Verdan rose early the next day for some more meditation, managing to make it to a total of eighteen layers for his gathering spiral before he needed to head down to meet the others. Eighteen was the last of the ‘novice’ layers. Each one from this point would be harder to do for an apprentice wizard as they now needed to compress the overall spiral. Given that Verdan had been compressing his spiral from the moment he started rebuilding it, he wasn’t so worried about that.

They all gathered downstairs over the course of the next hour, Bob providing a thick porridge with a generous dollop of honey. Verdan noticed that there was a growing number of patrons now. It seemed that the better fare was drawing in business for Bob.

Once they’d eaten, Verdan led the way back to Tobias’s home. The chill mountain wind was biting and cold, but that seemed to be usual for Hobson’s Point. Still, Verdan was relieved when they arrived at Tobias’s estate. He was looking forward to getting out of the cold.

Of course, Verdan could create a warmth effect to banish the cold, but it seemed wasteful. If he had a larger, more robust spiral, then he would have done it. The problem was that he had the skill of a fully trained wizard, but his current Aether regeneration was that of a high-end apprentice.

‘Ah good, exactly on time,’ Tobias called out, opening the door as they approached. Brent stood behind him with a pleased expression, or at least, what passed as pleased for Brent.

Tobias was wearing a heavy jacket that seemed to swallow his gaunt figure, the outfit complete with a wide-brimmed hat and thick leather gloves. Brent was in a far less bulky outfit, but the slight jingle as he walked and the sword at his hip told Verdan that he was no less prepared.

‘So, we’re going to see somewhere?’ Verdan asked with a leading tone, quirking one eyebrow at the pale man.

‘Yes, somewhere that I think will be perfect for you, if you are willing to take on the slight burden that comes with it, of course,’ Tobias said, his eyes glinting mischievously as he stepped past Verdan to greet the others. Clearly, he wanted it to be a surprise of some sort, an easy enough thing to play along with for now. After all, it cost Verdan nothing but bought him goodwill with Tobias and gave some insight into how he thought.

Sighing softly to himself, Verdan followed along as Tobias led them to the northern part of the city. Much like the southern entrance they came in through, this part of the city was run down and lacking in care and attention. That being said, it seemed more aimed toward production and industry than the areas they’d seen so far.

Few people lingered around, and fewer still looked in good health, but there was an odd area of activity here and there. Ore was still being brought into the city and worked into ingots, then sent on in their raw form or processed further into the day to day goods that people needed.

One particular area caught Verdan’s eye as they passed by. It was a series of large buildings which each seemed to contain several furnaces. The buildings were arrayed around a large storage area for logs, which was empty of the necessary fuel.

To Verdan’s eye, they looked like variants of the glasshouses he remembered from the great industrial sites of the imperium. Efficiency usually demanded they be built within deep forests, their hunger for wood insatiable when providing glass to an entire continent.

Now, the glasshouses were cold and quiet, their lumber stores empty and long disuse, just another sad sight in a city full of fading memories.

‘Ah, here we are, though please do forgive the state of the area. It’s unavoidable with the current problems.’ Tobias led them to a complex that was a bit larger than his own. A path from the entrance led to a large and sturdy building surrounded by various smaller buildings of multiple designs.

The largest central building had an appearance of a workshop of sorts, with the surrounding buildings looking like storage for the most part. The exception was a large house that was situated to one side, its walls almost touching that of the workshop.

‘What is this place?’ Verdan muttered aloud, confused by how out of place the area was with the surrounding industry.

‘This was the heart of a great manufacturing chain within the city. A family of skilled alchemists lived here once, their products bringing trade to the city and helping it grow. The youngest child was killed by a monster when harvesting materials, and the parents wasted away from grief. The last surviving member lives here still, but she suffered a nasty injury in an alchemical accident and can’t work anymore. She sold me the estate on the understanding that it would only be resold to another alchemist and that she would get to reject anyone she thought was unsuitable.’

‘So, she lives here still?’ Verdan asked, tapping his chin in thought as he processed the sad story of the previous owners. It certainly sounded like this place would be perfect, but that only made him more conscious of potential hidden issues.

‘Yes, not in the main house, though. She’s converted a small storage shed into a home of sorts, enough for one person, barely. She’s living on the savings her family had and the money from the sale of the estate currently. Part of the conditions for sale to you would be to stipulate that she stays if she wishes and her basic needs are provided for.’

‘I can do that, but what would all this cost me?’ Verdan liked this place the more he looked at it, but the cost was definitely a concern when he had no current income.

‘Three gold, which is a steal for a place like this, I’d normally say around ten gold at least. I’m only offering it so cheap because of the extra parts to the deal and our partnership. What do you think?’ Tobias gestured expansively to the whole compound as he spoke, smiling at Verdan as he did. He was clearly confident in his pitch, and there was no reason he shouldn’t be. It was definitely a good one.

‘So far, so good. Let’s meet the current resident before we go any further. Her word is final after all,’ Verdan kept his expression as neutral as he could, but a flicker of victory on Tobias’s face told him he’d probably failed there.

‘Of course, I sent her word that we were coming, so she will no doubt be waiting in the main house,’ Tobias set off at a fast walk, Brent shadowing him a few feet back and keeping an eye on the area as they went.

The house was a fairly large size and featured windows with an ever so slight blue tint to them, an interesting quirk for an otherwise ordinary house. Tobias noticed his expression and gestured back the way they’d come, ‘the local glass production uses a specific recipe that produces this lovely blue glass. A lot of local buildings use it as a mark of pride, but the family that lived here were among the first to settle Hobson’s Point and were proud of their heritage. The blue windows are just a display of that.’

