Chương 204: B3—Chapter 53: Gifts, Gripes, and Grub

It was time to leave Crystalspire, but I had to make a decision. The Gate to Alaska was relatively close, and if I wanted to drop to Earth for a day or two, this was the perfect place to do it. On the other hand, it was now spring, which was the ideal season to travel. Occasionally, it rained for half an hour or less, but it was mostly sunny, yet not too hot. The summer was hot, and not only on the island.

When I was at Rivermine Vale, I felt like I was melting most of the time, and even at the falls, with all the water spray in the air, it was hot. I had a massive supply of plants for Al, which could wait until we met again. Spells for Mahya could also wait until we met again. But there was the dungeon core, which could help her with the class she wanted. Azureas was relatively far. Even if I didn't stop in the towns on the way, it would take me at least two weeks to get there.

If I wanted to return and give her the core, reaching her would take me weeks. I asked Rue, "What do you think, buddy? Shall we continue to travel in Lumis or visit Earth for a day or two to give them all the things we bought?"

"Visit friends! Rue want visit friends!" he responded, his tail wagging a mile per minute. I facepalmed. Of course. What did I think the answer would be?

"Visiting friend it is," I told him while scratching his ear.

"But we need to do some shopping if we're visiting them. Want to come with me or stay at the hotel?"

"Rue come do shopping. Shopping for friends important."

"Let's go." When we got to the street, I felt eyes on me. The hair on the back of my neck stood up. I thought about looking around, but then I had a better idea.

"Rue, buddy. Check who's spying on us," I sent him telepathically. That was the day I found out my dog was an actor. Rue lowered his head, began sniffing the street, reached a doorway, sniffed there, then raised his head and sniffed the air. He repeated the same sequence until he reached a doorway at the other end of the street and again raised his head to sniff.

Walking a little way up the street, he sniffed a pair of horses tied to a carriage, which didn't react at all to his sniffing, then raised his head again and sniffed. He kept sniffing the street back toward me and started walking down the street. I followed as he continued to sniff.

"Rue smell two sneaky sneaks on roof. One sneaky sneak on street," Rue said, his tail wagging slightly. I considered what to do with this information, then shrugged. They could knock themselves out if they wanted to spy on us while we shopped.

"Thanks, buddy," I replied, giving him a quick pat on the head.

"Now, find us plazas selling interesting food to take to Mahya and Al. But please think of their interesting, not your interesting." This time, he raised his head and sniffed in earnest. For half a day, he led us to various plazas that sold exciting food. I bought a variety of smoked and grilled meats, cheeses, pastries, and breads. We even came to one plaza that sold savory pies. The local word was fette, which my language translation interpreted as pie, but it differed from the pie I knew from Earth.

I was used to pie with a flaky dough crust and a filling in the middle. The pie here had thick, soft dough covering the filling, even on top. It was more like a giant doughnut, without a hole in the middle, filled with various ingredients. After tasting one, I decided they knew more about pie than the people of Earth. It was delectable. The dough was soft and juicy, reminding me a bit of a bao bun from the East, as it absorbed the juices of the meat and vegetables inside.

It was like eating hot bread fresh from the oven with a delicious meat stew and then mopping up the sauce with the bread. But instead of doing it in stages, it was all in every bite. It was a true delicacy. I bought twenty of every filling they had for Rue and me, and another ten for Mahya and Al. It was that good. Rue led us to another nearby plaza that sold the same pies but with sweet fruit fillings, which were even better. Around noon, we finished all the food shopping and headed to the bazaar.

At first, as I looked around, nothing caught my eye. But on second thought, a few things could be useful. I approached a booth selling runic glasses. The seller, a young girl with waist-length black hair, radiated a subtle but noticeable power. Mage, maybe?

"Is there a difference in magnification, or are they all the same?" I asked, glancing at the rows of glasses. She pointed to different rows.

"Ten times magnification. Thirty times magnification. Fifty times magnification."

"What are the prices?" I asked.

"Ten times, five gold. Thirty times, twelve gold. Fifty times, twenty gold." I pulled out a coin from Earth and held it up.

"Do you accept coins like this?" She shook her head apologetically.

