Morning came and Wen Zixin changed into a spare set of clothes he got from the shop before heading downstairs. The common area was almost completely filled, and a new waitress directed him to an open seat at a table with two other men both absorbed in eating a hurried breakfast. Wen Zixin put his backpack between his feet and started likewise digging in when he got his meal (small rice bowl with some chicken and tea) and left his table mates to themselves. As he was finishing up his meal, he noticed Madam Chen standing by the door. Wen Zixin collected his things and headed over to her after the waitress took his empty tray away.
“Madam Chen, were you able to find anyone in need of a worker last night?”
She nodded that she had but with a troubled look on her face.
“Mr. Wen, we did find a shop that had recently fired someone and looking for a replacement. However, I don’t know if it’s a good situation to walk into.”
“Tell me about it anyway Madam Chen. I can decide after I know more about it.”
“Very well, the owner of the shop is looking for a worker that can sleep at the store to discourage robbers. During the day the worker is expected to either man the counter, leave the city to harvest herbs, and assist them with making medicine. The pay is poor at only five coppers a day.”
Wen Zixin frowned as he heard the pay. While wandering the city the cheapest food he saw was three coppers meaning that the pay was too miserly.
“Madam Chen, do you know why the owner is paying so little and how does he expect the worker to get through the gate everyday with the entrance fee being nine coppers?”
“Mr. Wen the owner said since they were providing lodging then of course they didn’t have to pay as much as other stores. As for the gate fee the owner has a pass that will allow someone to come and go without having to pay.”
“Are there no other jobs Madam Chen?”
“I’m afraid not. Even though the tournament started yesterday it will last at least a month. So, all the mortals who’ve come to watch have taken up all the other jobs to help pay for their stay here. The only reasons this job is still available is because of the low pay and that the owner expects the worker to stay all day leaving no time to witness the tournament.”
Wen Zixin took a moment to ponder the problem and remembered he only had one copper left in his backpack. SHIT! With a resigned sigh he made his decision.
“Madam Chen if you could tell me the name of the shop, its owner, and how to get there I would be thankful.”
With a resigned sigh she nods her head.
“Very well, the shop is called ‘Cheng’s Medicine’ with old man Cheng being the owner. To get there just take a left and keep an eye out for the sign on the right side of the street.”
Nodding his head in thanks, Wen Zixin headed out of the inn and went left. While walking down the street and keeping one eye on the signs on the right he watches the crowds and other store fronts. The people ranged from beggars covered in dirt and clothes that look more like rags hanging out in or near alleys maybe a foot wide, to ones covered in three layers of silk and bodyguards keeping everyone else at least five feet way. The stores’ exteriors seemed to dictate who came in. The cleaner and more ornate exterior the better dressed the patrons were. With no distinction between the stores, they all had names with the words herb, medicine, derivatives of those words, or multiple combinations of those words in them. As he got used to the people, he started to notice the smell. It wasn’t bad but it definitely fit the herb and medicine theme of the street. Wen Zixin finally spotted “Cheng’s Medicine”. Based on the pay he thought it was going to be the most run down shop on the street, but it looked to be halfway between the high-end shops and the fire hazards pretending to be shops. Walking into the shop itself he saw that it was empty despite the busy street outside. It wasn’t that big of a place, being about eight feet wide and twenty feet deep. On the left were several stools near the wall. On the right was a L shaped counter cutting the room in half, an old man with white hair behind the counter, and a floor to ceiling cabinet looming behind the man. The cabinet against the back and right walls had hundreds of small square drawers with labels on them leaving no room for anything else, almost making Wen Zixin think the walls had drawers in them. After taking it all in he went to talk with the old man behind the counter.
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
“Excuse me sir, am I speaking with Shopkeeper Cheng?”
The old man took a moment to look Wen Zixin over with an almost sideways look of suspicion.
“I’m Shopkeeper Cheng. You're not here for medicine so what do you want?”
“My name is Wen Zixin and I heard that I might find employment here.”
