The next morning, having settled my affairs at the testing ground, I made my way back to Gimul.
I stood on a grassy plain, looking over the familiar city to my left and the new city undergoing rapid development to the right. Watching the streams of people flow between the two cities really made me feel at home...and reminded me of what I had to do.
“Here we are! I’m sorry for the wait,” I announced. Since Rosenberg and Sebas had traveled ahead to see Reinhart, I’d volunteered to give everyone else a ride back to Gimul via Space magic.
“It’s only been a few minutes. I wouldn’t call that waiting,” Jeff said.
“Space magic is really handy. If only I could learn to use it.”
Since there were so many of us, I had them all wait in the Dimension Home, which made me feel like a field trip bus driver.
“Did you encounter any problems inside?” I asked. “With my familiars, for example.”
“No trouble. We weren’t there long to begin with, and your familiars are so well-behaved,” Hudom confirmed.
“Yep, yep. The little monster from the Sea of Trees is adorable,” Miya said.
“Yes, she’s so friendly.”
They were talking about Rino—the juvenile cannonball rhino I’d protected in the Sea of Trees. I’d stashed her in my Dimension Home and brought her back with me.
When I had asked a branch manager of Gimul’s Tamer’s Guild on how to care for her, he had responded rather disappointingly. “I’m sorry to disappoint, but we hardly know anything about cannonball rhinos. Because they are a species that only appear deep in the Sea of Trees, bringing one out of there alive is an ordeal in itself... There are records of some cannonball rhinos wandering out of the woods, but I’ll need to do some research to find out more.”
That had made sense to me. He’d then continued.
“One thing I can recommend for sure is to acclimate her to the environment inside your Dimension Home. A quick change in surroundings can cause stress and illness in both monsters and humans. It may be tempting to want to bring her outside or show her around, but I recommend holding off until she firmly recognizes your Dimension Home as a safe place.”
So, other than giving her the occasional fresh air and bringing her out when necessary, she’d spent her days in the Dimension Home. Many of the monsters I’d tamed so far were very resilient to changes in environment: highly adaptive slimes, limour birds who act like migratory birds, and goblins that survive in harsh conditions.
I’d almost forgotten how important it was to wait for a familiar to acclimate on their own. When I first tamed the clever chickens, I’d had to consider their acclimation...but they had always told me their complaints and demanded change. In winter, it was too cold. In summer, it was too hot. As a result, I’d never had to figure out what they wanted. In the end, the clever chickens had decided that the climate-controlled Dimension Home was the most comfortable place for them. All day long, they ate or slept or played board games in their dedicated space—living it up. Demanding whatever they wanted was a way of adapting, I supposed. I’d have to give Marble—my liaison with them—another reward for his fine work.
“If Rino wasn’t intimidated by the new faces, she may be ready to gradually come out,” I said.
“That’s a good idea. Even though she could run around in there if she wanted to, the other monsters make the space cramped,” Miya said.
“I’ll reach out to the Tamer’s Guild for advice.”
“Let’s get going, then. There’s no sense standing around here,” Jeff said, already walking towards Gimul’s city gate.
We quickly followed and went to the Adventurer’s Guild first, reporting the completion of the adventurers’ quest of guarding me during my inspection. Then we split up, leaving only Hudom and Eleonora with me.
“What’s next?” Hudom asked. “We never really discussed what to do back in town.”
“If there are no conflicting plans, I would like to let Carme know that we have returned and continue my training to take over his duties, if his schedule allows... What will you do, Master Takebayashi?” Eleonora asked.
“As long as there are no urgent matters, I’d like to prepare for a trip into the Sea of Trees. I don’t like to leave Korumi alone for too long. Even though I can travel there much more easily with Space magic, I still have to make some preparations. That being said, the goblins will help me stock up on bug repellent and instant meals...starting tomorrow, once they’ve rested up for the rest of the day. I was going to take the day off myself. Maybe go on a stroll to find people who could take on manufacturing the incense and the wish bracelets.”
Eleonora immediately offered to tag along with me, and Hudom followed suit. There was no reason to turn them down, so the three of us set out on our leisurely stroll. The first destination was a particular alley near the former slums.
“He should be around here... There he is,” I announced, spotting a figure crouched in the shade of the alley.
“Look who it is, with a pretty entourage, no less, in a place like this. What can I do for you?” the mouse beastkin information broker, short and adorned with rags as before, asked with a slimy grin.
“Eleonora, I don’t believe you’ve met him before, and I never properly introduced him to Hudom either. He is someone who knows the city of Gimul well and has many friends—someone who gives good advice,” I said.
He turned to my employees. “People are generous to me all over the city. I’m happy to share anything I can. If you’d like my services in the future, come talk to me anytime you like. If I’m not around these parts, grab someone in the neighborhood and tell them you’re looking for Street Rat. They’ll know what to do.”