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Shadur sighed while walking to Leon, who had taken out a folded-up, canvas tent. He helped unfurled the tent while answering, “Well, at first I wasn’t going to take the job... No offense to Leon, but the pay wasn’t very good and that didn’t make sense given the added risk involved.”

“So Keldon warned you about the risks beforehand?” asked Oli.

Nodding, Shadur continued, “But early this morning Uncle Keldon approached me again, saying that the pay had increased. Also, so long as I proved capable during this trip, Uncle Keldon was told that I could take up a residency in the Practor Family.”

“What?!”

Oli blinked, acting surprised but far less than Leon. “So... what does that mean exactly?”

“I’ll be given room and board in the Practor Family as the in-house medicinal expert, but I’ll also be allowed to run my own practice while giving a small percentage of earning back to the Practor Family.”

.....

“Oh...” Chuckling, Oli thought back to his late-night conversation with Hurman. Though Oli was sure that negotiating with Keldon was difficult, Oli hadn’t expected Hurman to be so shrewd. “Does that mean you’ll be paid for your work with the Practor Family?”

“No, I won’t be paid...”

“Then–”

“But that’s to be expected,” Shadur cut Oli off, showing a small smile. “I’ve only recently finished my apprenticeship and opening my own practice would cost a lot of capital. Being allowed to use the family name and work for myself is something any new doctor would dream of.”

“So you’re happy splitting your profits?”

“Well, there’s no guarantee of receiving any profits at the beginning. It usually takes quite some time to build a name for yourself and get the trust of the people...”

“Grandpa actually agreed to that...” Leon mumbled loudly and almost dropped the tent stakes in his hand.

“Sounds like Hurman is taking a bet on your future. You don’t charge him while he offers food and shelter, as well as a place to practice medicine which will eventually benefit both you and the Practor Family,” deduced Oli, to which Shadur nodded and Leon nearly dropped his jaw. “Now, how long is that contract?”

“Five years.”

“Whoa...” Oli didn’t say it out loud, but he already regretted paying Hurman as much as he had. Half as much would’ve likely been enough. And hearing that Hurman negotiated for the low cost of food and using a spare room proved that Hurman may have walked away as the winner of their previous negotiation.

“You’ll be working with us for five years?” Leon asked. “Isn’t that a really long time?”

“It’s a decent amount of time, but it’s mutually beneficial. No matter what happens in the next five years, I’ll have a roof over my head, food in my belly, and direct protection of my wares. Normally, security would need to be handled by me or someone paid to protect my goods, but that won’t be a problem for me.”

“I forgot about the cost of security...” Oli whispered to himself, finding the trade-off more balanced.

“What about you, Oliver?”

“Huh? What about me?”

Slowly driving a tent stake to the ground, Shadur’s soft voice asked, “Why did you take this job? You’re not a member of the Practor Family, right? And you’re new here, so what caught your interest?”

Taking out a small knife and board, Oli took out some large melons and began slicing them into hand-held portions. “I got offered free lessons from Master Jonon and Patriarch Hurman, so I couldn’t say no.”

“WHAT?!” Leon’s shout was far louder now, and his slack jaw dangled in disbelief. “Grandpa offered you lessons?!”

“Yeah... what’s wrong with that?”

“That... That... The last people Grandpa taught were my dad and Uncle Jonon!”

“Can you shut up!” Johan shouted back, poking his head out of his bedroll. “I’m trying to rest early here!”

Leon lowered his voice and turned his attention back to the strange topic at hand. “Oliver, I’ve never been taught by Grandpa and neither has Johan. And you’re saying Grandpa agreed to teach you?”

“My lessons will be with Jonon but Hurman agreed to help me with my cultivation whenever I have questions, so how I could I refuse?” answered Oli.

“Still...”

“What’s the matter?” Oli asked, seeing the hesitation in Shadur’s face.

“Oliver, you’re an adept, right?” Shadur responded with a question. “If you’re in charge of this mission, you should be stronger than me, but...”

“I am stronger than you,” refuted Oli, laughing heartily as he set aside the board of melon slices. “If it came down to it, I’d be amazed if all three of you combined could slow me down.”

“But... But how come I feel that you’re weaker than me?”

Sighing, Oli raised one eyebrow and glanced at Leon. “The reason I’m on this job is because I helped Leon and his little brother with some thugs. Then, before the offer came up I had to get tested in a sparring match with Jonon.”

“You fought Uncle Jonon?” Amazed, Leon needed a moment to process what he had just heard.

Shadur was also caught off-guard, struggling to believe the claims despite the confidence that Hurman and Jonon had shown that morning. “Oliver...”

“Is there some way you want me to prove my strength? Can you think of a logical way to do it now?”

“I... No...” muttered Shadur.

“Then just trust me. With Leon and Johan here to keep an eye on you, I should be able to handle anything thrown at us. If not, then we’re allowed to abandon the mission and still receive the full payment.”

“Oh... I didn’t know that...”

Oli shrugged. “Don’t get any funny ideas, though. Have you already signed a contract with the patriarch?”

When Shadur shook his head, Oli did as well. “Without a signed contract, there’s still a chance that your agreement will be thrown away. Your best bet is to follow the plan and harvest as many lilies as possible. If you quit without even trying, I can guarantee that Hurman won’t be taking you in. Right, Leon?”