There were days when Rhea hated what had become of her. She remembered a life of privilege, where her every desire was met by servants whose only job was to anticipate them.

  It was certain she would follow the same path as her family members. Her grandmother taught her the basics and promised to share the secrets of enchanting someday, while her older brother brought home fascinating new trinkets that motivated her to keep learning.

  Thinking back on it now, the cracks had already been visible then. House Elpen had already faced backlash after her grandfather’s overreach with Duke Mordhau, which had closed many doors for them.

  But she had been too captivated by the wealth and privilege. Who cared if her parents were rarely around, always busy entertaining some distant noble for their house’s service instead of relying on the local market? Who cared if her brother’s shoulders bore the weight of countless expectations to somehow pull them out of the hole they had dug themselves into? If her grandmother looked at her with pity, as if she already knew what was to come?

  Then, the Ultimers had formed an alliance with Mordhau, and the fragile structure her charmed life depended on collapsed. The last few businesses that had taken their artifacts were forced to refuse them, fearing for their own families. Toneburg as a whole became hostile, and it didn’t take long before accusations were fabricated, leading to the downfall of the once-proud House of Elpen.

  “What would grandmama say, seeing me like this?” Rhea sighed, looking down at the vat of Endurance Nectar she’d just prepared, sleeves rolled up, shoes dirty from the mud she had to wade through to get the Ground Wasp honey.

  She looked nothing like the girl who had once been the pride of the Elpens.

  Probably that I should get to work and stop wasting time complaining and daydreaming. She was not the type to tolerate loafing, and she has only become more hardened since we lost everything.

  The life of an Alchemist was quite similar to that of an artificer. Both were highly sought after at advanced levels, and Rhea was dedicated to advancing her skills. She knew she would need it when the time came and her destiny caught up with her.

  But she wasn’t there yet, so she was stuck making large amounts of mid-level potions to keep up with the constant demand overtaking Floria.

  Pouring the cooled concoction into individual vials, Rhea let a small amount of mana seep from her fingers to seal them shut through a vacuum, a method she recently figured out after Ogden had yelled at her for selling unsealed potions.

  He has almost completely withdrawn from the public eye since the influx of newcomers started. Hell, he’s even set up spells so that only people who meet strict criteria can find the shop initially, which means I have to go out and sell our stuff directly to the main vendors myself.

  It was quite frustrating at first, but at the very least, it gave her more freedom to handle their clients, and it meant he wouldn’t be breathing down her neck when she went out into the wild.

  “Finally!” she exclaimed, before slapping a hand over her mouth and eyeing the open door. After a few seconds passed and Ogden didn’t come out grumbling about her noise, she hurried to pack everything into her bag, unable to suppress the proud smile that spread across her face. Reaching level fifty was a major milestone, and she’d accomplished it faster than she had expected.

  The town was almost unrecognizable these days. One might think that with most soldiers and powerhouses gone, a sense of fear would linger, but as she left the shop, she saw only busy people doing their best to rebuild a new life in a place full of opportunity.

  “I wonder if grandmama would have sent me here if she knew the level of success it would achieve,” she muttered as she stepped around a construction crew building a new townhouse.

  Even just a few months ago, there had been very little housing in this part of town, which was why Ogden had decided to settle there. Now, every piece of land was worth up to a gold coin and was only expected to increase in value as more construction took place, attracting even more people in turn.

  A few people, those who had lived in Floria all their lives, liked to complain about the noise and number of foresters, but Rhea knew it was mostly for show. Everyone who wasn’t completely naive was raking in coin hand over fist from this renaissance, whether by selling their craft at inflated prices as she did or by renting rooms in their homes to those waiting for their houses to be built.

  As long as the Crowleys kept making everyone rich, they would have no trouble maintaining the peace, even without the looming specter of a Prestige-tier warrior.

  The new market district was also a refreshing change. Previously, it had been an open-air affair, certainly with its rustic charm, but it had now been expanded, featuring wider, smoother streets, flowers hanging from every balcony, giving the entire town a distinctive scent that many newcomers believed had always been there, along with brick-and-mortar shops with their own glass windows to display their wares.

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  Once, only a tenth of the shops could afford such luxuries, but now the only time stalls were used was for the weekly food market, and that was more of a strategic choice to keep people from noticing the changes too much.

  Lady Elena is very wise. She knows when to use subtle methods to get her way and when to wield her authority without mercy. No wonder Nick is the way he is.

  “Oh, there you are!” Markus, the owner of what had once been “The Finest Grimoire Shop," now a general magic items seller but still bearing the same name, greeted her as she let herself in.

  “I was starting to worry I’d have to get the stuff myself. I’d hate to run into that old grump," he said, and Rhea rolled her eyes, sincerely doubting Ogden’s spells would accept him. He wasn’t the worst mage, but he could barely be compared to a once-in-a-century talent like Nick.

  His shelves remained mostly filled with books, but the influx of adventurers and hopefuls seeking to change their lives and reach for the stars had depleted his stock more than a place like Floria could replace, at least for now, forcing him to diversify.

  Rhea set her shoulder bag on the counter and pulled out the samples for the usual items and the Endurance Nectar. “I have the usual and something extra. Tell me, are you still getting people asking for energizers?”

  Markus nodded eagerly, eyeing the golden nectar with greed. When it came to making money, he could be pretty sharp; she had to give him that.

  “Well, you see, I might have come up with something to handle that,” she said coyly.

  His eyes snapped up to hers, and she could see some wariness. “It’s not his recipe?”

