A little later all three of us sit on the bench out in front of the house again, enjoying another pleasant day. Elzbieta is pretty much done dusting the shelves and the items on them and I'm essentially waiting for the new batch of enchanter's chalks to cool in their molds, so I can eventually shake them loose.

Ulryk who was napping at first is now helping himself to lunch with renewed vigor. It's impossible to miss that he is back in good health, and apparently determined to catch up on everything he might have missed with his longer than usual naps.

Can't really blame him either. After all, I feel like I should catch up on missed opportunities too. It's kind of silly, but I just can't help it. I have my next point of business already in mind too. The visit to the temple, to pray for some divine guidance regarding the possibilities of spending all my accumulated Karma.

Sure, it's not entirely uncommon to hoard the favor of the divine if you have a big boon to ask of them. Otherwise this doesn't really make sense though. In general it's better to ask for smaller favors and benefits instead.

Of course, this is the very moment Elzbieta speaks up, while running her fingers through Ulryk's growing hair gently, bringing this line of thought to a sudden stop, utterly distracting me once more.

"Say, Valeria, I have been thinking. You sold that ice bucket you made to the inn. That's more to make delicious frozen treats, but you enchanted some potion bottles in a similar way, right? To make sure their contents keep longer?"

I ignore the invitation to poke fun at her posed by her first sentence and simply nod. My one word answer, or rather counter question is intended to urge her to keep going.

"Yes?"

She doesn't need any further prompting beyond that.

"Like I said, I have been thinking. Could you put that enchantment on something like a cabinet? You know one with little glass windows in the individual doors? That way customers could see what's on sale and all the potions would keep longer, wouldn't they?"

I blink and think on it for a moment. The closed doors she mentioned would be essential. The enchantment doesn't work all that well with open shelves, or even open potion bottles for that matter. And glass windows set into the cabinet's doors would be a pretty good idea too.

"Hm."

That is my only response at first, as this gets me thinking further. The idea isn't bad. Clear glass windows are somewhat expensive though. The bigger they are, the more expensive in fact. Except, the individual doors and their windows wouldn't have to be too big. In fact multiple smaller compartments for individual potions would make keeping everything in order much easier. And if it's only one cabinet set atop a regular shelf for other, non perishable goods I wouldn't have to enchant the whole thing.

Elzbieta grins at me, as she covers up again, now that Ulryik is done with his meal.

"You are making plans already, aren't you?"

I snort in amusement but don't deny it.

"I might be considering some options, yes. In general it's a pretty good idea. The actual implementations might be either a bit tricky or expensive, but I think it would be worth a try. But say, didn't you have plans to go out with Ulryk?"

She looks down at the boy, who is by now studying the wild roses growing above and behind us and even more so the bees and butterflies drawn to them, then she shrugs.

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

"I think I'll wait until tomorrow. Wouldn't want to overdo it."

I don't argue that point. The little boy may need a little more time than me to recover after all, although, to be perfectly honest, he looks lively enough already. Thus I simply nod for now, conceding the point.

"Well, I'll head down to the temple after checking on the chalks. Want me to bring some desserts on the way back?"

The look on her face already says it all, leaving nothing to be guessed at. Of course she wants a sweet treat. Maybe I'll brew some coffee to go along with it too. One thing after another though. I have to take care of other things first. After ruffling first her hair a little and then Ulryks, eliciting a bubbly from him, I get up to head back inside to check on the new batch of chalks.

Humming to myself I make my way back to the workshop. Feeling them carefully I deem the chalks ready to be removed from their molds and do just that. They look pretty fine, in my opinion anyway, but that most certainly isn't just vanity. Their color and sparkle both are fine. Very much so in fact. With those I should be ready to tackle a few more complex or powerful enchantments.

Very good. That's one thing taken care off. I put the chalks away, storing them with the leftovers I have of others for now. Afterwards I wipe my hands and grab a few coins from the strong chest below the counter. Sweet treats down at the inn are usually not free after all. Then I'm off to head down to the temple.

I'm a little nervous as I actually enter the village's temple. I wash in the entrance hall, as is expected, and as I finish and look up, Wislawa is standing there, waiting for me.

She smiles down at me and offers me a hand to get back on my feet.

"Welcome back, Valeria. I have been looking forward to your visit."

I blush a little and accept her help.

"I'm glad to be back once again."

With a nod the middle aged priestess leads me from the antechamber to the actual shrine with its blessed pool.

It's as quiet and peaceful as usual. I wonder though if the stars and the moon of the artificial night sky adorning the walls and the vaulted ceiling above are shining a little brighter today. I disrobe as usual and get into the pool, to float there on my back, with my head resting in the priestess' lap, as usual. I calm my breathing and my heart follows suit and, as I blink my perception of the world changes.

One moment it's the priestess in who's lap my head rests and who gazes down at me with quiet encouragement. The next moment, as I open my eyes again, I#m looking up at a much more ancient being. A being with eyes that glow like the sun.

"Welcome back, Valeria. You have come to seek our guidance and to exchange favor for boons. Tell me, what do you have in mind?"

I swallow hard at first, but don't move my head away from it's current resting place, as I look for the right words. Finally I answer.

"I'm … I'm really not quite sure. I have accumulated so much favor. In various Arcana too. The Wheel of Fortune Arcana, the World Arcana and the Dragon Arcana. And that's not even accounting for the others where I have only amassed a little. What am I going to do?"

The divine avatar nods in understanding, never ceasing to smile reassuringly.

"It can be a little much when it all comes together like that. Even more so, as the accumulated Karma in the World Arcana can be used for just about everything. Well, lets begin with a simple one then. Your Karma in the Dragon Arcana could be used to improve your presence in general, which could be helpful in many ways, including negotiations when making sales."

I can't quite nod as I'm now, but the divine avatar seems to realize that I agree. Of course I know that an improved presence in general can be helpful for so much more than just bartering, but neither of us needs to mention it. Instead the Sun Mother's avatar keeps telling me about my options.

"As for the Wheel of Fortune Arcana, I'd suggest improving your perception. It will help with your enchantments if you have an easier time paying close attention to even the most minute details."

I swallow and lick my lips. Of course an improved perception is not restricted to just my vision. Hearing, sense of smell, taste and even touch. Those all will benefit too. Thus my alchemy might improve too, even if just indirectly.

"And what about the World Arcana?"

I finally work up the courage to ask about the biggest issue.

The divine avatar's eyes twinkle a little.

"I'm getting to that, dear. Well, I think you are not aiming for ascension just yet, so lets ignore that option. You should look into building a cult first anyway. The most down to earth use right now would be to improve your enchantment skill from grand master level to legendary level. I think you might be able to acquire the Renown gift in addition too."

A legendary skill? That is the most down to earth suggestion she can make? Oh, dear me. And somehow together with the gift she suggested, sounds like the very first step to building a cult.

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