Al and Mahya disappeared somewhere in the morning, so I went to explore further.

The first interesting place I found was another dungeon dimension filled with fields. I stepped through an enormous door and found myself standing at the edge of an endless expanse of cultivated land. Those were private fields, and the owners had stands near the fields that sold their produce. Wooden stands dotted the landscape, each one positioned beside its corresponding plot of land. The plots were relatively small, with most measuring between fifty and a hundred square meters.

One field sold green bean analogs, only they were pink. I approached the nearest stand, where magenta pods hung in neat bunches from wooden pegs. The vendor, a weathered woman with dirt under her fingernails, smiled as I picked up one of the unusual vegetables.

"What are these?" I asked, turning the pink pod over in my hands.

"Sweetpods.”

I split the pod along its seam. Instead of the familiar green beans I expected, glossy pearl-like orbs tumbled into my palm, in a lighter shade of pink.

"They're sweet as sugar," the woman continued, wiping her hands on her apron. "We use them for baking and candy making. The confectioners in the capital pay good coin for these beauties."

I popped one of the pearl beans into my mouth and immediately understood why. It dissolved on my tongue like candy, leaving behind a taste that reminded me of honey with hints of caramel and a citrusy finish.

Another field sold tomatoes. I wandered over to the stand where deep red fruits were displayed in wooden crates. Yes, real honest tomatoes. I picked up one of the massive fruits from the stand and weighed it. After paying one silver for three tomatoes, I took a cautious bite. It tasted the same, maybe a bit less sweet. They were about five times bigger than on Earth, with much more meat and less juice, but besides that, they were the same.

"Do you make a paste or a concentrate from this?" I asked the middle-aged man who worked the stand.

"Of course." He reached beneath his counter and produced a glass jar.

The man gave me the jar, and after I paid, I pried off the lid and took a taste with my finger. Yep, the same tomato paste, only more sour and less sweet. I bought their entire stock of fresh tomatoes and tomato paste. That was a product I could never have enough of, considering my love of pasta.

After I paid, the man asked me, "Do you want us to ripen some more jurats for you?"

For a minute, I stared at him, uncomprehending, and then identified him.

Almus Ommin

Nature Mage Level 26

I facepalmed. Of course, if I had a spell to make produce ripen faster, why shouldn’t other people have it too? Especially in a high mana world.

He looked at me strangely, but I just shook my head, waved him off, and continued exploring.

In a different dungeon dimension, I found orchards with various fruits. I stepped through another enormous door and emerged into rows of fruit-laden trees stretching as far as I could see. Red fruits the size of melons hung from twisted branches, while smaller purple clusters dangled from bushes. Some trees bore fruit that ripened in front of my eyes, and I saw the mages working on them.

Again, they had stands that sold the produce, each displaying their fruits in woven baskets and polished crates. One stand sold silver-skinned fruits with almost translucent flesh that had a sharp bite, yet was sweet. Another had spiky orange spheres that didn't need peeling. They were sweet, like mango, but reminded me of strawberries or raspberries. The flesh had a milder taste, and most of the taste was concentrated in the spikes, or maybe protrusion would be a better word, since they were soft. The rest didn't taste like anything I'd ever come across before, but they were tasty, juicy, and sweet. I bought boxes of everything.

That got me thinking.

I still had some food from Earth. Not a lot, since I sold much of it in the cultivation world or gave it to Sanctuary, keeping only the essentials I continued to use, such as flour, sugar, dairy products, and spices. On the other hand, I bought a significant number of items in Lumis, Liliatas, and the cultivation world. We collected a diverse variety of meat in the Mana Occurrence and gathered a massive amount of food in Zindor. Yes, I gave most of it away to Sanctuary, and so did Mahya and Al. Still, after everything we gave away, they transferred the rest to me since I was the cook, and my Storage was almost filled to the brim with food. Considering it was an endless warehouse that gave me vertigo just from looking at it, the amount of food was scary.

Now I had a dilemma. Food supply was good. After all, in Storage, it could last a hundred years and remain fresh. But on the other hand, in every world I always found new and interesting things to taste and buy. So, why do we need such a crazy amount of stored food? I considered discussing it with Mahya and Al, but knew they didn’t care. As long as they were fed, they couldn’t care less about our stocks.

I went to the shopping center, found a lovely cafe that sadly didn’t serve coffee, but at least had orbos. After ordering orbos and a pastry, I closed my eyes. As always, looking into my Storage made me uncomfortable. Although I asked the Guidance to give me the option to store live beings as a level ten ability, perhaps I should ask for an option to partition my Storage and arrange it as a series of rooms, with the ability to walk into them. That was a good thought. Worth considering.

I moved things around for hours, sifting through everything, until I had a large pile of items in the “keep” area and an even larger pile in the “sell” area. Now I had to find a place to sell all this stuff, and then explore further to find some more tasty things. Or maybe call this pile the “give away” pile. We did find a place that needed the food, and I had a lot of money. I left it as an either/or option and went back to the inn.

We had dinner of a juicy steak of unknown origin with greens and a puree that didn’t taste even close to potatoes.

