Visiting Winnie's Family

Walking into a quiet alley, Talia brought Sylutia to a stop before a door and knocked gently.

"Sister, sister, are you there? It's Talia."

After a short while, footsteps echoed from within, followed by a creak as the door opened. A woman who looked somewhat like Talia appeared; she had the same reddish-brown hair, though hers was braided and coiled to the side of her shoulder. She wore an apron, and while her features were not striking, she possessed a gentle, virtuous air. Beside her stood a boy of about five.

"Come, say hello to your aunt," Winnie said, guiding the boy by the hand.

"H-hello, Auntie." The boy was a bit shy; as soon as he finished, he hid behind his mother, clutching her skirt tightly.

"Hehe, it's little Randy! Have you been a good boy lately?" Talia chased after him, patting the boy's head, ready to tease him a bit.

Winnie clearly noticed the figure behind Talia and couldn't help but speak up.

"Talia, who is this?"

Sylutia pulled back her hood, revealing her smooth silver hair and face, causing Winnie to gasp slightly in surprise.

"Hello, my name is Tia. I'm a friend of Talia's, just arrived in Scorched Stone City," the young girl introduced herself.

"Hello, I am Winnie, Talia's sister. Um, please, come in and sit." With that, she stepped aside to let them enter.

Talia and Sylutia walked into the house and sat on a bench in the main hall. Soon, Winnie picked up the teapot hanging over the fireplace and poured them warm tea.

"It's been steeping for a while, so it might not taste the best. Please, forgive me." If Talia had come alone, there would be no need for such formalities, but there was an outsider present today.

"It's quite alright," the girl said, taking the tea before casting a glance around the house.

It was similar in size to the place she was currently staying—about 110 square meters. The room was furnished with wooden cabinets, tables, and chairs, and the shelves were filled with various ceramic jars and bottles.

Once the three were seated, they soon began to chat, and Winnie gradually learned of Sylutia's background and current situation.

"I see. So, Miss Tia, you can't remember your past?" She pondered for a moment. "There are many reasons for this to happen. Aside from common head injuries, it could also be the influence of other transcendent powers."

"Oh? What kind of transcendent powers could do such a thing?" the girl asked, eager to know.

"Anything involving the spirit is usually related to the Moon aspect—specifically the [Bright Moon], [Mist Shadow], and [Nightmare] aspects," Winnie said, proving herself quite knowledgeable. "But as for which specific abilities or secret arts could interfere with memory, I'm not sure. You might need to ask a scholar to find out."

"Thank you." Sylutia wasn't in a rush to recover her memories; settling down was more important for now.

The three then began to discuss Tia and Talia's future life in the city.

"As for work, the only thing I'm familiar with is being a waitress in restaurants. I don't know if Talia could adapt to that." She knew her sister's personality all too well.

"A waitress? I don't like that," Talia said, shaking her head. "You have to stand still and maintain a certain posture, and you have to speak in that specific tone. It's so uncomfortable."

"Well, other jobs aren't nearly as easy," Winnie continued with a smile.

"Ugh, tell me then, sister."

"Laundry, bathhouses, cleaning at inns..." Winnie listed off several jobs in a row.

"Ah, those don't sound good either." It was a far cry from the wonderful city life Talia had imagined.

"They aren't great. I do know of some better jobs, like gardening, helping out at a dessert shop, being a maid for a wealthy family, or working as a shop clerk." Winnie sighed slightly. "Some of these require specific skills, others require appearance and etiquette, and some require literacy and arithmetic. Unfortunately, you don't meet any of those requirements."

"Ah, I get it, sister, stop sighing! It's just that I didn't study hard before, you're always lecturing me," Talia said, covering her ears. "Oh, right! I recently learned swordsmanship. Is there any work for that?"

"Swordsmanship?" Winnie tilted her head, looking at Talia with disbelief and confusion. "Where did you learn that?"

"I learned it from Lord Frien, though Tia gave me even more pointers." Talia pulled the girl beside her closer.

"I see. But do you know any breathing techniques?" Winnie asked.

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

"If you don't, then it's of little use," Winnie replied. "Knowing swordsmanship alone isn't enough. Your physique is lacking, your strength is weak, and your reaction speed isn't up to par. You wouldn't stand a chance against warriors who know breathing techniques. Even some strong adults could easily bully you."

"Ugh..." Talia felt crushed by her sister's critique, having no strength to argue back. "I get it. So what should I do? Do I really have to go be a waitress? I don't think I can do it well."

