Finally the junk I am looking for. Oh, right. You have no idea what I am talking about. I had a spark of genius. Provided it works. Yesterday I had a visit from Iren. The leader of the trading hub I first stumbled into. I owe her a lot but it turns out she expects great things from me. Namely a whole bunch of new items and products this world hasn't seen yet. No pressure, right?

She told me it might occur naturally and it did. When I invented my 'enchant-up bras'. (Trademark pending.) Brassieres that temporarily make your breasts grow by a fixed percentage. Since yesterday I gave it some thought and I am now convinced I spotted the building stones that lead me to this researched product. Think about it. The 'accident' of researching my new product happened when I acquired two items new to me. The growth potion and the Maynard Mansion Bustier Of The Servant Maid. Then I research them by happenstance at the same time.

My takeaway is this. I need to try different combinations of items and hope to get lucky. And here I see my first problem. I only have a limited amount of them. Of those that I have, not all work. Take my food for example. I researched them all, but only Hushberry soup and Papush ice cream work for creating new objects by recoloring them. I think because only those two have a uniform color in their original form.

That leaves me with the conundrum that I need new items to try for research. Yet since the potion and bustier, I get nothing but junk. And then I thought maybe that's the way out. What if I can use junk to research new things? Maybe I even can fix the junk itself.

Look, this is what my latest customer dumped in my lap:

> Sack of Servant Maid uniform scraps <
> This burlap sack contains 67 pieces of fabric that once belonged to various parts of the Maynard Mansion Uniform Of The Servant Maid. <
> 442 void-favors <

If I place those scraps on my research bench then I hope I can pull out new items. Maybe other parts of the Servant Maid set. Then I could try to enchant those too. Grow my secret inventory. Maybe it becomes more than enchanted underwear. Adding the uniform it might be-

A freaking costume shop. Okay, maybe not that. But the second haul of my customer is more promising.

> Crate of Servant Maid body parts <
> 21 destroyed parts of the Maynard Mansion Servant Maid automata are stored in this crate. <
> 532 void-favors <

How cool would it be to have my own android? Or automata as the Besonians call it. Did old Maynard even sell those? If not I could make a killing selling these to rich households. And if I can't get them to work, maybe I get at least mannequins out of them. That could be a product too.

However, researching those junk items will have to wait. Currently, my research bench is occupied by my Papush ice cream and all my 'enchant-up bras' taking a turn. Who knows? Maybe some woman likes to wear a papush colored bra on her adventure outings.

Not to mention that I have to open those containers first. Right. I haven't told you about the Besonian's way to cheese their own soul-inventory system. I told you that I have nine slots in my soul-inventory and a bunch more in my Little Mule. Well, those nine slots are the default for every person on Besona.

Apparently, they can be expended by a soul-guide, but it ain't cheap. So, the Besonian's found this trick. Instead of having a bunch of items taking up a slot each you can place them before in a container. Said container in your soul-inventory will still only take up one slot. No matter how many different items are in there. But to retrieve a single item from it you have to first materialize the whole container again. A slight hassle, but it works well in general.

I first stumbled upon this exploit on Tsundere Fields. Both the void-traders for my new appeal and for my haul of basic potions had used it. Otherwise, I would have had to make several trips back and forth to my Little Mule.

Anyway. For now, I pay for this junk with void-favors I have saved up. Then later, I can open the crate and sack and see what's what. Sounds like a plan? Alright. Talk to you later.

....

....

"What can I do for you? Voiding items or do you need potions?"

"Well- Uhm-"

Some customers are such a drag. Under the counter, I am drumming my fingers in impatience. It can't be that bad to decide between two options. Maybe the man is still a bit green behind the ears? He looks barely out of his teenage years.

"I wanted to inquire- There is a rumor that you have a secret selection."

Strange. I had plenty of female customers now that bought enchant-up bras. But this was the first time a male customer asked about them. I wonder just how secret my selection of enchanted bras really is.

"Probably more than a rumor by now," I admit aloud. "Do you want to give it as a gift? Most are in brown but I am expanding right now with Papush colored versions."

The man is scratching his head and now looks around him. Damn, boy, this is not a drug deal. No one will suspect you buy female underwear except if you act sketchy as heck.

