Important Mail

Edward had been free these past few days. The princess and the young Mage hadn't come to bother him. Only Pastor Elvin had stopped by the Alchemy Shop a few times to ask about things he didn't understand, such as what to keep in mind when making Fermented Bread and what else potatoes could be used for.

Edward also made the young pastor some French Fries, Chips, stir-fried shredded potatoes, and Potato Beef Stew. Harry, who ate lunch with them, kept complaining about having nothing but potatoes for the past few days.

At last, Edward told the Baby-faced Pastor that potatoes weren't the only answer. Corn and sweet potatoes, both native to the New Continent, could also help solve famine. In this world, corn and sweet potatoes were still used only as animal feed. He specifically told the pastor that every part of corn was useful. The Straw could be used as feed, corn could be pressed for oil, and the leftover corn could be made into Starch.

The Baby-faced Pastor had nodded repeatedly as he took notes.

Speaking of sweet potatoes—the plant called yams in Edward's hometown in his Previous Life—Edward was reminded of something amusing from when he'd first awakened his memories of his Previous Life. Back then, poisoned by the transmigration novels he'd read in his Previous Life, he'd secretly found and eaten a lot of yams. He'd expected his Magic Power to grow, but nothing happened. Instead, after eating too many yams, he'd spent several days "passing gas" at random. His classmates had kept their distance from him.

The Alchemy Shop seemed to be doing better these past few days. The first customers to come buy Multi-purpose Alchemy Pots were actually from the Parala Fishing Net Shop—the fishermen introduced by the neighbors at the end of the street.

Fishing was one of the hardest occupations in this world. The risks of going out to sea were bad enough, but in this season, the sea winds were bitterly cold. Even getting a sip of hot soup out at sea was difficult. Since all the ships were still made of wood and fishing boats were generally small, they couldn't carry much Fuel. And for fear of starting a fire, they hardly dared light one.

Ever since Edward's Alchemy Pot had appeared, fishermen had praised it for having no open flame, being easy to carry, and using remarkably safe Fuel. But its price of one Golden Eagle Coin was frighteningly high. A few owners of small fishing boats had browsed the shop several times without being able to bring themselves to buy one. When Edward heard about it, he said to Harry:

"Tell them that anyone referred by a neighborhood shop where they've bought something before can get a sixty-percent discount—not just on Alchemy Pots, but also the Portable Magic Lamps over there and all the Alchemy products in the camping section."

A week later, the Alchemy Shop had sold fifteen Alchemy Pots, twenty-two Portable Magic Lamps, and a few other Alchemy products. This month's sales had nearly reached twenty-five gold coins. Edward gained a deep appreciation for the fact that Alchemists really weren't short on money. Even with the discounts, his profit was at least three times the production cost. Delighted, Edward gave Harry a one-gold-coin commission.

As for why the Magic Lamps were more popular, although they cost less to make than the pots, their windproof and waterproof qualities were the reason every fishing-boat owner gritted his teeth and bought one first. Sometimes, Edward underestimated how much darkness inconvenienced people in this era.

Today, Edward was working flat out in the underground Machining Workshop in the Backyard, restocking the shelves.

Since becoming a Full Alchemist, his Magic Power and Mental Power had both improved by leaps and bounds. Even as an apprentice, he'd found a way around the obstacle of insufficient Magic Power by using External Magic Power as a substitute. But Mental Power had always been a bottleneck, severely limiting how many Alchemy products he could make.

Now that he'd advanced to Full Alchemist, his Mental Power had increased more than tenfold. Even at the peak of his apprenticeship, his Mental Power and Magic Power had been much higher than those of other apprentices, thanks to his "Spiritual Root." He had no other Alchemists to compare himself with now, but he suspected his Mental Power was at least on par with that of the Genius Magic Girl.

He replenished a week's worth of merchandise in just one hour. As he put the goods into his Spatial Ring and prepared to go upstairs to restock, the Electric Bell in the room rang. It had to be Harry, who was minding the shop out front, calling for him. He hurried over.

When he opened the shop's back door, he saw Mr. Zebra, the postman, in a blue uniform with a large bag on his back. His skinny horse stood outside the window, a Cloth Bag over its muzzle as it leisurely chewed on the fodder inside.

