It was past sunset when Aison considered we were done, at least for the day. The next day was the 8th of the day, which meant prayer day, but while I did not take Aison for a pious one, he mentioned that we continue on the first day next week. With that out of the way, and with Gris supposedly taking care of the payment issue, I could only wish him a good night and force my battered body to walk home.

Slashing 10→12/100 Piercing 7→9/100 Quick 7→10/100 Close-Quarters 10→11/100 Counter-Attack 6→7/100 Feint 5→6/100 Dodge 6→8/100 Parry 6→7/100

{Stamina is in the low, and I ended up spending a good deal of mana, huh? But the results are not too shabby!} Examining my overall status and feeling far more confident than before with the sword took some time, and I did not even notice the walk. I could not help but continue thinking that my quick-learn is probable the most cheat-like thing possible.

Aison had spent the last two or three hours showing me the basic moves, counters, counter-counters used by mercenaries, nobles, bandits, guards, and other parties. Not a lot, but enough to be capable of adapting to the overall type of opponent. And, what for others meant a single stat point, and that's with a lot of practice, was an increase of several for me.

Now, the question is, can the stat points translate into ability when fighting? And how it actually works? It's not like I can ask someone, but, if I am not mistaken, for [Mana Sense], it worked by thinking and concentrating on the skill. So maybe if I do so with [Slashing], my slashes will get more accurate? NOTE: Test it.

***

It was probably close to the 3rd moon hour, and inside the house, which I opened with the [Earth's Blood] copy I kept, everything was dark. Using [Light], to avoid the fire-hazard illumination things (heh, and I want to learn fire magic, how the hell do I fear even simple lamps inside), I found that the girls had bought the paper and other items and placed them on the small table near the entrance.

There was also a spoon pointing towards the dining room, and when I moved there, I found that the two had even left me dinner on the table. Half a pot of stew, and left on a [Fiery Block] placed over some water, so it was even hot! {I don't deserve such service!} was the only thought that crossed my mind as I ate.

_____________________________________________________________________________

In the morning, after eating a quick breakfast comprised of eggs, bacon, some bread, and a cup of herbal tea, I asked the girls if they wanted to do something.

"I start working tomorrow, so I planned to tidy the house today." Kierra, as dutiful as always, answered negatively.

"I see, and you, Angelique?" While I would have loved to make her spend at least some free time and questioned myself why she was so adamant about working (as always), I decided to leave her to decide for herself.

"I will help Kierra with the house for a bit first." Seemingly Angelique did want to do something except stay holed inside, but she did not say anything for now, so I nodded in response while settling to ask later.

"And you, will you go out?" Now it was the girls' turn to ask me, and Kierra was the one to do so.

"If you two aren't going on, then no, I think I will spend the day inside as well. And speaking about the day, today is prayer day, but I never asked you if you follow any god or goddess? I heard about a big temple of the ten near the central plaza and a smaller one on the east side dedicated to Zihet." Logically I did not need to pray, and it would be for the better to try and work my conversion skills on someone nearby, but I was reluctant about that, so if the girls followed something else, why not? Plus, I could not help but be curious about the temples. After all, wasn't I supposed to build one someday?

"My family did follow Yona, but I was never one for all that." Kierra shrugged, busying herself with cleaning the kitchen.

"My parents originally had ties with the Cult of Buxoshi, but I was too small to be taught about it." As for Angelique, she mentioned a surprising thing. The Cult of Buxoshi was supposedly something from the Dominion, so why her parents, Imperials from what I knew, were part of it?

"Oh, I see. Sorry for asking and making you recall that." {Idiot, don't you think that usually, religion is a family thing?!}

"And you?" Suddenly, Angelique asked, and my mind started racing.

{Should I tell them?

Or should I lie?

But, what do I say, for either case?}

In the end, deciding to be frank, as there were enough lies from my side (a thing to correct!), I explained in short, "I follow a Goddess called Sepyre. Her cult is very undersized, but I hope that one day that changes." Well, I do hope but know that it depends on me.

"Never heard of it, but a Goddess of what? Does she have a domain?" AS if doing what I was reluctant about, Angelique's curiosity put the conversation on a preaching track.

"Ehh, she does, but one of the tenets is to speak about the Goddess herself only when intending to bring someone closer to her, so I think it would be wise for us to avoid it."

"I see." Angelique nodded, although, as always, when her curiosity got better over her, she looked downcast for not uncovering an answer.

"But you know, myths and legends are other things. So if you want, let me tell you one." Not wanting to leave the conversation on a sour note, I invented even another addition to Sepyre's expanding tenets, so after receiving a nod accompanied by a radiant smile, I recalled word by word what I had created for Gris, the [Valkiries of Sepyre].

***

As I started tinkering with the [Book Machine], improving the plates and other details I found out, my mind returned to Angelique's question.

{I avoided it now as I am not trying to preach, but indeed, what kind of domain does Sepyre have?}

Sepyre had explained that Gods and Goddesses don't have an innate domain but gain it as their believers pray for something. Or better said, when a divine being responds to prayer and does something, that something will turn into part of his domain if done several (thousands? millions?) times. That was actually the reason behind why there were two Goddesses in the pantheon of Ten that had Luck as part of their domain.

[Yona, Goddess of Luck, Fortune, and Commerce.] & [Notus, Goddess of Luck, Encounters, and Adventure.]

{Well, Sepyre gave me the chance to fulfill my dream, even if it was slightly different from what I expected. Still, if speaking honestly, she did explain to me before she sent me here, even if it was after the kidnapping, so...} I mulled over the thought and, in the end, decided, "Sepyre, Goddess of Triumph, Invention, and Chance."

