My Food Stall Serves SSS-Grade Delicacies!

Dear Marron,

Your letter reached me in good time, and I'm glad to hear of your certification—well earned, I'm sure. The knives continue to serve you well, as they should. Whisperwind steel recognizes skill when it cuts through the world.

But I'm writing primarily about your other news: the Legendary Tools.

You asked about the copper pot, whether you'd made a mistake in thinking it was special. I cannot tell you definitively whether the pot you found is what you're seeking—that's something only you can determine through use and understanding. But I can tell you this: Legendary Tools are rarely what people expect them to be.

Most who seek them imagine weapons that blaze with power, artifacts that announce themselves with thunder and light. But the truly powerful tools are often quiet. They work with their wielder, not for them. They require understanding, patience, partnership.

Your food cart seals dungeons. That is extraordinary—a tool that transforms danger into safety, chaos into order. If the copper pot is indeed a match to such a tool, it won't work through force or spectacle. It will work through subtlety. Through giving you what you need, precisely when you need it.

Test it thoroughly, as you planned. Pay attention not just to what it does, but to how it makes you feel, how it changes your approach to your craft. The best tools don't just improve results—they improve the craftsperson.

As for your confession about "making a mistake": Marron, the only mistake would be giving up before you truly understood what you'd found. Uncertainty is not failure. It's the beginning of wisdom.

Regarding your question about other Legendary Tools—yes, there are more. How many? I don't know for certain. The stories vary. Some say seven, some say thirteen, some say there's a tool for every true craft in the world. But I know this: they are scattered across Savoria, and they reveal themselves to those who are ready.

You found your cart when you needed it most. If you've found a second tool now, it's because you've grown enough to recognize it. That's not coincidence. That's readiness.

I have a favor to ask: if you do confirm that the copper pot is a Legendary Tool, document what you learn about it. How it works, what it requires, what it teaches. This knowledge has been lost and rediscovered countless times over the centuries because no one writes it down. Be the one who writes it down.

And Marron—be careful. Tools of great power attract attention, not all of it friendly. There are those who collect such items, who see them as trophies rather than partners. Keep your discoveries quiet until you understand what you're dealing with.

I'm proud of you for staying curious, for testing your assumptions, for being willing to be wrong in pursuit of understanding. That's the mark of a true craftsperson.

The Wolfkin Kingdom sends its regards. You're always welcome here, should you choose to visit again.

With respect, Lord Jackal Alexander

P.S. - I'm intrigued by your mention of the mimic lieutenant sharing my name. Perhaps there's poetry in that—a jackal ruling wolves, a mimic building peace. Both of us trying to be more than what the world expects. Give him my regards if you write to him again.

Marron read the letter three times, her chest tight with emotion.

Be the one who writes it down.

She pulled out her notebook again and turned to a fresh page.

The Legendary Tools: A Working Documentation

Tool 1: The Food Cart Appearance: Practical traveling cart with copper panels, enchanted wheels, built-in coldbox with preservation runes Primary Function: Can seal dungeons by feeding the guardian/inhabitants Secondary Function: Portable cooking station, food preservation Requirements: Must be used to feed others, not just for personal gain Notes: Responds to genuine care and intention to nourish

Tool 2: The Copper Pot Appearance: Wide, deep copper pot with flush-fitting lid. Inscription in Old Eastern script around rim (readable when ready): "For the cook who tends the flame with patient hands and gentle heart" Primary Function: Perfect heat control—never boils over, maintains consistent temperature Characteristics: Slow to heat initially, but once at working temperature, maintains it perfectly. Seems to "know" how high a boil can go before becoming dangerous Requirements: Patience. Cannot be rushed. Requires trust and attention from the cook Best uses: Long braises, delicate sugar work, anything requiring steady heat Notes: The pot doesn't do the work for you—it gives you the conditions to do the work right. Partnership, not servitude

Marron set down her pen and looked at what she'd written.

Two tools. Two different approaches to cooking. Both requiring care, both requiring the cook to be worthy of them.

What happens when you have more? she wondered. Do they work together? Is there some greater purpose they're building toward?

She didn't know.

But she knew what she needed to do next.

The Next Morning - Copper & Thyme

Marron arrived at Simone's restaurant early, before the lunch service began. The copper pots still gleamed in the window, but the space where the legendary pot had sat was empty now—because it was carefully wrapped in cloth in Marron's bag.

Simone looked up from her prep work when the door chimed. Her expression shifted from polite welcome to genuine surprise.

"Marron. You came back."

"I came back," Marron confirmed. She set her bag on a nearby table. "Can we talk?"

"Of course." Simone wiped her hands on her apron and sat down across from her. "You kept the pot longer than most. A full week. That's a good sign."

"You knew I'd come back eventually," Marron said. It wasn't a question.

"I thought you might." Simone's smile was kind. "Eleven people before you brought it back within days, saying it was just a pot. You took your time. That told me something."

"It told you I was stubborn."

"It told me you were thorough." Simone leaned forward. "So? Did you figure it out?"

Marron pulled the pot from her bag and set it on the table between them. "It is a Legendary Tool. It just doesn't work the way I expected."

"How does it work?"

"Patiently." Marron traced the inscription with her finger—the symbols that had finally settled into readable text after a week of proving herself. "It's slow to heat. I thought that was a flaw at first. But once it reaches working temperature, it maintains it perfectly. No boil-overs, no hot spots, no constant adjustment needed. It gives me exactly the conditions I need to succeed—if I do my part right."

Simone's eyes were bright with unshed tears. "My grandmother always said that. 'The pot is patient. You must be patient too.'"

"She was right. The pot doesn't make cooking easier—it makes cooking possible. For someone who's willing to slow down, pay attention, care about what they're making." Marron looked at Simone. "Why did you keep giving it away? You knew most people would bring it back."

"Because the pot needed to find its cook," Simone said simply. "My grandmother believed it was waiting for someone specific. I thought she was being sentimental. But after eleven people brought it back, all saying the same thing—'it's just a pot'—I started to wonder if she was right."

"And you think I'm the one it was waiting for?"

"You can read the inscription. That's never happened before." Simone smiled. "And more importantly: you didn't give up when it didn't immediately prove itself. You tested it. Learned from it. Grew with it. That's exactly what a Legendary Tool requires—not someone who wants it to do everything for them, but someone willing to meet it halfway."

Marron felt something settle in her chest. "I want to keep it. But it's your grandmother's. Your family heirloom. I can't just—"

"It was never mine," Simone interrupted gently. "I couldn't use it the way it was meant to be used. I tried, when I was younger. But I wanted it to be flashy, to make me obviously better than other cooks. It didn't work that way, so I displayed it."

She pushed the pot across the table toward Marron. "But you understand it now. You know what it is and what it requires. That makes you its rightful owner. My grandmother would approve."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm sure." Simone's voice was firm. "Besides, I have a feeling this pot has work to do. And you're the one who can help it do that work."

Marron carefully rewrapped the pot and placed it back in her bag. "Thank you. Really. You could have just sold it, or kept it locked away, or—"

"Or I could let it fulfill its purpose," Simone said. "That's what we're all trying to do, isn't it? Find our purpose, use our gifts, make something matter."

"I suppose it is."

They sat in comfortable silence for a moment, then Simone said, "Come back sometime and tell me what you make with it. I'd like to know the pot is being used well."

"I will," Marron promised. "And thank you. For being patient with me while I figured it out."

"Patience is important," Simone said with a smile. "The pot taught me that, even if I never learned to cook with it properly. Now it's teaching you."