I took out my bike and attached the trailer. Stretch eagerly hopped in, a off. I pedaled for six hours until we stopped for the night. The exertion made my legs quiver, and I felt thrilled to have the Heal Muscle spell. After a good night's sleep, we tinued on our way.

  Around lunchtime, we spotted a caravan in the distance, and I suspected it was the same one we had entered earlier. In four days, they had covered a distahat took me less than a day and a half—they were moving at a snail's pace!

  As we passed the caravan, a chorus of children's voices greeted us. They called Stretch 'Shrech' and asked me for dy. The parents, less amused, gave me the stink eye. Ah, sugar rush for the win!

  When we reached the head of the procession, I slowed down and stopped by the caravan leader, who was riding a sturdy-looking horse. He gnced up from a map he was studying, his expressihtening when he saw me.

  "John! Good to see you again," he greeted warmly.

  "Hey there," I replied, feeling the day's journey in my legs as I shifted on my bike seat. "Just wao check if everyone here is doing well. Does anyone need my help?"

  He straightened up, eyes sing his caravan as if taking a quiventory. "We're all fihank you. No issues so far," he assured me with a nod.

  I nodded back, feeling a bit of relief. "That's good to hear. We're headed to the own. How about you? Where are you headed?"

  "Ah, we're also heading there. At our pace, we might reach it in four or five days."

  I couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at that. "Really? I might arrive tomorrow te evening or the day before lunch."

  He chuckled, a deep, hearty sound. "Yes, we do move quite slowly, don't we? Traveling with children and all the wagons takes time."

  I smiled and nodded, uanding the challenge. "Well, I'll see you in town then."

  With that, I waved goodbye. He returhe gesture with a warm smile still on his face. Stretd I tinued on our way, leaving the caravan behind.

  Ohird day of our journey, we arrived at our destination. The caravan leader had called it a town, but to me, it looked more like a vilge—the main road cut through the town, with four or five shops on each side. Four streets branched from the main road, each lined with several houses. Cultivated fields stretched beyond the houses on both sides.

  When I put my bike away, Stretch was very disappointed. I thought it was the whole "dog stig its head out the car window" thing I knew from Earth. I asked the first person I met about an inn. Even though I cast my spell and washed in streams and rivers here and there, I really wanted a bath.

  Stepping into the inn, I felt like I had walked straight into a se from a storybook. The long on room weled me with wooden tables and chairs, and a r firepce at the far end cast a warm, flickering light. On the left side, a long bar lined with barrels stood, behind whi innkeeper with an enormous belly was diligently ing a metal cup with a towel. It looked so perfectly "fantasy nd" that I couldn't help but smile.

  The innkeeper noticed me and greeted, "Hello there, stranger." His eyes twinkled with curiosity as he set down the cup.

  "Hello," I replied, stepping closer to the bar. "How much is a room, a meal, and a hot bath?"

  "The room is three coppers a night, the meal two coppers, and a bath is two coppers if you want it in the room. If you don't mind the on washroom, it's one copper," he expined, leaning on the bar with a friendly grin.

  "Do you mind if my dog stays with me in my room?" I asked, gng down at Stretch, who was sniffing around the room curiously.

  "No. It's y, so do whatever you want with it," he said, waving a hand dismissively.

  "Great. I'll take three nights, three meals a day, and a hot bath every evening in my room," I decided, feeling the need for some fort after days on the road.

  "That will be three silvers and three coppers. Do you wao feed y?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

  "No, I have food for him," I replied, summoning one pouch with coppers. I ted out thirty-three s and hahem over.

  He examihe s closely, a puzzled look crossing his face. "I never saw such s. Where are you from?"

  "From across the sea," I said, meeting his curious gaze.

  "The isnds in the south? I've heard of them but never met someone from there. It must be a rich pce; your s are bigger and look fancier with the picture and all. I should charge you less with this size," he chuckled.

  "No problem, keep the ge," I said with a smile.

  "What ge? What do you wao ge?" he asked, fusion knitting his brows.

  "Nothing. Just a saying from my home. It means you don't o give me s back," I expined, waving a hand to dismiss his .

  "You sure?" he asked, still looking a bit puzzled.

  "Yes. Also, you ge copper to silver old?" I inquired.

  "The same s?" he asked, his i piqued.

  "Yes."

  "I'll be happy to do that," he nodded, still examining the s.

  "How much gold and silver do you have?"

  He gave me a strange look, his expression growing wary. Realizing how my words might sound, I quickly added, "Don't worry, I'm n to rob you. I'm a healer—I heal, not harm. I just have a lot of copper." Taking out ten pouches of copper from my ste, I showed him the tents. "I'll even give you the pouches as a gift to apologize f you."

