The town was much larger than Sweet Meadow, enclosed by a sturdy wooden wall. Kit noticed turrets stationed at the corners of the fortification, rising above the walls by at least another story. "This place seems quite well-fortified. Do you think it's because there are more powerful monsters nearby?" Kit inquired, turning to Kai for any knowledge he may have on the subject.
"Not all towns are like Sweet Meadow, a small village surrounded by low level areas where the residents don't have to worry about monster attacks. The creatures in that area can be easily defeated by the town folk. Those low-level monsters usually avoid initiating attacks and would rather flee from danger."
"On the other hand, towns like Flower Field have fortifications surrounding them to protect their inhabitants from potential monster invasions. Though these events are rare, they can be devastating if the town is not properly prepared. Smaller towns have even been wiped out due to lack of proper protection." Kai motioned towards the walls as he spoke.
"Military presence is also common in towns, with a town guard responsible for defending against monster attacks and maintaining order among citizens. As the population size increases, so does the need for more defence and guards in a town." informed Kai.
As they neared the town, Kit could make out the open wooden gate, allowing people and vehicles to pass through. On one side of the road stood a small guard house, responsible for monitoring entry through the gates.
"We'll have to pay a small fee to enter the town. We can take care of it at the guard's station," Kai explained.
Kit made his way to the guard station, where a disinterested voice greeted him with gravelly tones. "To enter Flower Field town, it'll cost ya 5 bronze crowns," drawled the bored-looking guard, extending his hand for payment.
His grey uniform was sloppily put together, and a red flower emblem adorned the chest. However, two buttons were missing at the top, leaving behind a gap that exposed his dirty white undershirt beneath.
Kit considered the possibility that if monsters were to attack this village, the people would have no chance of survival if this was the standard of protection they had in place. After paying his fee, Kit approached the gate.
Ding!
[CAL]
[Map Found: Flower Field Town.]
Rewards: 50 EXP, 1 Flower Field Town reputation point.
As Kit walked through the gates, the first thing that caught his attention was the size of the roads inside the town. Unlike anything he had seen in Sweet Meadow, these roads were wide enough for two carts to pass through with ease.
They were similar to earth's roads, a raised path for pedestrians on one side and sporadic storm drains along the way. The ground also changed from compressed dirt to smooth cobblestones.
The buildings shared a similar design to those in Sweet Meadow, resembling medieval European structures. There were two distinct styles: timber-framed walls made of twigs and mud, and more upscale stone structures with thatched roofs. However, it was clear that Flower Field town was more advanced than Sweet Meadow at first glance.
Not only was it three times larger, with buildings closer together, practically touching in the centre, but it also had a noticeably cleaner scent. Kit assumed this was due to a developed sewer system that improved the overall sanitation of the town.
"Now that you are safely in town, I will take my leave." Kai bid them farewell with a nod before departing.
“Bye, Kai.” Kit and Mars said at the same time as they watched him walk away without looking back.
“It seems like cutting off goodbyes quickly is a custom here. Kai is even faster at it than Iris,” Kit said amused at Kai’s actions.
Mars chuckled at Kit’s remark. “Now that he’s gone, what do you want to do in town first?”
“Let’s find somewhere to leave Pint. We can’t take him with us all day.” Kit figured this must be a common issue and assumed there would be stables or a place to board Pint for the day.
Instead of searching around for the stables, Mars approached a young girl walking by. "Excuse me, do you know where the stables are?"
The girl blushed as Mars spoke to her and gestured towards the gate they had just entered through. A large stable was visible off to the side. How on Earth did we miss that? Thought Kit.
"It's right over there," the girl stuttered out.
Mars bowed and replied, "Thank you, miss." The girl blushed even deeper and scurried away.
Kit chuckled at the retreating figure, it looked like Mars was quite the charmer with the ladies. Kit did have to admit, Mars was quite handsome.
Mars guided Pint towards the stables. It was simple in design, with a pen encircling the stalls. Kit counted twenty stalls in total, each stocked with fresh straw and a water trough for the horses.
Despite its worn appearance, it seemed well-maintained and clean. Kit could tell by the smell that the stalls were regularly cleaned; there was a faint odour of manure, but it wasn't overpowering.
As they approached, Kit noticed a middle-aged man brushing a dusty brown horse. He wore old and well-worn clothing, with multiple patches on his shirt. When he smiled, his teeth were yellow-brown in colour. He greeted them warmly and asked, "Need a stall for the night? 10 bronze crowns, please."
"This is Pint," Mars introduced with a brief pause. "He can be a bit difficult, so I wouldn't recommend interacting with him too much."
