AK - The Alchemy Kingdom

Year 5, Summer, Third Month, First Week

Mason stared anxiously at the misty lake. For the first time, he felt something that wasn’t pure wonder while looking at the mysterious fog that protected AP from prying eyes. Breakfast shifted uncomfortably inside his stomach as he saw a dot coming through the mist. Soon, the image became clearer, and a boat’s form appeared.

The operator stood at the front, confident that they would reach AP without any problems. Behind him, Mason counted a dozen or so Adventurers. Most sat quietly, but a handful of them looked scared, probably newcomers. However, what he really wanted to see was the middle-aged couple shivering at the back seat of the boat.

Countless memories flooded his mind as he remembered how unhealthy his parents were. His dad could barely stand for a few hours and his mother, though she tried to hide, had severe back pains. For a moment, Mason regretted making them suffer the hurdles of crossing the forest. Even with the potions and transportation that he arranged through Keller, their journey would weigh heavy on their frail bodies.

But then, he remembered the new life they could build together in here. A few days ago, he rented a private hut with two bedrooms, which he had clean spotless, and bought a few things to make it more comfortable. He even spent most of the night working to take this morning off to receive his parents, and now it was finally time.

The couple’s fears instantly disappeared when they saw him. After living a tougher life than most, they didn’t believe in half of what Keller told them, but they decided to take a chance on their son either way. But now, even without seeing everything, they knew Mason was living a good life here. They had never seen the boy so healthy and handsomely happy.

When it was their time to exit the boat, they could barely contain the excitement of seeing him. Fortunately, Mason and the operator were used to helping people disembark, or else the couple would probably start their life with an accident.

“Mason! You look so…”

A stream of tears formed on his mother’s face as she couldn’t find the words to express her relief and happiness. Though she would never admit, even to herself, when he left to work as a porter, she thought he would never come back. His ailing father wasn’t much better at expressing his feelings.

“Son… Thank you!”

The warm encounter even got the attention of a few Adventurers. After confirming that his father was good to go, Mason took them to his hut. Although his dad was trying to hide, his tiredness was evident.

“Adventurers’ Point, or as we call it AP, is a place for Adventurers to rest up and organize their hunts. Just like a post village but inside the forest. I have been earning my keep by providing some basic services for the Adventurers, cleaning, organizing, taking care of their equipment, even passing messages and getting them food from the pub. AP’s lodging and food are great, but they don’t have servants… Everything is very expensive, but that also means I can charge a lot too…”

His parents felt overwhelmed by everything, so they only nodded and tried to memorize Mason’s words. The perfectly built huts also didn’t escape their perception. By now, it had become a landmark of AP.

“This is my hut... Our hut.”

The couple stared at the small wooden hut with disbelief in their eyes.

“I didn’t buy it, of course. I just rent it.”

However, the shock and somewhat proud look didn’t disappear. At least not until his father remembered his words about the cost of AP’s services.

“How much are you paying for it?”

Mason laughed awkwardly under their concerned eyes.

“Let’s talk about prices later… But I promise you that the money I earn is enough to pay for food and rent, and I can even save some crystals… Oh, AP doesn’t deal with coins, only with crystals, mostly energy crystals.”

The boy ignored their confusion and urged them to enter the hut. If this much was paralyzing them, he couldn’t imagine how they would react once they learned how much he was paying for rent and food.

“There’s a water bucket in the corner. The biggest room is yours, so you can rest there. I’m gonna get some breakfast at the pub. I’ll be back soon.”

His mother wanted to say something about not spending too much with them, but Mason darted out of the hut before she could. Before he returned, the couple decided to check the room and clean themselves.

Otto went to their room first while Nora picked the bucket. When she entered the room, she almost dropped the bucket in shock. Although it wasn’t a big room, the bed was covered with finner fabric that she had ever used, and they even had a small table at the side. They only had some rags and hay mattress on their previous shack, not even a proper bed. Tears escaped her eyes as she stared at the furniture, but her amusement only lasted a few seconds because her husband weakened voice was demanding her attention.

“Nora… What’s this?”

The question attracted her attention to the set of garments laying at the border of the bed. The clothes looked simple but far more well-made than what they could afford. Of course, her husband knew what the clothes were. The question was obviously directed at what they should do with it.

Suddenly, Nora realized something. She looked at her own garments and Otto’s. Though she tried to maintain them clean and reasonably neat, there wasn’t more mendings or care that could keep them from becoming rags. If they laid on the bed or even keep walking around the hut, they would dirty everything. So, their son had been thoughtful to the point of getting them new clothes and good ones, from what she could tell. A spike of shame nipped her heart. For a moment, she felt too poor and dirty to live here, to use those clothes and lay on the nice bed.