The man standing in front of me was of short stature, even more so than the halfling. However, his body proportions were even further away from a human, with his hands being thinner and his fingers being slightly longer, and his head being slightly larger than that of most adult humans.

  ‘Could this be another race of halflings? Or maybe a-’

  “What are you staring at? Never seen a gnome before?”

  Horton’s tone now sounded slightly offended.

  “Erm.. sorry. I really never saw a gnome before today.”

  The craftsman looked at me with suspicion.

  “Where did you say you're from?”

  “...I didn't. But I grew up at the edge of the Gloom Swamps. I traveled to Pine Harbor recently, after leaving my home for the first time.”

  “Ah.”

  The gnome seemed to have come to a realization, mixed with slight annoyance, but the suspicion did not completely fade from eyes.

  “Did he actually tell you anything about me?”

  “Umm.. you used to run Dark Region expeditions together. Ah! Also, you still owe him a bottle of Red Mark.”

  “...that last statement is a lie. But I have no doubt he said that. Maybe he even believes it, too.”

  The gnome’s expression did not change much, but his suspicion seemed to have died down, at least.

  “So? What are you here for?”

  His grumpiness, however, did not diminish.

  “I’ve been told you’re someone who would buy this Midnight Iron.”

  I took out the sealed box and lightly shook it, the small metal shards inside producing a distinct clattering sound.

  “Hmm… give it here.”

  Without waiting for permission, the gnome grabbed the box in my hands.

  “Stay here for a minute.”

  “Wait, wha-”

  There was no point finishing my sentence, as the door closed behind the gnome before I could even utter the second word.

  I could only stand in sheer disbelief.

  ‘Goromir had very.. peculiar companions.’

  With a sight of acceptance, I took off my backpack, unfastened my sheath holder, and sat on the armchair.

  It took over ten minutes for the gnome to return – without the box.

  “He told you about the condition of the metal?”

  “Yes. He said it was minor damage due to sunlight exposure, so someone as skilled as you would have no trouble restoring it.”

  The gnome scoffed in reply – although I didn't miss the glimmer of pride in his eyes.

  “Bah! Just because I make it look easy, doesn't mean it's that simple. That dwarf always overestimated my abilities… Even if not by much.”

  The gnome looked at me for a moment.

  “120 gold – just because you made this journey after that fool gave you exaggerated expectations.”

  “Deal. Thank you very much, Mr. Webmire.”

  The gnome just shrugged.

  “Now, I presume there's nothing else you need?”

  “Actually.. Your secretary said she knows a good workshop that sells adventurer contraptions. Do you know whe-”

  “The Three Goblins Workshop. A few minutes north, up the street. Is that all?”

  “Umm.. just one more thing.”

  The gnome looked at me impatiently.

  “Do you happen to sell pocket watches?”

  For the first time, the gnome seemed genuinely surprised.

  “Looking for a pocket watch? You?”

  I felt like I should be insulted by the snobbish tone, but given what I’ve seen of his personality, I realized he could be genuinely surprised.

  “Yes. Knowing the precise time is very important.”

  I might have gotten by without knowing the exact time so far, especially with the help of my hourglasses, but having a proper timepiece would help me keep track of my daily schedule with much greater ease, even more so in a place like the city.

  No, actually, it could be of great help in certain missions as well. Keeping time really was important.

  “Hmm… indeed.”

  Surprisingly, all the grumpiness vanished from the gnome's voice.

  “There is nothing worse than people who can't uphold a proper schedule.”

  Although what replaced it was snobbiness.

  “I don't usually sell pocket watches..”

  The gnome's eyes shone with a glimmer of passion.

  “..but I do make them as a pastime. And I'm quite good at watchmaking, if I do say so myself.”

  “Erm.. perhaps I better search for a shop.”

  “...are you doubting my skills?!”

  “I mean… I've only met you today, on my second day in this city.”

  I did hold a bit of doubt regarding his claim – sure, his confident attitude suggested he was skilled in his field, but the same arrogance could also cause him to overestimate his expertise in something he does as a hobby.

  “Ah, I see. If it's plain ignorance, that's understandable. Come!”

  With determined steps, the gnome walked over to the back door, and opened it wide – stepping into the corridor, and keeping it open with one hand, while his sharp gray eyes were digging a hole in my skull with gaze alone.

  ‘Is that some sort of charm effect?!’

  Before I could even argue, I found myself stepping forward on instinct alone. Now, it was too late to refuse without appearing rude. Plus, he still held my money, so running away in shame was not in the cards either.

  Accepting my fate, I followed Mr. Webmire through the short corridor and up the spiral stairs.

  The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  The second floor was a single workshop, full of shelves, drawers, boxes, and various chains, gears and cogs scattered everywhere.