The stable master gave Mars a knowing look and reassured, "Don't worry, I'm used to handling feisty ones. You can leave him here and I'll take care of him."
Mars hesitated before asking, "Would it be alright if I bring him into the stall? He's quite a handful."
The stable master nodded, gesturing towards the sixth stall on the right. Mars led Pint into the stall and poured a bowl of beer for him. "Be good and we'll come pick you up tomorrow," he said before handing over some bronze crowns and returning to Kit.
“Now that we've got that settled, what's our next move?” Mars turned to Kit for a response.
"I think we should sell off some of our items first, and then go search for the library," replied Kit.
"What ingredients do you need? I'll give them to you now, so I don't accidentally sell them." Mars' gaze shifted from meeting Kit's eyes to gazing off into the distance. Kit still found it odd to see someone accessing their menu interface.
It had become a routine on their journey to Flower Field. Mars would hand over any ingredients he thought Kit could use for cooking, this made Kit feel guilty because they didn't have much to sell. "I think you gave me the ingredients last night," Kit said, as he organised the items Mars had collected.
He realised they would need better storage options if this continued. Although Kit’s bag had a large storage space, Mars did not. Plus, he wanted to get a large stockpile of ingredients for future use. Maybe a storage shed behind the restaurant he planned to build would save them money on buying new storage bags.
After putting that idea aside for later, Kit returned to thinking about making money by selling their items. "We have the stones we gathered after defeating the King of the Apelops. Maybe we could find a jeweller to sell them to? But I'm not sure how much we should ask for."
"I don't know the exact price, but it shouldn't be hard to find out," Mars replied with a glint in his eye, similar to when he was ready to fight.
Kit couldn't help but feel apprehensive when he saw that look in Mars' eyes. It always seemed to lead them into dangerous situations. "How are we supposed to find out?" Kit asked, immediately regretting the question.
The last thing he wanted was to die inside a town - that would be too humiliating. Mars had a tendency to become unpredictable and manic whenever that look appeared in his eyes. Lost in thought about the potential consequences, Kit waited for Mars' response.
"We just need to check the selling price of the stone at a jewel shop and then subtract 40%. That's usually the set price that shopkeepers pay adventurers for their items. If you're good at negotiating, you can increase your cut from 40% to 60%. Unfortunately, I haven't unlocked my negotiating skill yet, so it'll be a while before I can reach that percentage," Mars explained, still wearing a manic look.
"On Earth, I would consider myself a pro at bargaining. My mother taught me everything she knows; my father used to say she turned into a demon in front of salespeople," Mars remarked, Kit was slightly intrigued by Mars' abilities.
This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.
Opening his inventory, Kit retrieved the Red Jasper and Silver Leaf Jasper loot he received from killing Swift Feet. He also noticed some other stones he had forgotten about - the extra Red Jasper Snowball had given him and seven more stones from their initial exchange when they first met.
Curious about these unidentified stones, Kit attempted to identify them once again. The first one was a large dull red stone roughly the size of his palms. It felt warm to the touch as if it had been sitting next to his skin. Upon closer inspection, Kit noticed it was actually more of a cloudy transparent dull red colour with thousands of tiny sparkling white glimmers inside.
Deciding to use his identification skill on the warm red stone, Kit waited anxiously for the results.
[unable to identify]
He couldn't figure out what this particular stone was, so he set it aside and focused on the others. In his hand, Kit held six stones and used his identify skill once again.
[Pure Moonstone, fine]
[Blue moonstone, fine]
[Green moonstone, fine]
[Red moonstone, superior]
[Rose moonstone, flawless]
[Sparkling moonstone, good quality]
Semi-Precious gemstones
Can be used by various specialty sub classes as crafting material.
There were six stones, all different shapes and not much bigger than a watch face. Each had a cloudy appearance, swirling colours emitting a faint glow. Every hue was as dazzling as the one next to it, and Kit couldn't help but be drawn to the beautiful rainbow of colours.
Hopefully, the price tag is as stunning as these stones. Kit carefully passed the gems over to Mars, who eagerly examined them with an almost manic intensity. His excitement seemed to intensify when he reached the large, unidentified dull red stone in particular.
“This one must be quite valuable, I still can’t identify it. Put it back in your pouch for now; we may need to take it to an appraiser in the city to find out its worth. It would be best to blend in with a large crowd while we do that.” Supplied Mars.
Kit slipped the stone back into his pouch as instructed. “Why would we need to blend in if we're just going to see an NPC for appraisal?”
