"Why? All I wanted was to laze around!"

Yvanna lamented as the gates of the hall closed behind her.

The Valkyries, steadfast in their duty, escorted Yvanna to her room. She didn't even try to fight back, all the Valkyries were at least of knight rank and she was merely an Apprentice Knight, it would be better if she didn't sustain any injury from an unnecessary scuffle.

The heavy wooden doors closed with a resounding thud, leaving Yvanna alone in her luxurious chamber.

The room, adorned in an extremely simple design due to her preference, felt more like a prison cell by the minute. The mana lamp, hanging from the ceiling, lit the place up as though the sun itself was trapped within it.

Yvanna flopped onto her plush bed, staring at the ceiling, contemplating the sudden turn of events.

"Overseeing a stronghold? Me? This has got to be some kind of sick joke,"

she muttered to herself.

She openly admitted that her only specialty was to laze around or fight, overseeing a baby was already pushing it too far not to mention a stronghold.

Her once carefree days of fishing by the river and lounging in the library seemed like a distant memory to her. She felt a sudden weight burdening her into submission, one that she knew all too well. It was the weight of responsibility!

'Hell Nah!'

She would be damned before she ever took up that much burden on her shoulders again. One life of overseeing a class of fifty was already too much!

As Yvanna lay on her bed, she couldn't help but think of the 'Multiverse Market.' She had known about its presence since she was a child but it had been mostly dormant and had never shown any sign of awakening except for today. Although its name suggested its function, she should still take a look at it.

She closed her eyes and focused on the aether flowing through her body, thinking back to the instructions on how to activate one's gift, she let it all flow into her hands. The room seemed to blur as she delved into her own consciousness to seek out the ability,

*Five Minutes Later*

"Come on, open up! Show me what you can do!"

Yvanna grumbled. It has already been five minutes since she began following the instructions on how to use her gift.

So far, there has not been a single sign of its presence.

'Maybe it was just my imagination!'

But she stopped herself just before giving up.

Maybe, just maybe, there was something that might work. A certain method to use one's ability that had been deemed unorthodox and foolish. It was used at the very beginning of time when no one knew much about their 'gifts.' People used to call out their gift's name to invocate its presence.

Even now people use this method to test out strange gifts with no prior records.

"Open, Multiverse Market."

She whispered, afraid that this method might not work out as well. But something did happen.

[INITIATION COMPLETED!]

[WELCOME! MERCHANT NUMBER 1,000,000,000,000,000,000]

Yvanna's eyes widened as a holographic interface materialized in front of her. It displayed various categories, each seemingly representing a different aspect of the Multiverse Market.

"Wait, I'm a merchant now? This is ridiculous!"

She couldn't help but scoff at the absurdity of it all. Nonetheless, curiosity got the better of her, and she began exploring the categories one by one.

The interface presented multiple options such as 'Open Market,' 'Status,' 'Inventory,' 'Skills,' 'Inbox,' and a couple more blurred-out features.

It looked like one of those strange mobile phone games she used to play to pass the time. Yvanna's initial skepticism gave way to a growing sense of curiosity, it seemed like she stumbled upon quite the treasure trove.

Her eyes lingered on the 'Status' category. Intrigued, she selected it, and a life-like copy of herself appeared on the interface before her.

"Merchant Number 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,"

The holographic interface announced, presenting Yvanna with her status. The detailed information appeared, showcasing her current attributes, abilities, and various other details.

[NAME]: Yvanna Crelon Rochelot

[RACE]: Ice-Horned Bear-kin

[OCCUPATION]: Stronghold Overseer, Daughter of a High-Baron.

[TITLE]: {Stone Faced} {Talented} {Slob} {Mystery}

[GIFT]: Fortuna's Favourite, Multiverse Market

The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

[MERCHANT LEVEL]: 1

[EXP]: 0/100

[MULTIVERSE COIN]: 0

[MONEY]: {Silver Fangs*15}

Yvanna blinked, still trying to comprehend the sudden transformation from lazy noble to apparent multiverse merchant. She couldn't help but mumble to herself,

"Fortuna's Favourite, huh? More like Fortuna's Folly."

Curiosity piqued, she navigated to the 'Inventory' section. It was mostly empty, not much of a surprise, but what was strange was that there was a book amongst the items and a note.

[Skill Book: Product Appraisal]

[Note: Complimentary Note]

Intrigued, she clicked on the skill book and another hologram appeared over the one showcasing the inventory.

[Would you like to learn the skill 'Product Appraisal']

{Yes} {No}

Yvanna hesitated for a moment, contemplating the potential benefits of acquiring a new skill. After all, it might come in handy, especially if its name suggests its function, then it would definitely be useful in not getting scammed.

With a shrug, she selected "Yes."

[Product Appraisal acquired!]

The holographic interface was updated, displaying the newly acquired skill in the 'Skills' section of her status.