  His face rexed into a smile, and he nodded. "Alright."

  He ted all the copper, his fingers moving swiftly as he tallied the s. After a few moments, he nodded, satisfied, and handed me fold and ten silver s.

  "Here you go," he said, passing the s over with a friendly smile.

  "Thanks," I replied, pocketing the s. " I get my key now? I want my bath right away."

  "Of course," he said, reag uhe ter and produg a small brass key. He ha to me, adding, "Your room is up the stairs, third door on the left."

  I thanked him again and headed upstairs to my room. Onside, I felt a wave of embarrassment wash over me. It occurred to me I had made an inappropriate ent by asking about his money earlier. I didn't need more money; I had plenty of gold from the mage. The thought of exging the coppers had sparked my curiosity.

  An hour ter, there was a knock at the door. I ope to find the innkeeper standing there, a big wooden tub in his arms. He must have seen my surprised expression, because he chuckled.

  "Expeg metal, were you?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

  "Yeah. I didn't realize tubs could be made from wood," I admitted, stepping aside to let him in.

  "Live and learn," he said with a grin as he set the tub in the middle of the room. His wife appeared behind him, carrying two steaming buckets of hot water.

  "We'll be back with more," she said with a warm smile, her cheeks flushed from the heat. They left quickly, promising to return soon with additional buckets to fill the tub.

  After my tub was full, I slipped in and rexed until the water was almost cold. Stretch tried to drink the bath water, so I gave him water and lunch. He looked at the raw meat unimpressed and then looked at me. I could almost see the question marks in his eyes.

  "Listen, buddy, right now, when we are staying in town, I don't want them to see me feeding you mana-rich meat. I don't know how they'll react, so I 't cook it for you in the i raw today, and tomorroill go into the forest, make a fire, and I'll cook you burgers for a week. What do you say?"

  He looked at me for a sed or two and started eating. It was an ht on my part; I always cooked for both of us, but it slipped my mind that I wouldn't be cooking in town. After my bath, I went down to the on room, had lunch—a type of stew with root vegetables—and asked about a butcher, tanner, or huhis town didn't have a tanner or hunter, but had a butcher.

  I found the butcher, a burly man with a grizzled beard, busy at work in his shop. The rich smell of meat filled the air as I approached him.

  "Hello there," I called out, trying to catch his attentiohe rhythmic thud of his cleaver.

  He gnced up, his eyes narrowing slightly. "What I do for you?" he asked, his voice gruff but not unfriendly.

  "I'm John. I'm looking to learn how to butcher a carcass," I said, meeting his gaze.

  He wiped his hands on his apron, shaking his head. "I don't have time to teach you. Got enough work as it is," he replied, his tone firm.

  I took out a bowl full of mana-rieat, holding it out for him to see. His eyes widened slightly, and he leaned in for a closer look.

  "What's that?" he asked, curiosity piqued.

  "Mana-rieat. I give you six Saks of this in exge for teag me," I offered, his rea.

  He stroked his beard, sidering the offer. "Six Saks, huh?" He looked me up and down, then back at the meat. "Alright, you've got yourself a deal. Three days, during my routine work."

  A smile spread ay face. "Deal. When do we start?"

  He poio a nearby carcass. "Now. Grab an apron, a's get to it."

  I quickly donned an apron and joined him at the table, ready to learn. "What is your name?"

  "Hetton, but everybody calls me Hett."

  "o meet you, Hett, I'm John."

  "You told me that already."

  Right! I rubbed my ne embarrassment, and he ughed.

  Hett's initial reluce melted away as he started expining the process, and we dove into the wht then and there.

  The following day, early in the m, I took out my bike and rode to the forest. We went inside for a few meters, found a pleasant spot, and I made a fire. I cooked Stretch breakfast, which he inhaled, and then cooked the rest of the bison and goat meat. He was all set—I had over fifty big burgers. I ed the coolers, auro town for my sed day as an apprecher.

  For the wo days, I learned how to butcher. It turns out it's more involved than I thought.

  On my third day in town, the caravan finally reached the town. During the day, Stretch disappeared instead of dozing just outside the door. When I went looking for him, I found him soaking up the kids' pets and admiration. I went to say hello to Sami, and she invited me for dinner.

  "And this time, you are not goihe fire," she said as I accepted the invitation.

  The caravan leader approached me; etched on his face as he motioned for me to join him away from the bustle of the campfire. I followed, curious yet cautious, w what could trouble him.

