Is it wrong to fleece adventurers at the item shop?

Of course Maryla is correct. It is best to put this contract in writing. If it works out as she seems to hope it will provide us security. If not, it is a rather negligible expense that won't hurt either of us. Thus I don't disagree when she calls elder Jaromir over.

The old man listens to us as we repeat what we have come up with so far, stroking his beard in the process. Finally he nods.

“I'll put it into writing. I should have it ready sometime tomorrow. I wish I could get it done sooner, but a good contract deserves to be well written and it should look that way as well. I hope you don't mind.”

He turns to face me before he continues.

“The fee for a written business contract like this is four copper Crowns, to be paid in equal parts by both parties. Is that alright with you?”

Maryla and her husband nod and so do I, which earns us a beaming smile from the elder.

“Very well! Marvelous even! I'll let you know when I'm done so you can all put your seals under the contract.”

Finally we all shake hands and the elder gets himself another bowl of sweet porridge.

As the inn keepers get back to their work, I in turn leave to head back home. I'm quite glad that this deal is pretty much wrapped up. I'm pretty sure the contract the elder will write up will be satisfactory to both them and me after all. It feels, in a way, as if a great burden is lifted off my shoulders

.

Sour Cream is still curled up on my bed as I return. I decide not to bother her. Instead I open up the shop. That isn't all though. To celebrate the day I make myself a nice cup of coffee as well. I still have plenty of coffee beans after all. Fresh, hot, black and strong with a little sugar. What a way to start the day!

I won't say that all is well, but it sure is shaping up to be a good day! There is no doubt about that. Not in my eyes at least.

I note the coin I spent on the new quest into the ledger, while I'm not busy. Then, while enjoying my brew in small sips, I let my mind wander a little, as I wait for any customers that might drop by.

Should I brew some more potions today? Well, maybe. It depends on how much I sell this morning. I don't want anything to go bad on the shelves after all. If I don't have to brew new healing, mana or stamina potions I might experiment a little. I'm still intrigued by that glowing paint the feral pixies apparently extracted from the night candles. Or I could work on the enchantment for the cloth diapers. That should neither be too hard nor take too long after all. Maybe I can even do both?

In the end the decision is made for me when Agnieszka arrives. She stops in the door, knocking on the frame to catch my attention. Of course. She mentioned that she would drop by after all and she has the promised package with her. Apparently she doesn't intend to stay though, as she doesn't come in.

I quickly grab the coin I readied and head around the counter to meet her at the front door.

“Are you in a hurry?”

She smiles apologetically and nods.

“A little. Sorry about that. Anyway, here are the cloth diapers. Nothing fancy, but then, diapers usually don't need to be.”

Well, I can only hope that she is busy in a good way. Plenty of business can mean plenty of coin to spend as well after all.

I decide not to keep her for too long. Thus I end up counting the coin for the agreed upon price into her open hand right away. I can't help but chuckle at her last comment though.

“They don't need to be fancy, but I intend to add a fancy little enchantment to them anyway. I just hope it works out.”

She chuckles as she hands me the three neatly folded cloth diapers in turn.

“That sounds like something your grandmother would have done. Let me know how it works out! Now I have to head down to the inn though. Krystina mentioned that her parents want to talk business.”

Oh! It seems the two are quite serious about making the coffee deal work! I nod and see her off with a wave after shaking hands to finalize our own business.

“Best of luck with that!”

Then I head back inside. I take the diapers to the back, where I deposit them in the trunk by the bed for now. I still need to customize the enchantment after all. At least I now know what I'll be working on first though.

A little later Danuta and her father drop by the shop. Both are already all geared up for their next trip into the Twilight Forest. The only thing they still need are some potions, just in case.

They don't head into the forest looking for a fight, but one can never tell which monsters might cross one's path by chance after all. Thus it is better to be safe rather than sorry. They get a few healing potions as well as the last of the more powerful mana potions.

Hoping that they won't actually need them I see them off with a cheerful wave and a smile, before noting the sale into the ledger. Just as I drop the coins into the strongbox the next familiar adventurer shows up.

