Urg, is it morning already? I don't wanna get up. Just five more minutes snuggling with my pillows and-

An arm? Why is an arm draped over me? Ah, right. Myra slept over at my place.

What? No, get your mind out of your gutter. Nothing happened. Yesterday was a disaster, okay? The raid of the Servant Quarters was a nightmare. Worst idea I ever had. I thought I'd die for sure. Let me tell you, as someone who already died once, dying sucks.

Even worse, I think I ruined my friendship with Dera. The adventureress that I hired to play protector and tour guide. Everything went fine until I had to pick up that stupid machine in the workshop. That minimized factory. All hell broke loose. It was like in a zombie flick. Rushing bodies bent on rending our flesh. And then I even got stuck because I had activated my shieldmaiden brassiere and drunken too many shield potions. How embarrassing. I hadn't even noticed. Dera wailing on me with her sword was even scarier than those crazed people and Automata rushing after us.

So, yeah. When we finally stumbled out, I wasn't in the best state of mind. Barely managing to drag back the spoils of the raid. That's when Myra found me. It was a lot, okay? And I needed a shoulder to cry on. Myra was there to provide one. Even late into the evening while I lamented my stupidity. Spreading tears and snot on Myra. Urg, I hope she doesn't mind or has spare clothes. Well, I could craft her some. That's the least I can do for her. I remember it getting late and she had dragged me to bed. Staying by my side until I fell asleep. Guess she did too. So, yeah. Nothing happened aside from Myra being a friend.

Damn, I am a mess too. I need a shower. If I am careful-

Yep, got out under Myra without waking her.

Give me a moment of privacy, will'ya. I will not describe how I shower. It is still a little awkward to talk about the details of my body. I've been a woman now for weeks. Well, rotations. But still, if I am honest, I haven't really gotten used to it.

Be right back.

"There you are," Myra said as I exited the bathroom. Lounging in my small dining nook."You look better."

"I feel better. Thanks for yesterday."

Without a word, Myra stood up and walked up to me. Drawing me into a hug. "That's what friends are for."

I won't lie. It felt nice. Any hug by Myra felt nice. But this one more than others. Anyway. Where was I?

"How about you take a shower and I prepare breakfast? That's the least I can do for you."

"Sure," Myra agreed. Walking towards my bathroom. "But no peeking."

I wouldn't. Dear imaginary audience. I am not that kind of guy.

Gal.

Whatever.

Damn, is it time for opening my store again? I wish I could take a day off, but technically I already did. I mean, no one is forcing me to open my shop, but a lot of adventurers at Maynard Mansion are depending on my potions. There'll be a longer line today. Because I took a break yesterday.

Well, before I open my ramp and let customers into my Little Mule, I guess I should start some research. But what? Right, the shelves of my Little Mule are full of boxes containing research notes by Maynard on Automatas. Right now, I don't even wanna look at them. They are such a reminder of yesterday.

And then there is the miniaturized factory. The one I hoped would produce Automata for me. How could I be so stupid? I mean picking it up caused a lot of trouble, but there is more. Where the heck did I thought I would put it? Even if I cleared out the shelves and my sales counter, it wouldn't fit into my Little Mule. So stupid. I could kick myself for my stupidity.

Then there was the stasis charger. At least one useful item. It can stop and reverse the decay of soul crystals. Currently, there is one in my protection. Waiting for the soul guide to arrive and being revived. They should arrive any day now, but still, it couldn't hurt to put the adventurer's soul into the stasis charger. It only took a moment to materialize it and place it on my counter. It is shaped perfectly to fit the soul crystal into its clamps. They latch onto the two bronze rings that circle the soul crystal. The stasis charger has four of those clamps. So, I guess I can fit one more soul-crystal there. Maybe after I got rid of this one, I can research an upgrade to the stasis charger. Maybe giving them more capacity or so. It might also sell in moderate amounts.

Still, my research bench is empty.

"What should I research, Becky?"

Yes, the Automata named Becky is still lounging around in the corner of my salesroom. Still immobile and inanimate. I've got to pose her one day. Use her at least as a mannequin. Right now, she didn't even provide me with an answer.

Alright. What do I research? An upgrade to my enchant-up bras? Urg, no. Just another reminder of my failure yesterday. My breasts expanded so much it wasn't funny anymore. What else? Lipstick? It would be nice to provide a new type to Myra as a thank you for being there for me. Alright, lipstick it is. But what do I use to combine it with?

A potion might work for enchantment, but it might not result in a new color. What else do I have? Lingerie or clothing? Better not. That leaves the "assorted goods" the priestesses of the otherworldly church had left with me. Dildos? Nope. Borscht? Might result in a new color. Wait? Did I try that before? Can't remember. What else is there? The mp3 player. Certainly, that won't result in a new color. And for enchantment-

What enchantment would an mp3-player give a lipstick? Maybe it would make the wearer's voice more musical? Or imagine every time you kiss someone with this lipstick a jingle plays. How silly would that be? Alright, I have my research project. Mp3-player and the "Gel-Lipstick Of The Healing Kiss". An absolute abomination of a research project, but you know what? I need a little silliness in my life right now. And I am kind of curious what Besona will come up with such a strange mix. Can't wait.

