Mastery Is Earned

Blackstone was an ordinary frontier town on the southern border of the Kingdom of Goldvale, named for its proximity to the perpetually mist-shrouded Blackstone Mountains. The town had no notable local goods. It served mainly as a hub where people from the surrounding villages came to trade and replenish their supplies. The previous lord had died without a legal heir, so the Crown had reclaimed the territory.

Returning to Blackstone left Raymond feeling as though an entire lifetime had passed. He had lived here for more than ten years, but after recovering the memories of his previous life, everything felt at once close enough to touch and impossibly distant.

“Where are you headed, young man?” the driver asked when they entered Blackstone, noticing Raymond's distracted expression.

“Let's find a physician first.” Raymond finally came back to himself.

Carter awoke as well. He struggled upright, and the sight of Blackstone around them brought him tremendous relief. But he quickly rejected Raymond's suggestion. “No. Take us home first!”

The driver glanced at Carter and nodded, then guided the donkey cart onward through the town. Following Carter's directions, the cart soon stopped at the mouth of a narrow alley. Raymond climbed down, carefully helped Carter to the ground, shouldered all their packs, and supported him into the alley. After winding past several closely packed houses, they arrived at Carter's home. It was an ordinary plank house with a large open space in front, where a training dummy stood.

Once Raymond had helped Carter inside and seated him, he said, “I'll go fetch a physician right now.”

Carter stopped him before he could leave. “There's no hurry. Let's settle the accounts and inventory the loot first. It wouldn't be convenient for anyone else to see these things, and we can't carry them around. You can leave them here for now. Don't worry—I won't keep any of it for myself.”

Raymond considered this, then nodded. Carter was right. Carrying all of it around town would be unwise. Counting everything would not take long, and before Raymond left, they needed to make sure they had not overlooked any loot or belongings of the dead. They spread out everything they had gained and began taking inventory item by item.

The right ears of twelve ordinary goblins, one big goblin, and one Greater Goblin. Two mottled green gemstones, a small cloth pouch containing two silver coins and several copper coins, and a chipped scale stained with black blood.

“You found both of these, and you played a crucial role in the fighting. They're yours.” Carter handed Raymond the gemstones and the coin pouch.

Raymond shook his head and took only the pouch. “This is enough for me. I don't have a single coin to my name right now.”

Carter took back the gemstones, his tone grave. “These two gems should sell for five or six silver coins. Are you certain you don't want them?”

“I'm sure. They belong to all of us.” Raymond's answer was firm.

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Carter nodded and did not press the issue. He turned to the scale. “This probably isn't worth much, but it's important evidence.”

They soon finished counting everything. The right ears of twelve ordinary goblins and one big goblin, together with the most valuable ear of the Greater Goblin, were worth around six silver coins in monster bounties alone. These were official bounties established by the town guard, so there could be no mistake about the rates.

Their primary assignment had been to investigate the disturbances in Blackpine Forest. The base reward was five silver coins, with another five for finding an important lead and identifying its source. Whether or not this nest was the true source of every disturbance, they had at least confirmed the existence of a goblin nest dangerous enough to threaten the surrounding villages. By a rough estimate, the team's total earnings from the expedition would likely exceed twenty silver coins.

Of course, that was merely the amount on paper. The shares owed to the three dead mercenaries, compensation for their deaths, Carter's treatment costs, and other expenses all had to be deducted. As for the weapons, coin purses, and personal effects left by the three men, Carter placed them all to one side and did not include them among the loot.

“We'll decide the exact division once the sheriff pays us,” Carter said as he resealed the packs. “For now, I'll keep everything here.”

“All right.” Raymond nodded.

The short sword he carried had also belonged to one of the dead mercenaries. When they delivered the compensation to the man's family, they would have to return the short sword as well. Until then, Raymond could only keep it temporarily for protection. The entire inventory took less than fifteen minutes. Once he had confirmed that they had not overlooked any loot or belongings of the dead, Raymond followed Carter's directions to find a physician.

After Raymond explained Carter's condition in full, the physician gathered his medical tools and hurried straight to Carter's home. He cut away the cloth strips and studied the blackened wounds of varying depth on Carter's forearm for a long time.

“Are you certain this was caused by fire?” The physician's expression was grave. Without waiting for either man to answer, he went on. “The injuries on your hand look like burns on the surface, but the flesh underneath seems to have been corroded by acid.”

After examining the wounds for some time, he gave his assessment. “The hand can probably be saved, but I can't say how much function it will recover. Even after the wounds heal, your fingers won't work the way they used to.”

Carter's expression dimmed. He had already had some idea of his condition, but hearing it confirmed still struck him hard. This was his right hand—his sword hand, the hand he depended on to make a living. If he could no longer hold a sword, what else could he do?

Ignoring Carter's expression, the physician continued examining his knee.

“The bone probably isn't completely broken, but the joint is badly injured. Keep it immobilized, and don't put any weight on it for a month. We won't know whether you'll be able to walk normally until the swelling goes down.”

After treating Carter's injuries, the physician turned to Raymond. “Sit down as well. I'll examine you.”

Raymond nodded without objecting. He was injured too. Though his wounds were not as severe as Carter's, proper treatment was still necessary. The physician pressed carefully along Raymond's chest and back, checking his ribs. After confirming there were no obvious fractures or current signs of serious internal injury, he cleaned the wounds on Raymond's left arm and chest, applied fresh medicine, and bandaged them again.

“How much?” Raymond asked when the treatment was finished.

The physician glanced at Carter, who had fallen fast asleep at some point, and shook his head. “You can settle the bill together tomorrow.”

Hearing that, Raymond did not insist. Carter was already asleep, and it was not a good time for Raymond to linger. After leaving Carter's home, Raymond hesitated briefly by the roadside before heading toward the Blackstone Inn. All he wanted now was a hot meal, followed by a long, hot bath.

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