It is, as I pretty much expected, Elzbieta. By now she is actually properly awake and of course she is waving the quest papers for the mana milling quest I posted just earlier today.

“Can I do the milling indoors again? I think we might be having some more rain soon.”

“Oh?”

I look out the window. It is, of course, still overcast, but I wouldn't be able to say if rain is imminent or not. In the end I just shrug.

“Sure. Make yourself comfortable. I don't have a fire going today though.”

She flashes me a beaming smile in return.

“That's quite alright. I just want to make sure the rain doesn't catch me by surprise.”

Before she even finished talking, she drops herself on the chair she used yesterday and lets out a long, big sigh.

I in turn grab the mill and hand it to her, once she makes herself properly comfortable, or at least as comfortable as she can get.

As she starts working the mill she starts humming a familiar melody as well.

I frown a little.

“Oh, not actually singing today?”

She winces and shakes her head without pausing though.

“My throat is a little sore today. Might have caught a bit of a cold yesterday.”

Well, that doesn't sound good. I really shouldn't be surprised though, considering how the rain came down yesterday. The words of Bogomil from earlier this morning come to mind at this moment.

“I'll make us some tea.”

The adventurer smiles apologetically.

“I'm sorry to be such a bother …”

Before she can go on I shake my head and roll my eyes.

“Don't be. Besides, making some tea is hardly a bother at all anyway. I mean, what kind of alchemist would I be, if I couldn't whip up a soothing cup of herbal tea for a sore throat.”

Without any further delay I get some wood and start a fire with my enchanted staff. I put one of the smaller cauldrons over it and get some water from the creek. Although it is one of the smaller cauldrons I expect that it will be enough for more than one cup of tea for both of us for sure. Just as well, as far as I'm concerned.

The next step takes a little more effort and concentration. I can't just grab any herbs after all. Especially as I don't want to stop at making just a cup of plain herbal tea. I'm a proper alchemist after all, thus I might as well make some proper cure disease potion while I'm at it.

I don't have any of the more exotic ingredients, like vampire dust, with the right properties though. I have to make do with some more down to earth things, but that shouldn't be a problem.

I take a deep breath as I look over the things I have in stock and come to a daring decision. I'll make a potion that combines two effects. Something that both cures minor diseases and recovers some stamina. Exhaustion is a common side effect of many diseases, both serious and minor, after all.

The first ingredient I grab is dried King's Candle, a flower that looks quite similar to Night Candle, except for the color. King's Candle blossoms are nice, deep red. I grind them up in a mortar.

Then I have to get a little creative. I need another ingredient with matching properties. An onion will do just fine! As I slice and dice it, Elzbieta's eyes widen.

“You are making a tea, right? Right?”

I giggle.

“What is a tea but a simple potion! Don't worry though, I think you'll like this one!”

She starts sweating a little, but doesn't offer any protest.

The crushed flower and the sliced and diced onions go into the hot water. I have to admit the aroma reminds me more of soup than tea, but never mind that!

I let these ingredients simmer a little. In the meantime I crush some sugar. Well, alright, I crush quite a bit of sugar. Some alchemists argue that medicine shouldn't taste sweet or good for that matter. I don't really agree with that nonsense though. Especially when the sugar is one of the essential ingredients!

The sugar isn't the only thing I crush though. A little cinnamon receives the same treatment.

In the end both the sugar and the cinnamon get added to the broth under constant stirring. I let the mixture simmer a little longer before I take it off the fire.

I pour some of it into a cup, quite satisfied with smell, color and consistency. I check with my appraisal skill just in case anyway.

[Lesser Recovery Potion, Quality: Uncommon, A healing potion that will cure minor diseases, like colds. The potion will restore the user's stamina as well, making for a speedy recovery. Still good to use for another 28 days.]

Yes! As intended. I hand the cup to Elzbieta, before I start filling the rest of the broth into potion bottles.

“There you go. If your throat doesn't get better after that you better visit the temple and ask for a miracle.”