Kit woke up, stretched, and quickly put on his boots before heading downstairs. He decided to skip breakfast and made his way out the door. His destination was the market, where he needed to purchase some items before going to the western gate to sell his meals.
Upon reaching the market, Kit went straight to the stall of the old lady who had sold him paper yesterday. She was in her usual spot, sitting in a chair and knitting. Kit greeted her with a smile. "Hello again," he said.
"Hello, young man. How can this old lady assist you today?" the old lady replied. It wasn't clear if she remembered him from their previous encounter. She put her knitting aside and approached him. "Oh, it's you once again. My eyes aren't what they used to be. Do you need more paper for your boxes?"
Kit's grin widened as he was pleased that she remembered him. "Not today. I actually need some paper cups," he answered.
"Hmm, that can be arranged. The paper will have to be waterproof, and it will cost you 40 bronze crowns for a box. Would you like me to show you how to fold them?" the old lady offered.
Kit's grin grew even wider at her helpful offer. "That would be great. Can I see the paper first?"
The old lady pulled out a box from under her stall and took out a piece of shiny silver paper. She handed it over to Kit, who examined it closely. The paper had golden flecks scattered throughout its surface, which sparkled when touched by sunlight. As Kit rubbed the paper between his fingers, he noticed its thick waxy texture.
He also detected a faint honey scent coming from the paper and became curious about it. Using an identification spell, Kit confirmed that it was indeed honey-scented paper.
[Honey fleck paper]
Paper made waterproof, using a secret technique.
Happiness filled Kit as he absorbed the information from the old lady. This was exactly what he needed to sell his beer. He asked her to demonstrate how to fold the paper cups, and after he felt confident in his own ability, he handed over 40 bronze crowns.
But before setting up his stall, Kit remembered he still had some shopping to do. First on his list was finding wrist guards. The sticky plaster covering his wound was unsightly, with old blood stains and peeling edges.
After wandering around for a while, Kit stumbled upon a leather goods stall. Among the various items, he found three pairs of leather wrist guards. He examined the plainest-looking pair before deciding on them.
[Basic wrist guard]
+ 5 defence.
It was a simple item, but Kit didn't care. He just needed something to cover his wrist tattoo. After trying it on to make sure it would do the job, he approached the stall owner. "15 bronze crowns for that pair," the man stated, finishing with another customer.
It fit well and Kit nodded in approval before handing over the money. Now that his tattoo was hidden, he needed to find some new clothes and get rid of his blood-stained ones. A nearby clothing store offered five plain sets of clothes for a low price of 50 bronze crowns.
Next on Kit's list was to gather ingredients for his beer-making hobby. He already had plenty of purple heart, but he needed barley, hops, and yeast. After easily finding what he needed, Kit debated getting more barrels to store water in case his beer sold quickly. It was better to be prepared than run out of supply.
He returned to the old lady who sold paper and asked her about her son once again. She greeted him warmly and commented on seeing him twice in one day. "I'm here for some wooden barrels," Kit said, approaching the old lady's son who just arrived.
"What kind?" the man asked, heading over to where Kit stood.
"Just regular ones. I need them for storing water. But what other types do you make?" Kit inquired with curiosity, not realising he might need different types of barrels.
"I also make alcohol barrels. The standard generic ones are the most popular. But if you're serious about making quality alcohol, I recommend using the appropriate barrel for each type: base liquors, liqueurs, wine, fortified wine, and beer," replied the middle-aged man.
Kit's mind raced with possibilities. If he had all five types of barrels, his alcohol would surely have better stats. He couldn't resist wanting them all. "How much for all five barrels?" he blurted out eagerly.
"They're 1 silver each. But if you buy all five, I'll throw in five plain barrels for free," offered the man.
After weighing his options, Kit decided to go for it. He didn't have much experience in the game and wasn't sure when he'd come across someone selling all five types again. So, he handed over 5 silver crowns and eagerly.
"I won't have the specialty barrels ready until tomorrow. I can give you plain ones for now," the middle-aged man explained to Kit, who nodded in understanding. He went to a chest behind his stall and retrieved five wooden barrels, which Kit packed away in his pouch.
"Do you know where I can fill these up with water?" Kit asked.
"Just outside of the market is a well that anyone can use," the man responded, pointing to a nearby street. Kit headed in the direction of the well and found it nestled between two shops. After filling the barrels with water, he noted the location of the western gate on his map and continued towards the red dot.
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As he approached, he saw a small crowd forming a line in front of a wooden table with a guard seated behind it. There were no stalls set up in this area, so Kit assumed this was where he needed to purchase a token to set up his stall. He joined the crowd and overheard a man talking to the guard. “Curt its only ten minutes until we can officially set up. Can’t you just sell us the tokens early today.”
“Pond my answer won’t change. It didn’t change yesterday or the many others before. You will have to wait for the appointed time.” The guard refused, causing Pond to grumble under his breath. Kit recognised Curt as the same guard from yesterday who had informed him about the rules for selling stat meals.
After waiting patiently in line, Kit reached Curt and the man greeted him. "Hello again. You had your stall in the market yesterday, right?"
"Yes, I came to sell at the location you recommended today," Kit replied with a smile.
"Ah yes, it's a bit different selling here. You'll need to write down what you're selling, and the stats allocated to each meal. This helps us organise stalls based on their stats and keep an eye on things," Curt explained.
Kit thought this was a good idea for safety reasons and wrote down his items on the paper provided below his name. Curt noticed another extra item listed next to his name, “Another item you’re selling. Crackers said you only sold a meal yesterday. The beer is a stats item too? Wait that looks familiar.” Curt’s eyebrows raised. “Iris taught you this?”
