He saw the silhouette of a man waiting in the distance, unmoved by the wolf pack that was prowling around him. This was a familiar sight, though in a slightly different location.
Cal gently patted the pack leader’s head to stop him from moving forward and approached Maelor. He wasn’t sure why the man was back so quickly, but he felt a bit of excitement at the unexpected windfall that was coming his way. That, and he was curious about how the second gem affected him.
“Cal, my friend!” Maelor said with a wide smile. “I apologize for visiting without warning, but I’m afraid circumstances forced my hand.”
Cal hid his discomfort behind a smile of this own. The thin veneer of politeness made his skin crawl since he knew what the man was really like. However, money eases most issues.
“It’s not for another gem, is it?” Cal put on a helpless expression. “I just received new supply, but I need both for myself. I find my growth stagnating.”
Maelor shook his head . “That might be what you feel since you have achieved an envious growth in the past month, but surely you don’t think it was sustainable. In fact, I would suspect anything that enables such a thing.”
Where’s he going with this? Does he suspect something’s off about the gem?
“… That makes sense,” Cal said with a slow nod.
A mana tendril had already retrieved Maelor’s current strength. He clearly absorbed the second gem that he claimed was for someone else. The man had already been at the peak of the [Apprentice] tier after absorbing the first gem, and now, he was about to step into the next tier.
Cal wondered when there will push for him to reveal the source. Since Maelor didn’t seem to consider using force as an option, the logical choice would be to ask for an increasing number of gems before ‘reluctantly’ asking for the source to meet demand.
“How much more are you thinking?” Cal prodded. He could use the guildmarks, but he still wasn’t sure about selling two gems.
He only had six gems in his storage pouch, and Benan was nowhere to be found. He needed to ration his supplies carefully—
“An extra guildmark, just this exchange.”
Well, it would be wrong to deny someone so in need.
Cal’s attitude towards selling the gems flipped completely. He fought to keep his eagerness off his face, and apparently, he was far more successful that he expected.
“I see,” Maelor sighed when Cal didn’t accept within a few seconds. “Maybe two gems was too much to ask. I’ll pay three guildmarks for one, but this is as far as I can go.”
Cal had never seen someone fight against themselves to increase the price. He had to remind himself that in Maelor’s view, this gem was a miracle artifact that was valued in far more than mere guildmarks.
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“… It’s hard to say no to that.” Cal pulled a gem out of his storage space and made to use his clothes to prevent contact with his skin. Maelor took it with greedy eyes and tossed over three guildmarks. “I won’t be able to get you more anytime soon, so don’t even ask.”
Maelor looked at him with sharp eyes, but the tone he spoke in was much different. “Of course, I’ll take this as a favor. If you need something that isn’t too outrageous, let me know.”
Cal nodded, taking the offer without shame. “One thing before you leave. We can’t meet next time. I have too many eyes on me.”
Maelor fell silent for several seconds. “You’ve mentioned this before… I’ll see what I can do.”
Cal nodded and bid him a farewell. He didn’t take his eyes off his retreating figure until it disappeared over the horizon.
He heard a low rumble behind him and saw the pack leader looking at him disapprovingly. Surprisingly, Nibbles dug herself out of the ground right beside the pack leader and match the look.
When did she get here?
Cal had a heightened sense of awareness while dealing with Maelor, and it shocked him he couldn’t detect Nibbles underground. It was similar to his surprise at the pack leader’s speed when he rushed to Maelor.
What happened on that quick trip for both to improve so much?
Nibbles squeaked and looked at him with wide eyes. As was common recently, Cal could get the gist of what was being conveyed.
“I know what I’m doing,” Cal said. “Even if something goes wrong, he won’t be able to harm me.” Nibbles believed him immediately, but the pack leader huffed at him in disbelief. He patted the enormous wolf on the head and said, “It’s fine. I have you as backup if something goes wrong.”
The withering glare the pack leader gave Cal made him laugh as they returned to the farm.
Cal got to bed with no interruptions.
“You two start repairing the field. When you need to get water from the pond to mix the powder, the golem will help you fill the tubs. The beasts here are a little protective of the pond, so best not to get too close,” Cal said to Vaela and Liora, who took off with wide smiles on their lips. He supposed he would be just as happy to do such simple work with double his usual pay.
The two women had arrived bright and early, bringing along a man who looked around the farm as if he had never seen a field before.
“So, Bran, I hope you were told what to expect here,” Cal said, hoping this didn’t end up as another headache.
Bran stood straight and said, “Yes, Apprentice Cal! it’s an honor to work for you, and I would do it even if it were for free!”
“That won’t be necessary. You will receive the same pay as the others. However, as a Farmer, I will need your help with planting or harvesting crops in the future.”
“I might be a new Farmer, but I’m very book smart! I can learn on the job,” Bran said eagerly.
That explained why he seemed so eager to please.
“Right… for now, you can help Vaela and Liora with their tasks. I hope we have a pleasant working relationship.” Cal had no intention of hovering over them, so he left them to it and entered the house.
Tavia and Seris were outside the farm’s borders, practicing magic and shooting arrows respectively, so it was empty inside.
He left ten gold and twenty silver on the dresser in his room, which Tavia was aware of. Not the amount, but just that there would be money there.
Cal was leaving to deal with the new hires’ status with the guild and to sponsor Orrin for the blacksmith test. It was possible it could take an entire day, so he left some money to pay the salary in case he didn’t come back in time.
He was well aware it was far more than needed, but it would help when he was gone for an extended time in the future.
Cal left the farm for Mariner’s Rest. He had thought about going to the Central Sanctum, but he wanted to avoid that place as much as he could. He would fulfil his promise to the Elder Council for spending some time there at the bare minimum, and he knew they wouldn’t count the time spend on business.
Luckily, the Overseer conveniently had an Apprentice working for him at the town’s port. If he did other business in town while there, it would be a fortunate coincidence.