“Finally,” Adam whispered, before finally standing. He groaned as he stretched out his body, taking a few ps around the enting shrine, while an Iyrman by the name of Kojin, from the extended Jin family, watched the young man. The Jin had been pced as Adam’s escort personally by the Elder, who knew Adam wouldn’t make a fuss around one of his.

  ‘If you act up, I’ll ask Rajin to speak with yrandfather about your marriage,’ Elder Zijin had warned.

  ‘Whose my grandfather?’ Adam had retorted back then, before the old man had returned from the war.

  “Oh by the Gods,” Adam groaned, stretg out his arms, his legs, and his back, which made all manner of noises as he reached for his toes and then pnked, curving his shoulders up and back, before finally standing once more.

  The Half Elf made his way towards the Elder, who had prepared for him by brewing tea, as well as setting up an assortment of snacks. Adam smiled, taking his seat opposite the Iyrman Elder, before eyeing up the fruit, fresh and dried, as well as fried bread balls.

  “What’s the special occasion?” Adam asked, popping a bread ball into his mouth. As he bit into it, he realised it was filled with melted cheese, smiling slightly as he ate the food slowly.

  “I wao speak with you now that you are doh your enting,” Zijin said, sipping his warm milk.

  “What do you want to talk about?”

  “ns do you have now that you are done enting?” Zijin asked.

  “I’m not sure,” Adam admitted. He still had a couple of months of enti, so he could ent much more to sell off, but he also wao spend more time with his family. ‘Then there’s the little cutie pies who are still growing up…’

  Elder Zijin allowed Adam to think about the children for a short while, before he cleared his throat. “Would you be willing to ent items for the Iyr again? One hundred gold for each Basic on.”

  “I assume you’re paying for the gems and such, so sure,” Adam replied. ‘Three days for each magical items, so I make two hundred gold a week. One hundred gold if I want to spend more time with my family?’

  “You wish to sell bespoke ons to the Aldish,” Zijin said, thinking about what they had talked about. “Those which grow weaker as time passes?”

  “Yeah,” Adam replied. “I might make more perma items, but the goal is to switch over to the charges so they feel like they’re missing out on the magic. I think it’s a good idea to still supply some items with perma magic, especially if they’re gifts.”

  “Gifts?”

  “I’ll probably get into a lot of trouble, so I should prepare for that, you know?” Adam smirked slightly, winking at the Elder.

  “Have you thought about staying out of trouble?” Zijin asked, p Adam a drink.

  “Trouble es to find me,” Adam said, shrugging his shoulders. “That is my life, Elder Zijin. I just o adapt to it, and hopefully, things will work out alright in the end. Of course, I hope the Iyr will assist with that.”

  “The Iyr alays its debts.”

  “Mm,” Adam firmed, sipping the warm milk. “The aus will bring in a little extra , sihe ons will go for a little more there. I’m thinking about creating a Greater Enhanced on every year to be aued, and a monthly Basihanced on, or perhaps it should be seasonal? Basic ons monthly.”

  “I see,” Zijin said, slowly nodding his head. “The priagical ons may not fall for some time, so there will be much gold to earn.”

  “Yeah, but the Iyr is making out like bandits,” Adam said. “One hundred gold for each Basic on?” Adam chuckled, and then he way Elder Zijin was looking at him. ‘What did I just say?’ “Oh. Wait. It’s just a phrase where I’m from. It doesn’t have any bad otations. It just means you’ve got the best deal.”

  “I uand,” Zijin said, letting the matter go. Adam was often thoughtless with his words. “I see why you will o create so many items to gift.”

  Adam flushed slightly. “I am trying, Elder Zijin.”

  “I know. I have heard you were quite restrained retly, and you have been much better behaved.”

  “Yeah…” Adam squirmed awkwardly before the Elder’s gaze.

  “Adam.”

  “Yes?”

  “I hear you will be creating ons for the children.”

  “Yeah?” Adam stared up at Zijin awkwardly, w why he would mention that.

  Zijin remained silent for a long while. “If you e across trouble, you may e speak with me.”

  “Yeah?” Adam replied, though the Elder didn’t tihanks.”

  Zijin nodded. “Your children are growing well.”

  “They are,” Adam replied, nodding his head. “Jirot is such a little bully, and Jarot is such a little sweetheart. Konarot keeps me in check, and Kirot and Karot just kind of follow along. They’re still gathering their bearings in the world.”

  “I hear you are close with Gurot too.”

