The conversation had gone on for hours and before they all realized it was evening again.

“Wow.” Said Slime plainly.

“Wow what?” Alex asked.

“We’ve been sitting here all day and not a single customer came here.”

Derelict let out another laugh.

“Well, even though my shop is open a majority of the day. Most people don’t have trinkets in need of fixing and even less seem to be wandering around looking for old ones.”

“But there is so much cool stuff here! Who wouldn’t want it?” Alex said in surprise.

“Hah, well, all the young people these days want to get their accessories from that one and done crafter who showed up in town a couple months back.” Derelict responded.

“Since when is crafting one and done? Doesn’t it take days to make anything decent?” Slime questioned.

“Ahh versed in the world of crafting are we Slime?” Derelict perked up as he asked.

“Not really. For a short time, I did stay with a blacksmith human and everything he made took weeks. People paid top coin for his stuff though. But he’d always prattle on about keeping up the old ways and making sure this or that was done. I didn’t commit it to memory since slimes don’t really have any need for blacksmithing knowledge.” He said as the far-off memory started to return.

“Ahh, well you are not wrong. Crafting anything takes times. But somehow this young feller figured out how to make many of the same things I carry in less than a day and he charges much less than I do.”

“Well that’s supply and demand I suppose. Times are a changing.” Slime replied.

“Hmmm…you could be right. But…” Derelict paused, and he looked out the window past the boys. He stayed mute a time before coming back to the conversation. “…ah never mind. I’m probably just over thinking things.” He ended.

“Well we better get some sleep. We need to go into town tomorrow and find some information.” Said Slime.

“Oh? What kind of information?”

“We need to find some information on the Great Library and how to get there!” Alex jumped in. He was anxiously awaiting the time he’d finally get to rejoin the conversation instead of just listening in.

Slime looked in his direction not very impressed but let his face return to normal after remembering.

Sigh…that’s my best friend, I guess.

“The great library you say.” Derelict repeated as he started thinking to himself.

He began to walk away from the pair as he moved over to the bookshelf. He eyed the shelves and squinted as he looked through his collection.

“Ah! There you are.” He said as his hand popped into the air with delight. He walked up to the old bookcase and removed what he had found and then returned back to the table. With a heavy breath he blew his breath against the cover. Sending dust into the air he proceeded to wipe his sleeve across the cover to reveal a mustard yellow book. With metallic gold writing across the binding it read “The Autumn Wood”. Derelict passed the book the Alex who accepted it and opened it immediately.

Slime hopped over to Alex’s place and peered inside with the boy.

“What’s this?” Slime asked as the two looked through the pictures in the book.

Derelict leaned back into his chair, his cane standing up to his neck now that he was sitting.

“This, my young friends, is a tome specifically on the Autumn Wood.” He stated.

“The Autumn Wood?” Alex repeated to Derelict looking up from the pages.

Slime also looked up with a dull expression. “Not to be rude Derelict, but we’re looking for a Library, not a forest.”

With a large grin he met eyes with Slime. “The Great Library sleeps within the heart of the Autumn Wood. This book contains knowledge on all its secrets. Rivers, harvesting locations, history, flora and fauna, and even a detailed map on how to reach the library itself.” He gave Slime a smirk. One akin to a grandparent correcting their impatient grandchild.

“Wowwie, are you serious!?” Alex shouted.

Derelict gave Alex a nod and a warm smile.

“This is exactly what we needed! Thank you, Derelict!” Alex said as he gave a bow from his chair to the courteous old man.

“Not a problem of course.” He replied. “I hope you find your father.”

“Thank you. It’s not like him to be gone this long.” Alex stated.

“He could be home by, now couldn’t he?” Slime asked.

Alex looked at his friend and nodded.

“He could be. When I left, he had been gone for about a week and it’s been days since then. I supposed he could’ve come home, found me missing, and then went to look for me. But…” Alex paused and looked up at the ceiling.

“I just get the feeling that isn’t the case.”

“Why not?” Slime asked.

He just kept looking up at the wood ceiling above him.

“I don’t know, but something tells me, he never went home.” His head came back down, and he gave a smile to Slime. “So, he must still be at the library.”

The room was silent for a seconds before Slime eventually lead the conversation on.

“We need to go into town tomorrow to gather some supplies.”

“Ah have coin on hand, do you?” Derelict asked.

The two remained silent for a moment when Alex finally asked.

“What’s coin?”