Shopkeeper Cheng seemed to relax at this, and his posture became less stiff.
“Alright, do you know the details of the job Mr. Wen?”
“I heard that you would provide room, pay five coppers a day, and had a pass to waive the gate fee when going to get herbs. You want someone to be able to go outside the city to get herbs, help with making medicine, and to keep an eye on the store at night for security.”
“Good so you know the details Mr. Wen. Today should be quiet enough, I’ll close the store and you can show me if you’re able to collect some herbs.”
Wen Zixin breathed a sigh of relief. It looked like he got the job. Since that was the case, he quickly pulled up Herbology and Medicine from the Mortal Skills menu and selected them. Suddenly, knowledge flooded his mind giving him a momentary headache and his muscles itched for a second as well. With his new knowledge Wen Zixin realized he needed some tools if he wanted to harvest anything.
“Shopkeeper Cheng do you have the supplies to needed to gather the herbs?”
“tsk. Looks like you know enough to be useful. You’ll find the supplies in the back as well. Hurry up and put away your stuff and grab what you need.”
Cheng gestured to the back wall, and Wen Zixin noticed an almost hidden door against the back wall behind the counter that needed to be raised up before the door would open. Heading through the door, Wen Zixin found a narrow hallway with stairs on the left heading upstairs, a possible closet under the stairs, a door on the other end of the hallway, and door immediately to the right. Peeking through the door on the right he found what looked to be his future room with a single bed, wardrobe, and just enough space to stand between the two without anything else. Wen Zixin put his stuff into the wardrobe and moved on to the closet under the stairs. There he found what he needed, including a specialized pack to carry everything. Gathering what he needed, he headed back to the store front. Cheng was at the entrance already with a satchel and motioned Wen Zixin to hurry. After locking up the store Cheng stopped by one of his neighboring stores.
“Gu Fenhua, keep an eye on my store, I’ll give you three coppers when I get back.”
The store appeared to sell tea and Cheng had grabbed the attention of the young attendant standing near the front keeping a look out for any trouble. With a slightly distracted air the young man replied.
“Certainly Shopkeeper Cheng, I’ll be sure to keep my eyes open till then.”
Settling the matter Cheng took Wen Zixin down the road in the opposite direction of “The Herb Garden” Inn.
“Now Mr. Wen, once we get outside, I’ll give you a list of herbs you need to gather from the forest. We will remain on the outskirts within sight of the forest border so we shouldn’t run into anything dangerous. If you cannot find and harvest what’s on the list then we are done. You’ll only get the job if you can find and collect everything to my standard.”
Hearing Cheng’s words, Wen Zixin quickly pulled up the Mortal Skills menu while they walked.
Stealth:
You know how to walk, breathe, and move your body to stay undetected. You leave less of a trace than most people.
Selecting the skill Wen Zixin almost stumbled as his body started moving differently. Not anything drastic, but he had to be more careful walking after Cheng, or else people would start to bump into him almost like they didn’t notice him walking there. Continuing to follow Cheng, Wen Zixin took note of the path to the gate. After arriving he had just wandered around, so he made sure to know how to get to the gate from his possible employment. When the two of them reached the Gate, Cheng pulled out a large wooden token from his satchel about the size of a piece of paper and showed it to the guard as they walked to the Mortal Gate. The guard to a quick look at the token before waving them through without a word. Once they were through the gate and past the crowd coming in, Cheng turned to Wen Zixin and handed him a battered scroll that seemed to have been re-used for several years.
“Okay Mr. Wen, from here on you lead. Find and collect all these herbs and if I’m satisfied with your ability to harvest you can start work tomorrow. I’ll pay you the five coppers at the end of each workday so you can go buy some food somewhere.”
Realizing that he wasn’t going to get paid until tomorrow night, Wen Zixin could only numbly nod blankly at Cheng. FUCKING CHEAPASS GRIFTOR! With an inner sigh he turned towards the forest as he looked down at the list of what he needed to collect and headed towards the trees.