Past.

Khiva’s annual bazaar was a trade event where, for a week straight, there were no restrictions on setting up a stall in unclaimed spots. It was a free market where everyone could participate regardless of their status. The streets were lined with stalls: some were simple, their setups being a thin fabric on the ground with price-tagged goods atop; some were complex, their setups being glass showcases with well-lit price-labeled goods inside. Though everyone had their differences, those who gathered here—not only sellers, but also buyers—had one thing in common: to become rich(er).

Walking through the sea of people were Artour and Latla. He held her hand with a gentle grip.

‘Safety precautions,’ he said. Latla rolled her eyes.

Annoyed, she tried breaking free from his grasp, but—like her previous attempts—she failed.

‘You really hate having your hand held, do you?’ Artour said.

Again, Latla tried breaking free by pulling her hand out. Another failure.

‘Alright, alright. I get it.’ He let go of her hand. That made her happy; though, only momentarily. Soon, he grabbed her under her arms, lifted her up, and seated her on his shoulders. ‘Better?’

‘It’s the same thing,’ Latla protested.

‘Back to holding hands then?’

Annoyed, she was about to pull his hair, but she couldn’t help noticing that the breeze felt good up there on his shoulders. Down there, it was damp and suffocating; up here, it was—liberating. Before, she could only see people’s waists, but now she could see the stalls, could see the items being sold, and could see people engaging themselves in transactions. Everything had changed despite still being the same place. ‘… This is better.’

‘Good to know.’ Artour smiled.

Like that, they wandered around the bazaar. Artour went here and there, shuffled back and forth, and looked left and right as if searching for a treasure. Finally, after a while, he spotted a stall that was worthy of his attention. He made a brief stop, eyeing the item that caught his interest. Then, with a hint of excitement in his tone, Artour told Latla, ‘Watch how I buy 10 krestling for the price of 1.’

Buy 10 krestling for the price of 1? ‘That doesn’t make sense,’ Latla remarked.

He rubbed his hands together. ‘It will make sense later. You’ll see.’

And off they went.

***

Present – Khiva’s Bazaar.

And off Latla went.

More crowded than ever, she thought whilst navigating through the sea of people, heading toward her destination. Having done a quick search around the bazaar, she had finally found a glimpse of a treasure and was on her path toward a simple stall.

The reason she was here today was to make money.

She needed money to pay for guild advertisement and registration fee. The former for Member, the latter for Approval. Two important requirements to create her own guild.

Latla took one more step. Out of the sea and onto an island, the stall.

I’ve spotted a treasure. She eyed a pair of gloves: its color a plain gray, with black stripes for seams. All that’s left is to claim it.

***

Augur.

‘Welcome, young miss,’ greeted Augur, the stall-keeper, a man with graying moustache.

What a catch, he thought to himself upon looking at the young lady before him. Her crown braid hairstyle suggested class, her clothes’ fine fabric suggested wealth, and her refined movement suggested authenticity. Only right to give my best.

‘These goods,’ he waved his hands, ‘are all fresh on the display. Got them from a traveler as young and as beautiful as you are.’

‘Thank you.’ She returned his business-smile with a business-smile.

The praise didn’t have the effect he’d hoped for; customers would normally drop their guard after that, but not this one. She’s not easy.

She crouched and pointed at an item. ‘How much is for those gloves?’

‘These?’ He grabbed them, giving her a closer look.

‘Yes. These caught my eyes from afar. The simple design looks good.’

Augur didn’t miss that: a chance to reel. ‘Young miss, you shouldn’t say that! Why, if I were an unfair and dishonest trader, I’ll increase the price when I know you like the item. But I am a fair and honest trader, the price for these gloves is as the tag says: 200 krestling.’

Except—he wasn’t exactly fair and honest.

If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

In a free market like this bazaar, where regulations and interventions hardly existed, sellers like him had the freedom to mark up the prices of their goods by a huge margin. 200 krestling was the price on the tag, but if he was being truly honest, he had attained the gloves for much lower. And if he was being truly fair, he could’ve sold for lower. But getting as much profit as possible was the name of the game here.

‘I can see that,’ she said, ‘but I’m wondering if the price could be cheaper.’

It could be. Would it be? He’d rather not. ‘I’ve taken the effort to tag the price of my goods fairly, young miss. It’s difficult for me to lower the price.’

‘But it’s possible.’ Not a question, but a statement.

She’s a tough one. Augur nodded. ‘But it’s possible. For the right price.’

‘I was thinking 100 krestling for the gloves.’

‘100 krestling?? Young miss, I have kids to feed! How will they look at their father if I sell for that cheap and can’t bring food to the table?’ Answer: they wouldn’t give him any sort of looks; his kids were, after all, imaginary. Conjured whenever convenient. ‘I was thinking 190 krestling.’

‘I understand that you have kids to feed, but how can I make the purchase if the price is too high for me? How about 130?’

Augur sensed that something was wrong. Too high because you’re not willing to pay that much? Or too high because you can’t pay that much? ‘Why, thank you for understanding the situation with my kids, but I can’t meet you there at that price. How about 180?’

‘140.’

Perhaps she doesn’t possess as much wealth as her looks suggest. ‘170.’

She took out her wallet, a sight that made him happy. However, instead of agreeing on the price, she counted the content of her wallet; took her time in doing so. Then, she bid, ‘151.’

151? That’s a specific number. He twirled his moustache, pondering. Is that the full content of your wallet?