  “Gurot is my ky boy,” Adam firmed, smiling slightly. “He’s growing up to be such a big chubby boy. He eats so well, eves from our hands. Lanarot likes to feed him too.”

  “You spend time with Inakan?”

  “Inakan…” Adam thought about what to say about the little one. “She’s so cute too. I hope she grows up well.” Adam’s tone was not quite as light as it was with Gurot.

  Zijin slowly bowed his head. Inakan erhaps the least healthy child to be born from all the shared family estates he watched over. Her parents tried to dote on her well, though they also had another child to watch over. It was their choice to have the sed child, which they ultimately accepted. Zijin stared at Adam, who was no doubt a reason as to why the pair had decided to have a sed child.

  “Elder Zijin, I spoil all the children too, ’t I?” Adam asked. “The Chief said I spoil Gurot, but what about the others?”

  “You may spoil them lightly.”

  “Where’s the fun in that?” Adam asked, frowning.

  Zijin smiled. “We will pay you one hundred gold for each Basic on you create. If you wish to create ons for yourself or your panions, you may do so too.”

  Adam finished eating aurned back to the shared family estate, where he found Jirot was ying down and drinking from her bottle. She watched as her elder siblings went to embrace their father, before she got up and reached up with an arm to be picked up, drinking her milk still.

  “Are you enjoying your milk?” Adam asked.

  The girl smiled, before returning to her drinking, cuddling up against her father’s chest as she drunk her milk. Adam go the side, where Little Jarot was sitting on Vonda’s p, staring up at her scarf. He was drinking from his milk bottle too, but had almost finished. Vonda took the bottle from his mouth and pced it down, while he reached up to her bright scarf, and grabbed it.

  Vonda looked down at him as the boy stared at the scarf and pulled it towards him, revealing her burn marks. He twitched slightly while staring at her pale skin, blinking rapidly for a moment, before he smiled, and then pulled down her scarf, holding it tight in hand as he stared at the bright yellow.

  “Jarot, what are you doing?” Adam asked.

  Jarot twitched and looked up to see that his father had returned. “Daddy.” Jarot smiled, Adam ruffling his hair.

  “Are you bullying Sir Vonda?”

  Jarot smiled ily, before hiding himself beside Vonda. He started squealing and giggling. Vonda rubbed his head gently, before pulling her scarf up to cover her face. She he triplets had been staring up at her face.

  “Jirot seems tired,” Adam said, brushing the girl’s hair. “Did she spend all day bullying everyone?”

  “She caused quite the mess,” Vonda admitted. “She kept throwing things that would shatter, but her grandmother dealt with it.”

  “She was ag up?” Adam frowned, looking down at his daughter, who was sleepily drinking from her bottle.

  “Ag up?”

  “I mean, was she causing havo purpose?”

  “No, she is still a child, and she is trying to uand the world. She was allowed to py with a ball ter and she did not shatter other cups.”

  “That’s right. My good girl only is mean to me on purpose.” Adam brushed her hair gently, feeling how hot her face was. The girl stared up at him, awakening slightly from her sleepiness as she stared up at her father. Adam smiled, and couldn’t help but bring her up to kiss her forehead, before nuzzling her nose. “Make sure you drink all your milk, smelly girl.”

  Jirot pulled away from the bottle and cackled at her father, before holding up the bottle to him.

  “No more?”

  “No!”

  Adam sighed. “Okay.” He picked up the bottle and allowed the girl to grab onto his shield, standing on his thighs as she rested her head against his chest. She babbled quietly to herself and rubbed her face against his shirt.

  “Adam, your children are so cute,” Vonda said, rubbing the boy’s nose gently. “You ’t keep them all to yourself.”

  “I ! They’re my children!” Adam lifted Jirot up to kiss her face all over. The girl squirmed and giggled, staring down at her father with a smile only a child could have for their father. “Even if you bully me, I will spoil you so much!”

  “I want to spoil them too,” Vonda said, brushing the boy’s hair gently, who tio hide shyly from her.

  “You ’t spoil them more than me, I’m their father,” Adam said. His triplets sat near him, and sometimes rubbed their heads against his legs, even hugging them slightly.

  “I try.”

  Adam frowned. “You try.” Adam gnced down to see his daughter staring up at him suspiciously, Jirot w how she should mess with her father.

  ‘A hundred gold for Basic ons?’ Adam thought, ping the girl’s cheeks. ‘No. Aren’t I the one making out like a bandit?’

  Jirot smiled, letting him go, just this once.

  Jirot is such a little punk! We'll five her but only because she's too cute.

  The Iyr alays its debts...