Captain Kiln was right about her assessment of me, I was returning to the orphanage, to hell with consequences. I walked away from the Great Hall and into the market, cursing my pride. Captain Kiln was also right about my monetary situation; in terms of money, I was going to need a lot of money.
I nibbled my thumb’s nail, thinking about my next step. If Captain Kiln was telling the truth about the Marquis’ intentions to block aid for the kids, I needed to secure food before merchants could link me to the orphanage.
“Small town, big trouble, I guess.” I said as I gingerly held on to my two remaining silver coins. Not knowing the purchasing power of money was an invitation for scalpers and scammers alike and I couldn't afford to be careless.
Once again, I was ill prepared for the task ahead. At least, Elincia had taught me the names of most things traded at the market and to count up to fifty. I wandered around the colorful market, asking for prices and haggling without buying anything.
Shopping was like fencing, before delivering the finishing blow one had to measure the opponent. As much as I wanted to buy a sack of flour and some yeast to make delicious bread, the price was prohibitive. I had to find foods rich in nutrients and calories for the lowest price possible.
[Awareness]: The vendor is getting mad.
The vendor, the medieval equivalent of Sam from Sam’s Outdoors but with even more facial hair, glared at me as I asked the tenth question. It didn’t take a genius to realize I was taking too much time in front of the stall without buying anything. The further from the Great Hall, the lower the prices were so I said goodbye and went on.
Fruits and vegetables were curiously similar to the ones back on Earth. The fish were exotic, and they came in all shapes and colors. Peculiar caged animals, similar to chickens and small wooly pigs were also displayed for sale. There were other products even more conspicuous to my otherworldly eye. Potions of all colors, enchanted adventurer gear, and magical gadgets. I was about to buy a potion that allegedly could change the color of my hair but I stopped at the last moment and ran away from the stall, wondering if the woman had cast some strange skill on me.
When I was far enough, and sure I wasn’t under any mind-controlling skill, I stopped to ponder over my findings. A silver coin could be traded for twelve copper coins, which in turn could be exchanged for twenty iron chips. Each iron chip was roughly equivalent to a standard roofing nail.
We were technically exchanging construction materials, which kinda made sense considering iron was the main material for weapons and tools.
After an hour of wandering around, and with the help of my [Identify] skill, I had put together a list of interesting food items at reasonable prices. Flour was the foundation of Farcrest cuisine and even low grade varieties were on the expensive side of things. Green peas, carrots, potatoes and squash seemed the way to go if I wanted to feed a small army of orphans other than watery soup.
Back on Earth, the pioneers of modern education not only had to fight against truancy and illiteracy, but also against the lack of infrastructure, malnutrition and the lack of sanitary standards.
There was a silver lining though. The people of Firecrest were quite healthy for medieval commoners standards. Magical medicine was truly a miracle in a world without vaccines or antibiotics. One less concern for me, now I just needed the coin to buy huge amounts of food, and the only way to quickly make money that came to mind was selling the items I had brought from Earth.
My inquiry guided me to a place called ‘Erebar’s General Store’. It was a nice store near the intersection of the two main streets whose window showed a great variety of products. Inside the store was tidy and well illuminated by what I supposed was magically enhanced skylights.
“Good evening, traveler, and welcome to Erebar’s General Store. I’m Erebar, at your service.” The man greeted me with a merchant’s smile on his face.
As much as the citizens of Farcrest had pointed him out as an honest man, I didn’t let my guard down.
”Are you looking for something in particular? Traveling gear maybe?”
“Actually, I’m in need of money. I have some camping equipment to sell and have heard you bought all kinds of stuff.” I replied.
“Then you came to the right place, we are always looking for more inventory. Please come with me.” Erebar called a woman to take care of the counter and guided me through a lateral door into a simple storeroom with a table and two chairs under a wide window. I left my backpack by my side and sat down while Erebar retrieved an accounting book from a shelf.
I put my pot, hatchet and knife on the table. Erebar examined the items and he didn't look too surprised.
“These are made of a metal that resists rust.” I explained as the man weighed them.
“These are good and all but we are not short of tools in Firecrest.” Erebar replied, leaving my loot on the table.
“Let me show you some other items.” I said nervously.
Next I presented my ferro-rod and my scarf. Thank God Elincia hadn’t bled over it. Erebar was surprised by the elasticity of the fabric and the ease with which the ferro-rod sparkled. I hoped I might be able to earn good money for them.
