"Children, come down from the carriage," Mother called out. "Micah, please stay with them."
We descended from the carriage and stood amid a serene apple orchard. The sun bathed the surroundings in a warm glow, casting a dappled pattern of light and shadow on the ground beneath our feet. The sweet scent of apples filled the air, mingling with the gentle breeze rustling through the leaves.
As in the previous round, we remained before the cave's entrance while Mother and Ben disappeared into the hidden cave with our grandmother's casket.
Elda leaned closer to me and whispered, her voice barely audible above the peaceful ambiance, "Where are they going?"
"Peep!"
Leona posed the same question into my mind.
I shrugged. "I'm not sure."
I was also curious about where they were going, but that was an answer I planned to figure out at another time. Right now, I had a slightly different question.
"Micah, what were those scrolls you and Mother received?" I asked my older brother. "Are they anything like the scroll you had on your during the ball?"
It was a complete guess. I couldn't be sure, but during the funeral procession on this round, I noticed that the scrolls handed to Micah and Mother had a similar appearance to the one from the time of the ball.
And while the scroll wasn't the sole reason Micah and Evelyn were targeted, Detective Gavin Graves expressed an interest in it. He even attempted to trick me into helping him unseal it. Clearly, it was important.
Micah, standing tall beside us, turned his attention toward me, his green eyes locked with mine. The sunlight played upon his features, illuminating the subtle highlights in his hair and casting a warm glow around him. He appeared to contemplate something before replying.
"I never shared with you what that scroll from the ball contained," he said. However, it almost sounded like he was confirming with me.
"That's right, you didn't," I acknowledged.
"How much of what Grandma Ruth was involved in do you know already?" he asked.
"Next to nothing," I answered honestly.
"Hmm." Micah nodded slowly. "But you have some understanding of the history of the Arankagul family, at least from the formal history's standpoint?"
"Not really."
Micah raised a brow at this. "Professor Whistle would have at least covered that with you."
"I've always skipped out on the lessons," I replied.
It was a little embarrassing to admit this to the highly studious Micah, but there was no use in lying. Also, even if Professor Whistle had covered it while I was present, it was a good seven years ago in my mind, and I likely was asleep through the lesson.
Micah sighed and looked away toward the cave. A breeze moved through the apple orchard and lifted his golden blonde hair.
"Well, I suppose that's my fault," Micah said. "I knew you engaged in other activities and didn't want to force you into something you did not want to do."
I frowned at this.
I didn't see how it could have been Micah's fault. He had practically raised me, but that was because Mother and Father were always away. Not that our parents' attempts to get me to study did much good either.
"And I figured when you'd be interested to learn, you'd study properly." He looked back at me and smiled.
Damn it. I bet Micah didn't anticipate my interest wouldn't kick in until after I'd died a few times.
"The answer to your question would require too much explaining without the proper understanding of the past, so I suggest going to one of Professor Whistle's lessons and inquiring him to teach you about the history of our family's involvement in Adovoria's politics," Micah said.
"Understood," I said.
Micah was busy, as it were, so having him provide me with a history lesson just because I didn't bother sitting through one of my private tutors' lessons really was a poor use of his time.
"Once you understand the basics, I can discuss other unofficial specifics. Such as what these scrolls contain." Micah tapped the carrier on his horse that held all the scrolls he was given. "But in essence, they are symbols of various agreements made between our family and these individual factions."
I nodded.
In the previous round, Micah had also given me some insight when I asked who Mirela Southwell was–one of the many individuals to have handed Micah a scroll. Back then, he had indicated her group of traveling companions was helping our family in return for us providing help with what sounded like a potential revolution.
"Micah, on a completely unrelated note, I don't suppose the Frey Merchant Guild has any perishable product we're having trouble moving at the moment?" I asked.
"There's always product like that," Micah replied. "Changing regulations and instability cause disruptions in supply flows. What's your interest?"
I expected as much. I recalled from my original life the mess of having a hundred crates of one product sitting in storage and unable to be moved due to the client disappearing and no other buyer being available. In the end, it went bad and had to be tossed out. It was a painful financial loss.
"If there's no buyer, would there be any problem if I made it disappear?" I asked. "I'll be able to compensate for it."
"You know of an alternative market? Or a use?" Micah raised a brow.
I nodded.
It was most certainly an alternative market.
My right hand grasped the Wobbly Pebble in my pocket, playing with the strange object I had purchased from the Game Store.
While going through the various items sold within the Game Store, I noticed that beyond armor, weapons, and artifacts, there were also health potions being sold.
I found that to be of interest. Health potions were one of those objects that had a specific shelf life and were ultimately perishable. It was longer than a piece of fruit, but there was a limit to how long a potion could remain unused before it became unusable.
However, the potions in the store didn't indicate their expiration.
I had asked the System last night. >
Leona chirped happily at this news.
What are you planning on asking Natalia about this time?
Leona correctly understood my intention of going to the bakery.
My eyes gazed toward the tall walls of Genise. These were the same walls that Grandov, Fin, and I had stood atop in our final battle against the Kobar Empire. I had gone back seven years in time, but my memories of fighting alongside them were still fresh in mind.