"Yes, my friend and I did her a favour. In return, she taught me how to make it," Kit replied with a smile.
"Well, I'll be damned. I never thought she would give up that recipe. It must have been quite the favour," Curt remarked. “Save some beer for me will you. I can’t buy it till I’m off shift. I don’t want to miss out.” Kit smile and agreed to save some beer for him until his shift ended. He then paid 5 bronze crowns for the token and prepared to set up his stall.
Curt gestured to the designated area where he could set up his stall. To his surprise, Kit's spot was in the centre of the market. Kit had assumed he would be on the outskirts due to his lower stats.
As Kit unpacked his camping kitchen and began preparing his ingredients, he noticed that most of the other stalls were selling potions, amor, and weapons. Only one other stall was selling food, and Kit observed that they also had a camping kitchen set up.
He sliced some Apelop meat into steaks and gathered cups and boxes for packaging. When he inspected his current alcohol barrel, he realised it didn't have a tap attached - hopefully the new barrels he ordered would come with this feature. Kit grabbed a ladle and made do with what he had for now.
Glancing around at the bustling activity of the other vendors, Kit couldn't help but feel a little out of place among all the magical wares being sold. At least he wouldn’t have much competition, Kit's grin widened as he anticipated the good money he would make today.
He focused on finishing up his boxes and cups while keeping an eye out for potential customers at the small market.
It didn't take long for a steady stream of adventurers to start browsing the various vendors' wares. Kit skilfully fried some Apelop steaks, their enticing aroma wafting through the air and mixing with the scent of fresh bread from another stall nearby.
Kit couldn't help but smile at how well these two smells complemented each other, surely making the customers even hungrier. The thought of all the bronze crowns he would earn made him positively giddy.
A young woman in basic armour was the first in line at his stall, “This is the first time I’ve seen you here. You should put up a sign, so we know what you’re selling lad,” she suggested kindly.
Kit was astonished that he had overlooked such a simple detail. He expressed his gratitude to the lady for her helpful suggestion. “thanks for the advice, I’ll do it now.”
As he reached for a piece of paper, he realised he didn't have a pen. Noticing his search for writing utensils, the lady offered him a feather quill. "You can keep it," she said kindly.
"Thank you. I'll give you a cup of beer in return," Kit replied gratefully.
The lady smiled at him and observed as Kit wrote his sign.
Kit’s kitchen.
Apelop brain salad.
A simple 3-piece creation, with a colourful garnish, succulent juicy meat and light nutty flavour, perfect for a light meal.
+ 20 Intelligence
+ 20 defence
for 1hour.
15 bronze crowns.
Sweet Meadow Beer.
A light bodied beer made in the Sweet Meadows region, it has a clean dry finish making it popular in warmer weather.
+ 4 stamina regeneration every 3 seconds for 30minutes.
5 bronze crowns.
Kit carefully placed the sign on his camping kitchen, satisfied with its placement. He turned on the stove and soon he was adding cooked meat to the salad in the box. Kit eagerly handed the box, and complimentary cup of beer to the waiting lady. Seeing her happy expression, Kit couldn't help but smile at his first sale of the day.
The morning flew past with a steady stream of customers for Kit. He briefly looked up at the sky and realised it was already mid-afternoon. He hadn't taken a break yet, but he was starting to feel exhausted.
Deciding to call it a day, Kit packed up his stall and looked forward to seeing if Snowball had found Mars. He could always come back tomorrow to continue selling.
Kit removed the sign from the front of his stall and wrote a 'Closed' notice before attending to the remaining customers in line. This way, he could avoid any angry customers like yesterday.
After serving everyone, Kit quickly packed up all his belongings. The thought of counting his earnings for the day made him excited.
In total, Kit had managed to sell 205 boxes of Apelop salad and 360 cups of beer. He was almost out of beer and would need to make another barrel tonight. Calculations showed that one barrel held 640 cups, and Kit estimated that Pint had consumed around 200 cups during their trip together.
It was a good thing Kit had learned how to make his own beer; otherwise, they wouldn't have been able to afford moving Pint. At the end of the day, Kit proudly counted 4 silver and 875 bronze crowns as his profit. He had also raised his chef skill level to 5 during the day, which made him even happier with how things went.
Exhausted from a long day of selling, Kit decided to skip browsing other stalls and save it for tomorrow when he was more rested. As Kit was about to leave, Curt's voice stopped him in his tracks. "Oi Kit, did you forget about me?"
Kit felt his ears get hot as he realised he had indeed forgotten about the guard. "Sorry Curt, today was just so exhausting I completely forgot." Kit reached into his bag and pulled out one of the glass bottles filled with beer that he always kept for Pint. He handed it over to Curt. "Here, take this as an apology for forgetting about you."
To Kit's surprise, Curt took the bottle without any hesitation or protest. Kit had expected some resistance about accepting a free beer, but Curt simply tucked it into his pouch without a word.
Ding!
[CAL]
Reputation with guard Curt increased: 10 reputation points.
“Thank you, Kit. I will definitely enjoy this tonight, are you back tomorrow?” said Curt.
“I believe so,” replied Kit uncertainly, unsure if his task for Mars would be completed today or tomorrow.
“Great, I'll see you tomorrow then,” waved Curt.
As Curt walked away, Kit couldn't help but wonder what he would receive from increasing Curt's favourability even more. He shook his head and waved back before leaving; he was too exhausted to think about it now.