"Rea!"

Wow, I hadn't expected the mage and healer of yesterday's group to show up. To be honest, I figured out Dera and her teammates would avoid me like the plague for a few days. Or rotations.

"Hey, Lillyn."

"What brings you here? Not to blow up my shop, right?"

"Look, I am not mad at you."

"You aren't?"

She isn't? I would. Maybe there is hope salvaging it.

"It wasn't your fault," Rea admits to me. "Normally, starting adventurers are told time and time again to not cause a collapse. We told you once or twice? And in passing. It was a mistake, sure, but one we all had a hand in. Dera knows it too, but she is stubborn and a hothead sometimes. Give her a few days to calm down. She will come around."

"That's good to hear." Phew, has a weight lifted from your chest too? At least the metaphorical ones. My twins are heavy as ever. How could I have not noticed them growing so much in size yesterday? Anyway. Stop spacing out. Thank Rea for being nice. "I really hope she forgives me. And thank you for letting me know."

"Well, I am also here to buy a few things. Somehow, we burned through most of our potions yesterday. Even with you crafting new ones on the fly for us. So, I am here to pick up a few for our group."

"Well, I can certainly help with that. I'll even sell at cost this time. As an apology."

Wait. Why is Rea blushing suddenly and avoiding looking into my eyes?

"Does that count for a certain enchanted bra too? Now that I have the void-favors-"

Right. Guess the mage still has her priorities straight. What is it with Besonian's and their obsession with having big chests? Not to mention that Besonia itself appears to lean in that direction. Well, more void-favors for me. Well, not this time.

"For you, this time I make an exception."

Alright. Time to look into the oven and see what Besonia spat into my face this time. Granted, the combination of mp3-player and lipstick might have provoked the ire of Besona on me.

Wait, it worked? I have a new lipstick. Here, take a look.

> Gel-Lipstick Of Enhanced Whistling <
> This lipstick boosts not only strange ingredients like Zitoraxs slime. It's wax and the ornate container is enchanted. Making it a new kind of fashion statement for adventurers. <
> Color: Cream <
> Enchanted: Enhanced Whistling <
> Passive ability: Shifts and enhances whistling into a higher frequency. This might stun, confuse, or anger animals and monsters who can hear the whistle. While whistling, the applied lipstick is used up progressively.<
> Enchanted: Regenerative Container <
> Passive ability: Restores 2% of the lipstick wax each day up to the original amount. Prevents drying out. <
> 218 void-favors <

That's not what I expected. But it makes sense in a way. Not sure how useful this one will be, but it beats a lipstick that plays a jingle with each kiss. Well, to be honest, I would have liked to witness that one. Maybe I should give this combination another try. So long until Besona is granting me my silly wish.

Wait a moment. I got another blueprint. What's an Enchantment Storage Device?

> Enchantment Storage Device <
> This device made from rare and exotic metals can supplement a void-traders research bench. Placed in a slot, it can either copy enchantments to its own storage or copy one from its storage onto another item on the research bench. <
> Active ability: Switch mode between reading or writing.<
> Active ability: Selection of stored enchantment.<
> Active ability: This device can be charged with void-favors up to 1000.<
> Passive ability: If the device is in reading mode and is charged with 1000 void-favors, it reads a random enchantment stored on another object on a research bench and stores a copy within. The device can store up to 50 enchantments. <
> Passive ability: If the device is in writing mode it adds the selected enchantment to the learned blueprint of an object on the research bench. This process may fail if the object is incompatible with the enchantment or if it exceeds the limit of possible enchantments of the object. It may boost a placed enchantment if it is already present. <
> 2531 void-favors <

Holy shit. This is huge. If I read this right, I can transfer enchantments! I could even have one device store all my enchantments and hand it over to someone else. I think that's it, guys. The break I have been hoping for. Well, Iren actually. She has hoped for a way that void-traders could be competitive again against traditional crafting methods.

Remember Pasus? He spent a rotation or more to learn even one of the higher grade spellbooks his family is known for. I think this could help him learn faster. Imprint the individual enchantments of a spellbook on the device. Then take a new book and add step by step the enchantments needed. It might be quicker and you get all the steps in between as products too. Granted, transferring an enchantment to the device isn't cheap. One thousand void-favors. That hurts. But think about it. I could, for example, transfer the growth enchantment onto the device. Instead of playing random research roulette by putting an enchanted bra and a normal one on the research bench, I can transfer it straight away. No risk of random outcomes. And if it really boosts enchantments already on an object-

This is huge, guys. Real huge. I've got to experiment with that. Talk to you tomorrow. I think I'll be busy for a while.