[SKILLS]

- Aether Meditation(Lv.3)

- Great Sword Swordsmanship(Lv.3)

- Archery(Lv.3)

- Horseback Riding(Lv.4)

- Polearms Mastery(Lv.2)

- Blunt Weapon Mastery(Lv.2)

- Stealth(Lv.4)

- Swimming(Lv.5)

- Bare Handed Fighting(Lv.6)

- Product Appraisal(Lv. 1)

[Perks]

- Cold Resistance(MAX)

- Herculean Strength(MAX)

- Hunter's Nose(MAX)

- Survival Instinct(MAX)

- Heightened Libido(MAX)

- Fortunate Fool(MAX)

Selecting the skill, a detailed description appeared on the holographic interface.

[Product Appraisal (Lv. 1)]

- Allows the user to appraise the properties, quality, and potential value of items.

- Higher skill levels provide more accurate and detailed information.

- Advanced appraisals may unveil hidden or latent features.

Yvanna raised an eyebrow. It seemed like a handy skill, especially for someone who might soon find themselves in charge of overseeing a stronghold. She made a mental note to use it wisely in the future.

Curiosity still lingering, she decided to check the 'Complimentary Note.'

[SENDER: Multiverse Market]

[SUBJECT: Welcome to the Multiverse Market!]

[Greetings, Merchant Number 1,000,000,000,000,000,000!]

[Welcome to the Multiverse Market, where countless worlds converge! As a valued merchant, you now have access to a plethora of opportunities, items, and realms. Your journey has just begun, and the possibilities are endless. Utilize your gifts, explore the markets, and may fortune favor you in this vast multiverse.]

[As the 1,000,000,000,000,000,000th merchant, you receive a complimentary gift from the administration.]

[We have provided you with the 'Product Appraisal' skill book. Use it wisely to unlock the hidden potential of the items you encounter.]

[Best wishes on your Future Endeavour!]

[Regards, (MMA)Multiverse Market Administration]

Yvanna couldn't help but smirk at the notion of the Multiverse Market sending her a welcome message. The whole situation felt like a strange blend of absurdity and hallucinations to her.

Yvanna stared at the holographic interface before her, contemplating the sudden awakening of a gift she once thought was a piece of junk.

*Groan*

'How troublesome.'

Despite her seemingly annoyed demeanor, Yvanna understood the true implication of this powerful asset. The 'Product Appraisal' skill itself was a practical tool and many merchant associations would pay a hefty amount to hire anyone with a similar gift.

But would it help run a stronghold? Or with other challenges of the far north?

Alone? Not much.

But with the multiverse of markets, it would surely be a priceless asset.

With a casual flick of her hand, she dismissed the holographic interface and decided to explore the 'Open Market' section. It was time to see what this Multiverse Market had to offer.

The interface transformed, now presenting her with another array of categories. 'System Store,' 'Currency Exchange,' 'Open Market,' 'Random Match,' and 'Inbox.'

Yvanna's interest was piqued yet again and she opened on the 'System Store' tab because interacting with others is a pain in the ass so she might as well browse through the system's ware to see if there was anything useful in there.

[System Store Initiating]

{INITIATING... 10%... 20%... 30%... 40%... Error}

{ERROR DETECTED}

[Balance: 0 Multi Coins]

[Adapting To Merchant's World's Currency]

{ADAPTING... 1%... 25%... 50%...}

[Adaptation Complete]

[Balance: 15 Silver Fangs = 15 Multi Coins]

[System Store Initiated]

[Balance: 15 Multi-Coin]

{ Search Item: _______ }

As the system store initiated, Yvanna couldn't help but marvel at the interface's seamless adaptation to her world's currency. She now had a balance of 15 Multi Coins,

'So a multi-coin is equal to a silver sovereign, huh, that's neat..'

Each species had a different term for their money, for example, the demons called their coins tears, the elves called them crescents, the beast-kins called them sovereigns, the dwarfs called them ingot and of course, the humans called them coins.

In the beast-kin economy, a copper fang equated to the cost of one loaf of bread. A large copper was valued ten times more than a copper fang, and a small silver was equivalent to ten large copper fangs. Furthermore, one silver fang equaled ten small silvers, a large silver fang equaled ten silver fangs, a small gold fang was worth ten large silver fangs, and a gold fang was valued at ten small gold fangs. Lastly, a large gold fang was equal to ten gold fangs. Higher denominations, while existing, were not prevalent in baronies or northern lands.

Eager to explore, Yvanna pondered what she could purchase that might be useful in her upcoming journey to the Frostspear stronghold. Her budget was the fifteen silver fangs she had saved up and the ten gold fangs that her father promised, wait...

'That sly old man!'

Her father said she would be granted ten gold fangs to maintain the stronghold but he never said anything about the salary of all the people that would be accompanying her.

A knight's monthly salary was a single gold fang and that of a conjurer was five small gold fangs. Apart from that, there were other salaries to be paid, such as the apprentice's salary, soldier's salary, and servant's salary. Moreover, the cost of maintaining the keep, weapons, and warhorses, as well as the expenses for repairing the abandoned keep, had to be taken into account.

'There's no way ten gold fangs would cover that much cost!'

Yvanna groaned and buried her head in the soft cushions of her bed, not even bothering to take off her armor.

What was a bit of dirt compared to going bankrupt in under two weeks?