Town #2
"Every year," Mei said, smiling slightly. "You'll want warm things. Blankets—oh, but you can grow those, can't you?"
"Yes, but—" Wren paused. "What else do I need? I'm new to all of this."
Mei's expression softened slightly. "Come back tomorrow. I'll make you a list. Things every homestead needs. We'll work out trades."
"Thank you."
"And when you're ready," Mei added, "talk to the town engineer about shield upgrades. Yours is basic—does the job, but there are better systems. Stronger walls, longer-lasting bulbs, self-repairing enchantments."
"How much?" Wren asked.
"Depends on what you want. Basic reinforcement? Fifty gold. Full upgrade with self-repair? Two hundred, maybe more."
Wren's stomach dropped. Fifty gold? She'd just made three silver. How much was—
"Fifty gold is five hundred silver," Jin said, reading her expression.
Five hundred silver. She'd just earned three.
"That's... a lot."
"It's worth saving for," Mei said. "Especially on that property. The cursed land puts extra strain on shields. You'll want the best you can afford eventually."
Something to work toward then. A long-term goal.
The metalwork was packed into a crate, since it was too large for her purse, unfortunately. Kenji offered to help her carry it.
As they headed for the door, Jin spoke quietly. "There's someone who wants to meet you."
Wren's stomach tightened. "Who?"
"Viktor. The landowner I mentioned. He's... expressed interest."
Of course he had.
"Do I have to?"
"Not today. But eventually, yes. He's influential. Better to meet on good terms."
Wren nodded reluctantly.
Outside, her wooden horse waited patiently. The morning sun had risen higher, and the market was in full swing. People still stared, but less openly now. Curious rather than shocked.
She loaded the crate onto the horse, who helpfully secured it with branches. It balanced perfectly, like the horse understood what she needed.
"Thank you," she said to Jin and Kenji. "For everything."
“It was nothing,” Kenji said dismissively.
“My pleasure,” Jin said.
Wren looked back at the town, at the bustling market she'd barely seen. She'd come all this way, and the morning was still young. "Is there a seamstress in town?" she asked Kenji. "Someone who might want silk?"
Kenji's face lit up. "Madame Lin. Best seamstress in three territories." He pointed up the street. "Two blocks that way, blue awning."
"And... is there somewhere I could get something to eat? Something I didn't grow myself?"
"Pastry shop right across from Madame Lin's," Kenji said. "Fair warning—once you try Hana's honey cakes, you'll never be satisfied with regular bread again."
Jin had been silent, but now he spoke. "I'll accompany you. The lieutenant needs to return to his duties."
Kenji looked between them, grinned, and gave a casual salute. "Marshall. Wren. Enjoy the honey cakes."
He headed back toward the gate, leaving Wren suddenly alone with Jin. Well, not alone. She was in the middle of a crowded marketplace with a wooden horse. Even so, she felt a little awkward. "You don't have to—" she started.
"I’m happy to show you around," Jin said simply.
They walked through the market, leading her horse while she took in the sights properly this time.
A spice merchant's stall overflowing with colorful powders and dried herbs.
A butcher hanging fresh game—some of it from monsters, judging by the unusual cuts.
A woman selling honey in clay jars, the liquid gold catching the sunlight.
Children ran past, laughing, playing some kind of tag game. An elderly woman swept her doorstep, nodding politely as they passed. It felt real. Normal. Like a place where people actually lived, not just survived.
The seamstress shop had a blue silk awning and a window displaying beautiful garments—dresses, robes, formal wear in rich fabrics. A bell chimed as Wren entered.
The shop was small but immaculate. Bolts of fabric lined one wall. A dress form stood near the window draped in partially completed work. And behind a cutting table stood a woman in her fifties, her hair streaked with silver, wearing a simple but elegant dress.
She looked up, and her eyes went immediately to the silk items Wren was pulling from her purse.
"Oh my," she breathed.
Wren laid out what remained—two more nightgowns, several chemises, stockings, a set of underthings.
Madame Lin picked up a nightgown with trembling fingers. "This stitching. This is... this is perfect. Not a single flaw." She looked at Wren. "Where did you get this?"
"I grew it."
Madame Lin blinked. "You grew it."
"Silk tree. It's... complicated."