"Children, come down from the carriage," Mother called out. "Micah, please stay with them."
We descended from the carriage and stood amid a serene apple orchard. The sun bathed the surroundings in a warm glow, casting a dappled pattern of light and shadow on the ground beneath our feet. The sweet scent of apples filled the air, mingling with the gentle breeze rustling through the leaves.
As in the previous round, we remained before the cave's entrance while Mother and Ben disappeared into the hidden cave with our grandmother's casket.
Elda leaned closer to me and whispered, her voice barely audible above the peaceful ambiance, "Where are they going?"
"Peep!"
Leona posed the same question into my mind.
I shrugged. "I'm not sure."
I was also curious about where they were going, but that was an answer I planned to figure out at another time. Right now, I had a slightly different question.
"Micah, what were those scrolls you and Mother received?" I asked my older brother. "Are they anything like the scroll you had on your during the ball?"
It was a complete guess. I couldn't be sure, but during the funeral procession on this round, I noticed that the scrolls handed to Micah and Mother had a similar appearance to the one from the time of the ball.
And while the scroll wasn't the sole reason Micah and Evelyn were targeted, Detective Gavin Graves expressed an interest in it. He even attempted to trick me into helping him unseal it. Clearly, it was important.
Micah, standing tall beside us, turned his attention toward me, his green eyes locked with mine. The sunlight played upon his features, illuminating the subtle highlights in his hair and casting a warm glow around him. He appeared to contemplate something before replying.
"I never shared with you what that scroll from the ball contained," he said. However, it almost sounded like he was confirming with me.
"That's right, you didn't," I acknowledged.
"How much of what Grandma Ruth was involved in do you know already?" he asked.
"Next to nothing," I answered honestly.
"Hmm." Micah nodded slowly. "But you have some understanding of the history of the Arankagul family, at least from the formal history's standpoint?"
"Not really."
Micah raised a brow at this. "Professor Whistle would have at least covered that with you."
"I've always skipped out on the lessons," I replied.
It was a little embarrassing to admit this to the highly studious Micah, but there was no use in lying. Also, even if Professor Whistle had covered it while I was present, it was a good seven years ago in my mind, and I likely was asleep through the lesson.
Micah sighed and looked away toward the cave. A breeze moved through the apple orchard and lifted his golden blonde hair.
"Well, I suppose that's my fault," Micah said. "I knew you engaged in other activities and didn't want to force you into something you did not want to do."
I frowned at this.
I didn't see how it could have been Micah's fault. He had practically raised me, but that was because Mother and Father were always away. Not that our parents' attempts to get me to study did much good either.
"And I figured when you'd be interested to learn, you'd study properly." He looked back at me and smiled.
Damn it. I bet Micah didn't anticipate my interest wouldn't kick in until after I'd died a few times.
"The answer to your question would require too much explaining without the proper understanding of the past, so I suggest going to one of Professor Whistle's lessons and inquiring him to teach you about the history of our family's involvement in Adovoria's politics," Micah said.
"Understood," I said.
Micah was busy, as it were, so having him provide me with a history lesson just because I didn't bother sitting through one of my private tutors' lessons really was a poor use of his time.
"Once you understand the basics, I can discuss other unofficial specifics. Such as what these scrolls contain." Micah tapped the carrier on his horse that held all the scrolls he was given. "But in essence, they are symbols of various agreements made between our family and these individual factions."
I nodded.
In the previous round, Micah had also given me some insight when I asked who Mirela Southwell was–one of the many individuals to have handed Micah a scroll. Back then, he had indicated her group of traveling companions was helping our family in return for us providing help with what sounded like a potential revolution.
"Micah, on a completely unrelated note, I don't suppose the Frey Merchant Guild has any perishable product we're having trouble moving at the moment?" I asked.
"There's always product like that," Micah replied. "Changing regulations and instability cause disruptions in supply flows. What's your interest?"
I expected as much. I recalled from my original life the mess of having a hundred crates of one product sitting in storage and unable to be moved due to the client disappearing and no other buyer being available. In the end, it went bad and had to be tossed out. It was a painful financial loss.
"If there's no buyer, would there be any problem if I made it disappear?" I asked. "I'll be able to compensate for it."
"You know of an alternative market? Or a use?" Micah raised a brow.
I nodded.
It was most certainly an alternative market.
My right hand grasped the Wobbly Pebble in my pocket, playing with the strange object I had purchased from the Game Store.
While going through the various items sold within the Game Store, I noticed that beyond armor, weapons, and artifacts, there were also health potions being sold.
I found that to be of interest. Health potions were one of those objects that had a specific shelf life and were ultimately perishable. It was longer than a piece of fruit, but there was a limit to how long a potion could remain unused before it became unusable.
However, the potions in the store didn't indicate their expiration.
I had asked the System last night. >
Leona chirped happily at this news.
What are you planning on asking Natalia about this time?
Leona correctly understood my intention of going to the bakery.
My eyes gazed toward the tall walls of Genise. These were the same walls that Grandov, Fin, and I had stood atop in our final battle against the Kobar Empire. I had gone back seven years in time, but my memories of fighting alongside them were still fresh in mind.
