A Brief Respite

The next day, Sylutia went to the Alchemist Guild to purchase the Guide to Herb Identification, and the clerk kindly gifted her a "Hemostasis Potion Recipe." The Gardener Guild, however, was quite rudimentary. Scorched Stone City was not a particularly wealthy place, and few people cared about flowers or gardening; they only sold common flower seeds, lacked cornflowers, and their books on horticultural knowledge were rather thin.

Placing a wooden chair in the small courtyard behind the house, Sylutia sat down and spread the Guide to Herb Identification across her lap to browse through it.

The afternoon courtyard was exceptionally quiet. A few rays of light entered the space, landing on the empty ground by her feet, bright but not blinding.

The yellowed pages, clear printed text, and illustrations of herbs emitted a faint scent of ink upon being opened, making the high price feel somewhat justified.

Having arrived in this world nearly ten days ago, Sylutia had been encountering new things almost every day, stepping into one strange and unfamiliar environment after another. Only now could she relax slightly, leaning back against the chair to spend an incredibly peaceful afternoon.

The sunlight in the courtyard shifted slowly, moving from where it missed her entirely to gradually illuminating Sylutia's calves, bringing waves of warmth.

Her slender fingertips traced the pages lightly. After turning one and finishing the introduction to a chapter, Sylutia looked up, facing the sun-drenched courtyard. A faint sense of lightness and happiness rose in her heart; she felt like taking a nap in this breezy afternoon.

Marking the page, she placed the book on a small table nearby. She pulled her calves back slightly, resting her feet on the chair's crossbar, then leaned her head against the backrest and closed her eyes.

In such a quiet and relaxed state, a few strands of hair swayed gently against her cheek without waking her from her light slumber. Her eyebrows were relaxed, and her soft face appeared somewhat cute and childlike in the afternoon glow.

The insects in the trees continued their chirping. Beneath the tender green and pale yellow leaves, the young girl slept soundly as time slowly slipped away.

Several hours later, the sound of a key turning in the lock and a door pushing open echoed through the house. A lively, bouncing figure walked in, circled the room, and finally found Sylutia napping in the backyard.

"Tia~ I'm back." Talia came to the side of the sleeping Sylutia, rested her hands on the wooden chair's armrests, and curiously studied the girl.

Sylutia looked less sharp while asleep than when she was awake, but there was a different kind of cuteness to her, Talia suddenly thought.

The girl beneath her then opened her eyes, shook her head and hair lightly, and sat up.

"Talia is back." Her soft voice carried a hint of laziness, exceptionally mellow, as if this were the tone she was truly meant to have.

"Mm-hmm, time to get up, Tia~" She helped Sylutia sit up properly, then trotted off to the living room to return with a pale green melon, similar in size to the watermelons in Sylutia's memories.

"Uncle Hook gave this to me. I was helping out there this morning~" Hook was a former resident of Linden Village who now sold fruit and ran other small businesses in Scorched Stone City.

"I thought of Tia right away, so I brought it back for us to eat together." Talia made it clear that she was a good sister who wouldn't forget Tia.

"Thank you, Talia." The girl replied with a smile. Talia's casual enthusiasm washed away the unease and tension she had felt since arriving in this strange world.

"Let's cut the melon; it won't taste good if we leave it too long." Talia spoke impatiently.

"Okay." Sylutia thought for a moment, found a kitchen knife in the cupboard, and the two used stored water to simply rinse the melon skin before slicing it open.

Once the pale green melon was cut, the inside revealed tender yellow flesh and quite a few white seeds. The two held the slices and stood in the backyard to eat; there were no outsiders here, so there was no need to be formal.

Biting into the flesh, the sweet, refreshing juice overflowed, giving Sylutia a jolt of energy and clearing her head.

It was delicious. While not as sweet as a watermelon, it had a different kind of woody, mellow sweetness that left a lingering aftertaste.

"What kind of melon is this?" she couldn't help but ask.

"This is a 'Velvet Leaf Melon.' People grow them on the sunny slopes around Scorched Stone City and bring them into the city to sell, but they spoil easily, so it's hard to find them elsewhere." Talia knew Tia would be interested in this and had specifically asked Uncle Hook before leaving.

"Oh?" Sylutia tilted her head slightly at Talia's preemptive answer, but quickly understood why.

This child must have prepared the answer in advance.

"Thank you." She brushed the hair in front of her face and replied, a faint warmth flowing through her heart.

"Heh heh." Talia patted her chest proudly, signaling that she was also very useful.

"Let's go, there's still plenty left. Uncle Hook said it doesn't keep well, so we should finish it today." The two returned to the kitchen to slice more.

"Ugh, but I don't think I can eat any more."

"No way, we have to finish it." Talia pushed the helpless Sylutia to keep going.

In the end, they didn't finish it all and decided to save the rest for the evening.

At dusk, the two arrived at Winnie's house again. Winnie had anticipated this and prepared a sumptuous dinner.

While enjoying the meal, Ancher told them what he had found out at the Chamber of Commerce today.

"There's a job for a courier and messenger at the Chamber. The work involves delivering letters, items, and notices around the city. The pay isn't high—only 2.4 silver coins—but it's relatively easy."

"Oh, I like that!" Talia raised her hand.

Winnie and Ancher were not surprised at all; they knew Talia would enjoy such work.

"Then there's Scholar Edson. Unfortunately, he said he couldn't spare the time to teach, but I did get another piece of news: Scholar Edson's teacher, the retired Mr. Heide, will likely resume classes next month to teach a new batch of students."

"Oh, Teacher Heide is teaching again?" Winnie covered her mouth in surprise.

"When I graduated, the teacher said he would spend his remaining years in peace and wouldn't teach anymore. Why did he change his mind this time?"

"I'm not sure, perhaps there's another reason."

"Since Scholar Heide is resuming his lectures, this should be the best opportunity for Miss Sylutia. He is the most learned person in Scorched Stone City; there is no better mentor than him."

"It won't be until next month, so I can ask the teacher if there are any prerequisites for enrollment this time," Winnie mused.

"In the meantime, how about I help Miss Sylutia check her foundational knowledge?"

Although she had received an education in her past life, she was indeed still very much a stranger to this world, so Sylutia quickly agreed.

"Alright, then starting tomorrow, both of you must come here to study every morning," Winnie said, holding up a finger.

"Ah, do I have to come too? Didn't brother-in-law say he found me a job?" Talia protested.

"He did, but there are still a few days before you start, so don't think about slacking off." Winnie summoned the authority of an elder sister.

"Ugh, I'm not slacking off. I even went to help Uncle Hook yesterday," Talia argued.

"Yes, but you know as well as I do that you can't be as willful as a child anymore."

"Fine." Knowing her sister had her best interests at heart, Talia could only lower her head and agree.

Seeing Talia repeatedly get shut down by Winnie, Sylutia found it both amusing and heartwarming, reminding her of the companions she grew up with.

Are they living well now, too?