"Mr. Smith, here's your Mail Pickup Notice. Please go to the Duchy Mage Corps to collect your Exclusive Mail. Please sign here. Thank you."

After signing his name on the Receipt Slip, Edward asked:

"Isn't the mail usually delivered by you, Mr. Zebra? Why do I have to go pick it up?"

"Sorry, Mr. Smith. This is the first time we've encountered a situation like this, too. Apparently, the mail is so important that you have to collect it in person."

"Was it sent from Ailande Third Magic Tower?" Edward asked, having guessed the reason.

Mr. Zebra checked the document in his hand and said, "No, it was sent from Ailande First Magic Tower. The specific contents of the mail are unknown."

"All right, I'll go collect it now."

"Very well. Goodbye, Mr. Smith."

"Goodbye."

Meanwhile, back in the early morning, dawn had lit the Top Floor of the Magic Tower. Princess Andrea's aunt, Kaydelin, President of the Magic Association of the White Hawk Duchy and commander of the Duchy Mage Corps, was supervising her daughter Alice as she recited spells. The morning was the best time of day, when people were most alert. Her daughter had to get her morning lessons done properly. Kaydelin had been busy with other matters these past few days and hadn't kept a close eye on her daughter. Now Alice had started sleeping in. Today, she'd forcibly dragged her out of bed.

But the results were clearly less than ideal. The Wine-red-haired girl was reciting her lessons in the morning light, nodding like a bobblehead as her eyes drooped half-shut.

Just as Kaydelin was about to go wake her still-dozing daughter, the Magic Array nearby lit up.

She walked over to the Crystal Ball in the center and pressed her hand against it. A Mental Fluctuation came through.

"White Hawk Tower, White Hawk Tower. This is Ailande First. Please respond if you can hear me. Over."

"Ailande First, this is White Hawk Tower. Received. Over," Kaydelin replied.

"We have a Large Mail Transmission. Please activate your Reserve Magic Power. The Alchemist Guild will cover the Magic Power costs for this transmission, so please accept it without worry. Over."

"Received. It's been activated. Over."

"Transmission starting now. Have a good afternoon—no, morning. Over."

Then a Halo Black Hole, one meter in diameter, appeared, and the entire top floor of the Magic Tower blazed with light. A long wooden crate was spat out and hit the floor with a thud. Fortunately, the Magic Array beneath the floor was sturdy enough not to break.

Alice snapped awake and ran over to look. The magical light faded, and everything returned to calm.

"Mother, what's that?"

"A Large Mail sent from Ailande First Magic Tower."

"Who's it for?"

"Why don't we take a look?"

Alice crouched down and saw that the crate was securely locked. The lock bore the Alchemist Guild's emblem. A Nameplate was attached to the crate. She read aloud:

"Recipient: Edward Smith.

"Address: 39 City Gate Street, White Eagle City, White Hawk Duchy.

"Contents: supplies for the White Hawk Duchy Branch of the Alchemist Association.

"Sender: Headquarters Logistics Department, Pan-Continent Alchemist Association."

Then she turned to her mother excitedly and said:

"I know that guy. We have an Alchemist Association Branch now, too. I'll go get him to pick it up!"

She got up to run, but Kaydelin caught her by the back of her collar.

"Sit down and recite your spells properly. We can just notify the postman to come get him. Establishing a Branch also means signing a few documents with the Magic Guild. The Alchemist Association is a Subordinate Association under the Magic Guild's headquarters, so that Edward Smith will be under my supervision from now on."

As she spoke, Kaydelin rang a bell. A moment later, Jessica, the maid on duty downstairs, came up.

Kaydelin handed Jessica a form she'd just finished writing and said:

"Find someone to take this to the post office right away. It's urgent and must be delivered immediately."

As Jessica bowed and prepared to leave, Alice pulled her over and whispered something in her ear.

The maid nodded and left.

"Is this Smith the guy who sold Andrea that sword?"

"Yes."

"Then tell me exactly what happened...and what kind of person he is."

While Alice explained what had happened earlier to her mother, Jessica told the guards at the Duke's Mansion to make a trip to the post office on Flower Street.