  It also contained two big tables, one surrounded by some intricate-looking machinery and standing tools, with a measurement plate as its surface, the other simply filled with documents.

  The air was filled with the smell of iron, other metals, as well as some faint acidic scents, and an even fainter leftover scent, the ‘burnt’ type, left after milling metal.

  I did notice the bottom edges of my box peeking from below a thick cover made of black fabric.

  Without a word, the gnome marched towards one of the drawers at the corner, opening the lowest one and procuring a fist-sized metallic locket.

  Of course, I could already expect it when the gnome opened it up in front of me, showing an exquisite-looking watch face, with three thin metal hands, advancing at their own paces with the faintest ticking sound.

  “It’s… indeed a watch.”

  I couldn't really say much – it looked like the pocket watches I saw in movies or games that took place in the 18-th century or so.

  It was also lacking any decorations or paint.

  “I guess it's very quiet?”

  It was definitely quieter than the standing clock I saw in the sheriff's office in Pine Harbor, but, it was, after all, much smaller, too.

  The gnome looked at me with a strange expression – then, with all his meager might, threw the clock at a nearby metal base of one of his standing tools.

  CLANG!

  My heart instinctively skipped a beat as the - doubtlessly expensive - watch hit the steel frame, bouncing off and rolling to the other side of the room.

  The gnome grabbed the watch off the floor, turning its face towards me to show the hands confidently striding forward as if nothing had happened, with two of them still in their previous positions, and no damage or misalignment visible on the face itself either.

  “Highly resistant to impact!”

  With burning passion in his eyes, and now-unconcealed pride in his voice, the gnome walked towards one of the bigger glass containers on the table – the lid was open, and the acidic smell in the room evidently came from it.

  Hiss

  Without hesitation, the gnome dropped the timepiece in the acid tube, with a short hissing noise following. I could see its face through the light-yellow liquid, the hands still moving forward.

  “Impervious to liquids! And a minor acid resistance, too. With this variant of Silverlight Steel, that is to be expected.”

  While the gnome retrieved the watch from the acid with a pair of tongs, drying it off with a nearby cloth, I couldn't help but admit…

  “This.. looks extremely impressive.”

  “Ha! Of course it’s impressive. I made it, after all.”

  Despite the arrogance, I could notice the faint fluctuation in his voice.

  “Hmm…”

  For a few seconds, we stood in silence, with the gnome falling into thought.

  “Well, it's basically complete, and there's no use in it sitting here, collecting dust, how about I sell it to you?”

  “You will?”

  “Yes. And for the symbolic price of 100 gold, too.”

  When I heard the number, my heart skipped a beat for the second time since I entered this room. In this world, this was a high price. An average commoner wouldn't save this much in a decade, and some wouldn't even save this sum in their lifetime.

  Of course, in my - highly dangerous - line of work, this could be a monthly profit if I continued getting as lucky (or unlucky) as I've been in the last month. However, with barely 35 months left to live as I was now, one month was still far from negligible.

  “However, with such a cheap price, come 3 conditions!”

  And there were conditions, too?!

  “First, in the city- no, in any city, you shall proudly wear it in plain sight! As long as you are among civilized men, of course.”

  I greatly doubted that anyone would ask me about the origins of this plain-looking pendant, at least as long as the watch was closed. Well, it did have a slightly strange shape, and was uncharacteristically thick, but the crowns (little knobs used to adjust the time) were all located on its backside.

  “Second! When one asks you about its origin, you shall proudly answer that it was made by Horton Webmire of the Steel Cog in Silverveil!”

  I started to feel like I was selling my soul to the devil. Or rather, turning myself into a walking ad.

  “Third! If your travels shall bring you to Valor's End, you shall find the Red Dragon winery in the Lionheart district, buy a bottle of Red Mark, and keep it with you - safe and sealed - until the next time you visit either this city or Pine Harbor. If it's the former, you shall deliver the bottle to me. Otherwise, you shall deliver it to Goromir on my behalf… if only to rid him of the delusion that I still owe him a debt.”

  That.. wasn't that bad actually, since I had to get to Valor's End anyway. But who knew if I'd ever return to either this city or that town?!

  I took one last, long look at the watch, and opened my mouth to speak…

  ***

  In the distance, I finally saw the large white building, with a big leaf-shaped wood decoration above its entrance.

  It took me nearly two hours to get here from the workshop. One hour, 56 minutes, and 23 seconds, to be exact.

  After checking the time, I folded the bright metal lid, letting the watch fall back onto my chest, held by a thin metal chain like a regular pendant.

  This wasn't overindulge, alright? I would have to buy some kind of watch anyway. And the other watch would likely be less resilient, increasing the risk I'd have to replace it after each fight. So in that sense, it was actually an investment!