The seamstress examined every piece, holding them up to the light, checking seams that didn't exist because the garments had grown whole. "I've never seen anything like this. The quality is extraordinary."
"Would you want to buy them? Or trade?"
"Both. Either. Whatever you'll accept." Madame Lin set down the nightgown carefully. "I have clients who would pay premium prices for silk this fine. How much can you produce?"
"I'm still figuring that out," Wren admitted. "The tree produces regularly, but I'm not sure if there's a limit."
"Bring me whatever you can spare. I'll take it all." Madame Lin named a price that made Wren's eyes widen—twelve silver for the lot.
"That seems like a lot," Wren said hesitantly.
"It's fair for quality like this. More than fair—I'll make triple that selling them." Madame Lin was already counting out coins. "You come back when you have more. I'll have standing orders waiting."
Wren left the shop fifteen silver richer, her purse significantly lighter, and her head spinning slightly.
Jin was waiting outside with her horse. "Good trade?"
"I think so? She paid twelve silver for what Mei paid seven silver for."
"Different markets. Mei deals in practical goods. Madame Lin caters to the wealthy." He gestured across the street. "Hungry?"
The pastry shop was called Hana's Sweet House, and the smell wafting out made Wren's mouth water immediately. Honey, butter, cinnamon, something floral she couldn't identify.
Inside was cozy, with small tables, shelves lined with baked goods, and behind the counter a young woman with flour dusting her apron and a bright smile. "Marshall!" she called. "The usual?"
"And whatever my companion would like," Jin said.
Wren stared at the display. Honey cakes glazed to golden perfection. Fruit tarts with berries she didn't recognize. Delicate cookies dusted with sugar and cream-filled pastries. Sweet buns studded with nuts.
"I don't even know where to start," she admitted.
"The honey cakes," Hana said immediately. "Everyone starts with the honey cakes. And some jasmine tea to go with it?"
"Yes, please."
They sat at a small table by the window.
Jin's "usual" turned out to be a simple meat bun and black tea.
Wren's honey cake was still warm, the glaze sticky-sweet, and when she bit into it she understood what Kenji had meant.
It was perfect. Light, sweet, with layers of honey and something slightly spiced.
Better than anything her breadfruit tree produced.
"Oh," she said softly.
Jin's mouth quirked slightly, the closest she'd seen him come to a real smile. "Good?"
"Really good."
They ate in comfortable silence for a while, watching people pass by the window. Wren sipped her jasmine tea and let herself just... exist. No danger. No monsters. Just a moment of peace in a pretty town with good food.
"The silk tree," Jin said eventually. "Does it only grow once, or does it produce more over time?"
"I'm not sure yet. Some of my trees keep producing, and the breadfruit has grown back. But others, like the blanket flower, were one harvest and done." She frowned, thinking. "I think the trees might be seasonal? Or maybe they produce one type of thing per season and then switch?"
"You'll want to track that. Know what you can rely on for regular trade."
"I know." She took another bite of honey cake. "There's so much to figure out."
"You're doing well so far." It wasn't effusive praise. Just a simple statement. But coming from Jin, it felt earned.
A shadow fell across their table. Wren looked up.
A man stood there—tall, well-dressed, with dark hair silvered at the temples and an easy, confident smile. His clothes were fine quality, his boots polished, his bearing that of someone used to being important. "Marshall," he said pleasantly. "And you must be Wren. I've been hoping to meet you."
Jin's expression didn't change, but Wren felt him tense slightly. "Viktor," Jin said. "We're in the middle of a meal."
"Of course, of course. I don't mean to intrude." Viktor's smile didn't waver. "I just wanted to introduce myself. Welcome you to the neighborhood, as it were." He extended his hand.
Wren hesitated, then shook it. His grip was firm, warm, and practiced.
"Viktor Andersen. I own the properties surrounding yours. I've been watching your progress with great interest."
"Watching?" The word came out sharper than she intended.
"Just concerned neighbor interest," Viktor said smoothly. "The cursed farm has been empty for so long. I'm delighted to see someone finally making it work."
There was something warm in his tone, admiring. Something that made her skin prickle.
"Thank you," she said carefully.
"If you ever need anything—advice, resources, assistance—please don't hesitate to ask. I'm always happy to help." His smile widened slightly. "Perhaps we could discuss your farming methods sometime. I'm quite curious about your... unique approach."