"No, I'm sorry. I don't have Appraisal skills. I can only accept known coins." Nodding, I bought one pair of each magnification. Mahya could use these. Next, I headed to the scroll stalls. This time, I read the descriptions carefully, not just the names. I hoped the spell scroll Stay Clean could be a backup for Mahya if the regular Clean spell didn't work, but the description was disappointing. For 50 mana, protect your clothes from dry dirt for 2 hours. Great, I thought sarcastically.

I knew it wouldn't cut it because most of the dirt Mahya dealt with was liquid—blood, engine fluids, or oils. The other spells from Azureas were just as useless. The descriptions of Keep Warm and Keep Cool were identical, just reversed: For 50 mana, double the density of a garment's fabric for 2 hours. For 50 mana, double the airiness of a garment's fabric for 2 hours. That's a bust. The Solaria stalls had something worthwhile, at least. I bought ten copies of Telepathy, paying with Earth coins this time.

Luckily, the merchant had the Appraisal skill. They were in case I met somebody without ability points who needed to talk to Rue. In addition, I picked up single-use scrolls of Flame Wave, Ice Wall, Blade Storm, Stone Prison, Thunder Strike, Solar Flare, and Quicksand Sink. I almost bought Wind Vortex but, ultimately, decided against it. I could already create a vortex, and there was no point in wasting three gold on a single use of something I could do myself. Naturally, all the exciting scrolls cost three gold.

The cheaper ones, at one gold, were too simple for my tastes. Simple Heal Heal 100 units of health. Anti-Venom Prevents the spread of venom if used within the first three minutes after a bite. Note: it is still necessary to cut the bite site and squeeze or suck the venom out of the body. Definitely not worth the price, especially with the misguided advice about sucking out the poison—what nonsense. Once we were done with all our shopping, we headed back to the hotel in the early evening.

I approached the girls at the reception and said, "I'm leaving two days early, and I'll be checking out tomorrow morning." The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

"I'm sorry, sir," one of them replied politely.

"We can't refund any money that was paid. It's already been sent to the owners of the Skyrest, and getting it back would be impossible. As compensation, we can offer you a meal at one of our restaurants." In my head, Rue yelled,"Rue take meal!" I restrained myself from laughing and asked, "Of course, I understand. The meal includes my familiar, right?" They squinted at Rue, exchanged a look—I was sure they were communicating telepathically—then sighed in unison.

The blonde finally said, "Of course, sir," her tone resigned. They must have realized the Skyrest would lose on this meal.

"What do you want?" I asked Rue, glancing at him.

"Meat or fish?"

"Rue want meat!" he shouted mentally. Judging by their winces, he included the receptionists in the conversation this time. Although he had learned to speak in a normal tone, when excited, he reverted to mental shouting.

"How do I inform the restaurant that the meal is at Skyrest's expense?" I asked, turning back to the receptionists.

"Show the head server the room key, and sign the bill. It will come to us, and we'll take care of it," the blonde receptionist replied, still sounding unhappy.

"Thanks." I waved goodbye to them, and Rue and I headed off to eat. Skyrest lost on this meal big time. We tasted not just one dish but the entire menu. I ordered five dishes, took a couple of bites, and gave Rue the rest. After those were gone, I ordered five more. This continued until we had sampled everything, including the desserts. The food was delicious. Meats with vegetables in various interesting sauces, baked poultry with fruits, grilled or smoked juicy cuts, and creamy, decadent desserts.

After three and a half hours, we dragged ourselves to the elevator, barely able to walk from all the food. But it was worth it—the food at this spire was terrific. I regretted not visiting the restaurant earlier during my stay. Oh well. I'll find more delicious places in my travels. There is no point in crying over a spilled restaurant. When Rid brought us breakfast in the morning, he looked embarrassed and apologetic. I quickly understood why.

Rue got a bowl a third of the usual size with scrambled eggs and two sausages, and I received a simple porridge with fruit and honey and a small cheese pastry. They even sent just a cup of tea instead of the usual pot. Hmm, the receptionists got the restaurant bill, and they're not happy. I patted Rid on the shoulder and said, "It's okay. Don't feel bad. This has nothing to do with you, just silly power games." I handed him a gold coin.

