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I thought my brother had forgotten about me after entering the Samang Sect to become a Cultivator – no, a martial artist. Yes, a martial artist. Anyway, I should have had more faith in him. He’s just busy fitting in. And yet, I doubted him. I called him my brother, but I didn’t even trust that he’d remember me. Shameful. Today, I was proven wrong. A letter arrived, straight from the Samang Sect. A real letter, from him! As soon as I saw it, I knew it was something special. It wasn’t just some casual greeting – it was encrypted. That meant secrets. That meant trust. That meant Eshmund, my brilliant brother, was still the same person I admired.

Reading through it, I felt my mood soar. He’s doing well, making friends, and – get this – he’s befriended merchants. Merchants! That’s my kind of crowd. The more, the merrier. Every great merchant needs allies, and as the future Merchant King, I’ll need plenty of them. This is just the first step. Even more intriguing, my brother has apparently found a mysterious mentor. ‘Lika Draganic.’ Weird name. But mysterious and powerful. ‘Draganic’ sounds like ‘Dragon’ – a mighty, legendary beast. And ‘Lika’ wasn’t that the name of that greenish metal, second only to mithril, used in weapons and armor? Or perhaps ‘Lake’, so it could indicate a place of origin – ‘Dragon Lake’? Could this mentor be from some hidden, noble family? A lost magical bloodline? Or maybe it’s a place – an ancient land of forgotten power. Ah, the possibilities! But back to business. Brother Eshmund wants to start selling enchanted items. A magic tool this time? That’s promising. It’s probably something he picked up from the sect, or maybe it’s one of those bizarre contraptions he dreams up from ancient books and wild experiments. Either way, it’s bound to be good. And profitable. Then I saw it – Space Pouches. This is big. No, beyond big. Space Pouches are expensive. A basic one, with just five cubic meters of space, costs at least 130 silver. A ten-cubic-meter one? Easily double that. And this isn’t a one-time sale – this is an ongoing business deal. If we can supply these regularly, the profits will be insane! He really outdid himself this time. This will be a fantastic addition to the shop, right? Too bad I can’t use Space Pouches myself. If I could, I’d be able to carry my own wares instead of hiring cultivators or martial artists to do it. It’d be so much safer – no more worrying about whether they’d run off with my goods or mess things up. I’d have full control. No risks, no trust issues. Just me and my merchandise.

Speaking of profits, my paper-making business is thriving. This is only the second batch I’ve produced this month, and the silver is already rolling in like crazy. Haaah.. That’s the thing about my brother – he’s a genius, but he’s terrible at explaining things. If I weren’t a genius myself, I wouldn’t have figured out how to turn his ideas into actual money. If he explained things properly from the start, I could have skipped all the costly trial and error! But hey, every genius has flaws, right? And in terms of making silver even my father might have to acknowledge my talent. Well, maybe that’s a stretch. Father have more experience and has been through a lot. I still remember when we were seven. Father was attacked by bandits on his way home from a business trip. If Grandpa Tasan hadn’t been there.. damn.. It scares me. My mother passed away giving birth to me, I only have that one father. He might be evil sometimes but he is actually a pretty decent father. If I lost him too.. well, I don’t like to think about it. Still, I’m glad I met my brother at the time. From the moment we started talking, I knew we’d click. Money. Books. Ideas. We’re cut from the same cloth. Anyway, that moment shaped me. It made me realize that wealth alone isn’t enough – you need power to protect it. My dream is to become the Merchant King, while Eshmund dreams of adventure. He’s training in the Samang Sect to prepare for his journey, while I’m here, working my ass off in this shop to build capital. One day, he’ll be my trusted traveling merchant, exploring the world and bringing back treasures while I run the empire from behind the scenes. It’s a perfect partnership. And now, he wants me to contact Silas from the Isayu family. Smart move. Even a future Merchant King has limits, and if this business takes off, I might not be able to hold it alone. This could turn into a hot potato real fast. A burning, steaming, too-hot-to-handle potato. But with the Isayu family’s backing, we can hold onto it. I just hope he is a trustworthy person, brother Eshmund is pretty good at reading people. It should be fine. Speaking of potatoes, I’m getting hungry. I should eat first. Maybe some crispy potato wedges with that spicy sauce. Or mashed potatoes with gravy. Or – wait, focus! Business first. Should I inform father about this? No, no, no. He’ll demand a cut. Not happening. Brother Eshmund wrote specifically to me – if he wanted Father involved, he would have said so. There’s still a lot to discuss anyway, we will see. Yes. It’s probably like that. Definitely. Now, where’s my lunch? It should be here by now right? Uncle! take over, I need to eat!!
