"Let's get to the most important question," said Li as his eyes shifted from side to side, glancing at each of the three adventurers. "What can you all do for us?"

Jeanne and Azhar looked at Sylvie, forwarding her as their spokesperson.

"It is my understanding that you wish to restart the herbalist's business," said Sylvie. It was evident from her collected calm and articulation that she was used to being the talking one. "Certainly, we would be more than willing to assist you in that endeavor. Especially since you are essentially inheriting Aine's knowledge – her homebrew formulas have seen no peer among the Rivieran pharmacies. When you finish learning her work-"

"I have her notes memorized down to every single word in my head." Li tapped the side of his head. "Courtesy of studying for the herbalist's exam. I'd be confident that even if that book burned, I'd still be able to do everything by heart. All I have to do is take the exam next week."

Sylvie raised a silver brow in wonder. "Excellent. Very much so." She glanced back at Azhar and Jeanne. The two were seated behind her, eagerly watching her talk. "Sometimes, I wish a little book smarts were more in order among the company I keep."

"Hey now, don't take no book readin' to gut a monster," said Azhar.

"That's right," Jeanne pouted.

"I suppose so. On second thought, it's no real measure of good company, either," said Sylvie with a faint smile. "Apologies for the interruption, Li. Here is what I can propose. You have an air about you that leaves me without the slightest doubt that you will pass the exam. Your eyes are those of an academic, refined and with purpose, sculpted with drive."

"Looking hard at his eyes, aren't you?" giggled Jeanne.

"Oh shush, you," said Sylvie as she shook her head. Her demeanor remained calm this time around, perhaps because the topic at hand was professional by nature. "Li, since you will receive your license the very same day you take the test, you will have but a week before you are eligible to begin your trade. For that, you require things other than knowledge."

"Such as?" Li said.

Old Thane chimed in, "A working stall, for one. There also used to be roofs over the herbal garden, but I have long let them rot away."

"Precisely," said Sylvie. "It just so happens that we do have a builder in this very village that we could refer to you. In addition, I can guarantee you that there is no greater force to selling your wares than a silver-ranked adventurer singing your praises."

Li nodded. "In essence, you'll offer some marketing and a way to get a working stall built. What do you want in return?"

"Nothing," said Jeanne. "It is our duty to help those in need."

"No, Jeanne, that's what you want, not them," said Sylvie as she turned to meet Jeanne with a disapproving look.

"Wouldn't you want to help them as much as you could?" said Jeanne innocently.

"I do, but do they look like beggars to you? Like Li said, Thane is still a working man. He provides for himself. There is no reason for us to patronize them by offering charity." Sylvie turned to Li again. "I believe that getting first pick at your wares would be a fair deal, no?"

"Well, what do you think, Old Thane?" said Li.

"Hm." Old Thane stroked his beard. "I must say, young ones, it is a mighty strange feeling to have remembered you all as children and now to deal with you as men and women of the adventurer's trade. But it is a feeling that I am proud of. It shows how far you have come. But on this matter of business, I cannot say that it would be a fair trade."

Sylvie cocked her head. "Is that so? Do you believe perhaps that we are still offering charity? That the terms I have outlined are intentionally slanted in your favor?"

Old Thane laughed, his hearty voice echoing through the crowded walls of the cottage. "Not so, little on. I daresay that you have offered us too little."

Sylvie's eyes widened.

"I know how the land works," continued Old Thane. "I have felt it grow under my feet and tended it with my hands for years and years." He showed his hands to everyone, how the dirt had caked into folds among calluses that had been etched deeply into the skin by decades of labor.

"When one works with life for so long, there develops a sense for growing, for knowing how life flows and how to nurture it. You can call it elderly superstition, aye, but I stand by it. It is that very sense that allows me to forego my sight and still tend to these lands."

Old Thane proudly tapped Li's arm. "This young lad here has talent. He has had that sense in him since the first day I took him in, and it has only grown with time. Now when I hear him move through the fields and the gardens, not a single movement wasted as he prunes and plants and weeds, he seems to me not man bending nature to his will, but nature itself.

Any herbs that he grows and mixes into elixirs will be of a quality unsurpassed, as if brewed by the forest goddesses themselves. Aine's memory will smile in his work."

Li put a hand on Old Thane's shoulder and smiled. "Thanks, old man." He looked at Sylvie with a different kind of smile, one more expectant and pressuring. "Hear that? Looks like the cost of my services have just gone up."

