The Mezzechever class turned out to be a contract completing machine. Once AIDAN confirmed that Copperglade market's vendors would remain stable for the next hour, he hurried Shelby over to the job board and selected three hunting quests. Shelby's Pinwheel spell was brutally efficient for small, weak monsters like the fruit rats that lived around the area, because it could strike them down in one shot. On top of that, since it could be charged and stored, Shelby could prepare to quickly tag two enemies while she rode around on Madeline's back.

  Pure hunting quests could be knocked out in under five minutes, depending on the target, and AIDAN was incredible at picking quests that could easily be completed in groups of threes. He also put some forethought into quests that utilized Shelby's culinary skills while playing as Mille. If they found the right spirit fruits, resin jellies, wisp flowers, or even hopper meat, then AIDAN would quickly select a new mission to cook something with their spoils.

  The culinary quests were usually something that could be done without leaving town, and Shelby enjoyed the process of timing the various recipe steps just right to get them shipped out as quickly as possible. Even better, unlike hunting, the rewards they got could be increased if the meal was good quality. Luckily, Shelby levelled up after powering through 8 contracts in their questing frenzy and the Basic Skills for the Gourmet and Mezzechever classes she unlocked were extremely useful.

  "That first one seems like it would be really good if you had friends to work with," Shelby commented as she read, "and if I'm reading it right, it would give me 1% even if I was alone."

  "That is correct," AIDAN said, "and these effect will grow even in the presence of non-player craftspersons."

  "Oh, so if I found a crafting hall or something I could use it to its highest potential. Good to know... Doesn't that also mean that I could find a non-player to use the second one with? I noticed that both of these skills don't say 'gourmets', just 'craftsmen', so could I get a benefit even from a blacksmith or something?"

  "Yes, very astute," AIDAN said.

  "The second one seems better, but more greedy. I could share the first one with the Hodekin cooks too!" Shelby deliberated in AIDAN's direction.

  Shelby ended up choosing the second option after being reminded that she could switch between options with Nisa's help. She didn't want to bother Nisa while she did her contract chores, but funnily enough the Inn job board was right on the edge of 10 yards from whatever Nisa was doing inside. The extra 6% quality ended up being the difference between Normal and Good quality meals for several contract recipes.

  The Mezzechever Basic Skill, however, seemed to be predetermined.

  "So in simple terms, if a Pinwheel kills its target I get to cast a stronger Pinwheel right away?" Shelby wondered.

  "You could also use this spell to replenish your held Pinwheel," AIDAN offered.

  "Gotcha. That skill description sure is dark. Is there a group of killer bakers out there somewhere?"

  AIDAN didn't respond, which told Shelby that there probably were killer bakers. How weird.

  Armed with her new skills, Shelby's efficiency was massively improved. It didn't take long for them to secure the Lumber and Straw they needed, along with a little over 2 copper coins. AIDAN directed Shelby to stop after a final round of turn-ins, and return to the marketplace.

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  Wealth's Grandeur and Sha were still there, but seemed to be packing up to head back to their home city. Shelby bounded up to them before they could completely close shop, "Hello again! Do you have any fabric for sale? I'm looking for 24 units for 2 copper!"

  Grandeur laughed and sat down on a particularly large crate, which just so happened to be in Sha's hands. He groaned, but leaned forward and rest an elbow on top of his be-horned partner's skull. He spoke first, "Sure, we carry only the finest weaves from Nin-Mora, but I don't think 2 copper will cover the cost."

  Shelby took an involuntary step back, "What? But... I heard that..."

  "I'm sure you could get a bounty of poor grade flax linen for 2 copper, but we only have Seacotton Linen, I'm afraid..." Grandeur said.

  "Is it better?" Shelby asked.

  "See for yourself," Sha said, then planted a foot on Grandeur's back and pushed her off the crate.

  Inside was a streaky blue bolt of fluffy cloth. Shelby reached out and ran her fingertips over it. It felt like a mix between fleece and silk, which made Shelby shiver.

  "Wow! That's so soft!" She exclaimed.

  "Very breathable too. It's the fabric of choice for Nerki sailors," Sha said with a grin, "so you can see why it's so expensive."

  Shelby gripped down on the fabric, "I have to have it!"

  "I'm sure you do! It's amazing stuff. I could give you 24 units for... 10 copper," Sha said.

  "TEN COPPER?!" Shelby shrieked.

  "Geez, kid, pull back on the reins. People are trying to sleep," Glamour said with a hand to her ear.

  "Is that really how much it costs?" Shelby asked AIDAN. Even her inner voice was trembling.

  "No, it is worth 2 copper and 80 tin," AIDAN dutifully reported.

  "I only have 2 copper and 15 tin..." Shelby complained.

  Shelby glared up at Sha, "You're just trying to pull wool over my eyes..."

  The mercantile cat man held a hand up to his heart and put on a wounded expression, "Goodness, and here I thought we had made a friend. In the spirit of goodwill between our nations, why don't I give you a discount and knock the whole bundle down to 5 copper?"

