The drive from Albuquerque to Santa Fe was just over an hour, so Al took the wheel. He had bought the driving skill, but the roads oh still stressed him out. He had no problem in the desert oorcycle.

  On the way, I said to both of them, “The horses I’ve healed got me thinking. We o find a horse rand learn to ride until we get the skill.”

  Mahya replied, “I hate riding animals. They’re smelly and opinionated, and besides, they hurt my butt.”

  Al and I ughed, and she tinued, “We have the motorcycles and the ATV, and we’ll have the Jeeps at some point. I don’t see any reason to ride opinioubborn animals.”

  “Yeah, but all that stuff isn’t Magitech yet, so it won’t work in a magical world. Besides, maybe with the riding skill, it’ll solve the pain in the ass problem.”

  She didn’t look pleased, but finally nodded and said, “Okay, if you insist.”

  I searched online and found Ptinum Performance Horses. We ged our route and drove there.

  Al gripped the steering wheel, eyes sing the road, now and then muttering about the erratic drivers. The road tinued off the highway and onto a winding try road. The sery shifted from urban sprawl to open fields and rolling hills. Mahya kept gng at the Map, verifying our route.

  “Tur up ahead,” she instructed, her tone a mix nation and mild annoyance.

  We pulled up to the ranch, a sprawling expanse of green pastures and well-kept stables. Al parked the car, aepped out, stretg s. Rue hopped out after us, tail waggiedly. A cool breeze swept through the ranch, carrying the earthy st of hay mixed with that unmistakable horse musk. My boots ched against the gravel, the soft rustling of trees blending with the distant thud of hooves from the stables. Green pastures stretched out before us, dotted with horses grazing zily uhe sun. Rue darted around ied circles, his tail wagging so hard it looked like it might unch him into the air.

  A friendly ranch ha us at the entrance, showing us around and introdug us to the basics of horseback riding. Al, who knew how to ride from childhood, immediately showed off his skills. He fidently guided his horse through various exercises, demonstrating his natural ease in the saddle.

  Mahya tugged at the saddle for what felt like the huh time, muttering pints under her breath. She fumbled with the reins, gng at the horse with an irritated scowl, as if expeg it to sympathize. The horse didn’t seem impressed, flig its tail zily while Mahya shifted awkwardly in the saddle, trying to find some level of fort.

  “This thing is a torture device. I ’t believe you talked me into it,” she grumbled, shooting daggers my way.

  I couldn’t help but ugh—she looked as out of pce as a fish trying to climb a tree.

  Rue watched the horses with wide eyes, occasionally barking but mostly keeping a respectful distance. He tried to talk with them a few times and finally decred, “Horses stupid!”

  I found a certain rhythm in the practid improved steadily. By the sed day, we improved. Al’s fidend skills were impressive, aen gave pointers, showing off his abilities with a pyful grin. Mahya still grumbled but admitted the horses were growing on her. I focused on perfeg my form, feeling more attuo the horse’s movements.

  By the end of the sed day, both of us earhe riding skill. Al, of course, had it from before. It wasn’t just about mastering the meics, but uanding and unig with the animals. Rue seemed to approve, trotting alongside us as we practiced. As we packed up to leave, I felt a sense of aplishment. We were oep closer to being prepared for whatever ical adventures would throw at us.

  Whe to Santa Fe, we did ur round of shops. We bought a lot of things again. I picked up some more coffee, Mahya bought stones, metals and tools instead of alcohol, and Al discovered essential oils, buying them by the crate along with more herbs.

  I researched what Santa Fe specializes in and discovered it had a reputation for Southwestern jewelry, particurly pieces featuring turquoise and silver, Native Ameri pottery, chili products, and arts and crafts. Armed with that knowledge, we desded upoores like a swarm of locusts, i on seg the city’s best pieces.

  We ehe first jewelry store, and the dazzling array of turquoise and silver immediately caught our eyes. Mahya’s fingers danced over a stunning neckce with intricate inys, her eyes sparkling with appreciation. Al, equally entranced, picked up several bold bracelets and rings, the sparkle of the metal and stones refleg his delight. The rest we just bought by pointing at the shelves. Carefully ing each piece, the salespeople filled the otherwise quiet store with the delicate jingle of silver and turquoise bracelets king together, along with the soft kle of tissue paper and snap of tape. The faint st of polished wood aher cases hung in the air, while the dispy ters now stood bare, their once sparkling treasures securely packed in s. Three stunned salespeople stared at us, wide-eyed and speechless, their jaws practically on the floor as we walked out.

  , we wandered into a shop filled with Native Ameri pottery. Beautifully crafted vases, bowls, and figurines lihe shelves, each piece a testament to the skill of its maker. I couldn’t resist a rge, hand-painted pot adorned with traditional patterns that, after paying, I discreetly stored on a shelf in my house. Mahya selected several smaller pieces, each a work of art in its ht—the rest we bought again by just pointing and adding to the sele. The cashier’s eyes widened as we paid for our seles, the sum quickly adding up.

  The spicy aroma of chilies led us to our destination, a market specializing in chili products. Al’s eyes lit up as he sampled various chili powders and sauces, the heat bringing a smile to his face. He selected crates of dried chilies aic spices, envisioning their uses in his future cos. I, of course, bought crates and crates of various chili products. They could learn to live with spicy food if they had designated me as the cook. Very spicy food. Very, very spicy food. “Muwahahaha!”

  Our st stop was an art gallery showg local crafts. Vibrant paintings and intricate textiles hang on the walls, each telling a story. A rge tapestry depig a desert se, the colors aures drawing her in, captivated Mahya. Al chose several more miniature artworks that captured the essence of the Southwest, while I found a hand-carved wooden sculpture that spoke to me with its detailed craftsmanship—the rest we just bought for selling.

