In the morning, I gave Stretch breakfast and water. "I'm going to check out the baths the innkeeper mentioned."

He perked up, tail wagging.

"Not you," I added quickly, crouching down to ruffle his fur. "You've got breakfast, and you stay here in the room, okay? Pretty sure they won't let a dog inside."

His ears drooped, the wag slowed, and stopped. With a long, put-upon sigh, he lowered his head onto his paws.

"Don't give me that look," I said, grinning at his sulk. "I won't be long."

He gave a soft grumble in reply, the canine version of fine, and turned his head away to show his displeasure.

The common room was quiet in the morning, with only a handful of guests eating breakfast. The innkeeper from last night stood behind the bar, arranging bottles, and there wasn't a server in sight. He glanced up as I came in, gave me a nod, and pointed toward an empty table. "Breakfast is eggs with vegetables and bread, or chama porridge," he said.

I lived dangerously and tried something new. "Porridge, please."

"You're a polite fellow; I appreciate that." The innkeeper said, "Sit down, and I'll bring it to you."

After a few minutes, he brought me a bowl of porridge that resembled cooked barley, topped with fruits and honey. The taste reminded me of semolina porridge, but with a more pronounced grain flavor that took some getting used to. At least the fruits were delicious, and honey is always good.

After eating, I approached him again and asked, "You mentioned the baths last night. Can you give me directions?"

He gave me a startled look and said, "Go to the right and turn left on the first street you see. You'll see it. It's a big building with a sign; you can't miss it." His reaction puzzled me. Was it something about the way I asked, or the time of day? Better not to dwell on it. As a Traveler, I'd have to get used to such reactions.

As he said, the baths were easy to find. They were located in an extensive stone building with a big sign proclaiming them the "Rusha Baths." Was Rusha the name of the kingdom or the city? I shook my head; it didn't really matter. The Map was great, but many names were missing. After learning their location, I added the names Mara and Somer to the Map, though most places were still just icons representing towns or cities without labels. The odd part was that the wilderness section of the Map was more detailed than the towns or cities. Were all Travelers semi-antisocial like me?

Inside, a sign informed me that a bath cost two coppers, with more signs directing men to the right and women to the left. The right door opened into a changing room with an attendant waiting. I watched the other man in the room to see what to do. He handed his clothes to the attendant and received a string with a number, which he tied around his wrist. I stored my clothes instead.

The door from the changing room led into a room with a large pot of boiling water over a fire pit, where another attendant ladled hot water into buckets and passed them out. The man I followed poured a bucket of water over himself, grabbed a piece of soap from a shelf, and scrubbed thoroughly, even his hair, then rinsed off with another bucket. Simple enough.

I copied his routine but disliked the coarse soap and its smell, so I used my own soap and shampoo. After I rinsed off, the attendant who had been watching me curiously asked, "Hello, esteemed merchant. Do you sell the soap you used, or is it only for personal use?"

"I have some to sell."

"My father might like to purchase some for the nobles. Could you meet with him after your bath?"

"I'll be happy to." It was good that I had bought a large stock.

I left through the door the other person used and came to a big room with three soaking pools. Judging by the steam, there was a temperature difference. The first was lukewarm, almost cold; the second was just right, and the last was too hot for me. I settled into the medium-heat pool, leaned my head back, and relaxed. I stayed in the pool for at least an hour, enjoying the warmth. A mage occasionally came to check the water and heat it. He cast a spell on it, and I felt the flow of mana. It was surprising; when the other mage cast a spell on the meat I sold her, I didn't feel a thing, but now it was impossible to ignore. My Wizard class? Until now, I hadn't noticed that my sensitivity to mana had increased, but now it was obvious.

Their towels were thick sheets of coarse, scratchy linen, a far cry from the fluffy ones I was used to. With a disgusted huff, I pulled out my own soft, fluffy towel instead.

The mage approached me, wiping damp hands on his robe, and gave me a polite nod. "Hello, esteemed merchant. My son tells me you have soap that smells better than anything we have here. Do you sell it?"

"Yes," I said, toweling the last bit of water from my hair. "I've also got better towels and a special soap for hair that keeps it soft."

He glanced between me and the door leading to the soaking pools a couple of times. "I would very much like to see those things. The problem is, I must keep watch over the baths. Would you prefer to show me here, or wait until the afternoon when my replacement arrives?"

"I don't mind showing you here," I said, waving at myself. "But let me get dressed first."

