Somehow, it had entirely passed Cal’s mind that he had never been to Miren’s office when he agreed to meet Tavia there.
It wouldn’t have been an issue worth thinking of at most times, but when Cal wandered around Lumina like a vagrant searching for the office, the embarrassment forced him to think on it. Asking for directions would have solved the issue, but he became unreasonably determined to find it by himself.
Cal compared Miren’s building to the ones surrounding it and could only appreciate the thought that was put into it. Miren had made it an attraction in a way only a designer could, by matching the aesthetics that people in the Celestial Order loved.
No wonder Miren was sent to me, even if some of her workforce came from outside the territory.
He took in the runes that were etched into the stained glass at the top of the building. The Celestial Order didn’t have anyone with such an ability, so it must have been created by Miren’s imported rune masters.
Cal pushed the large wooden door open and saw a strange sight. Two small golems were on either side of the entrance.
“Cal, you’re finally here!”
He looked away from the golems at Seris’s call. More golems were seen, and these were moving, serving tea and snacks to the small group occupying the seats in the middle of the large floor.
Cal nodded at Seris as he approached them. “Miren. Torin. Interesting way that you used the golem you borrowed from me.” He took a seat next to Tavia, who moved to the side to give him room. She looked thoroughly unimpressed with whatever was going on before he came.
Cal wasn’t sure what idea required so many clones of the tiny golem. It certainly wouldn’t have needed Miren to borrow the golem from him. However, since they had no intention of explaining further, he let it go.
“So, what were you all discussing?”
“Additions to the farm,” Tavia answered for everyone. “Specifically, extending the house for Seris. But I was waiting for you to give the okay.”
Cal raised an eyebrow, silently asking if this had somehow upset her.
Tavia somehow understood him. “Seris is refusing out of some guilt. I felt that is unnecessary.”
He couldn’t help but smirk at a pale Seris and reached around Tavia to ruffle the girl’s hair. “That’s nonsense. Of course, our Seris should have a private space at the house. Come to think of it, it’ll be perfect to monitor her in these times.”
Seris somehow became paler than before. Cal genuinely thought it was a great idea, not only for making it easier for Seris to say at the farm, but also for giving him an opening to pull Orrin along in the near future.
Plus, this was a way for him to get some payback for the attitude Seris showed him. It was an even sweeter revenge, since it was for her own good.
“Okay,” Seris said, deflating in her seat.
“Well, that’s settled,” Cal said with a clap of his hands. “Anything else?” Tavia and Seris shook their heads, though the latter was far more dispirited. “I have a project of my own. How much would it cost to build a paved road that connects to my farm?”
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Torin frowned. “You mean to replace the dirt path?”
Torin’s frown grew more severe until Miren whispered into his ear. “We rarely deal with simple infrastructure such as roads. If you brought this up to us, you must have other ideas.” ᚱ𝒶₦ǑꞖÊṣ
“That’s entirely on you. If there is a way to making transporting my harvest easier, I’ll be more than happy to be your costumer.”
The silence that followed did not surprise Cal. This had been a long shot that he expected little from in the first place. If it was possible at a reasonable price, he was confident the guild would chip in since it would also be in their benefit too.
Miren nodded to herself after several seconds and once again whispered in Torin’s ear. As was the case when dealing with Miren, Torin acted as the mouthpiece. “Madam Miren has some ideas, but this will be an extensive project. Potentially several months as best, and if there are setbacks, it could extend to more than a year.”
Cal waited for more and spoke when it was apparent there was nothing else coming. “I’d like to hear some of these ideas.”
“It will need some testing, but instead of using a road, there might be a way to transport your harvest to a set destination without the usual travel.”
The immediate thought was the teleportation circle Overseer Marek used, but one that dealt with a large amount of goods. “How much would it cost?”
There was more whispering. “It would be an ongoing cost, but it could cost around twenty guildmarks a year.”
Cal’s heart skipped a beat, and from Tavia’s sharp intake, she felt the same as him. He made some rough calculations to see how many harvests it would take to pay for it, and no matter how he tried to justify the cost, it simply made no sense.
“That’s too much for me to bear, to a point where the guild would balk at the cost if I ask for help. I’d still like to see the options available. Maybe it’s something I can explore in the future.”
“Of course, Apprentice Cal. And we’ll arrive at your farm soon for the house expansion.”
Cal nodded, still thinking of the absurd cost to make his life easier. Tavia had lost her appetite for the tea, and Seris still happily snacked on some biscuits as her eyes darted from him to Miren.
“It’s time for us to take our leave,” Cal said with a glance at the two beside him. Seris was the only one who looked unhappy, but she was also a glutton. “I’ll see you both soon.”
“Of course,” Torin waved his hands at a few of the small golems. The teacups and plates were cleared up, though Seris had a short tug-of-war with hers. “Madam Miren looks forward to working with you.”
Cal gave the man a tight nod and a strained smile to Miren before leaving the building quickly. He feared he would hear more ridiculous costs if he stayed longer.
“Twenty guildmarks!” Tavia growled the moment they left. “The only way this would make sense is if the farm is much bigger.”
Cal agreed with her silently, but there was a limit if how much land he could farm at once. It would have to depend on the next batch of crops he planted, but even if it was the most ideal, spending just ten guildmarks was foolish.
“Have you considered hiring some help?”
Cal looked at Tavia curiously. He had some thoughts in that direction, but that would only help him make more money. It would do nothing to help him get stronger, and that was the most important part of farming.
“I can’t!” Seris yelped. “Cal promised I wouldn’t have to farm.”
Tavia patted her head. “Not you, Seris. There are some Initiates in town that were interested in working at the farm. I never brought it up before since you didn’t seem to need help, but that is an option if you want.”
Cal was tempted. He still felt a little uncomfortable knowing that there were Initiates that were scrounging for coin in order to barely survive, and this could be an easy way to solve that issue without burdening himself.
“I’ll think about it. I can’t make a decision casually.”
Tavia nodded as they left the street with Miren’s building.
Cal saw Seris’s supremely pleased expression at having escaped the hard work. He felt that needed to be taken away. “If this happens, I can’t see how we can spare time to manage the new Initiates. Luckily, we have Seris to take care of that. Right, Seris?”
Seris’s expression fluctuated from pleased to terrified, and Cal knew exactly why. She always had a sort of reverence towards the Initiates in town before he came along, and now she would have the chance to be in constant contact with them.
However, before anyone with an interface could be placed under Seris’s charge, she needed the ability to supervise them.
She won’t be able to use mana anytime soon, but with Nibbles helping, it should be fine. I still want her to have some of her own ability though.
Tavia seemed to have the same concern with the look she gave him. He gave her a small nod.
“Seris, I haven’t got you a gift for how well you’ve dealt with your training. How does a new bow sound?”