  Between those four stops, we succeeded in spending all the cash loot from Albuquerque.

  Once again, I had to apany Al on a round dealers, eleven in total this time. At least my nerves were gettier aer after every successful heist without is. I pce, I simply leaned against a tree and waited—I didn’t even look around.

  Yay me!

  His stash s grew. Mahya’s colle of ons and bullets grew. And roup’s piggy bank grew by twenty pert over what we spent iy. I just facepalmed and shook my head in resignation—no matter how much we threw at these shops, the money just kept piling up, like it had a mind of its owermio outgrow everything else.

  Mahya drove to Trinidad, and I opehe Archive. First, I scrolled to the inal message I sent to Lyura. I hadn’t checked what happened with that message for a long time, but there was nothing new. I had to scroll through dozens of pages to get to it. In the meahe Archive had filled with a lot of new junk. The respoo Lis’s posts grew more and more, and there were also new respoo various posts.

  I wrote a new message:

  Tr. JR

  “Clueless, Hungry, Versailles, Television.”

  Hi Lyura, this is John.

  I haven’t given up on you yet. Lis left for the dragon realm, and we picked up araveler named Al on the way. Right now, Al, Mahya, and I are doing some st-minute shopping oh on our way to ada to cross a Gate to a world called Lumis. Here is the location of three Gates that lead to that world:

  Aska, Anche, Chugach State Park, Lumis, mana 32ada, Great Bear Lake, Lumis, mana 32, only floatpneada, Mount Rundle, Lumis, mana 32It would thrill me if you joined us at some point. You don’t have to feel embarrassed by us. We care about you and would love to travel with you. But even if not, send a message, so I know you’re okay.

  Lis’s inal message had over thirty pages of all kinds of ents from Travelers, but he didn’t reply to any of them. Seeing this made me ugh. Poor Lis, I could imagine his face as he tried to think of how to answer everyone.

  The more ret message from him was also full of ents. It was not like the older one, only seventeen pages, but it went on and on.

  Tr. QM

  Is it possible to get a Gate ?

  Tr. BBN

  What he said.

  Tr. NN

  I’m curious about the dragon’s diet. Do they eat mana-infused food?

  Tr. LH

  Has aiced that the dragons have different scales based on their magic type?

  Tr. ZV

  How do you deal with a dragon that doesn’t want to iate?

  Tr. BBN

  What he said.

  Tr. KG

  someone expin the differeween dragon fire and regur fire magic?

  Tr. MB

  Does anyone have a Gate to the dragon realm?

  That asshole isn’t answering.

  Tr. TY

  Are there any safe zones in the dragon realm where one rest?

  Tr. PK

  Is it true that dragon blood enhance magical abilities?

  Tr. MNo

  Are you crazy? Do you want to harvest blood from a dragon? It will eat you ie.

  Tr. BBN

  What he said.

  Tr. PK

  Don’t get all worked up. Just asking.

  Tr. MV

  I’ve heard rumors about dragon hoards. anyone firm if they exist?

  Tr. HG

  What kind of magical artifacts exist in the dragon realm?

  Tr. KL

  Are there any known weaknesses ons that travelers should know?

  Tr. XS

  Has anyone ridden a dragon? If so, how?

  Tr. GH

  you ask the dragons if they have any tips for trolling chaotia?

  Tr. KB

  Is there a dragon-friendly potion for mana regeion?

  Tr. TJ

  Are dragons susceptible to any specific types of magic?

  Tr. RF

  you ask the dragons about their knowledge of a ruins?

  Tr. VE

  Does dragon scale armor provide any unique bes?

  Tr. MNo

  Are you crazy? Do you want to harvest scales from a dragon? It will eat you ie.

  Tr. BBN

  What he said.

  Tr. QL

  How dons perceive time pared to humans?

  Tr. NP

  you ask the dragons if they know any spells for interdimensional travel?

  Tr. JJP

  I want to know that, too.

  Tr. DY

  What are the dragons’ thoughts on human magic?

  Tr. QA

  Dons have any allies among ical creatures?

  Tr. LK

  No, dumbass, they are at the top of the pile. They don’t need allies.

  Tr. YS

  What’s the dragon’s favorite type of from travelers?

  Tr. ML

  See the entry below from the same Traveler. They love books.

  At this point, I stopped reading. It just tinued endlessly. I ughed and shook my head.

  “What are you ughing about?” Mahya asked, gng over from the driver’s seat.

  “All the ents on Lis’s posts,” I replied, still grinning.

  “Yeah, I saw those. It’s crazy,” she said, her tone a mix of amusement and disbelief.

  “Poor Lis. I imagine his face,” I said, picturing Lis overwhelmed by the sheer volume of messages.

  The four of us ughed, even Rue, who barked happily from the backseat and stuck his head out of the window again.

  I sent a new message to Lis and told him everything that had happened retly.

  I told him how amazing our boat was and how much I admired Mahya for this project. Described the Rat Isnd and how we stripped it bare. Shared stories about our cruise in the Pacific O, the Unity I created with the wind, and how the boat left me behind. Reted the house parked on the o and the hot-air balloon in the air. Told him about San Francisd my show, the flight i-air balloon, and how the wind and I became friends. pined about Sonak and expined what an idiot he was. Described how I got the Bard Css and used it during the rescue to send a massive mana wave into the base to save the Traveler. I also mentiohe parade the following day, the crazy robbery I did, Mahya’s fasation with rifles and guns, and how Al dragged me to r dealers.

  While writing all this, I relived eaent in my mind. I smiled as I remembered the adventures, ughed at the absurdity of some situations, and shook my head in resignation at the more frustrating memories. It was in those moments that I realized I was having fun. Life was simply incredible.