"Thank you very much for your great service." Rid gave the deepest bow I'd ever seen from him and said, "Thank you both so much. You've been the most pleasant guests I've served in the two years I've been here." Rue approached him, gave him a lick on the cheek, and added,"Rid nice friend. Rue like Rid." Rid laughed, bowed again, and said, "Enjoy your breakfast, and have a safe trip."

When we got to the reception to return the key, there were different girls from the night before, but they clearly heard about our meal. They looked at me with flinty eyes and curled lips.

"Good morning, ladies. Here's the key. Thanks for a pleasant stay. Maybe we'll meet next time I'm in Crystalspire," I said with a huge smile.

"Thank you, sir," one of them replied in a carefully controlled tone through clenched teeth, her smile forced.

"We will always be happy to host you." I waved goodbye, and we left the spire. Not feeling like walking much, I approached one of the carriage-cabs and asked the driver, "I need to head south, out of the city. How far can you take us?"

"Five trots, sir. That is the farthest I can go." I had no idea how far "five trots" was, and my language skills were useless in this case. Since I had no choice, I shrugged and said, "Five trots it is." It turned out that five trots were about three kilometers outside the city limits. Not much, but it was better than navigating half a city on foot with all the winding streets. After I paid the driver, Rue and I continued on foot. The road was full of people, so I didn't take out my ATV.

About two hours into our walk, I felt eyes on me again, with a distinct feeling that whoever was watching was hostile. I didn't get a warning from my Perception or Luck, so I wasn't too worried, but I was sure about the hostility. After a minute, Rue said,"Sneaky sneak watch John and Rue."

"I know, buddy. Ignore him." We strolled for a few hours, stopping for lunch under a sprawling tree and enjoying a local pie. I ate one, Rue ate three and tried to ask for more. After lunch, we continued on our way. In the afternoon, I told Rue in a relatively loud voice, ensuring our observer could hear, "Let's start looking for a place to set up the tent. If we wait too long, we'll have to put it up in the dark, and I don't want to do that again."

"Silly John. John take out tent quickly," Rue responded.

"I know, buddy," I replied.

"I said that because of the sneaky sneak watching us."

"John also sneaky sneak," Rue said, bumping me with his shoulder. He meant it playfully, but his size pushed me sideways, and I lost my balance. Laughing, I hugged him to stabilize myself, and we walked into the trees. We continued walking for about half an hour, and after ten minutes, I didn't feel the eyes on me anymore, but didn't want to take any chances. We went up a hill, and after descending the other side, I said to Rue,"Quick, turn invisible, and rise into the air.

I want to fly toward the Gate as fast as possible, but flying fast takes more mana. Turn windy, and I'll hold onto you."

"Yes, boss!" We both rose into the air, and I hugged Rue tightly. Since he was invisible, I had to locate him by feeling. When we were above the tree line, I shot toward the Gate. Just to be sure, I opened my profile. It was so annoying that there wasn't some HUD to show my mana, and the only way to see it was by opening the profile.

"One more thing you need to fix," I sent to the system. Of course, I didn't get an answer, but I wasn't even upset. I was already used to it. I flew fast! We arrived at the Gate in less than an hour. We landed and crossed the Gate. It was dark on Earth. Again, I grabbed Rue, rose into the air, and shot toward Anchorage. I was glad I had stayed longer and helped Mahya and Al find a house to rent. Now, I knew exactly where to fly and didn't have to call an Uber.

When I landed in the house's yard, Mahya was already waiting for me in the open door, hands on her hips.

"What are you doing on Earth again?" she asked.

"I come bearing gifts."

"In one book you gave me, I read the saying, 'Beware the man who comes bearing gifts," she said with a smirk.

"Yeah, yeah. Let me come in and become visible, and I'll tell you everything." She moved aside, and I entered. When Rue followed, he bumped her aside. I was sure it wasn't in jest this time, but because he'd grown so much. Al shouted from the kitchen, "I'll arrive in a few moments. Right now, I'm unable to step away from the mixture."