"What if I buy them for myself," he finally asks. "Will they work?"

Wait, what? For himself? Why does he want breasts? There must be an explanation. Maybe he wants some just to play with them? Test some things and get a feel for them before his first time with a woman? Nah, I don't think so. Or is it more to him? Is it may be part of cross-dressing? Or is he transgender? Do Besionians even know what that is?

So many questions. But the biggest one remains. Will my enchant-up bra work on a man. I think I have the answer.

"I never tested it. The enchantment probably works in general, but it won't do you much good. The growth enchantment works with percentages."

"And ten percent more of nothing is still nothing."

Great. Now he lets his head hang down. Shit. What do I say?

"I wish I could help you. Is there no other way?"

"Well, the soul-guide, you know?"

"A soul-guide can give you breasts?"

"Well, yes. When they remodel your body. I wish I had the soul-flakes to afford it."

Hold on a minute! Soul-guides can do that? I could get rid of my mammoth mammaries. Or even-

"They can change one's gender?"

"Yes. You didn't know? It is expensive though. The reason why I became an adventurer."

"To gather the soul-flakes needed," I conclude out loud. "How much is it? The remodeling:"

"About two hundred thousand."

Holy freakin' heck! What the hell? That might as well be a billion. There go my hopes and dreams to become a man again. Since Pasus mentioned that soul-flakes are a currency like void-favors I looked into my soul-display or whatever one calls it. In all my time so far in Besona, I collected twenty-seven soul-flakes. Just by existing. I came here about what? Two rotations ago? If I average it out and then divide the two hundred thousand by it then-

I won't have enough to afford it in a century. Not even two. Gathering them naturally that amount is just plain impossible. No wonder this boy decided to become an adventurer. Killing monsters and such is the only way to get faster access to soul-flakes. And of course, my own stats are so crappy it isn't an option for me.

Pasus mentioned one can buy soul-flakes, but it isn't cheap. Just how many void-favors do I need to afford it? Is there even enough supply? Shit, no matter how much I want to become a man again it looks like it won't happen for a while. Maybe never. At least if I go the traditional route.

"Look, what's your name? Mine is Lillyn."

"Malan."

"Well, Malan, nice to meet you. Tell you what. Your plight is surprisingly close to my heart. I promise I look into it. If there is a way to get you your dream gender besides the soul-guide option then I will try to find it."

"Really? Thank you."

Maybe there are potions for that? Or enchanted gear? If not, maybe I can research it. It sounds like a long shot, but more likely than amassing two hundred freakin' thousand soul-flakes.

Not to mention that a lot of people will be glad if there is an alternative. Do all transgender people on Besona choose the adventurer lifestyle? Just in the vague hope to earn enough one day to become those who they always wanted to be. It is a sad prospect, but maybe I shouldn't bitch too much about it. Compared to Earth at least Besona has an option.

"But now, skedaddle. I need void-favors to do research and that means I need customers. You are holding up the line. If I find anything, Malan, I will come to find you."

After thanking me profoundly, Malan eventually clears the ramp. I hope one day I can make my promise true. Though I might not do it as Lillyn. But that is wishful thinking. I have no real clue where to start. Still, I have hope now. Here I am. Thinking that I stuck as a woman forever. I never stopped and considered that Besona, with all its magic, might have a way for me back.

Damn, this is slowly getting out of hand. Wasn't the void-trader profession be laid back? Just void a little. Do some research. Rake in profit. Now I am to save the void-trader profession from slipping into a lower social tier for Iren. Meanwhile, the world dangles the juicy carrot of returning to my own gender in front of my nose. My own goals, like dethroning the asshole family that hoards the Little Mule monopoly, are getting pushed aside.

Well, time to get back to work. Maybe slow and steady will do the trick and get me there. No choice but to try it.

....

....

End of work. Well, of me serving my customers. A little early today, but I don't care. What's a better advantage of being self-employed if not for making my own schedule?

Pasus will probably be around soon for another walk in the evening. I don't mind. Being cooped up in my Little Mule all day can be tedious. But before I stretch my legs there is something I need to do.