At some point, Al stopped eating and turned to me. He set down his fork and wiped his mouth with a napkin before fixing me with a serious look. "I need you to open the house in our rooms. I require books."

"What for?" I asked, pausing mid-bite.

"I have made inquiries about the Forest Lord dungeon and discovered that there are two ways to overcome it. One is to continue harming the creatures until they run out of regeneration, and the other is a potion that is targeted specifically at plant monsters. The potion is too expensive, so I wish to search the books and see if we have a recipe I could make." He leaned forward slightly, his hands clasped on the table.

"You still want to try it again?" I asked, my voice rising in disbelief. Setting down my utensils, I stared at him. Shocked. After we’d had our asses handed to us twice—as Mahya put it—I thought they'd given up on the idea.

Al nodded firmly. "I know that you do not care much about levels, but I do. I am no longer in a mad dash to level as fast as possible before returning home, but I still do not wish to give up leveling altogether. To keep my current pace, I need to create new potions and use new ingredients. And if I collect them personally, my gains are higher."

"You have a ton of stuff we took from the stupid Alchemist in the cultivation world," I pointed out, crossing my arms.

If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

He shrugged slightly. "Yes, but not as much as you think. I used a lot in Sanctuary and left them a large stock from all our travels and your shopping runs."

I had nothing to say, so I just nodded.

"I found out something interesting, too," Mahya said and turned to Rue. "It's a surprise for Prince Floof."

He perked up and looked at her, his ears pricking forward and tail wagging.

"No, I can't tell. Otherwise, it won't be a surprise." She shook her head with a playful smile.

He turned to me with perfect puppy dog eyes, his head tilted to one side. "John tell Mahya to tell Rue!"

I laughed and scratched his ear, ruffling the soft fur. "She's right. You can't tell a surprise."

Just in case I connected to her telepathically. "What is it?"

She gave me a mischievous look, her eyes sparkling. She was in a much better mood today. "It's a surprise."

She turned to Al. "You should come too."

He shook his head firmly. "I will work on overcoming the dungeon."

The following morning, Mahya told Al we’d be gone for a week. That was all she said before leading us toward the eastern edge of the city. Waiting there was a massive caravan. Dozens of lizards stood in rows, six to a team, harnessed to strange, wheel-less carriages. They resembled square boxes with a cloth canopy and padded benches inside, floating approximately a meter above the sand.

Mahya walked ahead and spoke with a man near the front. After a brief exchange, she handed him a small wooden token. He glanced at it, then pointed farther down the line, to a carriage about twenty spots from the front. Without another word, she headed that way, and we followed her aboard.

It took almost an hour before everyone else showed up, and the caravan finally began to move. I tried asking a few times where we were headed, but Mahya just smiled and shook her head. No hints. Wherever we were going, she wasn’t telling.

We took off over the sand and rode for over five hours. The caravan moved in a steady line across the endless dunes. The lizards were fast; their powerful legs pulled us forward at an incredible pace. I couldn't even believe they could reach that speed. The landscape blurred past us as we maintained what felt like highway speeds across the desert.

There was some kind of shield around the carriages that protected us from the flying sand. When I extended my hand to touch it, wind blew through my fingers. I tried to connect to it, but couldn't. It wasn't Wind, but some kind of wind spell or maybe a wind enchantment on the carriages. With my eyes closed, I searched for it but couldn't pinpoint it. The carriage had so many runes and magic script worked into it that locating one specific enchantment was impossible. Sadly, everything was hidden inside the wood or metal and wasn't visible. Still, I examined the shield closely with my mana sense and made a mental note to work on something similar in the future. I doubted it could protect me from attacks or projectiles, but I was fairly sure it would serve as a great barrier against flying nuisances like the green jerks, debris, and other airborne threats.

On the way, the strange worms we had seen attacking the train attacked us twice, but it wasn't a problem. The first attack came without warning. Massive segmented bodies erupted from the sand around us. Each group of three carriages had a fire mage that roasted the worms so fast I hardly had a chance to see them. Flames burst from the mages' hands in torrents like a flamethrower, turning the jumping creatures to ash before they could reach the carriages. It was so fast and efficient that I could only blink in appreciation.

Finally, we reached a hovering, light-yellow portal that looked familiar.

“A Mana Occurrence?” I asked Mahya.

She nodded.

The carriages continued inside the portal without us having to disembark. We rolled straight through the shimmering gateway. The other side was amazing and unexpected. What greeted us took my breath away. An endless expanse of blue stretched so far that I couldn't see the end of it even with my enhanced Perception. The azure surface sparkled under the sun, waves gently lapping in the distance. I didn't know if it was sweet or salty water, but it looked like a sea.

Pristine white sand formed a perfect crescent along the water's edge, and rustic wooden structures dotted its length. Each cabin had its own stretch of beach with fences separating the sections. Weathered wooden posts connected by rope or simple planking marked clear boundaries, creating private little territories where each structure claimed its piece of paradise.

The weather was perfect. Warm enough to lounge outside in shorts and a tank top, but not so hot that you felt sticky or sluggish. The kind of day that made the idea of jumping into the water sound like a reward, not a necessity.

