CHAPTER 73: LEARNING THE TRADE

Marcus woke to his miserable life in the modern world. After the excitement and pressure of meeting Lord Hammond, returning to Tyler's cramped apartment felt like stepping into a smaller, grayer version of existence.

He got ready and headed to work, his mind still calculating mushroom growing timelines and food production logistics.

"Marcus!" Mr. Pressley called out as soon as he walked through the door. "Security course starts next Monday. Every weekday at six PM. You'll need to be there."

"Thank you, Mr. Pressley. I really appreciate this opportunity."

Most workers were still at the gun fair, leaving the shop quieter than usual what everyone saying. Marcus spent time with the gun range workers, learning the daily routines. He started tidying up places using organizational skills he'd learned from Aldric. Even though they didn't sell retail items and customers didn't care about symmetry, Marcus began organizing tools and parts systematically.

By noon, Irene showed up. She was clearly in some kind of mental state, but Marcus didn't want to pay attention. He thought he had no time to worry about other people's business.

Sally walked over to make introductions. "Marcus, have you met Irene?"

"No, not officially."

Irene slumped into her chair behind the front desk. "Congrats on the job. Welcome to the epitome of boredom."

Marcus didn't want to answer and drag out the conversation. Time was precious, and he wasn't here to socialize.

The day passed in a haze of hard work. But whenever he had a chance, Marcus was studying the company's rifle designs and comparing them to other modern designs he'd researched. Even though his first attempt at creating a shotgun in Valdris had failed, he and Sara had eventually made one work. Now he just had to create one with automatic firing that wouldn't blow his hand off.

Midday, Marcus quietly tidied racks and labeled drawers. The place looked less like a tornado had hit it and more like a professional workshop.

He was wiping down a workbench when something caught his attention. A cleaning rag he was sure he'd left on the counter was now sitting dangerously close to a heating vent. The edges were starting to smoke.

Marcus quickly grabbed the rag and moved it away. Someone must have set it there, but who? He looked around. Irene was at her desk, staring blankly at paperwork. The other workers were busy with their own tasks.

Strange. Marcus made a mental note to be more careful about where he left things.

When he got home, Marcus sat at his computer with quick noodles and buried himself in studies for Valdris. He pulled up files on automatic rifle mechanisms, mushroom cultivation techniques, and textile manufacturing processes.

His laptop screen glowed with diagrams and research notes. The to-do list seemed to grow longer every day:

• Perfect mushroom cultivation for Hammond

• Design automatic rifle mechanism

• Research textile manufacturing equipment

• Study food preservation techniques

• Plan meeting with Celestine

Each item connected to dozens of sub-tasks and research files. These weren't the fantasies of a college dropout. They were the survival plans for two worlds.

He added a new item: "Security course preparation" and another: "Watch Irene's behavior patterns."

Something about that smoking rag bothered him. In Valdris, paying attention to small details could mean the difference between life and death. Maybe it was time to apply that same vigilance here.

More night study, less daydreaming. The real world demanded just as much attention as the fantasy one, even if the stakes seemed smaller.

But were they really smaller? Marcus was starting to wonder if the two worlds were more connected than he'd originally thought.