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Chapter 7 - Chapter VII: Business?

Elaíne was the girl with the fancy pajamas. She was about to hit me again, but a notification appeared in front of her:

[You have dealt damage to a dreamer: -10 HP]

The anger in her eyes eased. Nekos, finally useful for once during our journey, came to help me up.

I went to change; my nuts still hurt, though not as much as before. I asked the group what they were all doing together and why they were here.

—"We all came together because we formed a coven. Do you travel alone?"

I found it strange that they traveled in a group, especially being so strong — except for the girl with the blindfold, who didn't look very powerful.

But what they found even stranger was that I was traveling alone.

—"I travel with the cat," I replied, pointing to Nekos.

He was purring between the legs of the blindfolded girl while she scratched his ears.

I frowned, shook my head trying to forget what I had just seen (such an opportunist), then turned back to the others.

—"How did you find us?" I asked, trying to change the subject.

—"We saw smoke and came to check it out. Didn't expect to find you here. Lucky, huh?" said Skoivan with a smile. (He's the one who gave me the towel.)

Lucky? I just fell into a mud pit and a girl kicked me in the nuts. You call that lucky?

—"By the way, do you have a stove or something?" asked Elaíne, still with a serious face.

The question caught me off guard.

—"Oh, yeah, sure."

—"And what were you cooking?" she asked again, this time with a calmer tone.

—"I was making health potions. But I think it has other uses too." I made a circular motion with my hand, trying to downplay it.

But they all seemed surprised. Skoivan stood up, grabbed me by the shoulders, and shook me excitedly. I could see joy? in his face, his eyes shining like stars.

—"Tell me, Rashed, can you read crafting recipes?" His voice was full of excitement.

I felt a little dizzy. Then I answered:

—"Yeah, thanks to my class. Why do you ask?"

Skoivan didn't carry a normal backpack like the rest — he had a huge hiking pack. For a second I thought he was carrying a bed in there.

He pulled a string and a few seconds later, the backpack transformed into a small tent.

I approached Elaíne to ask:

—"What class does he have?" I pointed at Skoivan, who was still rummaging through his little tent.

Elaíne didn't even look at me and answered with the coldest, sharpest tone possible:

—"Ask him yourself."

I stared at her for a moment. Still with her back turned. What did I do to deserve that treatment?

I walked over to Skoivan, who seemed to have found what he was looking for. He looked at me again with that same enthusiastic gaze. He handed me two pages, the same color as the grimoire.

—"Can you read these recipes?" he asked, handing them over. I gave them a quick look and a system notification popped up:

[You have obtained Crafting Recipe: Wound Ointment x1]

[You have obtained Crafting Recipe: Explosive Potion x1]

They were good recipes. He must have gotten them in his first adventure. I thought everyone could interpret them.

—"I can read them, but I don't have the ingredients to craft them." I tried to give the pages back, but he stopped me with a hand gesture.

—"Don't worry, I have the ingredients."

He leaned in and whispered:

—"My class is Arcane Trickster, but I try to act like a merchant, you get me? If you can craft those items, I'll pay you for your services. How does that sound?"

To be honest, I liked the idea. That way, I wouldn't have to worry so much about money. I looked back — Elaíne was with Nekos and the blindfolded girl. The armored guy was still scouting the area. I turned back to Skoivan.

—"Alright. But on one condition." I pointed at his chest.

—"Oh! I like that. Tell me, what's your condition?" He stroked his beard.

—"I want a share of the production," I said in such a serious tone it even surprised me.

—"Mmm…" He looked up at the sky, still stroking his beard. Then he looked back at me with a big smile. —"Deal." He gave me a firm handshake.

[Would you like to use your skill: Recipe Reader?]

A system notification. I nodded. Just like before, strange images flashed through my mind at incredible speed.

[You have learned the Crafting Recipe: Explosive Potion]

[Ingredients]

Volcanic Coal

Spark Shard

Oil (any type)

[Use]

Throw it at one or more enemies to trigger a small explosion within a 4-meter radius. Causes Burn status.

I showed the ingredients to Skoivan, and he quickly returned to his tent, coming back with a large amount of materials.

I wondered how he had gathered so much, but considering his class and apparent age… that answered my doubts.

I took out my mortar and grinder. Since this potion wasn't meant for healing or buffs, I wouldn't need the purifiers.

I put everything into the mortar (don't ask how it all fit — probably another system mystery).

—"I need flasks."

Skoivan was quick and returned a while later with about 50 flasks.

The mixture was ready, so I poured it into the flasks. Happy with the result, we moved on to the next recipe.

It took us about two hours. (By the way, time doesn't follow any normal flow in this world.)

After finishing, we packed everything up. In the end, I got two new recipes and a great reward:

[You have obtained: Explosive Potion x15]

[You have obtained: Wound Ointment x10]

[You have obtained: 200 Neiros]

After a while, Jack — the guy in armor — returned.

—"Miss Elaíne, there are some ruins ahead. We can reach them using the treetops without going down."

Elaíne stood up and helped Selene — the blindfolded girl — to her feet.

—"Selene, Jack, Skoivan. We're leaving," she said with firm determination. She seemed to be the leader of the coven.

She looked at Nekos, then at me.

—"You two are coming with us."

I still don't understand why someone thinks they have power over others. But I agreed — not because she ordered me to, but because I didn't want another hit to the nuts.

Skoivan packed up his little tent and placed Selene on top of his giant backpack.

Jack started leading us toward adventure.

Elaíne remained just as firm and cold. (What is her problem?)

And then there was me and my cat. Not very important, but still here.

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