Is it wrong to fleece adventurers at the item shop?

As we get back to my place Elzbieta gets right to work with the mana mill. I in turn get started with the preparations for my new batch of enchanting chalk. Specifically, I start grinding the pieces of ochre rock I collected down into a fine powder, which is just about as strenuous and mind numbingly boring as the job I have outsourced to Elzbieta via the adventurers' guild.

No, it quite possibly is worse than working the mana mill, as I have to make do with pestle and mortar to grind down the rock. It is a good thing that it is a pretty soft rock. By the time I'm close to finishing my arms ache anyway.

Elzbieta has been done for a little while by the time I drape a cloth over the bowl with all the finely ground ochre. She hasn't disturbed me though, waiting patiently for me to finish instead. It seems she isn't in a hurry. Something seems to be on her mind though.

I decide to inquire.

“Is something bothering you? No second thoughts about asking me to be the child's godmother though, I hope.”

She quickly shakes her head and hands me the quest paperwork.

“No, nothing of the sort. Its about the quest. You know you probably could post a quest asking for twice the amount of enchanting dust, right? Twice the reward for twice the work with the same fees. Its not much, but it could save you a little coin anyway.”

I blink in surprise, first once, then twice. Then I groan as I stamp the paperwork.

“And of course Krystina wouldn't tell me.”

Elzbieta shrugs as she accepts her stamped paperwork back.

“Or course not. The guild isn't a charity after all. She has to turn a profit as well, otherwise the higher ups of the guild would probably close the local branch or at least replace her as the local representative.”

I groan in reply. I can't argue with the logic though. Of course everyone else has to make ends meet as well. There is something else bothering me with Elzbieta's suggestion though.

“Well, I could post quests for double the amount of enchanting dust, but are you sure about that? Just making one batch is already pretty tedious. Would you put up with twice the work? Would you work that mill all day?”

She shrugs as she ponders my questions.

“Usually I probably wouldn't. Due to my circumstances though I don't have much of a choice. Or rather, I won't have much of a choice before long. If you want you can still go back to the way you have been running these quests up until now later.”

That sounds reasonable enough. And she doesn't even try to hide that this would benefit her just as much as me. I can live with that.

“Fine by me. I'll bring it up the next time I talk with Krystina.”

She nods and I help her up and see her off. Then I go back to work. My chalks don't make themselves after all. At least I'm already done with the worst part. The rest will be easy by comparison.

I don't get much time to work all by myself though. It isn't long before another visitor shows up at my door and once again it is about business. This time it is Nawoja from the smithy and it isn't hard to guess why she is here. No, the new mill she carries is really hard to miss. I perk up and wave her in.

“Welcome! Is this it? The mill I ordered?”

She nods and puts it down next to the old mill I inherited from grandma.

“It is. I hope it is to your liking.”

I check it over quickly. I take a brief look at the mill stones and at the drawer which will collect the milled goods. I give the handle a few turns as well. I can't find anything wrong. Just as well, not that I did expect anything to be wrong to begin with.

Judging by the look of it, it is pretty much a newer copy of my old mill anyway. To be honest, I wouldn't be surprised if all hand mills around here looked pretty much the same. They probably were all made according to the same plans after all.

“Marvelous! Now I just need to enchant it. Its a good thing that I'm just about to finish a new batch of enchanter's chalks.”

The timing really is quite wonderful. Of course there is another matter to settle before I can enchant the mill. I still have to pay for it. I go and fetch the coins from my strong box and add the purchase into the ledger as well, while I'm there.

“One silver and six bronze crowns, as agreed.”

Nawoja accepts the coins and shakes my hand.

“Its a pleasure to do business with you, as always. If you need anything else, don't hesitate to drop by our place.”

I nod and wave as she leaves. Then I turn towards my new mill. It looks like a newer copy of the old mill, but eventually the difference will fade. Thus I decide to tie one of grandma's old ribbons around the handle to make sure I never mix them up.

It won't be a problem right away, but I don't want to mix them up later once I have started grinding coffee with the new mill. I really don't want any in my regular enchanting dust after all.

Satisfied with my handiwork I check on the cooling chalks. They should be ready before long. Until then I still have a little time to kill though.

I know the enchantment for a new mill by heart. I probably could do it in my sleep. I don't want to take any risks anyway. Thus I do some calculations and put the mill on the enchanting table to make sure it will fit in the circle I have calculated. I draft some lines with coal as well to help me later on. Preparation is key after all!

In the end I still have to wait a little while for the chalks to properly settle before I can get started. I check the chalk I pick up with my appraisal skill as well, for good measure, just to make sure.

[Enchanter's chalk, Quality: Uncommon, A solid piece of basic, slightly off white Enchanter's Chalk used in enchanting. Smells like beeswax as it is the main ingredient.]

The skill reveals nothing unexpected. It mentions that it isn't the usual white chalk, but that's it. I let out my breath in a long sigh of relief, then I get started on the mill's enchantment.

I'm a little tense as I get started, but that tension quickly fades as I place rune after rune on the prepared circle. This isn't the first mill I've enchanted after all. Not by a long shot. No, the first was back at the academy during my second year. Enchanting your first mana mill is the final exam for the second year after all. And it wasn't my last either. I have enchanted several more since then. There is, surprisingly, always a demand for more mana mills.

As a result is no big surprise that there is no divine whisper, as I finish this one and the runes are drawn into the mill as the enchantment takes hold. Still, it feels good to have created a mill of my own for my own workshop.

I pick it up and move it over to the workbench before I activate the appraisal skill once more.

[Mana Mill, Quality: Uncommon, One of the most essential tools in any enchanter's workshop. This hand operated tool draws in ambient mana, crystallizes and grinds it into a fine dust, so it can be used to enchant other objects.]

I let out another relieved sigh. Very good! Still, I decide to give it a quick try. Humming to myself I start to crank the handle at a steady pace. A little while later I stop again and open the drawer. There is only a little of the glittering dust, but that is as expected. I only worked it for a little while after all.

With that I'm done for the day. Well, I'm finally done. It has become pretty late after all and it already is dark outside. I make sure the doors and the windows, except the one by the bed, are closed, then I get changed for the night. In the end I pretty much drop into bed.

A stray thought forces its way to the fore of my mind as I lie there, before I can fall asleep. Last night the bed felt more comfortable, with someone else sleeping besides me.