I got dressed, set up my operating table, and laid out the goods: a stack of towels in various sizes, a sealed box of fifty soap bars, another with twenty-four bottles of body wash, and a third with twenty-four bottles of shampoo. Holding up an opened bar of soap along with a bottle of body wash and shampoo, I said, "This box has fifty pieces like this one. You can smell it and wash your hands to see the quality." I pointed to the next box. "This is a liquid soap that feels better on the skin. There are twenty-four bottles in here." Finally, I tapped the shampoo box. "This one holds twenty-four bottles of soap made especially for hair. It keeps it soft and shiny."

He took the shampoo bottle, turned it over in his hands, and examined the writing. "What language is this, and what is this bottle made of? I never saw anything like it."

"I come from the islands in the far south. This is our local dialect. The bottles are made from a substance produced there, but I have no idea how. My family buys the bottles after they are made. We have a mage in the family who casts the pictures and writing on the bottles."

He uncorked the soap and the shampoo, brought them close to his nose, and inhaled deeply before nodding. He ran a hand across the towels, rubbing the fabric between his fingers, then looked back at me. "How much does each of those things cost, and how much do you have?"

This time, I decided to charge the actual price for each item instead of offering a discount on the Appraisal price. I looked into my Storage, counted everything, and set aside the opened boxes for my personal use. "The box with the fifty pieces of soap costs three gold and two silver. The boxes with the liquid soap for body and hair cost three gold each for twenty-four bottles. The big towels cost three silver each, the medium towels two silver each, and the small ones one silver each. I have twenty-four boxes of the soap pieces, twenty-nine boxes of the body liquid soap, and forty-nine boxes of the hair liquid soap. I have seventy-five big towels, ninety-five medium towels, and sixty-four small towels. All the towels are in various colors, and while there is a slight difference in size between some of them, they are still big, medium, and small."

He tapped a finger on the sack of towels, eyes narrowing in thought. "Are you planning to return to Rusha in the future?"

"No," I said, shaking my head. "After I visit a few more places, I'll be returning home to stay."

He kept tapping the towels, looking at the goods. "How much are you asking for everything you have, with a promise that you don't have more and won't be selling to other bathhouses in Rusha?"

I took out a pen and paper, spread them on the table, and scribbled down figures while he leaned forward, watching in silence. After calculating everything, I looked up. "The total price is five hundred forty-one gold and five silver. Since you are buying in bulk, I'll sell it to you for five hundred gold, and I promise that if you buy the entire stock, I won't have more to sell to other bathhouses."

He hummed under his breath, tilted his head this way and that, and finally nodded to himself. "I'll take all of it, but I don't have such a sizeable sum of money here. Can you return in the afternoon?"

"Yes, no problem."

"Thank you," he said, inclining his head. "When you arrive in the afternoon, ask for me. My name is Rob."

Oops!

Again, I forgot to introduce myself. I needed to work on that.

We shook hands. "My name is John. It's nice to meet you. I'll see you in the afternoon."

I left and headed back to the inn to collect Stretch. After collecting him, I went to sell some things, as I wanted to clear out my Storage and look for new items to buy.

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A shop with pots displayed outside on a table caught my eye, and I went in to take a look. The shopkeeper was busy with a customer. When he finished, I stepped forward and offered my hand. "Hello, my name is John. Nice to meet you."

He looked surprised for a moment, but shook my hand. "Mesin. How can I help you?"

"I'm a merchant with unique wares. Would you be interested in seeing them?"

Mesin narrowed his eyes, crossed his arms, and leaned back on the counter. "Maybe. Depends on what you have."

I showed him an extensive assortment of pots, pans, and bowls. He bought most of what I offered and didn't say "too fancy" even once. I liked him just for that. Afterward, I continued exploring the city and buying various foods from vendors. Some were so good I bought extra to store, while others were inedible, even by Stretch's standards. Selling goods to multiple shops, I made money hand over fist before returning to the bathhouse in the afternoon to conclude the soap deal.

Selling in the city was a lot of fun. Most of my sales on the road had been small, usually paid in copper and silver. Here, I made significant sales and was paid in gold. It was far more lucrative, and I enjoyed being a merchant. It wasn't only the money I earned, though I certainly appreciated that too, but the process itself, from offering goods to negotiation and the final exchange.

In the evening, after dinner, I approached the innkeeper with an extended hand for a handshake. "My name is John. Nice to meet you. What's your name?"

Yay me!

Maybe one day, I'd get over my introverted ways.

Again, he gave me a strange look. "Loman. How can I help you, lad?"

"Can you tell me where the commercial streets in the city are and where the streets are only residential?"