"Seriously, Kit? NPCs can also steal from us, especially since we're not yet strong enough to defend ourselves. We have to be extra cautious until then." Cautioned Mars.
"I forgot about that. Can we sell these stones though?" Kit worried that even selling these stones would result in getting taken advantage of by the NPCs.
"These should be fine; they're all semi-precious and not worth too much. But let's be careful nonetheless." Mars then started heading towards the centre of town.
Kit couldn't contain his excitement over the stones, and he practically skipped as they searched for a jeweller. They received some strange looks from passersby, but Kit attributed it to Mars clothes. His thoughts were confirmed as he overheard a conversation.
“That man's appearance is so strange. Have you noticed his eyes, Melba? They seem to suggest he's ready to attack at any moment." An old man eyed Mars as he spoke.
"That look gives me the creeps. The last time I saw such intensity was when Old Hippo killed that Sleaford who had attacked his beloved dog. I hope that guy with purple hair is safe. Should we go check on him? Maybe someone is forcing him into something bad." The old man’s imagination was taking off.
"Stop it Stanly, it's not our place to interfere. Let's just hurry home before things get out of hand." The woman walking with him pulled the older man’s arm and they headed in the opposite direction.
Kit couldn't help but find it amusing that Mars was being mistaken for a troublemaker. He could see why though; Mars did have an intense and slightly unhinged aura about him at the moment.
“I can't wait to see you in action, haggling for a good price on these stones. Maybe I'll learn some new skills from watching you,” Kit exclaimed with excitement.
“Just sit back and watch me work my magic. I'll make sure we get the best deal possible,” Mars responded confidently, his face lighting up at the thought of negotiating.
“I saw that one of the stones was labeled as ‘flawless’. I'm assuming that's a good thing?” kit’s brow rose in query.
“You bet. It's the highest quality grade available. These stones are classified as poor, average, fine, good quality, superior, and flawless. With these, we should be able to make a nice profit. Of course, their rarity will also play a role in determining the final price.”
As they walked down the street towards a large plaza, Kit noticed stalls set up in the middle of the square and buildings connected by a long roof, making it difficult to distinguish individual stores. Only scattered doors indicated where one shop ended and another began.
The marketplace was bustling with foot traffic from multiple roads leading into the square. As they approached the centre of the plaza, Kit observed that the stone façades of the shops gave off a more sturdy and upscale appearance. The overall design of this shopping area had definitely been improved by these updated exteriors.
Kit and Mars leisurely strolled closer to the shops, and Kit peered into the windows as they passed by. Each shop seemed to offer essential items for players starting an adventure in CAL.
In front of him was an apothecary named Starter Potions, with a display of bottles in various shapes and sizes, containing colourful concoctions swirling within. One bottle caught Kit's eye: Red Heart 20 bronze crowns, granting +100 HP for 1 hour.
As they got nearer to the bustling plaza, the background noise of the crowd grew louder, making it hard to hear any conversations around them. The tempting aroma of food from market stalls set up in the centre of the plaza filled Kit's senses as they walked by. His nose led him to a wooden cart selling roasted nuts.
Behind the cart stood a young boy, no older than Kit himself, with a friendly smile on his baby face. "What can I get for you gentlemen?"
Kit couldn't resist the freshly roasted nuts covered in a golden crisp coating, with hints of sweet honey mixed in with the nutty scent. His mouth watered at the thought. "How much for two bags?"
"5 bronze crowns for two bags," replied the young man.
"I'll take two then, please." Kit handed over the money and gave one bag to Mars before opening his own. He popped a golden nut into his mouth and savoured the delicious blend of sweetness and nuttiness. "Mmm, so good." Next to him, Mars was having a similar experience. Snowball poked his head out from the sling and sniffed at the air.
"Even Snowball thinks it smells good," Kit chuckled as he gave the little fluff ball a nut, which disappeared almost instantly, followed by a whine for more. "Alright, I'll share." Kit laughed and shared his bag of nuts with Snowball as they continued to browse the stalls and shops.
As they slowly made their way through the plaza, Kit and Mars finally stumbled upon a jeweller. Kit quickly brushed the crumbs off his fingers onto his pants before looking up at the sign above the door that read "Trinkets and Stones" with a glowing golden star below it.
The shop had a patchwork stone design with a large, high-quality dark wooden door that Kit pushed open with effort. Inside, he was hit with a clean smell that reminded him of bleach, but not as overpowering.
The shiny jewellery cases caught his eye as he looked around; there were five in total, surrounded by cabinets lining the walls. Three of the display cases were lined up on one side with a small gap between them for someone to squeeze through, while two more were on the opposite side.
