Visiting Winnie's Family

Walking into a quiet alley, Talia stopped in front of a door with Sylutia and gently knocked.

"Big sister, are you home? It's me, Talia."

A short while later, footsteps sounded from inside. The door creaked open, revealing a woman who looked somewhat like Talia. She had the same reddish-brown hair, though hers was braided and draped over one shoulder. She wore an apron. Her looks were unremarkable, but she had a gentle, virtuous air about her. A boy of about five stood beside her.

"Come on, say hello to your aunt." Winnie took the boy's hand and prompted him.

"A-aunt." The boy was a little shy. After saying the word, he hid behind his mother and clung to her skirt.

"Hehe, it's little Randy! Have you been good lately?" Talia chased after him, ruffled his hair, and got ready to play with him.

Winnie now noticed the figure behind Talia and couldn't help asking, "Talia, who's this?"

Sylutia lowered her hood, revealing her smooth silver hair and face. Winnie's mouth fell slightly open in surprise.

"Hello, I'm Tia, Talia's friend. I just arrived in Scorched Stone City," the girl introduced herself.

"Hello, I'm Winnie, Talia's older sister. Please, come in and sit down." She stepped aside to let them in.

Talia and Sylutia entered the house and sat on a bench in the sitting room. Before long, Winnie picked up the teapot hanging over the fireplace and poured them some warm tea.

"I brewed it a while ago, so it may not taste its best. Please forgive me." If Talia had come alone, she wouldn't have needed to be so polite, but they had a guest today.

"That's all right." The girl took the tea, then glanced around the house.

It was about the same size as the house she was staying in, probably around 110 square meters. Wooden cabinets, tables, chairs, and other furniture filled the room, while the counter held numerous ceramic bottles and jars.

Once they had all sat down, they soon fell into conversation. Winnie gradually learned about Sylutia's background and current circumstances.

"I see. So, Miss Tia, you can't remember anything about your past?" She gave it some thought.

"There are many possible reasons for this. Besides the common cause of a head injury, it could also be the influence of some other supernatural power."

"Oh? What kinds of supernatural powers can do that?" The girl was eager to know.

"Most powers related to the mind fall under the Moon Aspect. That is, the three Aspects of Radiant Moon, Mist Shadow, and Nightmare." Winnie was clearly quite knowledgeable.

"But I don't know exactly which abilities or secret arts can interfere with memories. You might have to ask my teacher."

"Thank you." Sylutia wasn't in a hurry to regain her memories. For now, settling in mattered more.

The three of them chatted some more about Tia and Talia's future life in the city.

"As for work, what I know best is serving in a restaurant. I'm not sure if Talia could handle that, though." She knew her younger sister's personality.

"A serving girl? I don't like that." Talia shook her head, just as expected.

"You have to stand in one spot and keep up a certain posture, and you have to speak in that particular way. It's awful."

"The other jobs aren't as easy, you know," Winnie said with a smile.

"Ugh, tell me about them, then."

"Working in a laundry, a bathhouse, or doing odd jobs and cleaning at an inn..." Winnie listed several jobs.

"Ah, those don't sound good either." They were far from the wonderful city life Talia had imagined.

"Not really. I know of some better jobs, like trimming people's gardens, helping out at a pastry shop, serving in a wealthy family's home, or working in a shop."

"Some of those require certain skills, some require good looks and manners, and some require literacy and numeracy. Unfortunately, you don't meet any of those requirements," her sister replied with a sigh.

"Ah, I get it. Don't sigh, big sister. I just didn't study hard enough when I was younger. You're always scolding me about it." Talia covered her ears.

"Oh, right, I've recently learned swordsmanship. Is there any way I could put that to use?"

"Swordsmanship?" Winnie tilted her head at Talia, unconvinced and confused.

"Where did you learn it?"

"I learned from Lord Frien, but Tia taught me even more." As she spoke, Talia tugged the girl beside her closer.

"I see. Can you use the Breathing Technique?" Winnie asked.

"No." Talia shook her head like a rattle drum.

"Without it, swordsmanship won't be much use," Winnie replied.

"Knowing swordsmanship alone won't do you much good. You're not fit enough, you're weak, and your reaction speed isn't fast enough. You couldn't beat warriors who know the Breathing Technique. Even some strong adults could easily overpower you."

"Ugh..." Talia's sister had crushed her confidence, leaving her with no strength to argue back.

"I get it. So what should I do? Do I really have to work as a serving girl in a restaurant? I don't think I'd be any good at it."

"Well... that's true." Winnie was at a loss for a moment and could only shake her head.