He gave me another strange look. I was getting really tired of those. "There are shops on every street, but some areas are specific. You can find the leather workers on the east side of the city. If you cross the bridge near the leather workers and walk east of the city, you will find the tanners. The food market is on this side of the river, straight ahead on the main road without turning left for the inn. The blacksmiths' area is also on the other side of the river in the west. Two fish markets are near the main docks on both sides of the river."

I thanked him and went up to my room. Before going to sleep, I opened the Map and marked all the streets I'd visited. There was still a big part of the city to see. For the next three weeks, I visited every shop I came across to offer my wares and slowly filled the Map. In the evenings, I restored weapons for 1,000 mana, regenerated for a few hours, and then slept. It snowed off and on during this time. The snow was never heavy, and it didn't stay on the ground for long. Stretch still didn't like it and preferred to spend his days in the common room of the inn in front of the fire, where the innkeeper and servers spoiled him rotten with pets and treats. He was living the life and enjoying every minute. Every evening, I asked him how his day went, and in return I got a flood of happy emotions accompanied by the taste of food and the pleasure of pets and scratches.

Spoiled dog.

I left the blacksmiths and leather workers for last, but was getting close to visiting all the streets in the city. Inns turned out to be excellent customers, too, including the one where I stayed. Some shops sold jewelry and potions, which I marked on my Map with plans to return later.

When I arrived at the blacksmiths' area, I stepped into the first shop I saw. The place was hot and smelled of smoke, the walls lined with tools and weapons in various stages of completion. A broad-shouldered man stood at the anvil, sweat gleaming on his arms and face as he hammered a glowing piece of metal. A younger boy worked the bellows, his face red from the heat, while another, a bit older, arranged polished blades and fittings on a display wall. The one handling the display wiped his hands on his apron, walked over with a polite smile, and said, "Good day to you, good sir. How can we serve you?"

"Do you have old or damaged weapons for sale?" I asked.

He looked at me with complete bewilderment. "Old and damaged?"

"Yes."

"Why?" he asked, looking even more confused.

"I'm a traveling merchant, and I visit many small towns," I said, spreading my hands. "Some people can't afford more than a few coppers for a weapon, but they still need to take care of jurbers or other nasties occasionally. I have a lot of excellent weapons for sale. I'm looking for something for poor people."

Now, he looked at me like I was less of a lunatic. Success. "Wait a few moments, please."

He went and whispered with the guy banging on the anvil. After a minute, both of them went to the back and returned carrying weapons. They did this three more times, creating a large mound of damaged weapons in the middle of the shop.

The big guy approached me. "I can't promise you very low prices since I can melt those down and reuse the metal, but see what interests you, and we'll talk."

"Thank you." I gave him a nod and turned to look through the pile.

After appraising all the weapons, I came back to him, brushing the soot from my hands. "I'd like to take everything you showed me. I can pay in coins, or barter damaged weapons for good ones."

He shook his head. "I sell only for coin. I don't buy new weapons, only old ones to melt and reuse."

"No problem. How much for all of them?"

He checked the weapons one by one, muttering numbers under his breath as he jotted them down on a coarse sheet of paper. The light brownish-grey sheet looked rough, and it struck me that it was the first paper I had seen in this world. Other merchants had always done their calculations in their heads.

After nearly ten minutes, he straightened. "Seven gold and four silver."

That was higher than my Appraisal. My calculation had come to six gold, eight silver, and four coppers. I crossed my arms. "That's too much for their condition. Remember, I'm a traveling merchant. I have the Appraisal blessing."

His brow furrowed, and he tilted his head. "How much are you willing to pay?"

"Six gold and seven silver."

He studied me for a long moment, then extended his big hand. "We have a bargain."

I shook his hand and paid him 670 copper coins, most of them local and some of mine from Earth. He liked those, like everybody else. I stored the weapons and bid them a good day.

Like that, I toured the entire blacksmiths' area and bought weapons. Some wanted to barter for good weapons, while others wanted coins only. One blacksmith wanted way too much, and two others wanted more than the weapons were worth. That made me realize skills were not all-powerful, and that there was a free will aspect to everything. Otherwise, my bargaining skills would have made them capitulate. I also bought tools after my experience in the emerald cave, like picks, saws, hammers, an extensive assortment of nails, and other odds and ends.