-------

[Triumph]

Inwardly or outwardly; Single-handedly or as a group;

To obtain the victory over a problem, or even over a self.

{Sounds good and not too constraining for Sepyre to act or not. Plus, a single hint or even a calm mind after praying could lead to a good result, so she gains credit without doing anything.}

[Invention] Be it to solve a need or a specific situation, one's mind, blessed by the goddess, can find a solution yet unfound by others.

{Not only a logical cover-up for my knowledge but also a possible way to disseminate the religion. After all, if something makes it to become widespread and has the seal of blessed by the goddess Sepyre, it works for both inventor (me, at least for now) and the religion itself. Plus, she merely needs to share something from what she knows in exchange for the correct prayer/offering, and so, her domain would grow without actual expenditure (I am unsure about that, but still, it seems feasible).}

[Chance]

An opportunity to prevail;

A possibility to see your dreams succeed;

You merely need to take it.

{Luck is too ambiguous, but a chance has only one variable, to happen or not. Thus, if something comes to, it was indeed Sepyre's blessing. And if not, the chance still existed, but the person failed to take it correctly. After all, several possibilities always exist!}

-------

"And with that out... Let's print some more as tomorrow I need to show off." I had decided to go and present the project to Zelindo before leaving Megvuroz on his task, and tomorrow was a day as good as any.

While before I was troubled about what I should print, only creating a beginner magic book that I would not share and some guild information of general use, now with Sepyre's religion starting to settle in my mind, I decided to cheat, as always.

Arranging letter by letter while translating to Common wasn't the quickest thing, but thanks to being able to recall anything as soon as I thought of it, the process went along. And before Kierra knocked on the door, inviting me down for a meal, I had two different stacks of paper in front.

[A Slumbering Princess], the classical Sleeping Beauty (child version, without the gore and rape) fairy tale, with just a single change, one in which the prince prays to Sepyre for a chance to find his love and gets a map towards Aurora's sleeping place.

[The Flying City] A story based on a mashup of several, including a well-known Flying Fortress, centered on how the people in a city constantly ravaged by monsters, enemies, and disasters, prayed for a chance to save it. And this opportunity came thru a blessed invention that allowed the entire city to take the skies.

***

Leaving both 'books' to the girls for a quick read, I sat down at my desk, prepared the quill, and started drawing the schematics of both the existing [Book Machine] and two improved versions. One was nothing else than Gutenberg's press, with the screw and other things that I avoided this time. As for the other, it was one of how I envisioned a more effortless and close to an automatic process, with a rolling press and a paper feeding tray.

Also, I quickly redacted a list of things required for each, although marking my own, [Book Machine Mk3], as one requiring testing and changes before actual usage.

Between drawing and writing, I took a small break to relax my mind and printed a few sheets with the [Valkiries of Sepyre] and a couple of pamphlets about Sepyre's title. For who? It is unsure, but one never knows, right.

And then, as I finished with that, I suddenly decided to make a print of Dorina's notes about herbs and potions. My idea was to send it to Churg with the next caravan, along with a letter asking Dorina if she was interested in publishing some of her findings like this, how much she would like, etc.

{The only issue remaining is binding and cover, hmm.} Aware that the paper, however good it was, would be damaged very quickly, I decided to tackle the issue now before presenting it to Zelindo. The medieval idea of a wooden frame covered in leather and with the pages glued or sewn to a spine wasn't bad, but it would require investment, which would elevate the cost of the books. And the time needed per book would increase.

And while neither of that affected the books themselves, as they would be expensive anyway, I doubted that Guild memos and other similar things would get popular if they were costly and time-consuming to make.

I had not encountered something like cardboard and probably would not, so what other options I have?

Without finding any resolution, I decided to go with a temporal measure, at least for the demonstration. In this case, a thin piece of wood cover and back, joined by two removable hooks held by a piece of wood. [Shaped Mana] made it easy for me to make a small hole in the paper for the hooks, and I ended with something like a rustic, wooden version of a file folder.

***

"Did you like the stories?" During dinner, I asked my two first and, probably, main critics.

"Mmm, the prince's prayer for true love was lovely!"

"A city that can fly, just how interesting would be to see one!"

Unsurprisingly, both girls had different tastes. And again, unsurprisingly, it was Kierra the one to enjoy the love part, and Angelique to go after the inventions.

"I see. I am glad you liked them! Eventually, I will prepare and [Imprint] more." Well, it was a small falsehood as I could print them anytime, but before starting with that, I needed to make this profitable. So yeah, let's just leave it as an eventual project. There is no need to go all materialistic during dinner, right?

After getting two nods in response, finishing the vegetable and rye stew (a nice change from the usual meat, although I do prefer meat), and wishing them a nice evening, I made my way back to the empty room.

One hour later, with the [Book Machine Mk1] washed and stored, the books and texts prepared, and quick cleaning, I returned the furniture as it was before closing the door to my workshop.

{Kierra left the house truly impeccable, but she did not touch the two rooms I was working in. So, to not make it look like I want her to clean, let's do mine as well before sleeping.} A slightly random thought, but one that was good enough as the plan for the evening. And funnily enough, I enjoyed it far more than expected, although maybe it was just that the week had been a crazed one?

I...

Met a Count;

Reached Megvuroz;

Got a house, temporary or not, but it was mine for half a year;

Went drinking with Gris and Azar;

Foiled an assassination attempt;

Gave medical tips;

Created a printing press;

Printed books;

Trained in swordsmanship;

Developed ideas for Sepyre's religion;

And did a dozen of smaller things more.

And now, puffing a cloud of smoke, I could only say that "Let's hope the next week is interesting as this one, albeit a little less danger, would be nice."

I murmured the previous part before adding inwardly, {And you know what, Sepyre, I, at last, can say thank you.}