“Ah right. Coin is what the world uses to purchase items or good or services from one another.” Derelict reached into the pocket of his robe and produced a small bag. He opened it and placed many different coins on the table.

A small copper coin with a image of a slime on it, a silver coin with a bird on it, a gold coin with a man, a metallic bright silver coin, which was called platinum, with a man with a huge beard on it, and finally a greenish blue coin that simply had a star on it.

“Most of these coins are fairly self-explanatory.” Derelict started.

“The least valued to most valued for these coins is copper, silver, gold, platinum, and orichalcum. With roughly 50 of each coin equaling the one below it.”

Alex thought for a moment.

“So, 1 orichalcum coin is worth about 50 platinum coins?”

“That’s right and it just keeps going down the line like that.” Derelict stated.

“YOU HAVE LIKE 6,000,000 COPPER PIECES WITH 1 ORICHALCUM PIECE!?” Slime blurted out as he had just roughly finished the conversion.

Derelict thought to himself for a moment and then smiled. “Yes, I suppose that’s roughly about right. Though technically it’d be 6,250,000 copper pieces.”

“Don’t most people deal in copper through gold though?” Slime asked again.

“Correct again my Slime friend. You sure are well educated in humans and their day to day.”

Slime nodded. “Well I want to live among people someday. Best way to know how to do that is to study humans.”

Derelict’s expression changed from joyful to worrisome.

“Now that you mention that, I need to give you two a quick warning. Though for you Slime, I’m guessing it’ll be more of a reminder.”

Derelict leaned in close to the two before speaking.

“Slime, as you know, many people are still extremely leery of monster-kin walking around and living side by side with humans.”

“I know.” Slime responded.

Alex was puzzled looking back and forth at the pair.

“Uh, why?” Alex asked.

Slime and Derelict shared a look before looking back to Alex.

“Alex, you don’t much about this world, which is fine, however…” Derelict was suddenly interrupted by Slime.

“Not everyone is going to have the naïve brain of yours kid. In case you forgot the brief history lesson Derelict just gave us, humans have been plagued, attacked, and killed by monsters for centuries.”

Derelict gave a nod and continued. “Many people here are refugees from villages that were taken over or destroyed by monsters.”

“So, naturally people are scared and leery of monsters.” Slime finished.

Alex sat up looking frustrated.

“But you’re not like that. You’d never hurt or kill people.” He said harshly.

“Aye. You’re right but…” Slime started before Derelict started.

“You can’t expect people to just know Slime is a nice person. They’ve been ransacked, hunted, and some of their family killed by all sorts of different monsters.” Derelict insisted.

“I’m sure plenty of them have been attacked by slimes.”

“Batties.”

“Kayknighnts.”

“Imps.”

“Goblins.”

“Dragons.”

“Swordcerers.”

“Plantiums.”

The two went back and forth listing off different monster species before Alex finally had enough.

“Okay I get it.” He blurted out. “But still, it doesn’t really seem fair that Slime gets treated poorly just because SOME monsters are bad. He isn’t bad and he’d never do that.”

Slime let out a sigh. He appreciated what Alex was saying, but he understood, better than anyone, what it was like to be a monster trying to be a part of a human society.

“Look kid, you’re right. It sucks, I’d never do those things. But none of these people know me, they don’t know that about me. For all they know I could be pretending to be good, only to attack them in their sleep.” As Slime finished that sentence his expression grew sad and he looked down at the table.

“Slime?” Alex asked.

He looked back up at Alex. “A story for another time I think.”

Derelict was feeling some guilt. He was glad Slime knew what he was talking about. But listening to Alex, he was reminded that he himself had a long way to go in regards to treating Monster-kin as equals and not with such prejudice in his heart.

“There are a lot of good people in this town, though they be a little hesitant, who will still do business with and engage in conversation of a monster-kin. But be warned, not all or many are going to use the appropriate language that Slime deserves. And unfortunately, you’re going to just have to deal with that.” Derelict said gravely. He didn’t like stating that, but this was how the world was for monster-kin who wanted to be a part of human society.

“It’s okay.” Slime said. “I understand why humans would be leery of a monster being in their town. I won’t be discouraged. I’ll be the type of monster that they warm up to and eventually will call good. Maybe someday even friend.”

Derelict gave another warm smile.

“I am happy to hear you say that. Let me be the first to welcome to our fair city my new friends.”

Slime couldn’t control his himself and he let out a giant grin as he looked up at the old man.

A best friend and a new friend. Who would’ve thought? Slime thought to himself. The idea warming the little Slime’s heart.