I had a free day since we had all agreed to meet at the guild the next day. I transported their luggage into their rooms at the Inn, and Mary was kind enough to get a room for me. There were many things I wanted to explore in the city. However, there was only one problem. 

“I am practically broke,” I said, looking at the small amount of silver coins in my inventory. “Mary said I can turn this plate into the guild.” I took it out and looked it over in the sunlight while I walked down the street towards the guild. Except, a building across from the guild caught my eye. 

The make was more wooden than the surrounding buildings—a dark oak color. Focusing magic into my eyes, I could tell this one was also enchanted. The placard hanging out front had a design of a glass bottle with a green liquid inside. 

“Curious,” I said and walked up to the door, opening it. No chime was above the door, but I could smell potions on entry. 

There were tinctures and glass bottles on the shelves. Many were full of liquid—others were not. In another section of the shop, herbs were stored on wooden shelves. Further back was a desk, and a woman was standing behind it. She stared at me. 

I noticed she was an elf, just like Hela. At least, she had the ears for it, but her skin was darker. She leaned further over the desk, and there was a slight twinge of jealousy from her chest. Her black and purple robes only accentuated hers. 

“Do you plan to stare all day?” The woman asked. 

I shook my head and clutched tightly my staff. 

“Good, I run a business, as you can see,” she said and smiled, placing her head on her hands. 

“Yes! I just saw this shop and decided to stop by.”

“Hmm, are you an adventurer then?” She asked. The darkelf woman straightened her back and pointed to the shelves on my right. “If you are an adventurer, you will find healing, curing, and mana potions on that shelf.” 

“Actually, I was just planning to look inside,” I said earnestly with a smile.

“Well, I don’t run a business for window shoppers. If you want to window shop, check out the enchanters down the road. They might find interest in your—attire.”

I sighed as I walked towards the desk, much to her surprise and possibly amusement. She was all smiles and raised eyebrows.

Even I could see what this was. It was a shakeup. She admittedly had better acting skills, but this scenario became too apparent when I entered. It was time to make a splendid first impression. 

“I am many things,” I said, pausing for dramatic effect. “I am an adventurer, as you say. However, I am also a witch, actress, and crosser of Titan’s Gulp—” I smiled and put a finger to the sky—err, ceiling. “And most importantly—”

The darkelf woman gulped. “Most importantly?”

“Most importantly! I am Eerie von Witchhat!”

Just as I got smug, the darkelf woman burst into laughter. She smacked the table so hard I could hear the wood creak. 

“Why are you laughing?” I asked. “That was my best introduction yet!”

“I am laughing because it’s absurd, Miss Witchhat,” she said and finally straightened her face. “The absurd part is that I actually believe you.” She sighed, taking a long, deep breath. “I am Reddul, and I own this capital’s potion shop. As you can see, I am not busy at the moment.”

“So that’s why you messed with me?”

“Well, it was all true, you know?” Reddul asked. “I really do run a business unfit for an average window shopper.”

“Am I not an average window shopper?”

“No, Miss Witchhat, you are so much more. I knew an interesting person entered my shop.” 

“And why do you say that?” I asked. 

“Because I can tell,” Reddul said. She gestured back to the shelves behind me. “Now then, are you going to buy anything, or do you perhaps have something better to give me?” She clasped my hands in hers. “I will compensate you, of course.”

Reddul had the perfect answer to my lack of funds. I could just sell things. Why hadn’t I ever thought about that? I thought back to all the potions I created in the forest over the thousands or hundreds of years. Undoubtedly, one of them had to be at least a copper? Oh! And there was that plant monster that died by the gimmick! I smiled and pulled out a tincture of that delectable green ooze I got from defeating it.

“Would this make me a decent amount?” I asked and placed it on the table.

She took the bottle, putting magic into her eyes. Reddul then turned it over a few times. The darkelf eventually smiled back at me before shaking her head. 

“I can’t buy this, unfortunately. I would also recommend not to try to sell it to someone else,” Reddul said as she handed it back.

“What? Why not?”

“It’s trapper poison. Sadly, the ingredient has been made illegal for sale here. It has been used for many nefarious deeds.” Her face crinkled. “I think it should be fine, but you know what they say. A few bad herbs spoil the bunch.”

“I thought it was apples?”

“Apples? Herbs? It makes no difference. More importantly, do you have something else?”

I nodded and pulled a dark purple potion out of my inventory. I remembered collecting and making this from the plants the whisps would visit the most. Focusing magic into my eyes, the bottle I pulled out had become the brightest in the store. 

She quickly grabbed it from my hands with a gasp. “Where did you find this!?”

“Actually, I made it!”

“This high—No! Extreme magic potion!? You made it!?”

“Ah yeah, I collected it because of these cute little—”

“Eerie, I will buy this from you right now!”

And that was how I obtained a fortune in another world. Tune in next time to see how I lost the fortune—or maybe?