[Kitsumi]

"Of course that's not the only trick I have up my sleeve," Malcolm confirmed. "One of the other methods I know of requires plants nearby, which we seem to have a few. I'll show you how it works." This method took a lot less work, and he was able to properly show how to do it.

[Kitsumi]

"What about drinking the liquid that cacti store up?" Rylan asked, when Malcolm had finished his demonstration. "Can't you like, tap them and collect the water from inside of them?"

"Definitely not," his father replied. "Never drink the liquid from a cactus. It can make you incredibly sick, so don't do it."

[Kitsumi]

"Actually, drinking from a cactus could result in you becoming even more dehydrated," he continued. "If you get sick, it will like cause gastric distress which could result in vomiting or... well, worse. That will definitely hurt you far more in the long run."

His sons both nodded, showing that they understood.

[Kitsumi]

"Okay, got it," Rylan said. "Cactus water is bad, and can make you die sooner. I won't be trying to drink it anytime soon."

Malcolm put a hand on his son's shoulder. "Good," he said. "I guess it's a good thing we're going over these lessons now, so you're not finding out the hard way later."

[Kitsumi]

Once he had exhausted his methods on collecting water, Malcolm went over how to find fresh water, and then how to purify any water that was collected. He knew that his sons already knew how to filter and boil water, but he went over it again just in case, to ensure that it was fresh in their memories.

[Kitsumi]

Suddenly, Roman froze. "Wait a minute," he said, sounding concerned. "What about the water we've been getting from that pipe? We haven't been purifying it or anything like that. Does it work as a purifier on its own? It doesn't look big enough to be able to filter out anything dangerous."

[Kitsumi]

Malcolm hesitated for a moment, wondering how he could explain. Finally, he nodded. "Yeah, the pipe does purify the water. As for how it works... well, I don't know if you boys would believe me if I told you."

That, however, only made his sons more interested. "C'mon, tell us!" Rylan begged.

[Kitsumi]

For a second, Malcolm thought about making something up. He didn't want his sons to look at him as if he were crazy. But he also didn't want to lie to them, especially not when they had been having such a good day bonding, and growing closer to each other. He hesitated.

[Kitsumi]

Finally, he decided to go ahead and tell them the truth. "Well, according to the woman I bought the item from," he spoke slowly, knowing how silly this was going to sound. "The item was... well, enchanted." Before either of the boys could say anything, he added, "That's just what I was told, though."

[Kitsumi]

To Malcolm's surprise, neither of his sons immediately began laughing at him or looking at him like he was crazy. Roman simply appeared to be thinking this over, processing the information. Rylan, however, was nodding with wide eyes. It was clear that he, at least, believed in magic and enchanted items.

[Kitsumi]

"Whoa," Rylan practically breathed the word, so enamored with the idea of owning an enchanted item that he could barely speak. "How did you manage to get your hands on something so cool? That's incredible! It must have cost you a freaking fortune. How could you afford something like that? Whoa!"

[Kitsumi]

Roman interrupted his brother's exciting babbling. "It's still entirely possible that the item is simply utilized using science," he said, trying to make sense of things. "Perhaps it was simply easier for the shopkeeper to claim that it was enchanted, rather than explaining how the pipe actually works. That makes more sense."

[Kitsumi]

Malcolm shrugged. He didn't know any more about the item than his sons did. "I don't know what to tell you," he said. "I was told it was enchanted, and I wouldn't have believed it if it weren't for the demonstration I was given. I'm still not sure if I think it's enchanted, but at least it works."

[Kitsumi]

That, at least, was something that Roman could make sense of. "Of course," he said. "As long as the item works as you were promised, that's all that matters," he said. "It gives us fresh, clean water, and that's the important thing. It doesn't matter how it actually works, I guess."

[Kitsumi]

His younger brother, however, was still convinced that the item was indeed enchanted. "Magic definitely exists, you know," he said. "I don't want to argue with you about it... but I can guarantee that the pipe is indeed enchanted. I mean, come on, we've seen how it works. It's clearly magic!"