"Perhaps," Wren said noncommittally. She didn’t know what to make of this guy.
Viktor inclined his head. "I'll let you finish your meal. Welcome to the community, Wren. I'm sure we'll be seeing much more of each other." He left, the bell chiming as the door closed behind him.
Wren looked at Jin. "That was him."
"That was him."
"He seemed... nice?"
"He's very good at seeming nice." Jin finished his tea. "Don't trust him."
"I see," she said, non-comital. She’d decide for herself what to think.
After Viktor left, Wren finished her honey cake but her mind was elsewhere.
"I should get a few more things before I go," she said. "While I'm here."
Jin nodded and accompanied her back through the market.
She stopped at the spice merchant first. Now that she had cookware, the colorful powders and dried herbs were too tempting.
She bought small amounts of cinnamon, ginger, black pepper, and something called fire root that the merchant promised would add warmth to winter soups. Two silver spent, but worth it.
The honey merchant was next. She picked three clay jars of different varieties—wildflower, clover, and something dark called shadow honey that supposedly came from flowers that only bloomed at night. Another silver.
At a vegetable stand, she bought things she couldn't grow, like onions, garlic and root vegetables that would store well. The farmer was curious about her wooden horse but too polite to ask directly.
"Oh, and I should go back to Madame Lin's," Wren said, remembering.
Jin raised an eyebrow but followed.
The seamstress looked up hopefully when Wren entered. "More silk already?"
"Not yet. But I realized that I only have velvet and silk. I need practical clothes. Cotton, linen, things I can work in that match local fashion."
Madame Lin's eyes lit up. "I can absolutely help with that! Let me take your measurements."
Ten minutes later, Wren had ordered three cotton work dresses in simple, practical cuts that wouldn't look out of place in town, two linen shirts, and a pair of sturdy canvas trousers. Madame Lin promised to have them ready in three days.
"I'll trade you," Madame Lin offered. "The next batch of silk you bring, I'll take half as payment for the clothes. Fair?"
More than fair, probably. "Deal."
By the time they headed back to the gate, it was nearly midday. The safe window was halfway through. Wren's wooden horse was loaded with her purchases—the crate of metalwork, packages of food, jars of honey, bundles of vegetables.
Her dandelions rose when they saw her, alert and ready.
"Thank you," she said to Jin. "For... everything. The escort. The introduction. The warning about Viktor." She smiled at that last part. He’d been a bit heavy handed in his hints, as if Viktor were some kind of villain.
"You’re welcome. Let me know when you’re coming to town again and I’ll show you another great place to eat. Or—" He paused. "Or if Viktor becomes a problem."
"You think he will?"
"I think he wants your land. And he's used to getting what he wants." Jin's expression was serious. “It doesn’t hurt that you’re a pretty lady.”
She blushed. Wow! He thought she was pretty.
Tongue tied, she nodded and mounted her horse, settling into the saddle with the ease of childhood riding lessons coming back to her.
The ride home was quick and uneventful. Her escort flanked her, golden eyes watchful. The shield came into view, solid and strong with the fresh bulbs.
Home.
She dismounted at the gate and led her horse inside. The dandelions spread out immediately, resuming their patrol.
Walter appeared, whiskers twitching with curiosity. "How was town, madam?"
"Profitable. Overwhelming. And I met Viktor."
"Ah." Walter's tail flicked. "And?"
"Jin told me not to trust him."
"The Marshall is a wise man."
“He also said I was pretty.”
“Ah.” Walter chose not to comment. Even a squirrel could see the possible connections there.
Wren unloaded her purchases, carrying everything inside. The metalwork went into the kitchen; finally, proper pots and pans! The spices and honey were lined up neatly on the shelves, and the vegetables were tucked into the root cellar where it was cool.
She stood in her kitchen, looking at her new tools, and felt a surge of satisfaction. She'd done it! She'd gone to town, made trades, established connections, avoided getting scammed, and come home safely with everything she needed.
Well. Most of what she needed. She still had 499 silver to go for that shield upgrade, but it was a start.
Outside, the afternoon sun was warm. Her trees rustled in the breeze. The dandelions prowled peacefully.
Not bad for a day’s work.