Getting his story straight, Shilin returned to the merchant, handling the jaguar skin with care, especially since Tetzaca had ensured it still had fresh blood to make the whole thing more realistic.
As soon as he got close, he saw the overjoyed merchant run forward to greet him.
"Cualli quēmachilia in mitzhuīlia."
Shilin looked at his shadow, as if asking what the merchant had said.
[Basically, he's thrilled to have brought you… Also, don't expect me to teach you how to reply.]
Shilin nodded toward the merchant while glaring at his shadow. As for the pelt, he handed it over while pointing to his pouch—he wasn't about to give it away for free.
The merchant returned the nod and handed him a small bag of beans while greedily admiring the pelt.
Shilin quickly tucked the pouch away and stepped off to the side. He wasn't going to count the beans with others watching, but he felt he was almost at his goal. A few more pelts on the return trip, and he'd have enough.
Pleased with the quick buck he'd made, he continued helping the caravan reach their destination, doing his best to memorize the path. He'd have to come back alone—well, with his new shadow friend at least.
The trip passed quickly. Six days later, they arrived at the town the merchant had hired protection to reach. It was just as large as the first town Shilin had visited, and it too had a temple.
Shilin was curious if the same type of jade necklace would be there and left the merchant's group after a polite farewell and lunch—the merchant had invited them all before the party would split.
The guy was greedy, but he seemed to value those who worked for him. If Shilin hadn't been so desperate to regain his power, he might've stayed longer. It would've been good for his wallet, too—he was about to go poor again after buying the jade necklace.
This city's temple was just as grand and extravagant as the first, and it was filled with priests. Shilin set out to find someone who could help him buy a necklace.
He spotted a rather round old man sweeping the floor. Judging by his robes, he was definitely a priest—Shilin figured he was worth asking.
[Say, Tetzaca, I know you said you wouldn't help me learn to speak, but could you do it this once? I want to tell this old man if he has one of those jade feathered dragon necklaces.] Shilin pointed at his cheap necklace.
[Do you really think I will help you get the blessing of another god and make me enter that guy's domain? No, I won't.] Tetzaca even moved to another nearby shadow, making it clear he wasn't going to follow.
"Fine… I'll do it alone," Shilin scoffed. He walked up to the old man and lightly tapped his back.
The man, lost in thought, jumped in surprise before turning to see a rather poorly dressed stranger standing behind him.
Shilin stared at the necklace the priest wore—it was jade, just like the one he wanted. But… it didn't hold the same power.
Not ready to give up, Shilin pointed to his own necklace, then to the priest's, and finally to his pouch of coins.
The priest seemed to understand and led him into a small room filled with necklaces. Only two were made of jade.
But neither had the power he needed.
Shilin pretended to still be short on funds. The priest clicked his tongue in annoyance, frustrated that the sale wasn't happening, but nodded.
"I'll return when I have more money. Sorry again," Shilin said with a small bow before leaving.
[Tetzaca, I have a question… why did none of the necklaces have any sort of power?] Shilin asked the only being that would probably answer his question.
[Power? Why would those cheap things have power, unless it was personally blessed by the greater deity… The rest are just replicas sold to feed the large lizard and fill his pocket.]
Shilin sensed that his shadow wanted to spit out in spite, so he decided to change the subject before it started tossing rocks around, which he did when it was mad.
He left the temple area, sold what he could, and bought a bag along with a few finely crafted arrows that would help him in the future. He needed better arrowheads to kill creatures faster and cleaner, keeping the hides intact for better money. He also needed a new, sharp blade to skin creatures.
His bean stash shrank, but the expense was necessary if he wanted to survive more effectively.
Naturally, he also stocked up on more meat skewers to keep his calorie count up for the return trip.
An hour later, he was back in the forest, ready to head out. He counted his remaining beans and found he was about one hundred fifty short of buying what he needed. Still, with high-quality pelts and some meat, he'd be able to cover the cost without much issue.
The only real concern was whether someone else had bought the jade necklace before he returned, so he resolved to make the return trip faster than the one that brought him here.
The journey back was slow. The forest, once wild and intriguing, had started to bore him. He had already killed four deer, a hog, and was even close to taking down another jaguar, though Shilin doubted he needed another pelt from such a beast.
What he needed now was speed. Every moment wasted felt like a chance lost—one that could cost him the necklace and any further clues about regaining his power.
He pushed on after a few more kills, struggling under the added weight. The only blessing of his mortal body was its above-average strength, at least enough to carry the load.
It wasn't long before the familiar path to the first town came into view. He still didn't know the town's name, but he could recognize it by sight, even if he hadn't spent much time there.
"Finally back, huh… I hope my lucky necklace is still there…"