“These are common but quite unique items. The market for exotic items is small in Firecrest but I might be able to convince a noble to purchase them… after a good wash, of course. Maybe a silver for the spark rod and two silver for the scarf.” Erebar scratched his beard as he fell into deep thought. Then he skimmed through the accounting book and marked a page.
“I have two more items you could consider exotic.” I grinned as I went through my backpack. Five silver coins was still too low to feed a small army of orphans for a prolonged period of time. I needed at least a few gold coins.
I left my swiss army knife on the table and returned to my backpack where I pulled out my ruined shirt. Erebar looked at it with a mix of confusion and disbelief.
“Not the shirt, the buttons.” I said.
Pulling out the knife I freed the buttons from the shirt. As expected, Erebar was more interested in the swiss army knife than in the pearlescent buttons but I acted like I didn't notice. I didn’t want to part with it but given the case I had to do it.
“These are not made of wood, nor bone, nor metal, nor precious stone. A joint effort of tinkerers and alchemists from my land to create a material that doesn’t age.” I announced putting the set of buttons on the table.
Erebar examined the buttons with a special magnifying glass.
“They are surprisingly light and yet they feel very resistant.” Erebar forgot about the multitool for an instant.
“If you hit them too hard they will break. However, they will not age unless you leave them under the sun for extended periods of time.” I explained. There was nothing similar to plastic in this world so they could be worth something. At least I hoped so.
“Not sure I could sell this. Our court is too small to find someone wanting to buy a set of rare buttons for their clothing when there are already golden and jeweled buttons.” Erebar left the buttons on the table and slid them back to me. “You must understand that keeping things in inventory for too long is bad for business. However, I think I could quickly find a buyer for that peculiar knife you have there.”
Maybe it was time to start getting aggressive. I pushed the rest of my belongings to the side and presented the red multitool to the merchant.
“As you so well realized, this is not a mere knife.” I said, pulling out each of the hidden tools. Blade, corkscrew, scissors, screwdriver, hook, tweezers, a small magnifying glass, saw, pliers, file, and spork. Erebar’s eyes widened as I progressively revealed the tools.
“It's a one of a kind custom tool made of stainless steel so as long as you keep it away from excessive water and moisture it doesn’t need too much maintenance.” I left the knife in the middle of the table for the merchant to examine it.
Despite the fact I had bought the Swiss Army knife as a memento, I could almost hear my father’s voice in my ear telling me it was only a knife. He was a practical man.
“The corkscrew is quite an addition.” The merchant scratched his beard. I saw the gears moving inside his brain as he pictured the perfect buyer; probably some sort of noble akin to life outdoors.
“I can offer you one gold and two silver for the weird knife.” The merchant tucked in the corkscrew and gave me the knife back.
The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.
“Are you kidding me? The magnifying glass by itself costs a gold coin.” I returned the multitool to my backpack and [Awareness] notified me that the merchant followed my movement with his eyes.
“I’m open to a counteroffer.” The merchant opened his hands.
“The whole lot for five pieces of gold. And no, I’m not going to part ways with the multitool alone.” I firmly replied.
“Four gold and four silver for the lot.”
“Four and eight.”
“Four and six.”
“Deal.” I grinned as I extended my hand to the merchant. He looked at it for a moment before realizing I expected him to reciprocate. After that, he retrieved a small chest of coins and I asked to be paid in silver and copper. When the merchant asked me why, I replied I liked to feel my coin pouch heavy. He laughed and complied with my request.
“If you bring more strange items from wherever you are, don’t hesitate to contact me.” Herebar said. “But next time I will not let you fleece me.”
I went out into the street with my heart racing, haggling was not something I used to do often back on Earth but it was more exciting than I expected. However, haggling wasn’t the sole reason behind my excitement. In spite of the circumstances, I had regained my long lost motivation. Maybe I wasn’t going to become a Sage anytime soon nor I was going to be capable of casting spells, but I felt like the idealistic youngster I once was.
I whistled down the road to the food market knowing perfectly well that I was getting ahead of myself. With Holst's betrayal, there was the possibility Elincia wouldn't want any Scholar near the orphanage. But Elincia also said I was welcome any time.
