Setting Sail

The heavy debt on Annan's shoulders and the expenses awaiting him nearly crushed the breath out of him.

Only after he left the stuffy, murky mine and stepped into the sunlight did Annan look a little less dispirited.

"Psst, psst—"

The furtive sound came from a shed. Wood stood behind its door, toes turned inward and posture awkward.

"What are you doing?"

"Avoiding the sun."

Wood said a ghost had told him to come out and wait for Annan. But as soon as he reached the camp, the clouds blocking the sun parted, forcing him to hide in the shed.

Now that he knew the ghost really was helping him, Annan thought again of the ore that had fallen in the mine... Why? Because of that lost portrait of Tasia's ghost?

"How am I supposed to get back?"

Annan set the questions aside. He and Wood dismantled the bed frame in the shed and used its boards as a sunshade on the way back.

Back at the town tavern, Mr. Fast took a Wooden Chair down from where it stood upside down on a table and sat. Soluman Copperbeard came over too.

"Did you find the treasure?"

"...No."

Annan couldn't tell them that deep inside the Haunted Gold Mine stood a mountain of treasure, along with undead servants and a Blue Dragon guarding it.

"I figured as much."

Mr. Fast could tell from Annan's face that he had come away empty-handed—but he would never have guessed that Annan now owed five gold coins instead.

Inflation had been severe lately. Annan had barely earned any silver coins, and already he had to worry about gold ones.

"Could you write a few more books?" Soluman Copperbeard believed in Annan's talent.

It was a good idea, but any proceeds would be months away at the earliest.

"How much longer until the first royalties from Law Breaks the Sky?"

"Any day now, I think..." Annan hoped they would amount to a fortune, preferably enough to pay off all his debts.

"Are you thinking of visiting Breeze City?" Mr. Fast asked suddenly.

Annan was tempted. He was nearly out of the Magic Materials needed for the Meditation Ritual, too.

But going would mean leaving his safe harbor. The world outside was more exciting, but more dangerous as well.

"I'll think about it."

Annan remembered what the bard had said about nobles and wealthy people sponsoring professionals they saw promise in. "Would either of you be interested in sponsoring me?"

Mr. Fast and Soluman Copperbeard exchanged a look. "The society disbanded long ago. There's no harm in being close to us, but if you accept our sponsorship, people might label you..."

"Didn't Soluman Copperbeard lend me some gold coins?"

"Only a few."

"Could you lend me a few more?"

"Yes, but a dozen or so gold coins won't do much for you."

They'd do plenty, Annan thought. At least I wouldn't have to worry about compensating the Blue Dragon.

"If you're looking to make money, ask the bard," Mr. Fast suggested, seeing how badly Annan needed it. "Perhaps the wind will tell him of an opportunity."

Annan didn't know whether the wind would tell the bard about business opportunities, but an idea did occur to him: submitting articles would pay faster than waiting for a book to be published.

"Does this world have newspapers?"

"This world?"

"What's a newspaper? A book?"

Mr. Fast and Soluman Copperbeard spoke at the same time.

"I meant 'around here.' I'm always making mistakes in the Common Tongue." Annan brushed off Mr. Fast and answered the Dwarf woman. "It's something like a book..."

"I've never heard of a book called Newspaper."

No newspapers...

Even Annan, whose nose for business was hardly keen, recognized the enormous opportunity here... but he suppressed the urge to seize it.

Perhaps newspapers existed in this other world under another name, or perhaps there was some other way to publish current events. Annan needed time to investigate. Besides, newspapers meant more than profit. They were uncrowned kings of public opinion.

Now was not the time to unleash that terrifying beast.

"How do I contact the Sorcerer Protection Association?" Annan tried a different approach.

"They rarely pay attention to remote corners of remote worlds."

Unfortunately, Annan was standing in just such a place—not merely Pinglin Town or Breeze City, but the Rikaner Kingdom itself.

"All right... Then how is a Sorcerer supposed to make money?" Annan asked outright. He had almost finished the Warlock's Handbook and still hadn't reached that part.

"Much like a warrior, I suppose? Taking commissions, exploring the wilderness..."

In that respect, Sorcerers were worse off than mages: their Magic Power came from within, not from study. If Annan were a mage, he could already be hiring Mage Apprentices to work for him or drawing magic scrolls.

Clearly, there was nowhere in town offering commissions, and the only wilderness nearby was forest.

If Annan wanted to advance and accomplish more, going to Breeze City was unavoidable.

"I've decided to visit Breeze City," Annan said.

Officially, though, he was going to collect his royalties for Law Breaks the Sky. That way, if he returned with nothing to show for the trip, it wouldn't look like a retreat.

Mr. Fast wasn't surprised. Pinglin Town was tiny; an occasional theft was big news, and within days the whole town had heard of Annan.

"You could take Copperbeard with you."

Annan needed someone to help him get to know Breeze City, and the Dwarf woman was practically a local.

He knew Mr. Fast couldn't come with him, but he couldn't help asking, "What about you?"

"I have a business to run."

Mr. Fast had come to town to escape conflict. All he wanted was a quiet life.

"I'll look after you." Soluman Copperbeard thumped her sturdy chest.

Having decided to go see more of the world, Annan began preparing for the journey.

"Did you hear that?"

After Annan left the tavern with Wood, Mr. Fast said, "He said 'world.'"

"What about it?"

"He might not be from our continent. He might not even be from this world."

"What does that have to do with us?" Soluman Copperbeard spread her short arms. "We've never even left the Rikaner Kingdom."

"...You're right."

Mr. Fast realized how pointless it was for them to discuss a visitor from another world.

Meanwhile, Annan took Wood to Aunt Susan's old house. Wood would not be coming with him. The sun could kill him as easily as it melted ice, even during the rainy season.

Besides, Wood wasn't strong enough to be much help.

Then Annan went to the Library to request a long leave of absence.

"You're leaving?"

"How did you know?"

"From the spring in your step when you came in."

"Come by before you leave and take some books," Mr. Victor said gruffly. "A Sorcerer who reads enough books might become a clever Sorcerer."

Last came Aunt Susan. Annan expected to have to talk her into it, but despite how reluctant she was to see him go, she supported his decision to look around outside town. She also wanted him to take Martin along.

As for the Blue Dragon...

The next month was three days away, but thirty-three days from now would also be next month.

Perhaps he would return once he had collected his royalties, magic contract, and Magic Materials.

Annan spent the day packing. Early the next morning, he said goodbye to Aunt Susan and Uncle Holin. He didn't see Martin, so he assumed Martin didn't want to go to Breeze City and headed to the tavern alone to board the carriage.

But not long after the carriage set off, Annan saw Martin climb out of a suitcase.