  "I know it's only worth 2 copper and change... I'll give you everything I have and..." she wracked her brain, "Maybe some food? Wheat? Blueberries? Divinities? I could bake you something!"

  Grandeur laughed as Sha slumped in place. He shook his head, "You know, we came all the way down here to make a profit... I'd pay... 5 tin for minor divinities, let's say 1 tin for a bundle of wheat... don't want blueberries... but, if you can bake something with them then maybe something like 5 tin per piece? Assuming they're any good. I'm not going lower than 2 copper and 8 ten-kettles of tin."

  Shelby needed 65 tin to make up the difference. She would have to jump back out to get the divinities, but she knew she had at least four left over. That would be twenty tin. If she could bake three blueberry somethings, that would be fifteen off, and then she'd need... thirty! Ugh, if I need any wheat for my baked goods I won't make it...

  "You have also gathered several Spirit Apples. The spirit fruit gathered from natural spirits is typically better quality than summoned varieties," AIDAN explained.

  "So I could maybe make some spirit apple pastries too..." Shelby considered.

  Sha jolted as Shelby sprung backwards, insisting, "Stay there, I'll be right back!"

  She dashed into an alleyway and logged out, grabbing the blueberries, wheat, and spirit apples, along with the three trade divinities and lone romance divinity she had shuttled from Ginger to Caramel. She slipped back into Copperglade and stepped back out into the market. She set up her cooking Crucible a dozen feet from Sha and Wealth's Grandeur. The Toil woman explained that she needed to continue toting their merchandise back to the town's Touchstone, but she wished Shelby luck.

  Sha watched with an amused expression as Shelby prepared to bake. She suspected she was going to need nine units of flour, so she cast Grind on the golden grain one at a time, then deposited the fine white powder back into her inventory. As for the recipes...

  She opened her recipe book and decided to check out her Rosette Style meals. She was happy to see that her idea was already listed: Apple Roses. She was even happier to see that the recipe produced six baked flowers from 2 apples and one unit of flour. It also required summoned butter, cinnamon, and apricot preserves.

  While the entire recipe needed a little more work than usual, since she had to make pastry, make preserves, and then assemble the roses, she thought they should turn out to be at least Normal quality. Both the Flour and Spirit Apples were Good Quality, so they should balance out the summoned ingredients.

  As Shelby began making the Pastry, she noticed that she had gained a small icon by her health bar. It depicted a cartoonish person wearing a chef's hat and smiling. Sout étude (+6%). Shelby glanced up at Sha, "Are you an artisan?"

  "So I am, one of the finest jewelers in Nin-Mora. Or, so I should hope," Sha said with a soft smile.

  Shelby grabbed her Crucible by the sides and tottered over to him, placing the strange object a few feet from the relaxing cat. "Don't move."

  His smile strained as he regarded her, but he didn't walk away. Within two minutes she produced the first batch of Apple Roses from her converted oven. She didn't have a muffin tin to enclose them, but strategic arrangement of some miscellaneous cooking utensils kept them vaguely circular.

  Shelby handed a pastry to Sha and he gingerly plucked it from her hand, then examined it carefully. He finally nodded in satisfaction, "Very good. I think that I could easily sell these when we get back, perhaps for... 20 tin or so. I'll give you 10."

  Shelby shook her head, "No, I agreed to 5 tin. Will you buy 18?"

  "Gladly," Sha said, tucking away the six she had produced.

  She had made all her pastry and preserves in advance, so the remaining twelve Roses were done in a snap. She handed over her copper coin coins and he gave her 10 tin back. He stood with a dramatic stretch, then pulled the linen out of his crate. He produced a tailor's ruler and carefully folded the blue cloth in lengths of 2 yards, then made a final half fold. A pair of long, glinting scissors appeared in his raised hand and he made a decisive cut to sever the fabric. He grinned as her foisted over the cloth, "And here you are, an absolute steal on our world famous cloth. Though perhaps I will recoup more than I had hoped from these treats..."

  Shelby scooped up the soft fabric and bowed with it held in strained arms, "Thanks much! I'm so happy that we worked this out."

  He laughed, "As am I, do come visit that fool and I in Nin-Mora, won't you? Remember, we're right next to the Touchstone."

  Shelby bounced, "I'd love to."

  With that, Sha stood, hefted his final crate, and walked off whistling. Shelby waited a beat before tucking away the cloth and finding a quiet spot to log out. She bit down hard on her lip as the campfire swam into view, then reached out for Caramel, who had taken to sitting close by as she was repeatedly called on.

  Most of the Hodekin had stopped working and were eating from bowls filled to the brim with the strange crayfish tomato dish. The cooks' campfire had been relocated to the bridge and the group was chatting excitedly between themselves. Even Thimble was engaged with one of the two miners Shelby had sent out earlier. Shelby stumbled over to the warmth of the fire and sat down with a thud. A few heads turned her way, but most of them were either smiling or chewing away. I'm already feeling a lot less anger directed my way...

  Shelby shook her long ears out and opened her menu, "Okay, 24 beds coming right up..."