"Take your time," I called back. When we became visible, Mahya's head jerked back, her eyes widened, and she gasped, "Rue! What happened? You're huge! How did you grow like that?" Wagging his tail, Rue stuck his nose up in the air and turned to show off his right side, then his left, before proudly saying,"Rue ate lots of yummy. Now Rue more dangerous!" We both burst out laughing, especially at his proud pose. Mahya hugged him, scratched his ears, then turned to hug me.

"I'm always happy for a visit, and I'd be even happier if you stayed. But seriously, what on Earth are you doing here again?" she asked.

"You left this morning."

"I have a few things for you two. And before I head away from the Gate toward Azureas, I jumped in to give them to you," I explained.

"Besides, for you, it's this morning. For me, it was two weeks."

"Couldn't it wait?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Most of it can. One thing can't."

"What exactly couldn't wait?"

"When Al joins us, I'll show you everything," I said, waving a hand toward the kitchen. She called, "Al, get your butt over here right now!"

"I need two more minutes!" Al called out. Mahya crossed her arms and said, "I'll wait," tapping her foot impatiently. I decided to torture her a little. When Al joined us, I first took out all the boxes of herbs I had bought for him and handed him the list.

"This is the list of all the herbs and the amounts," I said, waiting while he went through the list. The tapping of Mahya's foot on the floor grew faster and louder, almost to the point of stomping. When Al finished reviewing the list, he came up to me, hugged me, and said, "Thank you so much, John. This means a lot to me. Thank you."

"Good! You're done with him! What now?" Mahya demanded. I took out the foods I had bought for them, one by one, explaining each one.

"This is smoked meat—just delicious. It's so juicy, you won't believe it. This is a pie they make in Lumis, and you have to taste it. It's like a bao bun with filling, and it's so soft and airy. It's like the cotton of bread that absorbs the sauce. Eating it is simply an experience." At this point, Mahya was pinching the bridge of her nose and squeezing her eyes shut.

"Get on with it."

"Okay. These are pastries I brought from the Mana-Infused Bakery. I must admit, the pastries' mana levels are very low—not what I expected. But at least the pastries themselves are tasty. And this is fresh bread I bought at the Plaza—" She grabbed my shoulders, shaking me.

"If you don't get to the point right now, I swear I... I..."

"Yes?" I asked in a teasing tone. She threw her hands in the air, snapping, "Gah! Get to the point, goddammit!"

"I thought you believed in the Spirits, not God."

"I'll kill you. I swear, I'll kill you if you don't tell me right now what was so urgent that you came back here." She looked like a caricature of impatience. I found it hilarious and couldn't help but laugh. She glared at me.

"Well?" I pulled out the dungeon core and handed it to her. She took a step back.

"You cleared another one?! How do you find so many?!"

"No, this is the dungeon I told you about—with the fire. I forgot to give you the core." I pointed my finger at her.

"And don't you dare call me Clueless again. You forgot, too!" I said accusingly. She crossed her arms.

"I didn't forget." I threw my hands up.

"Then why didn't you say anything?! I would have given it to you last time I was here, and I wouldn't have had to return." She mumbled something.

"What?" I asked.

"Except for your house, I took all the cores. I didn't want to be greedy," she said, looking at the floor.

"And you call me an idiot? You're a much bigger idiot! It's not like you eat those cores!" I exclaimed.

"You build things with them that we use. We have three jeeps, and with this core, we can power all of them. And we also have motorcycles, an ATV, and jet skis that need cores. Besides, it'll help you get the class you want. What exactly is greedy about that? It's not like you build things to sell them. You build them for us." I was beyond frustrated. Al stood off to the side, nodding the whole time I was talking. Her shoulders slumped, and she said, "You're right. I'm sorry.

It's just that your story about the dungeon was so scary. And then you didn't offer me the core, so I didn't want to ask for it. You worked so hard to get it." She took a deep breath.

"I needed to remember who I was dealing with. You forgot to give it to me, didn't you?"

"Um, yes?" Al burst out laughing, and after a second, Mahya joined him and then hugged me. After she stopped laughing, she said, "You're still Clueless. How could you forget a core? It's the most valuable thing in the cosmos!" Then she flicked the back of my head.

"Hey!" I protested. They kept laughing at me. With friends like that, who needs enemies?