‘I see,’ Verdan said absently. The more he saw of this city, the more he saw of how prosperous it had once been and the more he wondered how the rest of the continent fared. Things hadn’t been perfect in the imperium, not by any stretch, but at least life had been stable for the common people. The war had mainly been fought outside the cities, where damage was manageable, and there was less chance of a reckless attack causing a high death toll.

He knew he couldn’t turn around a whole continent, but he could at least do something with this city. Bringing this workshop back up to speed would have a knock-on effect in the local area. After all, alchemy was always hungry for glass vials, bottles, and containers. He had everything he needed for a supply chain to support his work.

‘Here we are,’ Tobias said cheerfully as they arrived at the door to the house, Brent opening it and leading the way inside. ‘Please, go on in.’

Verdan followed in after Tobias’s bodyguard, taking note of the dust that had gathered on a lot of the house’s interior. Given what Tobias had told them, it wasn’t surprising, but it was good to see some supporting evidence for what he’d been told. The first room on the interior was a foyer with stairs leading up and several doors that led further inside.

‘Brent, good to see you again. How’s the wife?’ A woman called out as Brent went through the door at the other end of the foyer. Her voice was low and husky but with a strained tone as though she had to struggle to speak.

‘She’s well, thank you, Miss. She asked after you recently. She wanted to make sure you were looking after yourself.’ Brent stayed in the doorway but smiled at the unseen woman as he waited for the rest of them.

‘Be sure to thank her on my behalf,’ the woman said as Verdan walked past Brent and into what looked like a reception room of sorts. Several large sofas and armchairs were situated around the room, one of which held the woman speaking to Brent. Strangely, she was wearing a thick black lace veil that obscured her face almost completely. Dark blue elbow-length gloves and a long black dress completed the outfit. The dress was clearly of quality make, its scooped neckline showing off her impressive curves while remaining modest enough for daily wear.

As far as Verdan could see, she was an elegant and beautiful woman, which made him wonder why she was wearing the veil and what injury she had suffered that stopped her from working. He hadn’t seen any other veil-wearing women around the city, so he doubted it was a cultural thing.

‘Good morning,’ she inclined her head in his direction and gestured toward one of the nearby three-seat sofas.

‘Good morning, my name is Verdan. It’s a pleasure to meet you,’ he said as he took the seat she’d gestured to, the rest of the group filtering in and taking seats themselves.

‘A pleasure, I’m Natalia, previous owner and last member of the Crea family.’

‘Well, as you may imagine, my dear, this is the man I wish to sell the estate to. Alchemist, man of mystery and, hopefully, a good business partner,’ Tobias said, his eyes glittering with humour as he reclined back in his armchair.

‘Alchemist?’ She repeated the word in an almost loving way, her longing for the profession evident.

‘A dabbler, but I aim to learn and discover. I’m from somewhere very different, and I intend to study the differences with interest,’ Verdan flashed her a smile, but the veil concealed whatever reaction she might have had.

‘To make yourself a fortune and retire at an early age?’ Natalia’s voice was neutral, any small nuances somewhat obscured by what he assumed was damage to her throat. Her voice had become steadily huskier as she spoke, and she coughed heavily after she finished, almost hunching over in her chair from the force of the cough.

‘Money will be made, but it’s secondary to the research itself. Knowledge is power after all,’ Verdain said, noting how Tobias softly sighed to himself as he dismissed the money-making aspect of it all.

While what Verdan said was true, he was too practical to dismiss his finances altogether. He would focus on production at first and then slowly transition over to pure research in time.

‘What do you think, Natalia?’ Tobias prompted after a few moments of silence.

‘Well, he says all the right things, so if you’re willing to trust him, then I will too.’ She rose to her feet and looked over at Verdan, ‘please don’t disappoint me.’ Turning away, she started towards the exit without further words.

‘I won’t,’ Verdan said as he rose to his feet as well, Natalia pausing for a second before leaving through the door they’d only recently come through.

‘Well, in all honesty, that went better than expected,’ Tobias said once they heard the front door of the house close. Brent nodded in agreement, despite a pained expression on his face, which he quickly banished when he saw Verdan looking his way.

‘So, what now?’ Verdan asked, seating himself once more as he realised that the merchant wasn’t getting up.

‘Well, I’ll have the place cleaned up tomorrow for you, so if you like, you can move in anytime after that, providing you agree to our deal, of course. I’ve sent a fast caravan to Dresk already. You should have all the fundamental requirements of alchemy before too long. So the real question is, do we have a deal?’

Verdan thought about it for a moment, it was a big investment of his remaining capital, but the potential benefits were high. It was secluded, to an extent, designed for alchemy and built with plenty of room for expansion. It was as good a place to use as a base of operations as he was going to find around here. ‘We have a deal. We have two more nights at the Plucky Wanderer. We’ll move in here after that. Here’s your fee.’ Verdan pulled out the gold and passed it to Tobias, sighing as he saw how empty his purse was now. Less than two and a half gold was in his possession now, a vast sum in itself, but one that wouldn’t last long with the expenses of five people and his new property.

‘Excellent, I’ll arrange for my people to spruce the place up ready for your arrival. Stop by the morning you want to take possession, and Brent will sort out your keys for you.’

‘Thank you, please let me know once the equipment has arrived as well,’ Verdan shook the gaunt man’s hand and gave Brent a nod before heading back out.