The market square got even busier as the sun reached its peak. Caleb passed an adventurer supply stall and purchased a map of the region. He wasn’t sure what the name of this region was—or even the city for that matter, so he decided it was worth the 10 copper coins he spent. He sighed when he had to break his only silver coin into copper coins. That left him with 90 copper coins to his name. “Not a very promising net worth,” he muttered.
As Caleb studied the map, a window opened up in his field of vision. A stylized label at the top read Valoria - Ravenholm City. The majority of the map was obscured by blackness, with the exception of the center where an arrow marked his current location and orientation. The surrounding area remained shrouded in the fog of war, but as he zoomed in and panned around the map, he was able to identify landmarks such as the market square and the administration building, denoted by distinctive symbols. He shifted the window to the top right of his vision to avoid it becoming a distraction. It was disorienting at first to alternate between focusing on the mini-map and the real environment around him, but he quickly adapted.
He wondered what to do with the now useless parchment in his hand. It was simply a vessel for new players to acquire the map feature. He willed the system to open his inventory.
> [Inventory] (0/3 Items)
> Slot 1: Nothing
> Slot 2: Nothing
> Slot 3: Nothing
Caleb thought about the parchment and then the inventory. His mind visualized his intent. The map parchment disappeared and he opened his inventory screen again.
> [Inventory] (1/3 Items)
> Slot 1: Map (Valoria)
> Slot 2: Nothing
> Slot 3: Nothing
Caleb wandered around the marketplace and was drawn into an armor stall—which was more of a tent. With a splayed white linen shade cloth covering the area, it gave the space a comfortable glow. A row of mannequins stood resolutely, adorned with various cloth, leather, chain, and plate armor. A short man with a potbelly stood in the center with his hands behind his back. He smiled at people who passed his tent, his well-groomed mustache giving him a credible image. He spotted Caleb, who had moved closer to test out his Appraisal skill on one of the armor sets. Before Caleb could reach the mannequin, the man quickly moved to greet him. Caleb was surprised by the swiftness of the man, which made him appear like a shark closing in on his prey. The obvious white linen newbie clothes were like blood in the water for the salesman.
“Welcome to Thalindor’s Fortified Fashions, adventurer!” Thalindor exclaimed. His booming voice made Caleb cringe slightly. He recovered quickly and smiled at the salesman. Caleb didn’t want to reveal that he was only here to test out his Appraisal skill, so he improvised.
“Good day, sir,” Caleb said. “You have a great collection of armor,” he gestured at the mannequins.
The man straightened and his eyes seemed to twinkle. “We have the finest armor in the square,” Thalindor said. “Our armor is designed to cater to the needs of every adventurer, be it a Knight engaging in close combat or a sorcerer looking for a power advantage. What kind of fighter are you? I’m sure I can find you the perfect set.”
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Caleb decided not to answer the man’s question directly, instead, he pointed at a cloth robe on one of the mannequins. “How much for that?” he asked.
“Ah, a magic user,” Thalindor excitedly walked over to the mannequin. “You have fine taste. Come take a look, feel the cloth. The quality is undeniable,” he said.
Caleb approached the mannequin and ran his fingers over the soft fabric of the robe while mentally inspecting the armor’s properties. Every player had the ability to examine items, which displayed basic information about them. However, with Caleb’s newly acquired Appraisal skill, he was able to see more information than usual.
> [Item Name]
> Fangweaver Silk Robe (Level 1)
>
> [Description]
> Simple yet magical. Though offering little physical protection, it imparts clarity and focus to the mind, making it a prized possession of magic users seeking to augment their mental abilities.
>
> [Properties]
> +1 to Intelligence
> +1 to Wisdom
>
> [Appraisal Report] (Very Accurate)
> Regional Average: 3 Silver, 45 Copper
“Very fine, right?” Thalindor said. “Made from Fangweaver silk. Only the strongest adventurers are able to take on one of those beasts!”
Caleb knew the man was lying. A simple look at the value of the item meant that it wasn’t as valuable as the man was trying to make it seem. A small smile crept onto his face as he recognized the smarmy man’s tactics.
“How much?” Caleb asked.
“For you, my friend, I’ll make a special deal,” Thalindor said. He pretended to do some calculations in his head. “Since you’re just starting out, I’m going to sell it to you at, basically, cost price!”
Caleb was no fool when it came to sales tactics and he just waited for the man to give him the price. When Thalindor saw that Caleb wasn’t going to reply, he cleared his throat.
“Only 20 Silver Coins. The new friend discount,” Thalindor said, giving Caleb a wink.
Caleb winced internally. The man was clearly targeting new players, their hard-earned coin being spent on junk. He wondered why other vendors didn’t just put Thalindor out of business. Clearly, he had a monopoly on the armor market around the area but Caleb put it out of his mind for now and turned to the man.
“I don’t have enough, I’ll have to come back another day,” Caleb said.
The salesman frowned, realizing he probably wasn’t going to make the sale. Then the practiced smile returned to his face. “Thank you for visiting Thalindor’s Fortified Fashions. Be sure to keep us in mind when you… have a bit more coin in your purse,” Thalindor turned and walked away.
Caleb wandered from stall to stall, trying to piece together a business strategy. He had to accumulate as much information about the economy of Ravenholm before he invested what little coin he had into something. He brought up the banking window, wondering if he should spend some real-world dollars on buying gold, but he looked at his bank balance and winced.
> [Balance]
> $2
>
> [Exchange Rate]
> $10.24 (1 Gold Coin)
>
> Note: You are able to purchase 19 Silver, 50 Copper.
If he purchased coins now, he wouldn’t be able to survive the night in the real world. As much as Caleb wanted to live in Frontier Realms, he still had to eat and pay his rent. He hoped his streaming business would be enough to keep his head above water in the outside world but for now, he had to focus on covering his game subscription. His attention was suddenly drawn to a loud commotion at a nearby stall.
“I’m not a god damned mule!” a player shouted, throwing a fist full of feathers at the shopkeeper.