Another day, huh. Not much going on. Most of the patients already finished their treatments, and no one needs any serious care upstairs. The medicine racks are full, the floor’s been swept, and the herb garden’s doing fine. Should I go grind some more herbs? Eh nah. We just made a fresh batch of potions and salves yesterday. Everything’s stocked. Kinda boring now, honestly. Even Senior Brother Kalen looks bored. Look at him – reading again. That guy never stops. I swear, books are gonna fuse into his hands one day. Still, that’s big bro for you. Always so serious. Me? I need to get outside and move around a bit. This place’s been feeling kinda empty since little bro Eshmund left for the Samang Sect. Normally, he’d be running around, all like, “Senior Brother Ran! Senior Brother! Come look at this weird plant!” Never let anyone relax. And weirdly enough, I kinda miss that noise. We all do, even if no one says it. Even Kalen. He’s not the type to talk about feelings, but I know he misses the kid too. Actually, I think me and Kalen got a little closer after Eshmund joined us. Had to team up to handle the little rascal. He brought us together like that. Funny how that works. The three of us aren’t blood brothers or anything. Master Isagani took us in. Kalen and I never got adopted officially, but it never really mattered. Feels like family. Only difference is the name. I think Master adopted the youngest ’cause he was completely alone. Me and Kalen, we still had some relatives in the village. Eshmund? No one. Just him. I still remember the story Grandma Leila told me – about how they found him. She and Master were caught in a storm and ducked into a cave for shelter. That’s where they found a woman’s body, holding a newborn baby. Umbilical cord still attached. The baby wasn’t even crying. Just lying there, eyes wide open. His father was there too, dead beside them, both parents covered in wounds. Grandma Leila said the dad looked like a cultivator, but the mom seemed like a martial artist. They tried searching for relatives, but no luck. Couldn’t even go public with it – might’ve stirred up trouble if someone was out to get them. So they kept quiet and just raised him themselves.

I watched him grow up. He was a funny little thing. Smart too. I swear, he started reading before he could even talk properly. No one believed me, of course. They just said he was memorizing stuff I taught him. Maybe they’re right. Maybe not. I still think I’m right, and hey, I’m no slouch either – I trust my judgment. Weird though, for all that brainpower, he wasn’t exactly amazing at healing. I mean, he’s good, don’t get me wrong. Just not as good as me or Kalen. But Kalen’s on another level anyway. Honestly, I think he’s even better than Master – just needs more experience. What Eshmund really had talent for was plants. The way he took care of the herb garden? Insane. Everything’s thriving. And before he left, he wrote down detailed care instructions for every single plant. Like, step-by-step stuff. Honestly, it’s made things a lot easier for me. Without those notes, I’d be panicking every time a leaf turned yellow. Sometimes I wonder if he always planned to leave. I remember him talking to that kid Carlan about going on adventures. Maybe this was his way of preparing us, making sure we’d be okay when he was gone. The village has gotten busier lately too. Guards stop by more often, and I’ve become friends with a few of them – play chess from time to time. And those villagers keep dropping off red cabbages. Eshmund figured out a way to grow them easily, apparently. They used to be rare, but now we’ve got so much, Grandma Leila even cooks them sometimes. They’re actually delicious, especially stir-fried with chicken and garlic. Good for exhaustion too, but the real magic happens when they’re processed into medicine. Useful little things. Ah, speak of the devil – there’s Grandma Leila now, outside chatting with the villagers. She looks pretty cheerful. Probably ’cause of the letter we got this morning from Eshmund. He said he might visit next month. “Might.” Why couldn’t the brat give a proper date? Now Grandma Leila’s gonna be looking out the window every day, waiting for him. Poor woman. Still… would be nice to have him back around. Even just for a bit. Things are too quiet without him.