The puzzled guard asked, "Why go to the post office? Can't I just deliver it directly?"

"It's the official procedure. We have to do it this way. Besides, you idiot, which is closer: Flower Street or City Gate Street?"

"You've got a point." The young guard laughed and ran off.

Then Jessica pulled over a young maid who was passing by and whispered something to her. The maid turned and ran off with a smile.

Princess Andrea had just finished her sword practice. Having used up all her Battle Qi, she was sitting still to recover. Beads of sweat ran down her cheeks and along her slender neck, but she didn't notice. It was the middle of winter, yet wisps of white steam rose from her head as heat radiated from her body. If Edward had seen it, he would surely have shouted, "Three Flowers Gather at the Top!"

She could feel herself making clear progress these past few days. Ever since she'd mastered the rhythm of the "Wave," wielding this sword had felt like moving her own arm. The time it took for her to unleash Battle Qi had also dropped to less than a second. She thought she could master Instant Qi this month and gain true staying power in battle. She also seemed to have grasped a knack for something. She felt that with just a little more progress, she could project Battle Qi outside her body like a Sky Knight, forming skills similar to wind blades or Crescent Moon Slash. She was overjoyed.

At last, she steadied her Aura. The family Knight's Breathing Technique was highly effective at raising Battle Qi. After nearly a year of stagnation, her cultivation had begun to rise slowly. Perhaps it was all thanks to the "baptism." She was almost getting addicted to the feeling. But she reminded herself not to rush. Overcoming the temptation of rapid improvement was a trial in itself. Knights who advanced too quickly without stabilizing their realms and mastering the basics often met terrible ends.

Just then, a maid carrying a towel came in and said, "Your Highness, the dress you ordered a few days ago is ready. It's been put in your room, and your bath is ready, too. Also..."

The maid leaned close to her ear and whispered a few things. The princess nodded, a gentle curve forming at the corners of her mouth. Then she went back to her bedroom to bathe.

Steam rose from the bathtub. In her hand was a milky-white, translucent bar of soap. It was one of several trial bars the guy had given her along with the treats he'd brought Alice last time. Apparently, it contained Rose Essential Oil worth its weight in gold. It smelled lovely and made plenty of bubbles. It didn't have the coarse feel of the soap her aunt had brought back from Middle Earth last time.

The warm water washed away the fatigue and sweat from her training. When she stepped out of the bathroom, she felt clean and refreshed.

She walked over to the bed. A blue dress with a white lining lay on it. Beside it was a White Fox Fur Cape for winter.

She put on the dress and turned once in front of the full-length mirror. It fit perfectly, but something seemed to be missing. Then she realized what it was. She called Lulu over to do her hair.

Lulu was clever with her hands. After looking over the portrait the princess gave her, she immediately understood what to do. She pinned the princess's long hair at the back of her head, secured it around the outside with braided hair, and tied a pretty blue bow with a ribbon. Finally, she dragged over the large trunk, took out the gleaming silver armor, and helped the princess put it on.

"Your Highness, this armor is just for show. It feels so light."

"This armor and the dress aren't meant to be worn in battle. They're only for formal occasions."

"But you look so dashing in it! I've never seen a princess look so dashing in a dress!"

"You're such a sweet talker..."

When the princess walked out of her room in her Battle Skirt, with the White Fox Fur Cape over her shoulders and her sheathed sword in hand, she ran into Lainhardt, the captain of the knights, who had come to report to her.

The tall young knight captain was so stunned by the sight of the princess that he froze where he stood, forgetting to bow.

The mischievous Lulu waved a hand in front of the captain's face and said:

"Wake up, Sir Knight Captain!"

Thanks to everyone for your recommendation tickets, and thank you for supporting me these past few weeks. Honestly, this is my first time writing a novel. I got into the genre eighteen years ago with Mercenary World, and lately I've been suffering terribly from a lack of books to read. So I decided to try writing a novel myself.

I haven't settled on the style of this book yet, and even the outline is still taking shape. But I'll do my best to keep writing. I hope you'll continue to support me, and I hope more people will discover the book. Thank you!