Our cabin was cozy, a little rustic but charming. It had three modest bedrooms with creaky floors and mismatched quilts, simple wooden furniture that looked handcrafted, and a wide porch that wrapped around it. Just a few steps beyond the porch, a fire pit had been dug right into the sand. The only downside was the lack of plumbing, magical or otherwise, though at least the outhouse was set apart from the main structure.

Rue tilted his head at Mahya, ears perked and eyes wide. “Where is surprise?”

Mahya gave a sly smile. “Follow me.”

She didn’t explain, just turned and started walking down the slope toward the beach. Her boots kicked up little puffs of sand as she moved with a determined stride. Rue and I followed, the heat clinging to our backs, the scent of salt growing stronger with every step.

When we reached the shoreline, she plopped down on the warm sand and pulled out a compact crossbow from her Storage. She loaded it, then sat back, one knee bent, the other stretched out.

“Wait for it,” she murmured, eyes locked on the water.

Rue and I exchanged a confused glance. I shrugged and dropped down beside her, brushing sand off my pants. Rue circled once, sniffed the air, then flopped down with a soft huff, his tail thumping lazily behind him.

Minutes passed. The waves rolled in and out, gentle and steady. Just when I was about to ask how long this surprise was supposed to take, the water churned.

A massive crab, at least the size of a dining table, crawled out of the surf, its claws raised.

Mahya didn’t hesitate. Her crossbow snapped up and fired with a soft twang. The bolt hit the crab square between the eyes, dropping it mid-step.

Rue leaped to his feet, tail wagging like crazy. “SMOKED CRAB!” he howled, dancing in place and kicking up sand.

Mahya and I lost it, laughing. When we stopped laughing, she looked at me, smiling, and I felt a strong wave of apology coming from her. She didn’t say anything, out loud or telepathically, but it was clear nonetheless. This vacation was an apology. I smiled and nodded.

We spent a whole week inside the portal, and honestly, it was the perfect break. The giant crabs came up to the beach about once every half hour, always announced by the churning water near the shoreline. It didn’t take long for us to figure out a rhythm for dealing with them without cutting our fun in the water short.

I learned to shoot a solid water bullet, a feat that took me about thirty minutes to get right, and used it while walking or surfing across the water. Other times, I’d create a floating water platform and Mahya would leap onto it, crossbow in hand, and drop the crab with a single bolt before it could fully crawl out of the surf.

In the evenings, I smoked every crab we harvested that day. We ate crab for breakfast, lunch, and dinner—lots and lots of crab. I packed away even more in Storage, enough to feed a small army later on. Mahya also made the rounds between the other cabins and bought their extras. Rue was in absolute heaven. Every so often, he’d trot up to her, tail wagging, give her cheek a big, sloppy lick, and declare with pure joy, “Mahya is bestest.”

When we weren’t dealing with crustaceans, we swam, lounged in the sun, and water-skied—though I did it without a jet ski, which earned me some impressed and confused looks. I also lost count of how many times I had to politely refuse offers from other travelers wanting to buy our enchanted jet skis and e-foils.

Every night ended with a bonfire on the beach. I played guitar, sang a few familiar tunes, and even wrote a new song just for the fun of it. It was the kind of vacation you don’t plan for, but somehow ends up perfect anyway.

Arcane Reverie

At a crossroad of life, I tore the veil,

Magic whispered from my lips, fragile and frail.

A new road unfolds through the twilight pale,

Guiding my steps on starlight’s trail.

In sacred groves where secrets lie,

Whispers of spells rise into the sky.

Moonlight dances on waters’ surface,

Echoes of wonder for those with purpose.

Arcane reverie, where moonlit oceans gleam,

With magic's brush, I shape the stars' grand theme.

In every spell, the arcane reigns supreme,

And joy takes flight within my cosmic dream.

Stone circles hum with melodies untold,

Glyphs etched deep on stones of old.

The earth’s heartbeat thrums beneath my feet,

A rhythm eternal, steady and sweet.

The wind carries dreams to lands unseen,

Through tempests wild, I soar serene.

Hair like ribbons streams in flight,

Chasing dawn’s first golden light.

Arcane reverie, where moonlit oceans gleam,

With magic's brush, I shape the stars' grand theme.

In every spell, the arcane reigns supreme,

And joy takes flight within my cosmic dream.

Healing spring bubbles, crystal and pure,

A gentle touch helps heal and endure.

I cast life’s elixir, far and near,

As magic’s balm soothes every tear.

Wounds close, old pains release,

Memories softened, granting peace.

Each drop a promise, each breath sincere,

Hope reborn with every tear.

Arcane reverie, where moonlit oceans gleam,

With magic's brush, I shape the stars' grand theme.

In every spell, the arcane reigns supreme,

And joy takes flight within my cosmic dream.

In quiet moments when stars align just right,

I celebrate the magic’s gift, cosmic and bright.

The cosmos whispers, the universe sings,

A symphony woven through all living things.

Joy blooms within, a radiant light,

Guiding me home through the darkest night.

Spellweaver’s joy, a heart alight,

Born of wonder, the joy of flight.

Arcane reverie, on magic streams,

Painting constellations within my dreams.