"Let's ask your brother-in-law when he gets home. There might be some opportunities at the trading company."

After finishing their discussion about Talia, Winnie turned her attention to Sylutia.

"Miss Tia, do you have any plans for now?"

"Not at the moment, but I'd like to learn some things. What options are there in the city, and how much would tuition cost?" Sylutia asked.

"I can teach you the basics myself. Arithmetic might be a little more difficult. If you want to study various subjects in depth, you'll need to consult one of the city's scholars."

"Who would you recommend?"

"There are currently three scholars in the city. Scholar Heide is the most senior, and he was also the teacher of the other two," Winnie explained.

"However, Scholar Heide isn't taking students now. As for the other two, Scholar Romanda is Viscount Xuefeng's advisor and doesn't have time to teach. The other is Scholar Edson. He's currently an advisor and Appraiser for the Oak Barrel Trading Company, and he seems busy too. It'd be hard to find time for him to teach you," Winnie said regretfully.

"My husband, Ancher, and I met through Scholar Edson's introduction. Perhaps we could ask him again."

From Winnie's description, Sylutia knew her chances were slim, so she moved on to ask about other options.

"Are you looking for work?"

Winnie looked at Sylutia in surprise. In her eyes, a girl like this basically wouldn't need to work. She only had to show herself among the nobles, and countless gifts and invitations would come her way. Her schedule would soon be packed with banquets and outings.

"I have to be able to support myself. Besides, I don't like leaving my future in someone else's hands." This was a world with supernatural powers; she couldn't count on outside help.

"In that case..." Winnie had a general idea of Sylutia's personality, and she quite admired it.

"Someone like you, Miss Tia, could find plenty of good jobs, such as performing at the opera house, promoting jewelry for a jeweler, or hosting a flower salon."

"No, no. Please recommend a job where I won't have to be in the public eye so much." The girl didn't want to attract that kind of attention.

"Not much time in the public eye..." Winnie fell into thought again.

"Copying books—no, that's too exhausting. Serving at a high-end restaurant—no, that doesn't suit Miss Tia's status..." She rejected several options in a row, and Talia, sitting nearby, couldn't help feeling envious of the jobs she mentioned.

Was that the advantage of being smart and beautiful?

"I heard you mention the Alchemist Guild and the Gardener Guild. Do they have any jobs that might suit me?" Sylutia had grown interested.

Her Identification Pupil should be a great help in identifying medicinal plants and their properties. If she could learn to make potions, she could earn her own living without going out in public. As for gardening, she wanted to find out whether there were flower seeds for Cornflowers, as well as information on how to cultivate them.

"We'll have to ask them to find out," Winnie agreed with a nod.

Near dusk, Winnie's husband, Ancher, came home from work and met the two guests.

"I see." After hearing Winnie and Talia's explanations, he had a general idea of what was going on.

"I'll ask Mr. Edson tomorrow. As for the Alchemist Guild, I recommend that Miss Tia first buy a book on identifying medicinal plants. Once you've studied it, it'll be easier for you to start working there." He gave this advice over dinner.

"Talia knows where to buy books. If you're short on money, I can lend you some." Considering that Tia had just arrived in Scorched Stone City, she would indeed be short of money.

"How much would the book cost?"

"If it's the guide to identifying medicinal plants I mentioned, about eight silver coins."

"Whoa, books are that expensive?" Talia exclaimed in surprise.

"Of course. Knowledge has never come cheap." Ancher nodded.

"That's fine. Thank you for the advice, Mr. Ancher," Sylutia said gratefully.

"It's nothing. You're Talia's friend, and you also helped the people of Linden Village. It's the least I could do."

After dinner, Talia and Sylutia said their goodbyes and returned to their lodgings.

After they left, Ancher discussed the silver-haired girl with Winnie.

"Miss Tia definitely comes from an extraordinary background," he said with a sigh.

"Yes. Her accent, appearance, and bearing are all far beyond those of ordinary people."

"Besides, it's very comfortable talking with her. She doesn't have the aloof, arrogant air most nobles do." Winnie recalled how she had felt that day.

"I'll ask around at the trading company tomorrow. Oh, and there's my younger sister, Talia. Grandpa sent her to the city, probably because he didn't want her wasting away at home."

"She's sixteen this year, so she's old enough to work."

"Talia's lively. She probably couldn't handle quiet jobs. She'd enjoy a job with lots of running around," Winnie said, describing her sister's personality.

"We'll find something," Ancher reassured his wife.

The two of them discussed these things, then their conversation drifted to their son, Randy. They talked about their family's life and future plans until late into the night, when they finally went to sleep.