"That... is true." Winnie was at a loss for a moment and could only shake her head. "When your brother-in-law gets back, I'll ask him. Perhaps there might be some opportunities at the merchant guild."

Having finished discussing Talia's affairs, Winnie turned her attention to Sylutia.

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

"Not yet, but I intend to learn. I'm not sure what channels are available in the city or how much the tuition would be," Sylutia said.

"I can teach you basic literacy, but for more difficult subjects like arithmetic, or if you want to study various fields in depth, you'll have to consult the scholars in the city."

"What recommendations do you have at the moment?"

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

"However, Scholar Heide is no longer taking on students. As for the other two, Scholar Romanda is an advisor to Viscount Xuefeng and has no time to teach. The other is Scholar Edson, who is currently an advisor and appraiser for the Oak Barrel trading firm; he seems very busy as well and would find it hard to spare time for tutoring," Winnie said with a sigh of regret.

"My husband, Ancher, and I were actually introduced by Scholar Edson, so perhaps we could ask him again."

Hearing Winnie describe it this way, Sylutia knew the hope was slim, so she turned to ask about other matters.

"Are you looking for a job?"

Winnie looked at Sylutia with some surprise. In her view, a young lady like this basically had no need to work. As long as she was willing to appear among the nobility, someone would surely shower her with countless gifts and invitations, and her schedule would be packed with banquets and outings every day.

"One must be able to live independently, after all. Besides, I don't really like leaving my future to be directed by others." This was a world with extraordinary powers; relying on external factors was rarely dependable.

"In that case..." Winnie roughly understood Sylutia's temperament, and truth be told, she quite admired this character.

"If it's you, Miss Tia, you could certainly find many good jobs, such as an actress at the opera house, a spokesperson for a jeweler, or a host for a floral salon."

"No, no, please recommend some jobs that don't require me to be in the public eye so much." The young girl did not want to be that conspicuous.

"Something low-profile, then..." Winnie fell into deep thought once again.

"A book copyist—no, that's too exhausting. A maid at a high-end restaurant—no, that doesn't befit Miss Tia's status..." She rejected several options in a row, and the jobs she mentioned made Talia, who was standing to the side, green with envy.

Is this the advantage of being smart and beautiful?

"I heard you mention the Alchemist Guild and the Gardener Guild earlier; are there any suitable jobs for me there?" Sylutia became interested in this.

Her Identification Pupil should be able to provide a lot of help in distinguishing medicinal herbs and their properties. Moreover, if she could learn the methods of refining potions, she could earn her own living expenses without having to go out and show her face. As for the Gardener Guild, she wanted to see if there were any cornflower seeds or related cultivation techniques available.

"I'll have to ask about that to be sure," Winnie nodded in agreement.

By evening, Winnie's husband, Ancher, returned home from work and met the two guests.

"So that's how it is." After hearing the account from Winnie and Talia, he had a general idea of the situation.

"I will go ask Mr. Edson tomorrow. As for the Alchemist Guild, I recommend that Miss Tia first purchase a guide to identifying medicinal herbs. Studying that first will make working there much easier," he suggested while they were having dinner together.

"Talia knows where to buy books. If you are short on money, I can lend you some." Considering that Tia had just arrived in Scorched Stone City, things would indeed be difficult for her.

"About how much does the book cost?"

"If it's the medicinal herb identification guide I mentioned, it costs about 8 silver coins."

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

"Of course, knowledge has never been cheap," Ancher nodded.

"No problem, thank you for your guidance, Mr. Ancher," Sylutia thanked him.

"It's nothing. You are Talia's friend and have also helped the residents of Linden Village; to me, this is only what I should do."

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

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

"This Miss Tia certainly doesn't have a simple background," he remarked with some emotion.

"Indeed. Even just from her standard accent and her appearance and temperament, there is a huge gap between her and ordinary people."

"Furthermore, chatting with her is very comfortable; she lacks that cold, arrogant air typical of the nobility," Winnie recalled her impressions from the day.

"I'll go to the trading firm to help ask tomorrow. By the way, there's also the matter of my sister, Talia. Grandfather sent her to the city, probably because he didn't want her to waste her time at home."

"It just so happens she's sixteen this year, so she can start working."

"Talia has a lively personality; she probably couldn't handle those quiet, sedentary jobs. If it's something that involves running around, she'll love it," Winnie said, describing Talia's character.

"There will be something for her," Ancher comforted his wife.

As the two discussed these matters, the conversation drifted to their child, Randy, and they planned their life and future until the night grew deep and they fell asleep.