CHAPTER 84: NEW BEGINNINGS AND OLD TROUBLES

Marcus woke to another quiet day in the modern world, but his security course had taken an interesting turn. They'd started teaching self defense techniques alongside the usual threat assessment and emergency procedures. The instructor, a former police officer with military experience, demonstrated basic combat skills that Marcus found surprisingly relevant to his dual world existence.

After he completed next batch of grain spawns for mushrooms, Marcus hurried to their newly acquired shop, eager to check on the business and see how Sara was managing Palwin's integration. As he approached the building, he saw a crowd gathered around two men on the ground, with Tom standing over them, his fists still raised in a defensive position. Sara and Aldric stood behind Tom, while two other men were trying to help their downed friends to their feet.

Marcus rushed toward his friends. "What's happening here?"

The older man, picking up his companion from the muddy street, pointed an accusatory finger at Aldric. "Your friends are liars! Aldric Thorne, you're both a con man and a traitor, working with these village runners who steal from honest businesses!"

Tom's voice was steady but firm. "I was here to deliver food that Aunt Elara made for everyone when one of them swung a wooden bat at Aldric. I stopped them from hurting him."

"Lies! You attacked us first!" said the man with fresh bruises spreading across his face. "We came here to get our money back from these fraudsters!"

Aldric tried to maintain his composure despite the hostile crowd. "We delivered exactly what you asked for. I don't understand the problem. You asked for one hundred eighty prints, and we delivered two hundred quality advertisements."

"Our sales haven't increased one bit!" the older man shouted, his frustration obvious. "We're still sitting on our asses with no customers. You promised us giant growth in our business!"

"No one can increase their business with just two hundred advertisements. That was an entry package to test market response," Aldric explained patiently.

Marcus stepped forward, recognizing that this situation could escalate beyond simple business disagreement. "Gentlemen, how much did you pay us for the advertising work?"

Aldric tried to interrupt. "Marcus, we delivered everything they ordered according to our agreement."

Marcus put his hand on Aldric's arm, signaling him to let this be handled differently. "How much?"

The older man's anger hadn't cooled. "Four silver pieces! Four silver for nothing but fancy papers that brought us no new customers!"

Marcus reached into his coin purse and counted out five silver pieces. "Here's five silver. Consider this a full refund plus compensation for your disappointment. But if I ever see you creating a commotion here again, Tom won't be playing defense anymore."

The men took the silver with obvious relief, their anger deflating as quickly as it had appeared. They gathered their belongings and departed without further argument, leaving Marcus and his friends to assess the situation.

"The city is on edge," Marcus said, watching the crowd disperse. "We shouldn't be selling advertisements to struggling businesses when people are desperate for basic necessities. My work with the blacksmith and the money coming from mushroom cultivation should keep us stable."

Tom grinned with satisfaction. "I heard you rented a big house near here for the family."

"Yes, Tom. Head to the Geno Inn. The owner is our new landlord. Take the key and start the moving process. We can finally live like proper human beings instead of cramped in that shed."

Sara's eyes lit up with excitement. "Where are the prototypes? I want to see the sewing machine components you've been working on with Temir."

Aldric looked concerned about the rapid changes. "Are you sure about all this expansion? Are we moving too fast, constantly adding new responsibilities and commitments?"

Sara turned to Aldric with obvious affection. "Aldric, come on. You always wanted to be a wealthy merchant lord. How are you going to get rich if we don't work hard and take calculated risks?"

"I'm definitely in favor of working hard, but is this approach smart? Are we being strategic or just reactive?"

Marcus considered the question seriously. "Honestly, I don't know if everything will work perfectly. But we'll figure it out as we go. The important thing is that we're making progress instead of staying stagnant."

"Where is Palwin?" Marcus asked, looking around.

"She's inside making ink. You know she won't come out unless we specifically ask her to," Sara replied.

Tom called toward the shop entrance. "Palwin, I brought you a chicken sandwich!" He headed inside to deliver the food.

Marcus took Sara's arm and walked toward the shop entrance, speaking quietly so only she could hear. "Has she been working any of that special magic these past weeks while living with you?"

"No, I've never seen her try to use her portal abilities. She seems completely focused on the tasks we give her."

Marcus sighed with frustration. "I need to take care of that training too. There's so much to manage."

Tom returned from inside the shop, carrying the empty food basket. He rejoined their conversation with obvious curiosity. "How was your meeting with the King, Marcus?"

Aldric's business concerns were immediately forgotten. "Yeah, we forgot to ask! You had an audience with His Majesty. That's incredible!"

Sara grinned mischievously. "Are you a Lord now? Lord Marcus of Millhaven?"

Tom laughed. "It has a nice ring to it. Lord Marcus sounds distinguished."

Marcus rolled his eyes at their teasing. "Stop it, you guys. It was actually quite serious. I was almost executed again for speaking out of turn." He laughed, but there was real tension behind his humor.

"Okay, okay, my lord," Sara said with exaggerated formality.

Marcus waved off their jokes. "They acknowledged there could be food shortages, but they won't agree to full agricultural mobilization. The King's advisors are either incompetent or compromised by special interests."

"If it wasn't for Sister Korra defending me, I think after my first comment to the advisors, I could have been hanged for disrespecting the crown."

Aldric nodded approvingly. "Sister Korra works directly for the King now, so at least we have an ally inside the palace. That's valuable political protection."

Tom's expression darkened at the mention of the Brightshield family. "Yeah, she's nothing like her sister Alice. That woman imprisoned us and betrayed Marcus. I thought Alice was my friend, but she was working for our enemies the whole time."

Marcus changed the subject to more positive developments. "Since we have spare money from the mushroom payments, we can spend some to create children's books using my alphabet system. We need to educate people, and if we wait for the war to end, it might never happen."

Sara considered the educational project. "You can't take responsibility for everything, Marcus. But I could start printing a couple hundred basic books and teach willing children in the mornings before our regular business hours."

While they were discussing their expanding plans, Marcus spotted a folded note tucked behind Palwin's workspace. Written in familiar handwriting, it contained only a simple message: "Marcus, I will be at Roady Inn tomorrow morning."

Oh boy, Marcus thought. Only one person was crazy enough to leave an unsigned note like that in such an obvious location.

Celestine's reappearance meant new complications were approaching. Every time the mysterious woman contacted him, Marcus's life became significantly more difficult and dangerous. But she also brought information and capabilities he couldn't obtain anywhere else.

The business was thriving, his family would soon have proper housing, and he'd gained limited royal support for his agricultural innovations. But Marcus knew these small victories were preparation for much larger challenges ahead.

Malachar's threat hadn't diminished. The city's political tensions were escalating. The food crisis continued developing despite his mushroom cultivation success. And somewhere in the background, cosmic forces involving world seeds and interdimensional conquest were building toward a confrontation Marcus wasn't sure he was ready to face.

For now, though, he'd celebrate the progress they'd made. His family would sleep in proper beds tonight instead of cramped refugee housing. Sara had the resources to prepare defensive capabilities. Tom was becoming a formidable protector. Aldric was developing into a skilled business partner. Even Palwin was adapting to individual decision making, slowly but steadily.

Tomorrow would bring new challenges, starting with whatever Celestine wanted to discuss at the Roady Inn. But tonight, Marcus could enjoy the satisfaction of problems solved and responsibilities met.

The city was still on the edge of crisis, but his people were safer and more capable than they'd been since arriving in Drakmoor as desperate refugees. Sometimes progress measured in small steps was the most important kind, because it built the foundation for larger changes that could eventually transform everything.