- Master?

- Yes, little one?

- What are thinking about?

- Nothing in particular. Sorry, I was lost in my own dark thoughts. Let’s go.

I helped her get down. We left the alley on the other side.

Honestly now we were both uncomfortably dirty and smelly. I had not taken a bath in a month. Nevertheless the Heavens were pretty sterile. She on the other hand was the very picture of abject poverty drawn in not paint, but smell. I would never tell her, but her status even displayed “Dirty” and “Smelly” as status conditions. It is sometimes better not to know some things.

I was getting odd stares while walking down the road supporting her. I was not sure whether it was due to my slave being maimed or me helping her walk.

Having chanced upon a street stand that sold some meat soup I ordered two bowls for a couple of bronzes. A soup should be good for a starving person, right? I gave one to Elfin, who started wolfing it down while still leaning onto me. It might have been pleasurable if she was more.. clean and healthy.

- Let’s sit first.

The stand owner had several boxes that many eating customers sat on. At first he frowned upon my slave seating there. The moment he met my gaze he said “Go ahead.”. Did I intimidate him? Or did he took pity on my poor Elfin?

I sat and ate, but before I finished mine hers was already long gone.

- You should not eat so fast.

I gave her the remaining half of my bowl. There was something wholesome in watching this little girl devour the soup with a zeal of a fanatic. This was truly a chicken soup for the soul. Though it probably wasn’t chicken exactly. I took her bowl and mine and returned them to the owner who gave me a look.

I noticed in the corner of my vision my little half-elf still sitting on the crate and watching her feet.

- She has problems with walking, you know.

- You are too soft-hearted, stranger – responded the owner and sighed.

I did not comment on that. I think he meant well. I took her and when we had some distance behind us I decided to speak to her about something that still kept bothering me.

- Your slave friends.

- Yes, master?

- Some are still alive. Burned perhaps.

- Yes, master.

- Don’t you think you should make it up to them?

- How could I?

- Their injuries are there and they are still enslaved.

- I cannot heal them nor buy them out.

- You can pay for both things or learn healing magic. Ah right. You have no income and no savings. You can’t really get a side-job being a slave and all. I guess I was being inconsiderate.

I fell deeply In thoughts for a while.

- The only thing I can think of is to give you some part of the money we will earn from adventuring. Haven’t decided how much. I guess it would be depending on how good a job you perform.

- Master, you cannot do that!

- Why?

- Everything I own is master’s, not mine.

- I don’t mind. As long as we are earning and not losing money.

- But..

- No buts. I will never buy out your friends. You can collect the money on your own. Or not. They are your friends and not mine. I am curious to see whether you would od that or not. You could spent it on sweets for all I care. It is totally up to you.

Maybe I was breaking some kind of custom or even a law. Still making a person work their ass off with no payment is what an evil black company would do. I did not intend to offer her much. I expect our adventuring career to be balanced in red for quite a long while. There is no way low-level quests and monsters would be able to pay for good accommodation and food. The necessary purchases of equipment would also take quite a while to pay back.

- I will try, Lynx.

- Do what feels right to you.

Hopefully this would solve her guilt issues.

Now it was finally bath time.

Let’s go buy some bathing equipment. Soap, rags, scrubs.. maybe there will even be a shampoo available! I really hope someone produces soap locally.

- Master?

- Yes, Elfin?

- If I gather 7 kesh I would be able to buy myself out.

- Huh? Is there such a law?

Now I have put myself into a pinch. The logic was correct. How did she stumble onto such conclusion? How on Thrope am I going to solve this issue? I bought her in order to ensure her loyalty in the first place. Groom her into a warrior and say goodbye?

- Probably not.

- That would not be desirable, albeit still in realm of possible. The 7 keshes would not be enough. You would have to pay at least the amount I value you for. 7 keshes was a bargain sale – I paused – Do you wish to leave my service already?

- No, master. I was just saying. Please don’t punish me.

- Silly girl. Making your master worry.

I decided to tease her a little and pinch her cheeks. There was almost no flesh between my fingers. It did not feel right. I let it go.

- You need to fatten up. Okay. Do you know where we can buy some bathing supplies?

- No, master, but I will find out.

Before I could react she left my side and slumped herself to the nearest streetwalker. Her pace wasn’t exactly fast. I did not order her to. She was way too energetic after that soup. I briefly wondered if she would be prone to sugar rush after eating sweets. I put up a search screen and input several things like soap.

Meanwhile my slave was being scolded. I made my way towards them, but that rude commoner had already left.

- No Luck, eh?

- No, master.

- Alright, I had found it myself. Don’t run around with your leg like that.

- Amazing! Master is so fast.

That did not sound right! I am not fast, I take my time. Please take those words back.

- If you find that amazing.. do you know about teleportation magic?

- The mage goes poof and is not there, but somewhere far.

- It is indeed more or less like that. Please hold my hand.

The soap & bathing goodies catering shop was on the other side of Ythall. Like hell I was going to have us crawl over there. Teleport is the best way of commuting, period.

When we connected hands I had us disappear from the empty street.

- EEEEEEKK!

The alley we appeared in was of course empty. The double-teleport took us to Heaven and then immediately back to Thrope. Hopefully the Elfin would at most see a flash of light. I would have to work hard to reduce the time between teleports.

- Is everyone alright.

It seems her scream attracted a guardswoman.

- She probably saw a rat. That silly girl.

- She is yer slave, knave?