At my lunch break, I surveyed the trash I bought of my customers. The crate was a little disappointing. It contained nearly all parts for an automata except the torso. The rest was in a sorry state. Hacked to pieces. scorched, or smashed and dented.

At least now I understood what Pasus insinuated with Maynard being a pervert. The automatas heads looked like finely sculptured women. However, less like models and more like porno stars. Two other features stood out. The joints of the automata were balls. Just like those of dolls. I could not spot a means to move them. No artificial muscles or motors. Strange. Save for the ball joints the Automata had artificial skin covering them. Surprisingly life-like to the touch. At least those parts that weren't burned or melted by acid.

The sack of maid uniform scraps wasn't more promising by a lot. I could tell that they were once part of clothing, but not any specific piece. They probably had been worn by the servant automata in the mansion right up to the moment when adventurers took them apart with all kinds of weapons and destructive magic. The amount that was left spoke of how resilient the automata really are.

Just to try it out I put maid uniform scraps onto both of my research bench slots. Then I got so busy that I couldn't check on the progress in the afternoon. Until now.

I know I researched something, but not what. Let's see what I got.

> Nerun-quarter of Sorentian Velvet <
> Sorentian Velvet is a highly sought-after fabric popular with high society. This is a standard sample size of this textile typically offered by merchants. <
> Dyed: nightshade black <
> 78 void-favors <

Interesting. I hoped for a repaired garment. Instead, I get a restored piece of fabric. Time to craft a piece and materialize it.

Aha! As I thought. It is the same soft material most of the bustier is made of. This could be useful in the future, but probably as a stepping stone for other projects. I am not entirely sure what a Nerun-quarter is, but it appears to be a rectangle of about twenty-five by twenty-five centimeters. Maybe a little bigger.

Time to look at my second prize won in the wheel of research.

> Torn pieces of the Servant Maid uniform <
> Larger pieces of fabric that once belonged to various parts of the Maynard Mansion Uniform Of The Servant Maid. <
> 8 void-favors <

Isn't that what I put onto my research bench? Let me get the original and compare it.

> Scraps of the Servant Maid uniform <
> Small pieces of fabric that once belonged to various parts of the Maynard Mansion Uniform Of The Servant Maid. <
> 7 void-favors <

Great. I made small stuff into slightly less small stuff. I am such a genius. Well, jokes aside. Maybe I am onto something. My hope was that maybe I could research a complete garment by just pushing in heaps of scrap. Instead, I got only a step closer to it. But maybe there is still hope. Maybe I can research this junk over and over and slowly repair the pieces with each step. Getting closer and closer to a finished product. It might take time though. No wonder normal void-traders avoid researching trash.

Did my Little Mules bell just ring? Must be Pasus. Time to shove the torn pieces onto the research bench and get going.

....

....

Huh. I thought this would be a quiet evening. Not much more to narrate. My walk with Pasus had been quite peaceful so far. If you discount the distant sounds of explosions from the hedge labyrinth. We haven't even cleared the path in front of the guest mansion when suddenly the camp is stirring.

A few adventurers point to the horizon and I can't help but look too. A ship is arriving. Slowly settling down where Iren parked hers just yesterday. But this one didn't quite look right.

"The soul-guide arrived," Pasus remarks from beside me. "A little late."

Right. They were scheduled to arrive today.

"Why is their Little Mule looking so strange?"

The ship was a little slimmer than my own Little Mule but made more than up for it in length. It had an elegance to it that my ship lacked. Not to mention a large panorama window on the second level that had me a little jealous.

"It's not a Little Mule. That's a Little Swan. Aside from wealthy people and aristocrats only soul-guides and the church of the otherworldly uses them. Do you want to take a look?"

I was tempted. Sure. But I doubt it would be a good idea. There is already a long line of adventurers forming. It might take quite a few bells before it would be my turn. And then what? Stare at upgrades I couldn't afford? Not to mention the one I really wanted and was eon hundred and ninety-nine thousand and nine hundred seventy-three soul-flakes short?

"Maybe next time," I say aloud and pull Pasus back to our walk.

"Are you sure?" he asks me while falling into my walking rhythm. "They never stay for long and they won't be back for two rotations."

"Quite sure. I can satisfy my curiosity another time. Let's just enjoy the evening."