After Jenny walked some rounds around her store, she got two boxes and three small bottles. These were laid before Mikael, and she began to explain:" These here are in my opinion most suitable for you, if I take your past few missions into account. By far not my best creations nor as effective as they could be, but for your Budget they are plenty, maybe saving your life one day."
She pointed from behind the counter at the two boxes.
"In here are ointments that help with smaller wounds or burns. Providing a accelerated healing when used with bandages, their demerit would be a certain itch when applied. Makes them more affordable in your case, so worth a thought. These potions over here" she then pointed at the bottles, "have a more obvious effect. The first one is a much weaker version of that stimulant Leon got fed. It can't save a person from the deathbed, but should help you staying awake and running when needed. This one dopes your muscle strength, but only for a short time and after that you'll feel like after a day long sprinting trip.
Another thing would be you won't be excessively stronger. Only if you could lift 50 units before now, depending how much muscles you have, around 60."
Mikael was in awe of the invaluable uses these small bottles held, not daring to estimate if these are already so expensive what more potent ones would cost.
Jenny was in her element, holding the last bottle carefully.
"This here is stretching your budget, but maybe interests you enough.
It can enhance for a period of time all your senses, not only the five you're familiar with. It has a strong drawback tho. It also strengthens the feeling of pain, so when you use it, be sure to utilize it not when already heavy injured.
Honestly, I'd advice using it combined with pain relievers, but this is risky."
"What is risky about it? Wouldn't that make this selling much more profitable when you also sold effective counters?"
She looked at him as if he was a naive child, remembering that in fact, he was one despite his experiences.
She took two potions of her shelves, holding them before Mikael.
"Look, both of these where made using different herbs, flowers and even monster parts. What do you think could happen using all this stuff at once?"
Mikael thought about it. The closest resemblance he could make was that time he ate on occasion a lot of different meat, fish and spices. Albeit in the moment he enjoyed it and got satisfied, shortly after he felt like puking and as sick as never before.
"Maybe my body couldn't handle all that?"
"Spot on. Some of these contradict, don't have any use when taken simultaneously or maybe enhance the wrong effect. A medicine or potion can become the worst poison. Some people may figure out combinations, but that still harms in some ways their quarrons."
Thinking back to the time Mikael thought of using also the pain relieving potion on Sophia, he got goosebumps.
'Thank Mother I refrained from doing so.'
"So, what would it be. I think best would be some of the ointments and the stimulating potion."
Even if interested in the last potion, Mikael was aware that in the upcoming mission his input would be neigh zero.
And in other situations albeit heightened senses could be beneficial, right now he wasn't proficient enough to move or act accordingly.
'Even if I sense an approaching enemy, all I can do is call out, reacting with my body is another story.'
"I'll take your advice then, some ointment and the potion. How much do I owe you?"
After he paid, leaving his wallet quiet drained again, he got from Jenny the info that Leon was staying in the Inn -Night Stop-.
Apparently a common place in many villages and towns, providing some good standard rooms and food.
Storing his precious medicine away, he bought on the way to the Inn some simple bandages.
As he entered the building and denying his need for a room, he walked to the bar in the background where he could see a familiar back.
"Weird seeing a child at a bar every time. But oh well, whom I to judge. What brings you here?"
Leon greeted Mikael, ordering a drink for him as well.
"Wanted to check up on you. Leaving and doing a mission without seeing how your condition now is seemed wrong."
"Get used to that, hunter often get in groups with people which they never see again. After doing the next one our paths will most likely split, too. No hard feelings, it is part of the job."
Mikael took a sip of his drink, liking how the slight burn ran down his throat.
"How you can expressionless drink alcohol like an adult astonishes me every time."
"Can't help it, I grew to like it, and somehow after drinking it more often I adjusted." he shrugged, seeing Leon shake his head.
"And how are you doing?"
Together they spent some time, Leon speaking about his condition, report to the Guild and an old story where he got the plan for the smoking out got.
Mikael told him about his prospect of being some kind of magician, and how he used his weird sense to subjugate that evolved monster.
As Leon heard of the reward they got, Leon nearly spat out his beer, coughing violently and took a deep breath.
