen at her residence, her statement seemed to be accurate. Their mana reserves were abundant, comparable to worlds with mana levels beyond forty, rather than being in the low thirties,” Al explained, his excitement palpable.

“Swamp sounds muddy and gross,” Mayha said, scrunching her nose. “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.

“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?”

“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 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,” Mahya said, and Al nodded his 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 we 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 and 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?” All 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. Since we’ll already have a blueprint, the others will take less time. 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. “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 smile.

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. There was a relatively large city 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.