A doorway covered in black string beads was visible in the back of the shop. Kit didn't know where to look first; there were sparkling jewels everywhere and he felt overwhelmed by all the different wares on display.
This shop was only rated as level one, but it looked more like a level two to Kit, even down to the quality of the display cases which surpassed those at the grocers. Excitement began to build within him as he imagined what he could turn his own restaurant into if it ever reached a second star rating.
Soft clinking drew Kit's attention, and he turned his head towards the sound. The beaded curtain at the back of the shop parted, revealing a stunning young woman. With wavy brown hair cascading down her back, she wore a tight red dress that accentuated her curves. She flashed a charming smile as she approached.
"Welcome, adventurers. How can I assist you?" Her voice was gentle and alluring, making Kit feel intimately connected to her. It was as if she had whispered in his ear. Kit thought she was the most breathtaking woman he had ever laid eyes on, it was like she embodies the essence of a goddess, with perfect curves and softness.
Kit couldn't take his eyes off the goddess as she strolled towards him, her hips swaying hypnotically and her smile growing wider. But Mars stepped in front of Kit with a forceful, angry tone.
"Knock it off or we're leaving." Despite Mars's warning, Kit peered out from behind him, unable to resist the goddess's charm. She blinked her enormous green eyes and offered an apology.
"I'm sorry," she said meekly.
Kit was ready to defend her against Mars's harsh treatment. Why was Mars forcing this stunning woman to apologise? Then another thought struck Kit, he had never heard Mars speak with such anger before.
As Kit looked at the goddess once more, he noticed something different about her. She was still beautiful, but Kit no longer felt mesmerised by her appearance.
Mars continued to glare at the goddess, his eyes wild and manic. "Is this how you treat your customers? If I didn't know what you were up to, you would have robbed us blind, wouldn't you?" The angry look in Mars's eyes intensified.
Feeling nervous, the woman pleaded with Mars for forgiveness. "I truly am sorry, my good sir. I was just practicing my charms when you walked in. That's all. I meant no harm."
She lowered her head again and gazed up at Mars with pleading eyes. But Mars wasn't buying it. He spoke with even more intensity. "Now you're trying to insult me." His body tensed up with anger.
The young woman shuddered as Mars locked his intense gaze on her. "How about I give you a discount as an apology?" she offered, and Mars visibly relaxed and handed over the stones.
The beautiful lady reached for a drawer under the glass display, from it she pulled out a black velvet tray with a thin round silver disc in one corner. The stones were carefully placed atop the soft fabric before she tapped twice on the silver disc.
A green light emanated from it, enveloping the stones in its glowing web. After pulsing three times, the light vanished, and the price of 100 silver and 300 bronze crowns appeared on the silver disc's surface.
Kit was taken aback by the steep price, while Mars remained stoic and silent. The shop assistant sighed and tapped the silver disc again, causing a new price to appear: 100 silver and 700 bronze crowns. Still no reaction from Mars. With another huff, she tapped the disk once more. "This is my final offer," she declared with frustration evident in her voice.
The silver disc vanished once more and reappeared with a new total: 120 silver crowns and 200 bronze crowns.
"Deal," said Mars simply.
The shop assistant placed the black velvet case back under the glass display, leaving the precious stones on top. She then opened another drawer and handed Mars a bag. The sound of coins clinking filled the air as he took it, letting Kit know it was filled to the brim with money.
"Come on, Kit. We still have more places to see," Mars urged, already walking ahead. Kit followed with a dazed look on his face, still trying to process the haggling exchange they had just witnessed.
Once they were out of earshot, Kit turned to Mars and exclaimed, "That was incredible! I can't believe how skilled you are at bargaining. And how did you know she was using glamour on us?"
"I could sense it. She was too alluring and there was a faint touch on my conscience, as if she was trying to invade my mind. I suspected she was also attempting to use a subtle suggestion on us," Mars explained.
"Wow, that's amazing. I don't think I would have stood a chance against her mind manipulation if I went in alone," Kit replied, relieved that they were able to come out successful from the negotiation.
"Well, thankfully we came out on top this time. But we should work on strengthening your mental defences in case we encounter someone like that again," Mars suggested as he held up the pouch filled with their earnings. Kit couldn't help but smile at the sight of it, grateful for Mars' quick thinking and skilled bargaining abilities.
"Let's make our way to the library. I'm eager to uncover our next destination," Mars said, a glint of excitement in his eyes as he talked about finding the treasure. As they resumed their journey, Mars passed Kit his share of the money."