“It’s not like I’m doing this to impress her.” I muttered to myself. In a sense, I was acting like my mother; always getting ahead of herself to help people that maybe didn’t want help. The only difference was that she was truly a saint and I was just an idealistic dude.
You have obtained Denial Lv.5. Temporary.
“Come on! What’s wrong with trying to look cool?! I don’t do it to impress other people, I do it for myself!” I yelled to the sky, in English, of course, attracting worried glances from nearby pedestrians and vegetable sellers. A weirdly clothed man yelling in a strange language wasn’t something happening on a daily basis in Farcrest.
I started my odyssey through the market. For the modicum price of two copper, I was able to get a handcart with a beat up wheel. I bought four heavy sacks of potatoes, two sacks of green peas, two sacks of carrots, and an absurd amount of squash. I also found barley at a great price and, after taking a small risk and telling a certain old lady I was buying provisions for the orphanage, she made an excellent offer for rye flour. Another woman gifted me a small sack of oregano and another sack of thyme after spending a solid gold in her store.
[Awareness] was doing God’s work by helping me measure up the vendors. The Marquis’ plan shouldn’t be completely implemented because every time I hinted I was buying for the orphanage, I got something extra out of the deal. Still, I did make sure to not say anything in front of the guards.
After securing enough calories for the body to function properly, I focused on the task of finding food rich in nutrients. I bought broccoli, garlic, onions, and spinach, but not in as much quantity as the rest of the foods because I was getting low on money and I wanted to have an emergency fund.
I looked with yearning for chili peppers, salt, olive oil, refined sugar, and black pepper. But those prices were painful to even look at. I pushed my cart through the edge market more out of curiosity than anything else. While I had already bought enough food for a while, I was also curious about what else I could find.
Before reaching the end of the market I had secured some cured ham from a good soul that overheard my conversation about the orphanage, an enormous wheel of cheese, and smoked bird meat. There was a lot of food in the cart but there were even more mouths in the orphanage.
After inquiring about the prices of living animals (I thought that maybe a family of chickens or a small pig could be a sensible acquisition), I struck gold. By the end of the market I found a young man, almost a kid, sitting in the back of his cart looking overwhelmed. In front of him was an open sack with the ultimate survival food. Beans.
I walked directly to the bean vendor with a radiant smile on my face.
“Don't these cause flatulence?” I struck first and decisively.
I had never made a grown man cry before, and this time I almost did.
“Beans cause flatulence, but not this kind of bean. Their skin is so tender that it will not cause any form of discomfort.” The man replied with a defeated voice. “Aren Vesta, traveling merchant from far away at your service.”
“Well, Aren Vesta, I never had a plate of beans that hasn’t turned into a nocturnal sonata.” I shrugged my shoulders as the man crumbled like a jenga tower. “But I could use some beans to build a rattle, so I might buy some.”
The man’s face lightened. My intuition was on point; this poor soul was dying to sell his stock.
“How many sacks?” Aren Vesta said with a wishful tone.
I had to hold my laugh, compared to Erebar, this merchant had a long way to go.
“A small sack is okay. A rattle doesn’t require that much filler.” I replied and the merchant deflated like a balloon.
You have obtained Sadistic Haggler Lv.1. Temporary.
“Rough day?” I started to feel bad for the merchant and it wasn’t entirely because of my new status. He seemed to be about to cry.
“Damned be the System… I’m a traveling merchant stranded here until I manage to sell this blasted cargo. Every second that I’m here is a lost copper coin.” The man whined. “I need to liquidate my assets to buy new goods to sell in other cities. I should’ve listened to the guildmaster and dealt with salt and iron.”
I was really starting to feel bad for him.
“Look, what about an exchange?” I rummaged through my backpack for items discarded by Erebar. There wasn't much left of value. As we were the same size, we exchanged shoes. He was ecstatic about the comfort, flexibility, and looks to the point he just laughed every time he gave a step. I offered him my blanket and compass.
“Despite the weight It’s really warm. I will be able to put it to good use.” He pointed out to focus on the compass. “Is this magical? Will it run out of magic juice anytime soon?”
“It has a magnetite stone inside or something like that, it will not run out.” I replied. “And if you form a dome with your hands, you will see it glow in the dark.”
The young merchant elicited a short shrieking sound.
“I might be able to sell this in the guild and not incur any losses.” The merchant cradled the compass in his hands as if it was the most precious thing in the world.
