Chapter 6: Old Habits in a New World
The potatoes had been delicious. The flavor was similar to a regular potato, but these had a stronger taste and were much larger. A single one was equivalent to a full plate of food, and he had eaten two back to back. His body was grateful for the rest and the nourishment.
Sitting with his back arched, one hand resting on his stomach and a satisfied expression on his face, he realized his headache was gone. The dizziness had lifted and his body had stopped trembling on its own. He barely noticed. He looked at his hands and closed them into fists. After assimilating his first singularity and resting, he felt considerably stronger.
He glanced over at Audrey, who was now organizing her leather pouches. Watching her, his eyes widened with interest. She was sorting through her haul just like that — casually, without a care. The haul was large. Twenty different singularities, in a range of colors. He counted sixteen level ones, one level two, and the three level threes they had traded for his life, food, and protection.
"That's a serious haul," he said casually.
Audrey had her eyes buried in the colorful spheres. "It is. Even the level ones are valuable and hard to come by."
"What will you do with so many?"
"I'll assimilate the ones that suit me best. Trade the interesting ones. Sell the rest."
Soren nodded. It was obvious that in this world, these things were worth more than any other form of currency. He pointed toward some that looked familiar. Three were a dull green, with miniature galaxies spinning inside them. Small roots branched out from their cores. "Are those Nests of Hot Potatoes?"
"They are," she replied. She had given him one the previous night and he had assimilated it, though he still hadn't used it. He didn't yet know what it would cost him.
Curious, he asked: "How valuable are they?"
Audrey thought for a moment before answering. "A level one usually moves around ten silver coins," she said calmly. "Sometimes a little less… sometimes more." A brief pause, as she turned one of the dull green spheres between her fingers. "But it shifts a lot depending on how rare it is… and how useful it turns out to be for whoever uses it. One like this, oriented toward survival, could easily reach twelve. The hidden qualities matter too. Some carry an unexpected blessing. Others, a curse. That kind of thing makes them rarer… and far more attractive to certain buyers."
Soren nodded, fully focused, absorbing every drop of information. In his past life he had realized too late that knowledge was power. He had never been good at studying in a classroom, but he excelled at something more practical — putting a price on things, selling, negotiating.
"Singularity…" he murmured. "That name makes me think no two should be the same. But you have three Nests of Hot Potatoes."
Audrey's eyes lit up for a moment. "You noticed. That detail is crucial. Even when they share the same name, they always differ in something."
She raised her hand to one side. At the spot she pointed to, branches began to push up from the ground. They intertwined and grew quickly. When they reached roughly a meter twenty, they began to curve. Green leaves sprouted from them. Then small seeds. The seeds swelled, transformed into fruit… and the fruit became potatoes. The air filled with warm steam almost instantly. A thick, starchy, comforting smell wrapped around the clearing. The heat grazed Soren's face like a soft breath, and his stomach reacted before his mind did. Within seconds, they were fully cooked. The entire process had taken five seconds.
Soren was completely stunned. And yet, watching it, he felt a pang of envy.
"This is my Nest of Hot Potatoes," Audrey explained calmly. "It's a beautiful singularity. You could say it falls within the normal range." The branches began to crumble slowly, as if returning to the earth. "But if you try to summon yours, it will probably be different. Maybe not in appearance… but in how long it takes the tree to grow. Or in the size." A brief pause. "The most common difference is the flavor. Some are delicious. Others plain. Some even tasteless." The smell still drifted through the clearing, thick and tempting. "And there are Nests that take much longer to sprout. When one has a flaw like that, its value drops considerably. A Seeker needs efficiency."
Soren looked at the spot where the branches had emerged. Five seconds. Five seconds could be the difference between living… and dying.
Audrey watched his expression and curved her lips slightly. "Want to try yours?" she asked, amused.
Soren nodded, caught by that faint smile. "Yes."
He raised his right hand and pointed toward the ground. Before summoning the singularity, he stopped. He hesitated for a moment. He knew it wasn't smart. That he was probably crossing an invisible line. But he couldn't help it. He turned his face toward her, just slightly. "Want to make a bet?"
Audrey looked at him with genuine interest.
"If my Nest of Hot Potatoes comes up faster than yours, you give me a level one," said Soren with an air of lightness. "And if yours wins… I'll give you the purple level one."
A small silence fell. The wind moved the leaves in the clearing. The bet wasn't about potatoes. It was about value. It was about measuring rank. And both of them knew it.
Audrey didn't look away. Soren pulled the sphere from his leather pouch. The purple singularity spun between his fingers as if it already belonged to her. "I accept."
Soren extended his hand toward the ground. Something beneath the earth answered his call. Branches began to push through. One. Two. Three. The roots intertwined. Four. Five. The leaves appeared. Six. Seven. The seeds swelled. Eight. Nine. The potatoes emerged, releasing steam.
Silence.
Audrey let out an open, clear laugh. "Nine seconds," she said, amused. "Not bad… for a beginner." She turned the purple singularity between her fingers. "I've been a Seeker for years. I've never found a Nest of Hot Potatoes faster than mine. Five seconds. That's the limit."
Soren looked at his steaming tree. Nine seconds. Four seconds could be an eternity. He sighed. "You earned it."
"I certainly did."
The branches began to wither.
Later, Soren sat in front of the embers. The fire was now a steady, reddish glow. He held a potato in his hand. It was delicious. More intense than Audrey's. Deeper. Not bad at all. He took another bite.
Nine seconds.
He had known he would lose. He had bet anyway. He exhaled softly. His old bad habits had followed him into this world. The unnecessary risk. The need to measure himself against others. The bet before the thought. It didn't matter what world he was in. He was still himself.
A rustling broke the silence. Both of them looked up.
Sira emerged from between the trees. Imposing. A horned Bengal tiger with curved horns that cast small shadows in the light. Hanging from her jaws was a creature the size of a small dog. Orange fur. Its back covered in metallic spines like overlapping blades. The Spine Blade Rat wasn't moving. Sira dropped it in front of them. The spines clinked against the earth. Small cuts marked the tiger's front paws.
Audrey studied the prey, then looked toward the forest. "They don't hunt alone," she said calmly. "If she found one… there are more." She stood up. "We're two days from the city at Sira's pace. But we could take a small detour." She looked at Soren. "A nest of Spine Blade Rats could give us several level ones."
Sira was already turning toward the darkness of the forest.
Soren finished his last bite of potato and got to his feet. "Then let's go."
And the journey was only just beginning to collect its toll.