"Dammit, and I bought you a drink. Why don't you are out there enjoying your success instead of boasting in front of me?"
He said, but his smile made the situation a lot warmer.
"Congratulations on your first slain variant, and that bonus. Take that drink as my gift." he bumped his bottle lightly against Mikael's.
"Not that I have any of it left." seeing the question on Leon's mouth, he explained.
"Ahh, I feel you. Money can be spend faster than earned. But at least you bought some useful stuff. I myself thought about getting an ID, but the price scared me a bit. After all a piece of Parchment could fill that role just fine. But you gain much credibility with one, and you especially need it."
A bit of small talk later, Mikael left Leon, wandering through the streets of Chrysalis in search for something to do.
'Holeing up in my room is nothing for me. And my brain can't read all these letters anymore.'
As he went around without a goal in mind, he saw how a merchant walked along the street, complaining.
"If I see that bastard again he will hear a word or two. Sending me here to this forsaken place without a good economic background... How would they be able to afford my wares? This won't turn into a profitable business, not until some richer folks come down here, or these woods show some kind of value. Dammit... "
He left Mikael's range, taking his curses and complains with him.
'Wonder what his wares are. From the clothes he wore it seemed to be good stuff. And from what I noticed these people here are not really poor.'
He thought back when the Guild paid him that ridiculous reward, or that woman purchased that expensive sword from Roàn.
'Or I'm around the few wealthy ones.'
The picture how the father said he'd sell all his property to pay Jenny's bill came up.
He looked at the back of the merchant, still guessing what he might sell.
But without any clues he didn't come far, leaving it as it was.
As he wandered Mikael met Laurence just leaving a armor shop not far from Roàn's smithy, looking quite satisfied at his cart that was emptied by some apprentices.
"And? Got that stuff sold?"
"Sure it did, and to a good price, too. Apparently armor is in these parts in high demand."
Horo cut in, lazily letting her feet dangle down from the carriage.
"Of course it is. With the unexplored Nodan Forest and surroundings, pared with a growing village and many jobs available they can't keep up the production. Told you so."
"Yeah, thank you Horo. But due to my haggling we almost got a third more than you estimated."
Mikael smiled at their conversation.
"Hey, I got a question: do you think this village is poor?"
Not expecting that, Laurence thought a moment, and after exchanging a look with Horo, he somewhat nodded.
"Yes and no, really. Some here are certainly wealthy, but either belong to a bigger group like the Guild or have already saved up a bit. But many came here and settled down to try their luck in this unexplored parts. May have been some time ago, but still. This village hasn't the same history as a old town.
So residents are poor folks living at the edge here, building something up."
"But as said, they came here as this is new land. Adventurers and people of all kind come here, maybe settling down. With a bit of luck Nodan provides this village can grow rapidly into a city." Horo added, pointing at herself and Laurence.
"We are proof. Hearing about a nameless village only with a Guild Branch made us curious, but our profits are good. So we return here and help the economy grow. But maybe that's still a bit much for you."
Mikael felt his head spinning a bit as he absorbed all these information.
"Haha, I know, right. But where did you hear this? Not something a kid should ask, even as peculiar as you."
"Im not peculiar, but a weird guy in good clothes and a monocle said stuff along these lines, he wouldn't get a profit here and this is a forsaken place."
"Had this man a mustache and a brown vest, walking with a cane in hand?" Laurence asked, and Mikael looked at him in wonder.
"I think so, yes. Do you know what he sells? I tried to guess, but came to no result."
Laurence hit his lower lips, hesitant to answer. Horo instead did, her voice holding a hint of disgust.
"That was a old acquaint, we crossed before as he tried to purchase something we didn't approve with. Sadly it was within legal terms, so we could only watch. Best you stay away from him, but we can't force it."
"That guy does in itself nothing wrong, but what he sells is a bit of a controversy. Not many, but some deem the trade with people as immoral, plainly wrong, us included."
"He sells slaves?" Mikael exclaimed, not even having began to think of it.
A tiny spark of an idea came to him.
'What if, no matter how small, he bought the captives from my village?'