"We should get someone else to do the garden with Mel, too."
"So three? That's it?"
"Yeah, that seems fine. What about the other events?"
Penguin and I discuss the events until we come to a consensus. Three tickets would go to the support event, four tickets would be used on clothing, two for weapons, four would be used on tools, and the last three would be reserved for medicine.
I popped tickets into each screen and clicked purchase on all five events at once. The screen swirled and popped out items first.
Wow! It's kitchen stuff! Shocker! A skillet, chef knives, cutlery, and a compass. All of them were rated three stars and seemed to be in great shape.
I'm going to enjoy using those.
Clothing next. The white bubbles popped and released a couple of pieces of clothing. A cloak, shoes, a backpack, and a ring. Neat, but not much special about it. Wait. The cloak was fireproof.
Next up was medicine. An herbal sachet popped out first and was followed closely by a cauldron.
"..."
Lastly…A potion book. You're really going all out with the witch stuff. Speaking of, I think I have some spellbook rotting in my inventory that I never used. Once I'm done here, I should crack it open. Whatever, I have to continue doing this first.
The weapons category was pretty boring. Twin blades and arrows.
I rubbed my hands together and opened up the last three bubbles. They popped, and that trumpet that used to haunt my dreams played again. Please don't be another Melinoë.
"Congratulations! You've drawn the five-star goddess…Akeso!" A brunette woman in Greek clothing pops out of the screen and kneels before me. Her long flowing hair has several winged accessories attached to it. A staff lies at her feet, and she places a hand on it.
"..."
"Uh…hi? Why are we on the ground?"
She froze and looked up at me, confused. Penguin shoves me aside and pops the last two bubbles. Rude.
"Congratulations! You've drawn the five-star apothecary goddess…Aja!"
What is that a ghost? I step back and gulp. Oh hells no. A transparent green spirit comes through the screen and lands gracefully on the ground. She bows her head but makes no move to kneel like Akeso. Good. That kinda stuff makes me a little uncomfortable.
Splash!
"Aja? Is that you?"
Mel runs over from the pond and starts asking questions. Great, more ghosts.
The other bubble shakes and pops. "Congratulations! You've drawn the five-star goddess…Nuwa!"
Nuwa? That's familiar. I think my Dad used to make me go to festivals to worship her a while ago. Back when I didn't have a choice.
A serpentine figure slithers out of the screen, and I nope out of there. What is that a lamia? A mermaid? Her top half is somewhat clothed and human-looking. Long black hair frames her face, covers her shoulders, and pools around her face. Gentle watery rainbow colored eyes focus on me, and her entire face softens into a smile.
How the hell is she going to take care of anything if she can't survive outside the pond?
Penguin and I share a look and sigh. Well…two out of three ain't bad, I guess.
Disappointed but resigned to my bad luck, I waved at them. "Hi."
"Hello, child."The spirit floats around Mel and comes to float before me. Bangles around her ankles clank together and move in tandem with her. Strange flowers and leaves cover her body and act like clothing.
She looks like she's outdoorsy…
"Can you farm?"
"Pardon?"
"Can. You. Farm."
She blinks and smiles patronizingly at me. "Of course. I have countless lifetimes of experience helping others—"
"Can you. Yourself. Pick up a shovel and till the land?"
She blanches and looks down. "..." Using a hand, she tries to grab a bunch of grass. Unfortunately, her hand completely passes through it.
"..."
Wind whistles in my ears as my mind buzzes.
"Do you know how to cook fish?" Mel tugs at the tail of Nuwa and tries to drag her to the kitchen.
Nuwa, terrified and somewhat amused, tries to tug her tail back from Mel's gluttonous hands."What? Please do not attempt to eat me. Hey!"
Alright, one out of three. Let's try the other one. Akeso uses her staff to lean on as she watches the goddesses bicker. "Akeso? Can you farm?"
She whips her head back and points at herself. "Me? Yes, I have experience."
I throw my head back and sigh in relief. Finally. One. I have one new helper and two new burdens. I glare at the four of them, and Aja frowns.
"This is not the welcome I was hoping for."
I give her a cursory look. "And you aren't the hero I was expecting either. I need farmhands, not friendly neighborhood ghosts."
She crosses her arms."I'm a spirit."
"Yeah. Alright. The house is this way. Penguin, we need to renovate!"
"On it."
Aja and Akeso follow me back to the house and make small talk with each other. Penguin pokes my side and I slap his hand. "What?"
He presses his lips into a thin line and leans over to whisper in my ear."These are very rare and powerful goddesses."
His breath tickles my ear, and I swat at him."So?"
He gives me a disapproving look."You could attempt to fix your long face."
"I could also put you on pond duty and sue you for misappropriated funds."
"..."
That's what I thought. Grumpy from the bitter loss I had suffered, I went through the motions with the livestock and tried to settle the others in. "Out. Run free for a little bit. Mel, don't put her on the stove, you'll break it. Penguin, help me."
I shoved everyone out of the house and activated renovation mode. Alright. Despite my reservations about my staff, I do believe they deserve a decent room. So I'm going to have to expand the house, and we need a proper bathroom.
Showers are a must.