It took me three days to visit all the blacksmiths. The next day was nice and sunny without snow, so I took a day off and relaxed; buying and selling was hard work. I spent the day visiting food stalls with Stretch, and we tried a variety of foods. Since his awakening, he'd become less picky and enjoyed new things, as long as they didn't involve vegetables—or more precisely, didn't have too many of them. He could live with a little and seemed to get a different kind of enjoyment from sending me grumbly feelings about them. He still wanted beer occasionally, but not too much, maybe once every four or five days. I diagnosed him after each beer but couldn't see any difference.

After our day off, I visited the leather workers. The leather area covered more than ten streets and was very diverse. Some shops sold leather armor in various designs, others offered riding clothes, while a few specialized in outfits for different professions. There were also shops that sold leather sheets for furniture, carts, and carriages. I even came across three bowyer shops selling bows and arrows. I had no idea why they were in the leather district, since the only leather they sold was for bowstrings. I bought three sets of leather armor in varying degrees of protection and hardness, a large number of old and damaged leather goods, and more than twenty damaged bows. I also cleared out every arrow the bowyers had in stock and told them I would return in a few days to buy more. Two looked pleased at that, but the third seemed intimidated. I had no idea why.

I located the alchemists I had marked on the Map and visited them one by one. The experience was interesting and taught me a lot. Every shop sold mana potions that restored thirty mana and cost two gold. No wonder the caravan mage had been so excited about the meat—I had thought she was simply an excitable person. None of them carried health potions, but they did offer a wide range of other concoctions: potions, salves, and tinctures for ailments like colds, cuts, and infections. The prices were outrageous. The cheapest was a small clay pot of salve for muscle pain that cost five silver, while the most expensive was a potion for treating infections—at least they knew what infections were—which cost three gold and five silver. They also sold dried plants, and I could feel the mana in them. I made a mental note to check plants for mana during my travels in the wilderness and collect some. I didn't buy anything, but the visit was very informative.

Last, I visited the jewelry shops. The pieces had a heavy, almost primitive look, with thick bands and simple settings that lacked delicate detail. Gems were cut in basic shapes, mostly square or round, without the fine facet work I was used to. At most, they had three or four flat sides, while the rest was left polished to a smooth finish. The prices weren't exorbitant, but not cheap either. I didn't buy jewelry, but did offer my emeralds. They were a big hit. It took me three days to sell the contents of both chests from shop to shop, but I finally managed and earned over 2,500 gold.

The red light began blinking when I received the money in the second-to-last shop.

Level up

+3 wisdom, +3 perception, +2 luck, +3 free points

Profession: Merchant Level 6

It was about time; I did a lot of selling and buying since I came to Shimoor.

The merchandise at the last jewelry shop I visited was extra expensive, and I had no more emeralds, so I just left.

It was time to move on. The river continued far into the west as I needed. Travelers also seemed to explore quite a few of the capitals along this river. Around seventy percent of them had names listed on the Map. Before going to the docks to ask about a ship, I needed to check with Stretch. I found him in the inn in front of the fire, called him up to our room, and talked to him.

"Listen, buddy, with the snow, it will be much more difficult to travel through the wilderness or even on the roads. We can take a ship on the river and travel south like I need. The ships are bigger and more stable than the boats you don't like, but they're still traveling over water. What do you say? Will you give a ship a chance?"

He thought for a moment, and I felt his agreement followed by his love for me. The message was clear: "Okay, but only because I love you."

I hugged him, petted, and scratched behind his ears. "Thanks, buddy. I need to understand what's going on with my mana and this whole magic business. It's driving me nuts. It just doesn't make any sense."

He tilted his head and sent me a confused feeling.

"The description of the wizard class said I'm supposed to be a scholar of magic, but I don't even have the faintest idea where to start or how to approach the subject." I rubbed my face with both hands and let out a frustrated sigh. "And my mana is the worst part. It jumps up without any explanation. I'm not opposed to the rise in available mana, but I need to understand how it happens and how to control it." My fists tightened on my knees. "I don't like that something is happening in my body that I can't understand and control."

He sent me the sense of a shrug.

"Yeah, I don't get it either, but I think there are answers in the west."

Stretch put his head on my lap, his ears brushing against my arm.

"I'm going to the docks. Do you want to come with me?"

He sent me a strong negative along with a wave of warmth.

"Okay, have fun in the common room with all the servers spoiling you."

A strong feeling of smugness washed over me, and I couldn't help but laugh as he flicked his tail.

The Map showed the river curving north near the kingdom of Talis. That would be my destination. Talis was also close to one of the Gates farther south, and I planned to check it and see where it led.

I gave Stretch one last scratch under his chin. He leaned into it, eyes half-closed, before I stood and headed for the docks.

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