Noticing his silence, she counted her wallet once more, then pulled out a few coins. ‘Make that 156 actually.’

That’s the full content of her wallet. Augur was sure.

The young lady had made her final bid. Now, Augur had to decide whether he would take 156 krestling for the gloves. After all, if he was lucky, another buyer might appear in near time and buy it for 200 krestling.

There are plenty of fish in the sea, he reminded himself.

‘Young miss, I have lived years of my life as a trader, and I have met a great many customers to know that you’re a tough one. This decision is not easy to make… but we have ourselves a deal, young miss! 156 krestling for the gloves!’

There are plenty of fish in the sea, but there are as plenty of fisher out here.

If he let his catch escape, he wasn’t sure if there would ever be another. That was just how competitive this bazaar was.

He offered his hand; she shook it. The deal was sealed. They traded the gloves for the 156 krestling.

‘Thank you for your purchase!’ he said, all smiles. A catch is a catch, Augur thought as he counted the krestling. He didn’t sell the gloves for the tagged price, but that was fine. I’ve gotten those gloves for next to nothing the other day.

***

Latla.

Not bad, I suppose, Latla reflected whilst looking at the gloves. I was aiming for 150, but 6 extra hardly makes a difference. Her wallet, in fact, still had way more krestling to spare; pulling coins out always made people think that it was running empty. Good enough. Now, onto the next thing.

Latla glanced sideways. Beside her stood a boy. He had appeared when she was haggling.

‘How was that buying 10 krestling for 1 krestling?’ Cirrus asked, his eyes glittered with curiosity.

‘Why are you here, Syr?’ Latla asked, irritated.

‘I want to know how to get money!’

‘Shouldn’t you be accompanying your sister at the café?’

‘No worries! I left Noir behind with her!’ Only then Latla noticed that no cat rested on his head. ‘I’m sure they’re getting along!’

‘Have you been following me?’

‘Mm!’ He nodded.

That fueled her anger. ‘This place isn’t safe for children. It’s rife with thievery and kidnapping. Has Scarlet never told you that?’

‘She tells me that every year! But this place is not as dangerous as the forest so I’m fine!’

Latla pressed her fist softly on Cirrus’s cheek.

This gesture confused him. Little did he know that this was her exerting a great amount of self-restraint.

‘Why aren’t you taking care of yourself better?’

‘What do you mean?’

‘I mean this. Going to unsafe places without caring for yourself. You’re here because you want to know how to make money, you said. Get your priorities straight! Do you think it’s worth it to put your own safety at risk for money?’

‘I think so!’

Latla glared at Cirrus. She pressed her fist harder on his cheek. ‘Explain.’

‘Because money can buy you food!’ he answered, cheery, not feeling threatened at all by her. ‘And you need food to be healthy!

‘I really like how it is now! When sis and I eat together, she gets a full portion of food for herself! I really hate how it was before! She used to split the food between us and would give herself the smaller portion. I want to know how to get money so that doesn’t ever happen again!’

Latla blinked, surprised by Cirrus’s answer. You’re doing this for your sister. She twisted her fist—lightly. Makes me envious. ‘It’s good that you take care of your sister, but you still need to take care of yourself.’

‘Mm.’ He nodded.

She pulled her fist away from his cheek. After some consideration, she made up her mind. Latla grabbed Cirrus under his arms, lifted him up, and seated him on her shoulders. She then stood and brought him up.

‘Whoa! Everyone else is short now!’ he remarked, excited.

‘I’ll teach you how to make money without risking your safety. Promise me you’ll be on your best behavior?’

‘I promise I’ll be on my best be-have-your!’

‘Do you even know what the word means?’

‘Nope!’

‘Mess with my hair and I’ll drop you. Mess with my trade and I’ll toss you. Got it?’

‘Got it!’

Walking with Cirrus on her shoulders, Latla felt nostalgic about her past. When it came to piggyback, she used to be on the receiving end with Artour; now she was on the giving end with Cirrus. Never thought my role would change like this.

‘Latla, Latla,’ Cirrus called. Now that he knew she would teach him, he repeated his unanswered question. The same question that Latla had once asked Artour years ago. ‘How was that buying 10 krestling with 1 krestling?’

‘What comes to your imagination when I said buying 10 krestling for 1 krestling?’ He had answered my question with another question back then. Latla remembered Artour’s smile. I’m not him though. ‘The gloves are worth more than the price I bought them for,’ Latla answered.

‘They’re supposed to be 200 krestling, but you bought them for 156!’

‘No. They’re not supposed to be 200.’

‘They’re not?’

‘They’re more than that. The gloves are worn down, but that doesn’t change the material it’s made of. It’s high quality, most likely made from A-rank monster material. The seller must have gotten the gloves for cheaper and sold to me at a profit, but he didn’t know that these can be sold for way more than 156 krestling.’

‘How much can you sell it for?’

‘I’d say around 3,000 krestling.’

‘3,000 krestling?! That’s enough to buy food every day for… for a long time!’

‘Sure would. That’s how making money by buying 10 krestling for 1 krestling works.’ Or in Latla’s current case, to be more exact, 20 krestling for 1 krestling. ‘You buy expensive items which are sold cheap, then sell it for its rightful price. Simple, but you’ll need knowledge to do this.’

‘3,000 krestling…’ Cirrus was still in disbelief.

It’s a lot, Latla thought, understanding his reaction. But I still need more krestling for guild expenses.

Thus, she continued her treasure hunt.