I could feel hostility in her voice. Could not really see her expression due to full helmet.

- Yes. Is that a problem?

- Do you have a proof of ownership?

- Yes, I do! – I said reaching into the pocket – but do I need to carry it around with me all the time?

- Argh! Status Check!

She simply went and used it against my slave. Then she did the same to me. I grinned.

- Please don’t bully my master, miss guard! – my little elf defended me.

I was so very proud.

- Everything’s in order. Seems like the slave contractor botched the job as you don’t have the title of Master. Your little miss also has a title of Mortal in Heaven. I would recommend speaking to a priest about it. Have a good day – she spoke with ice-cold voice

- Oh, thank you, I will most certainly have one – I responded with the most lecherous smile I could make.

- Pervert – she muttered and left us alone.

Probably she resumed her patrol of the streets.

- How can she say that. Am I a pervert, Elfin? Do I look like one?

- No, master.

- Maybe I am a pervert, but how could she judge me like that?

Elfin went silent.

- Master, did we teleport?

- Yeah. No big deal.

- Amazing. There was this blast of light and bam. We are here.

- I figured since our destination lies on the other side of the city..

- Master is amazing – she said and hugged me.

After a while of bliss I said:

- Alright, let go and let’s go.

I made sure to fix the titles problems. Just in case I made Throne give me pings were I or Elfin to acquire anything new on our statuses. Thankfully that guardswoman was not bright enough to figure out what the titles meant. Hopefully Elfin would forget this incident. “Mortal in Heaven” was set to be acquired by any mortal visiting Heaven while still alive. Apparently even a single second was enough. I made sure that it would require 5 minutes visit at the very least, and would not count anything in suspended storage in my palace. The change was retroactive.

Next was my missing title. I think Marielle did the right incantation, but the Throne System simply recognized Elfin as one of my subjects. Therefore the title itself was redundant. I gave myself it and the ping I received was “Title “Master of Elfin” merged into title “God of Thrope””. The next one I made with Fake Status at Level 9 and it went through.

Definitely it was a bug I had to fix. Later.

The shop was filled with sundry everyday items. The owner was an old lady, very neatly dressed. Judging that she also sold starch for ironing, that must have been the reason.

Fortunately she had soap in stock!

It was not as the soap back home, but it was soap-like enough.

We bought a few rags as well as some high quality towels and emergency bandages. Scrubbing tools selection was also very wide. WE picked a few different ones as well.

As for tooth cleaning she only had some kind of chewing sap. Unfortunately it made your teeth brown. Shopkeeper lady smiled proudly showing her brown teeth. Despite her advanced age she had no cavities nor missing teeth so it must really work. I bought some, but wasn’t sure whether we were going to use it or not.

Apparently not everyone did that. I put it down in my journal to research if the brown dye could be removed or the active component of the sap could be extracted. I wonder if the Throne can teleport stuff on molecular level?

At this point both mine and Elfin hands were full of merchandise. I bought us a basket each. We paid for everything and left the shop.

Last thing was hair care. Here Ythallians (or more broadly Velish) used eggs. I guess the next stop would be an egg store.

I was not keen on carrying it all during shopping. I mumbled “Storage” incantation and put the baskets into it. My slave awed, but then said:

- Master, there is no such thing.

- Such as storage?

- No, the egg store.

Why?

Apparently only villagers sold them and it was not exactly the trade day or hour they might peddle their produce in the city.

- But a shop could run a variety of eggs. Like monster eggs, dragon eggs, fish eggs – later I found Velia had no caviar – Faberge eggs, egg accessories, egg-themed stuff, egg plushies. Yeah.

When I said that she looked at me so coldly I shuddered, but then she stifled a giggle. That laugh felt forced. I could feel my affection points draining and dropping loudly one by one.

I was saved by a grocery shop we passed by. I bought some eggs and several buns to munch on. They were not hot from the oven. Such shop only run on resell of produce, so things were neither fresh nor cheap. I gave a bun to Elfin to get some points back.

- Don’t go running anywhere, just tell where we could get a bath around here?

- I do not know. Maybe I could ask that sundry shopkeeper? – she said as soon as she finished her bun.

I gave her another one, she was already salivating at and we went back.

The owner said there were no public baths. The folk either washed at home in a barrel or basin. Alternatively one could use one of the many fountains.

Yuck. I made a mental note to never drink from Ythall’s fountains.

There was also the river, but its banks were either steep or more suited for docking barges than bathing.

Finally, nobles had their own baths.

I thanked her. She tried to sell us a small basin, but I decided to not give up on my dreams.

Bathing was my quest, oh for I, the warrior of cleanliness.

I found us a deserted alley and picked a secluded bank of the river with no one in sight.

“The river” was a 3 meters wide creek combined with open sewage system. I could swear I saw a turd floating by. The smell was even worse than that of Elfin, but less intensive.

- How about we skip on the river?

- Good idea, mashter – she said while pinching her nose.

Hah. Now you feel like I do when around you.

- Where should we go then? I am not keen on washing myself in public. Also I do not want others to ogle you.

- I do not mind master. Nudity of slave is publicly ignored.

- I do mind that. I wonder what would happen if we showed up in noble’s district? I am no noble myself.

- Master is not?

- Is that surprising for you?

I looked through the “available” baths and finally found the one.

Just in case we would use masks. I found a few in Treasury and put them in Storage. I picked a cute fox face for Elfin and an oriental horned demon mask for myself.

We teleported away.