It remained only forty ingots at the end of the sixth day, but fortunately, they completed everything before noon the next day, which was exactly when Elian was expected to arrive to collect his goods and pay the remaining balance of twelve thousand five hundred copper coins. The forge felt different that morning. The pressure that had been building for days had finally eased, replaced by a quiet sense of accomplishment that no one openly spoke about, but everyone felt.
Today was also the girls' last day.
Dory gathered them together near the workbench and handed each of them twenty copper coins, just as he had promised. Along with the payment, he packed a small portion of snacks for each of them, wrapping them neatly. To Dory, this wasn't truly the end of their deal, not yet. There were still things to settle, still plans forming in his mind, but for now, this marked a pause. A point where they could finally breathe.