  “It’s not,” she confirmed. “Ogden doesn’t find the common man’s struggle worthwhile, and anything he’d bother brewing would probably cost more than their yearly income.”

  “I’m guessing you are not so bothered by the sanctity of your art,” Markus muttered, but his eyes dropped back to the nectar. “How much are you asking, and what are its effects?”

  Got you.

  The entire vat had cost her little more than an afternoon searching for Ground Wasps and digging for Thunder Roots on the Green Ocean's outskirts—an easy task since reaching level forty-five, now even simpler after hitting fifty—just a few silvers to buy good spirits from Ogden’s stores, and some effort.

  If she had wanted to be fair, she would have sold every vial for ten coppers and still would have made four coppers each.

  “Half a silver per vial,” she said instead, raising the price five times without hesitation. “But the effects are enough to revive a person after a day of hard work, and it can be sipped to keep energy high. There’s enough for use over a couple of days, three if they’re careful.”

  Markus grunted, probably calculating how much he could charge. He’d probably add another fifty percent, which would make the vial too expensive for most basic laborers.

  But for those who earn enough to be paid more than a handful of coppers per day, this would be a game changer. Over time, it would trickle down to adventurers, who would demand more, allowing her to fill her pockets with enough gold to prepare for anything the future might hold.

  It had nothing to do with her being a dragon’s apprentice. She wasn't collecting her own hoard.

  There were days when Elena loved her life. Oh, she would have much preferred having her sons and husband back home, filling her house with their chatter and mischief, but she couldn’t deny that she was settling into a rhythm, and seeing her town thrive under her leadership was incredibly rewarding.

  As she took a lunch break from all the paperwork, she decided she had gotten ahead of her duties enough to allow herself a slightly longer pause.

  It’s not like this whole situation with the Polliver-Bolliver Conglomerate will just vanish if I look away for a moment. They’ve been increasing the pressure on local businesses enough that I need to take action, but they haven’t given me a just cause yet, even though I know they must have some skeletons in their closet.

  “I’ll head to the market for my meal, Marissa,” she said, shrugging into her worn bear fur coat and tying her hair up in a way that made her seem more like a civilian than a noble lady.

  Her lack of makeup and jewelry would help her keep some privacy, at least from the newcomers. The natives would recognize her easily, but they knew better than to make a fuss about her presence.

  Homer fell into step behind her, the only member of her guard who knew how to blend in enough to make her sneaking possible.

  I should remember to tell Darien about it. I understand that our current forces mostly consist of veterans who cannot fight and new recruits who spend more time polishing their armor than learning to fight, but keeping a low profile is crucial if we want them to maintain order.

  They had been lucky that no criminal organization had tried to establish itself in their growing town until now, but it had been just a matter of time. Too much money was flowing in, and although she did her best to make sure it was all accounted for, enough slipped through the cracks that sooner or later, someone was bound to try something.

  In this case, the Polliver-Bolliver Conglomerate was the first to get there. It was making a concerted effort to take over the shadow economy from right under her nose while trying to appease her with lower prices on their contract mages.

  Actually, that gives me an idea. Just because I can’t see the solution doesn't mean no one else can.

  As she exited Crowley Hall, now renamed after the renovations to the Town Hall, she changed her original route slightly to dodge most of the new market district.

  Homer noticed right away but stayed silent, once again showing why her husband trusted the man with their son. Not that Nick needed the help, but that boy can get too caught up in his own head at times. Having someone grounded can be very helpful.

  She could only hope he was being careful about things in Alluria. Hopefully, becoming an apprentice to an Archmage would be enough to satisfy his need for adventure for a while, and he wouldn’t do anything reckless.

  “Oh, who am I kidding?” she chuckled, knowing her son far too well to buy that.

  It wasn’t long before she left the hustle and bustle behind and took one of the few routes that remained mostly untouched by the influx of newcomers.

  That’s not exactly the truth. Every building here has been renovated and even expanded, and the air of tension that once hung around has disappeared.

  Indeed, the beastmen quarter had changed since she’d last visited, although it was true that the newcomers didn’t play a part in it, since only their money had entered.

  “My lady,” a soft voice called, and Elena smiled at the one responsible for improving the conditions.

  “Elia, what a wonderful sight.” She was being honest. The young miko had grown over the past year, transforming from a little girl interested only interested in playing with her one friend to a determined teenager, and finally into a true leader.

  Some of it, Elena couldn’t help but attribute to the influence of the goddess she worshipped. It was clear that Elia wasn’t entirely responsible for her growth, as it was unnatural even by beastmen standards, but a good portion was her own effort, and she acknowledged that without trouble.

  “What brings you here?” the foxgirl asked politely, as Elena had long since learned she could see enough of the future to always be aware when someone was coming to see her, even if she had made the decision at the last moment.

  “I have a question, and I believe you’d be best suited to answer it,” she replied, earning a hum.

  “Then, maybe we should take this inside,” Elia said, leading her into the newest house in the district, built just for her.

  It’s a shame that her relationship with Wulla is still strained, but that woman has always been too stubborn for her own good. She’ll come around eventually.

  Herbal tea and a light meal of cold cuts, cheeses, and pickled vegetables were already waiting for them at the table, with two plates and cutlery set up, once again demonstrating how accurate her future sight was.

  Elena sat, not for the first time, wondering whether she could set aside the political consequences and adopt Elia as her own daughter. It would certainly make things easier for her, although she suspected she’d be rejected.

  Putting that amusing thought aside, she leaned on her elbow and showed just enough of her teeth to make it clear she was serious. “I need some help catching rats.”

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