“So, how much does this get me?” I asked.
“Take it all, I don’t care. I was going to dump them anyway.” The merchant laughed.
“If you want to import beans into Firecrest again next year I’ll happily buy them.” I offered my hand to the merchant and he stretched it with gusto. Then, he helped me to rearrange my cart’s load and we parted ways.
The bean dealer blew kisses to me from the top of his cart until he got lost down the road. At last, I was ready to go back to the orphanage.
I didn’t take two steps when I realized why Aren Vesta was so happy with my shoes. Medieval footwear was utter and complete crap. After a hundred paces my heels felt like ripe avocados, and by the time I reached the orphanage the only thing I wanted to do was cut off my feet. I pushed my cart up the street as the afternoon sun projected a reddish color over Farcrest’s sky.
I stopped in front of the iron gate. The orphanage looked empty.
“We are not interested in buying vegetables. We don’t have money so you can try your luck elsewhere.” A sassy small girl emerged from behind a clump of small trees. The way she spoke in an articulate manner made me think she was older than she looked.
The girl had short brown hair, delicate features, and light blue eyes. At each side of her head protruded two pointy ears almost horizontally. Most notably, her skin was of a pale light blue color.
The severity with which she put her hands on her hips reminded me of Elincia. I had to suffocate a laugh. I was about to explain to her that I was no vegetable vendor when Zaon appeared from the corner of the building followed by a small army of malnourished orphans.
“Found you, Ilya!” Zaon said.
The green scaled snake-folk kid tumbled his way to the small girl and grabbed onto her shirt. I realized I haven’t heard the snake kids saying a word.
“Go back inside, there is a suspicious man at the gate!” The light-blue skinned girl ordered. Instead of obeying, the group of small kids followed Zaon through the front yard. Zaon glanced at me like he saw a ghost.
I smiled at him and waved.
“He is not a suspicious man, you mudbrained gnome! That’s Mister Clarke!” Zaon quickly opened the gate and herded the group of orphans out of the way so I could enter with the cart.
“Him?! This ordinary man? This cabbage vendor? If you would’ve lifted me up I could’ve seen him with my own eyes.” Ilya studied me as I pushed the cart into the front yard. I acted like I didn't hear her.
“It’s not my fault you are the size of a green onion! Now, apologize.” Zaon chastised her.
“I’m sorry for calling you an ordinary man, Mister Clarke.” The gnome girl stared down at her worn-out shoes.
“There is no need to apologize, you did well scaring away a stranger. Safety always comes first.” I tried to reassure her. Ilya nodded, proud of herself. “And you, Zaon. Is it okay to allow an outsider like me in the orphanage without Elincia’s knowledge?”
“Of course it’s okay, Mister Clarke is a trustworthy person.” Zaon nodded very sure of himself.
“Well, thanks I guess.” I sighed, not sure if I was deserving of such trust. “Where can I park this cart?”
Zaon and Ilya guided me through the front yard and around the manor into the back. As we turned the corner, I came face to face with Shu, the sleepy harpy girl that used a pillow cover as a dress. She slowly walked towards us, having difficulties moving faster due to her long talons.
Shu looked at me and nodded.
“I knew you would come back.” She said with unusual confidence, then, she raised her arms for me to grab her. I deposited her over a bean sack and between two squashes and continued pushing through the backyard.
“Where is Miss Rosebud by the way?” I asked as we reached a shed they used as a wood reservoir.
“She went out to get food and still hasn’t come back. But she will be here before dinner for sure.” Ilya answered.
“Shall we prepare something to eat to surprise Miss Rosebud?” I asked the group and received a unanimous nod and a few chuckles for using the forbidden word. “Well, everyone get something from the cart you want to eat and bring it to the kitchen.”
The orphans obeyed diligently. Each one grabbed a bunch of vegetables and walked in line into the manor. Zaon shouldered a heavier sack of barley and Ilya embraced a big squash. Out of nowhere, one of the snake-folk kids walked in front of me with a potato in each hand and an extra one half inside his mouth. He looked at me, nodded and followed the rest of the orphans. He looked just like a snake eating an oversized egg.
“Are you ready, Shu?” I asked.
She nodded in return and I lifted her and the broccoli bundle she had seized. I headed into the orphanage wondering what Elincia would say when she found me there.