Leon finished his Tai Chi form, striking a dramatic final pose—hands sweeping down in a slow, deliberate arc, breath exhaling in a steady stream. It was unnecessary—Tai Chi ended naturally with relaxed, flowing movements—but he liked the flair. "Style counts," he muttered to himself, grinning.
Months of practicing Tai Chi had boosted his mana growth significantly. Though undetectable day-to-day, his mana pool had doubled, and his meditation recovery speed improved thanks to the form's rhythmic breathing. It freed up time for experiments: tweaking his camshaft crossbow, testing new glass recipes, and even trying to adapt his Mage Hand to shape molten metal.
He wandered to the herb garden, where Im had cleared a small plot for vegetables in early Awakening Month. None of the seeds had sprouted yet, and Leon recognized only one variety—spinach, its angular seeds resembling tiny water chestnuts (hence its local nickname, "water chestnut greens"). "I hope it's like the spinach from my old world," he joked, recalling the cartoon sailor who gained strength from the leafy green.
None of the four apprentices knew the first thing about farming. Im had planted the seeds while Leon was selling mirrors, and now they couldn't identify most of them. "As long as they're edible," Dahlia had said, shrugging. Leon agreed—ignorance was bliss, for now.
A loud clang-clang-clang echoed through the valley, jolting him from his thoughts. Im had hung a bronze gong at the valley entrance instead of a magic doorbell—it was cheap, universally recognizable, and spared nobles the embarrassment of shouting "Open up!" from the valley mouth.
Leon walked toward the gate, wondering who it could be. Lord Sainsbury's steward wasn't due for another week, and merchant caravans rarely visited the valley directly. As he rounded the bend, he spotted a large, gilded carriage emblazoned with the Valoka Merchant Guild crest parked outside the wooden fence.
He pulled open the gate, and his eyes widened. "Serena? You finally made up your mind?" He stepped aside, gesturing for them to enter. Behind Serena stood a curvy woman with sharp, calculating eyes—her mother, Eunice, if Leon guessed right.
Serena rolled her eyes, but there was no bite in her tone. "Surprised? Don't look so thrilled to see us."
"Leon, I presume?" the woman said, stepping forward with a polite smile. "I'm Eunice, Serena's mother and guildmaster of Valoka. We're here with a formal proposal."
Leon blinked, glancing between the two women. "Wait—last time you said you represented the Wickham branch. Now you're the guildmaster's daughter?"
"You lied about being a servant delivering clothes to Im," Serena shot back. "We're even." She nodded toward the carriage. "We brought a gift—you'll want to see this."
Leon gestured toward the valley's interior. "Let's head to the cottage first. It's still chilly out here." He wasn't desperate for the partnership anymore—selling mirrors had filled his coin pouch, and he was more focused on his magic training than business deals.
As they walked up the hill to Moonlight Cottage, Leon glanced at the herb garden. It had long outgrown its original "moonlight grass only" purpose, but the name "Herb Garden" felt too bland. He'd never bothered to change it.
"Leon, come look!" Serena called, yanking open the carriage door. "It's a magic furnace."
Leon's eyes lit up. His current high-temperature furnace had a crudely integrated rune circle—it could reach blistering heats, but temperature control was clunky and imprecise. The furnace in the carriage was sleek, black, and at least two meters wide, its surface smooth and etched with faint mana conduits. It filled the entire carriage bed.
"Why'd you get this for me?" he asked, leaning in to inspect the rune patterns.
"Orlando mentioned your glass and metalworking experiments," Eunice said, joining him. "This furnace has precise temperature regulation and integrated mana channels—perfect for your projects. It's our way of showing we're serious about the partnership."
Leon grinned, running a hand over the cold metal. "This is awesome. But… how do we get it up the hill? It must weigh a ton."
Im emerged from the cottage at that moment, his robes fluttering in the breeze. "What's all the commotion?" he asked, spotting the carriage and the two women.
Leon turned, grinning. "Master, they brought a magic furnace! Can you use Mage Hand to move it up here?"
Im raised an eyebrow, eyeing the furnace. "Impressive. Let's get it inside the workshop first. We can discuss the partnership over tea."
Eunice smiled, extending a hand to Im. "Guildmaster Eunice of Valoka. It's a pleasure to finally meet you."
Im shook her hand, his expression neutral but curious. "The pleasure is mine. Come in—we have much to discuss."
As Im began levitating the furnace up the hill with Mage Hand, Leon followed, his mind racing. The furnace would let him experiment with more advanced glass and metal projects, and the partnership with Valoka would finally bring his fountain pen to the wider mage market. For the first time in a long while, he felt like his two worlds—Earth's knowledge and Etho's magic—were finally aligning.