  Plus, if things got tough, I could always swallow my pride and sell it for at least as much. Yes. I could just sell it back…

  Shooing away unnecessary thoughts, I instinctively reached to ensure my potion case was properly closed. That was where my ‘main’ coin pouch, holding exactly 120 gold coins, was located . I also had around 5 gold’s worth of silver and copper coins in the secondary pouch on my waist, the once I recently ‘got’ from my would-be robbers.

  The hard-earned gold bar - which, as I suspected, was worth 100 gold coins - was nowhere to be found.

  I wanted to do quite a bit of shopping after leaving the Steel Cog, but thankfully, the receptionist - Alice - saved me some walking and confusion, reminding me today was Respite, and most craftsman workshops and smithies were closed, at least for new orders.

  This also explained why I saw so few people besides guards in the warehouse and industrial zones earlier this morning – and also recontextualized the sour expression on the faces of the few factory workers I did see.

  Either way, I was lucky that Mr. Webmire was working on an urgent request from one of his big clients. Although, judging by Alice's sigh when I asked her whether he often got such requests, he probably spent more time in that workshop than his own home.

  ‘Good thing inns are always open.’

  I entered through the waxed wooden door, its shiny polish reflecting the midday sunrays.

  A subtle sweet smell, slightly reminiscent of grapes, entered my nose. The light brown wooden floor was pristine, and together with the pastel-colored white walls, the subtly curved thin legs of the tables and chairs, the fluffy white sofa, and the friendly brunette women smiling at me from the reception desk, my first impression of this inn was very high, to say the least.

  “How can I help you, sir adventurer?”

  “How much for a room?”

  “6 silver per day, or 4 gold for 1 week.”

  “...I'll take a room for one week, then.”

  His was twice as expensive as the Southern district inn – and given the fact that this was among the cheaper establishments in the area, it seemed even a Bronze adventurer would have to spend a significant percentage of their income just to stay here, and that's before including food and other expenses.

  Luckily, I wasn’t staying in the city for long, and I could afford to spend a few gold, especially compared to my recent purchase.

  “As you wish, dear guest.”

  The woman gave me a friendly smile, clearly rehearsed over thousands of similar scenes.

  “Since today is Respite, there is no second hostess to guide you, so forgive me if I can only give you a quick tour of our establishment.”

  The regret in her voice was almost believable.

  “No, it's alright.”

  I waved my hand dismissively.

  However, seeing her put the “Please Wait For A Moment” sign on the table with a relieved smile, I realized she misunderstood my dismissal as acceptance of that ‘apology’.

  “Please follow me.”

  Before I could clear the misunderstanding, she was already in motion, leaving me no choice but to follow her.

  Over the next few minutes, she showed me a spacious but cozy dining room (“service hours are 7 to 10, both morning and evening.”) with a luxurious bar (“opening at dinner until the small hours of the night.”), and atop a spiral staircase ascending from there – a large room, basically constituting a 2nd floor, filled with chairs and small tables, containing a stage (“special events, such as performances, take place here a few times each week. You can check the bulletin board near reception.”).

  Finally, she led me to my room, twice as big as my previous ones, and what's more - to the side was a small sliding door, and behind it was a personal bathroom, with a sink and a shower.

  “We have hot water all day long. However, anything over 2 buckets per day will cost you an extra 1 silver per bucket.”

  I learned in town that a bucket means 5 liters, which was slightly more than a gallon, so this seemed more than reasonable.

  “If you need anything, please feel free to ask us at reception. Any other day, one of us will always be there.”

  “Of course. Thank you very much.”

  With another realistic smile, she gave me my key in exchange for the 4 gold coins, leaving me alone in my new room.

  ‘The cost is almost absurd.. but, at least the service matches the price. And - finally, a shower!’

  I couldn't help but smile in glee, rejoicing at my return to civilization. I knew I'd soon hit the road once more, but at the same time, I felt like if I never had to wash myself in a cold, dirty stream again, or awkwardly rub soapy liquid over my body with two other men in the same 3 by 3 pool, it would still be too soon.

  ‘Well, at least I can put down this backpack. Now, I still have a lot left to do - let's see how much I can manage in half a day.’

  And today's story is... drum roll

  ?─??????─?

  Life isn’t some kind of grand destiny.

  It’s just a collection of decisions shaped by the moments that happen around us.

  Of Moon and Magic follows a silver-haired girl. Her mana was weak, but that never dulled her hunger for magic.

  We follow her steps. We weigh her choices. We sit with her loneliness. In a world where magic is everything, war is constant, and morality is little more than a neglected guideline.

  Will she become just another cog in the machine?

  Or will she be the one to end it all?

  Only one way to find out.

  Point of Interest:

  Update Schedule

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