"Excellent, because we have more to offer," said Sylvie.

"We do?" said Azhar as he scrunched his brows in confusion.

Sylvie ignored Azhar and said, "Trades live and die by the workings of the world around them. A blacksmith will hammer out horseshoes in times of peace, but if that is his only skill, then he will fail to put bread on the table when swords come into demand in times of war. We can offer you advance insight into what we hear from our adventures."

"Got anything useful for me to hear now?" said Li.

"Indeed. This is a state secret, so hold it close to your hearts and out of your lips," said Sylvie. "That lake where you saved us is one of great importance. When the knights of Lys initially discovered it, they reported that it healed all their wounds, even long-term aches and pains. One man even had a curse removed.

Lord Lys, upon hearing the news, immediately thought of seizing the lake for the good of the crown. Could you imagine the advantage that an entire lake's worth of healing medicine could bring forth in a battle? Especially in such a peaceful and well-positioned city as Riviera where there is little risk of it falling to enemy hands?

Alas, the insect beast set up guard over the waters, and that is when Lys sought the aid of the highest ranked adventurer teams in town. Now that the lake is free and we adventurers sworn to secrecy, Lys has it surrounded with knights while he consults the Duchess on how to use the resource.

Considering that Lys is kind-hearted, if a little on the simple-minded side, I predict he will not wait long before opening it to the masses without thinking of the consequences.

Not only will the temples suffer as their worth plummets, but so too will the pharmacies. The most valuable resource of an adventurer is his life. It is thus natural that a vast majority of the seeds that pharmacies stockpile are for healing brews."

"When the news gets out that the lake can heal people for basically free, then the market's going to crash," said Li as he rubbed his chin in contemplation. "The value of healing herbs and elixirs will go down to being damn near nonexistent, provided this lord doesn't heavily privatize the lake and charge tons of coin for it."

Sylvie shrugged. "That's what he should be doing, if he doesn't want the temples and pharmacists to complain, but as I have said before, he is a simple man. Coming from a military background, he does not consider matters of state too thoroughly, least of all economics."

Li understood. "I'll get ahead of the curve, then. Start ordering seeds meant for combat purposes before their prices start rocketing up."

"Precisely," nodded Sylvie. "And we shall aid you there as well. The current demand for such seeds is rather low, so I am sure we can secure you a steady supply."

"Now we're finally talking," said Li. "I think this is a pretty decent starting point for our deals, right Old Thane?"

"Aye, I've no complaints," said Old Thane.

Li reached out an open hand to Sylvie. "We have a deal."

Sylvie shrunk back in her seat and blinked rapidly as Li's hand reached out to her. "Uhm," she managed to whisper out, her steely composure crumbling.

"My, my, Sylvie, he's reaching out for you. Isn't this what you wanted?" said Jeanne as she leaned in closer to witness the scene.

Li withdrew his hand. "My apologies. I didn't realize that handshakes weren't a thing here. It's a custom where I come from. You extend open hands and shake them to seal a deal. A symbolic gesture. Nothing awkward about it."

Sylvie extended her hand but looked down. "Well, it would be quite rude of me to ignore your customs."

Li shook her hand and smiled. He wasn't clueless. He could tell that she had something of a crush on him, but a time of business wasn't the right time to address it. Instead, he dissipated the awkwardness of the situation by moving the deal forward. "Now you all get some pen and paper. I'm going to give you a list of the seeds I need, and I'll need the exact quantity by next week."

The adventurers left soon after that.

They had cleaned their plates and mugs like good guests and Li had opened the door for them like a good host. He was feeling a little more cheerful. It had been a good while since he had talked to people other than Old Thane, and it made him feel a little more sociable.

But when Li opened the door, something was sitting there that he had almost forgotten about.

"Oh my, what a wondrous little pup you are!" said Jeanne as she wrapped her arms around Zagan's chest and lifted him up in the air. The demon's paws dangled in the air as she shook him up and down. Zagan was massive as regular dog sizes went - Li estimated he was slightly larger than a Great Dane - but it was apparent that Jeanne had no concept of size when it came to dogs.

To her, all of them were cute little puppies.

"Are you lost?" said Jeanne with sadness. "Oh, look at those puppy dog eyes, you're lost for sure. My, he has the same color eyes you do, Sylvie! And he's black, too, just your style, isn't he?"

Zagan looked at Li and communicated telepathically.

'Why does this insolent mortal handle me so? Do I have permission to ground her into dust where she stands, my master?'