Ugh. The look on Father’s face this morning was unbearable. Ever since that letter from Eshmund arrived, he’s been smirking like he knows something I don’t. And my brother? He’s even worse. Honestly, I can’t stand them sometimes. It’s just a letter. Not a proposal. Not a confession. Just a letter from an old friend who forgot to write for nearly three whole months. Well two and a half. But still. And of course, he didn’t even say when he’s coming. Just “soon.” That’s it. What the hell am I supposed to do with “soon”? Should I write back? Feels silly when he might show up any day now. But not writing also feels like I’m ignoring him. Ugh. Why is this complicated? He says he’s made some new friends at the Samang Sect. I’m glad, really. I was a little worried when he left. He’s always been kind of fragile. Smart, yeah. Curious, definitely. But fragile. The kind of person who you want to look out for, even if he pretends he doesn’t need it. I wonder if he’s still doing blacksmith work over there. Has he gotten any stronger? Or is he still struggling to lift the hammer properly? Honestly? I think my arms are still bigger than his. And yes, Mom has noticed it too. She hasn’t stopped nagging since I turned thirteen. “Anise, you’re a girl. You need to take care of your skin. No man wants a wife with calloused hands.” Maybe that’s true. Maybe she’s right. But every time I put on that apron and feel the heat from the forge, I know this is what I love. And I’m not going to change just to fit into someone else’s idea of what a girl should be. Still I do care. A little. I mean, I am a girl after all. I like pretty things sometimes. I like the way my hair looks when I actually brush it out. And I’ve caught a few glances here and there from the boys in the village. Not that I care what they think. Not really. But sometimes I wonder – can I really be both? Can I be strong, and still be me? Carlan’s been stopping by more often. He needed tools and parts for the paper-making machine – something he and Eshmund cooked up. He even shared some of the profits with me. He didn’t have to, but he did. Said it was Eshmund’s idea. Those two are always scheming something big. Talking about exploring the world, finding secrets, changing the kingdom. Sometimes I wish I was born a boy too. It’d be simpler. Fewer stares. Fewer rules. But I’ve come to realize something: they never made me feel like I didn’t belong. Not once. Not Eshmund. Not Carlan. Even when I acted like one of the boys, they always treated me like me. Maybe that’s enough. Maybe I can still go with them. The village’s changed a lot since Eshmund left. Ever since the red cabbage garden started, everything’s felt busier – livelier. People are earning more, buying more. The forge has been full of orders – kitchenware, farming tools, even requests from outsiders. All thanks to Eshmund’s method for growing those cabbages. Who knew something so simple would change so much? Even the government’s involved now. I heard they need those cabbages to make medicine for the army, reclaiming land to grow more. The guards told me it’s helping with external injuries and the guards need a lot of them in order to hold back magical beasts across the border. One idea from one quiet boy, and suddenly, the whole village is thriving. His family’s gonna be fine. Better than fine. They’ll probably end up richer and respected more. Maybe even as powerful as those nobles. I need to step up too.

I’ve been training with the Qilin God Blessing Technique that Father picked up from working with the military. He said, its best for blacksmith. I am fairly sure, I’m already better than my brother with it. I’ve got a good feel for the metal, and the forge listens to me like it’s part of my body. If the boys are heading out on some big journey, they’re gonna need someone who can swing a hammer and fix a broken blade. That’s me. I’ll be their smith, and maybe their shield too. And when Eshmund comes back, I’ll show him I haven’t been slacking. I’m still Anise. Still strong. Still loud, a little rough around the edges. But I’m also the girl who still checks her reflection sometimes and wonders what he’ll think when he sees her again.