The Runic Alchemist

The next morning, Damian woke up to find Toph already gone from his side. With a quick search with his mana sense, he located Toph in the neighboring room, which Sam currently occupied. Feeling reassured, Damian relaxed. Sam often took Toph along whenever he fell asleep—it wasn't anything new.

He sensed a few other presences nearby, causing him to frown. After getting refreshed and taking a bath, Damian went to the next room. It was already morning, and he was ready for a meal. Though he wasn't exactly starving, he could eat, and he figured his young body could use the extra nutrition; he felt a bit too skinny for his liking. Asking Sam if he wanted to join, to which Sam agreed, Damian brought Toph along, and the three of them headed down to the inn's tavern for breakfast.

While eating, Damian sensed a familiar mana signature again. This time, he could put a face to it—the man from the street yesterday. Was he being followed? It seemed a foolish thing to do, especially since Vidalia knew that Damian could detect her mana signature even from across the city. So it was unlikely she'd send someone so obvious. No, this was probably one of the nobles from Pyron, possibly drawn by rumors spread by the soldiers. Information like that often found its way to brokers, especially when soldiers sought extra coins.

A credit exchange event by the lord of each region was set to open in a week across major cities, allowing soldiers from nearby areas to collect their earnings or submit requests. In the capital, one could get it the same day, since everything came from there, though to travel there and back or not was a question for many soldiers who just wanted to return home and rest.

Vidalia had likely already sent messengers to the queen about the aftermath of their victory, and preparations for the credit exchange were likely underway. Spying wasn't exactly a crime for nobles; they were usually free to operate as long as they avoided getting caught. However, Damian could deal with anyone trailing him if he wished. But that won't put an end to it. He expected more people to come spy on him and his friends when the other nobles would get to know about their information. It was unavoidable.

Nobles, ambitious and competitive, were always on the lookout for powerful talents to enhance their standing. Though direct infighting between regions and conquering them was prohibited, nobles could still conduct skirmishes near borders or hire "bandits" to raid rivals' lands. As long as they weren't caught, this behavior persisted, and even the punishments weren't harsh enough to deter it completely. It was a pain in the ass to be a noble but they also enjoyed all the good stuff so there was a plus and minus to both sides. Though Damian would much prefer to be filthy rich and hidden. Not that he could do like that forever.

"What's the plan today?" Sam asked, as Toph munched happily on a piece of freshly baked bread.

"I need to pick up some new books and supplies. I've got enough to spend so.." Damian replied. "Actually, there's something I'd like you to handle for me."

"Huh? What's that?" Sam asked, his mouth full of porridge. Toph mimicked him, both of them looking at Damian with cheeks stuffed with food, chewing.

"Distribute this, as I explained earlier. Make sure everyone in our unit gets their share. Find if the ones we lost were from here or not and if they are from far away give the mercenary guild the quest to deliver their share.. I have already taken my share, you guys should also do it, there is some extra for the quest.." Damian said, handing Sam the spatial storage he'd taken from one of the second-rankers he killed. It held all the loot their unit had gathered.

"Isn't this something the captain should handle?" Sam asked, though he took the storage tool.

"I've got other stuff to do. Also, keep an eye out—soldiers have already started spreading information. Some nobles may come around, trying to recruit or even marry off their daughters to one of you…"

"Pfff!" Sam nearly spat out his porridge in surprise, and Toph followed suit with gleeful enthusiasm, tongue out as if relishing the new fun experience.

"I don't want to get married, Maximus! I'm barely ten!" Sam protested.

"I don't care.. Refuse it then.." Damian disdained. "Don't make a big trouble out of it though.. Do it with the nicest words you can find.. But if anyone forces too much, give them a little demonstration of why we survived.. Don't kill anyone though, they really hate that.."

"No shit they hate that, anyone would hate that.."

With Toph on his shoulder, Damian set off into the bustling streets of Pyron. His first priority was to buy enough parchment and mana ink to prepare for emergencies, followed by books on runes, monsters, and magical creatures. A spell book, if affordable, could also be a worthwhile find. He didn't necessarily need to purchase it; even a quick look would help him replicate its runic circles. But if he found something valuable, he wouldn't hesitate to pay for it—quality deserved its price, though anything truly good probably wasn't openly sold. Still, the unexpected sometimes turned up, and he was excited to find some.

Without the usual snow, Pyron's dock area buzzed with activity like a sprawling flea market, packed with people. Damian briefly thought of the ship crew who had taken them from Faerunia to Pyron, wondering if they were still around or if they'd joined the war effort. The leader of their crew—Andrea, was it?—had been an interesting character.

Though Toph's presence on his shoulder drew curious stares, Damian noticed that people weren't particularly surprised. Perhaps it was normal to keep beasts as pets here? He hadn't seen many other animals except messenger birds and carriage-pulling creatures. True pets seemed like a luxury mostly nobles could afford, and they rarely wandered the streets casually.

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