  "John," he began, his voice low and urgent, "one of uards got injured. Would you be willing to help him?"

  "Of course," I replied without hesitation.

  Relief washed over his features, though he still looked worried. He gestured towards where the injured guard was resting, his eyes silently pleading for my help.

  I followed him to the guard's side, where the injured man y grimag in pain. The guard winced as I examined his legs, which were covered in bite marks, some of them looking quite ied. I furrowed my brow, trating as I prepared to cast Healing Touch.

  "Hold still. This might tingle a bit," I said, pg my hands over the worst wounds. He nodded, gritting his teeth in anticipation.

  I cast Healing Touch, feeling the familiar warmth flow from my hands into his wounds. His muscles rexed slightly, but the iion was stubborn. "I'll o cast it a few more times," I informed him, moving my hands to the cluster of bites.

  He grunted in response, paiched on his face. I cast Healing Touch again, followed by Fortify Life Force to boost his recovery. After the fifth cast, the wounds finally closed, and the redness of the iion faded.

  "There, that should do it," I said, wiping the sweat from my forehead. "Those bites were nasty. What happened?"

  He sighed, his shoulders slumping. "I was digging a garbage hole," he expined, his voice tinged with frustration. "Didn't see the of jurbers until it was too te."

  "Jurbers?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. "Those green, small creatures, right?"

  He nodded. "Yeah, vicious little things with sharp teeth. They got me good."

  Aruck me, and I leaned in closer. " you tell me exactly where the is?"

  His eyes widened, and he shook his head vigorously. "I wouldn't go hem if I were you. They might be small, but they're ferocious."

  "I appreciate the warning," I said, nodding. "But I think I hahem. Just point me in the right dire."

  Relutly, he gave me the location, his face still lined with . "Be careful, John. They're more dangerous than they look."

  "Thanks, I'll be cautious," I assured him, mentally noting the spot. I remembered the jurber I entered—green, small, and easy to kill. In the Archive, I discovered you get a kill notification only for monsters, not animals or beasts. As I walked away, I couldn't help but feel a mix of excitement aermination. This could be an excellent opportunity tress my loot spell.

  I joined Sami for dinner, lettiake the lead as she cooked over the campfire. The fmes flickered and danced, casting a warm glow on her face as she worked. I watched her deft movements, how she hahe ingredients with practiced ease, and how her hands moved skillfully despite the rustic setting.

  She served us a type of kebab called poonk, a local specialty. The aroma was mouthwatering, and I couldn't help but smile. "This smells amazing," I said, settling down on a log he fire.

  Sami beamed at the pliment. "I'm gd you think so. It's one of my favorites," she replied, sitting across from me, the firelight refleg in her eyes.

  We started eating, and the versation flowed naturally. "So, what's the deal with the caravan?" I asked between bites. "It's massive."

  Sami nodded, wiping her mouth with a cloth napkin. "About sixty pert of the people are traveling merts," she expined. "They move between the kingdoms of Mara and Somer. The symbols on the wagons mark the capitals."

  I leaned back, digesting both the food and the information. "And the rest?" I prompted.

  "People traveling for various reasons," she tinued. "Some don't want to travel alohers are looking for work along the caravan's route."

  As we talked, I learned more about Sami. She was on her way home to her husband and kids after visiting her parents, who lived two towns away from where I met the caravan. "How did you end up with a broken leg?" I asked, curious.

  She ughed softly, though there was a hint of embarrassment in her posture. "I fell off the hayloft while helping my father the barn," she admitted. "Not my fi moment."

  We both ughed, the mood light and fortable. Eventually, the versation turned more personal. Sami spoke fondly of her husband and children, her eyes lighting up as she described them.

  I felt a pang of sadness, but I shared my story. "I had a wife once," I began, my voice softening. "Her death hit me hard."

  Sami looked surprised. "You don't look older thay," she said, her brows knitting in fusion.

  "I'm twenty-five," I crified with a small smile. "I married very young."

  The evening passed quickly, and as I bid Sami goodnight, I felt ected. "Goodnight, Sami," I said, standing up from the log.

  "Goodnight, John," she replied warmly.

  I found the caravan leader and told him goodnight, eyes sing the camp. The mage approached me again, her expression hopeful. "Still not selling the unique boxes?" she asked, a hint of desperation in her voice.

  I shook my head with a chuckle. "Nope, not today," I said, patting her shoulder reassuringly before heading back to the inn.

  As I returo my room, I reflected on the past three days. They had been good, filled with new experiences and es, and I felt a sense of te as I prepared for bed.