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Marketplaces were treasure troves of beginner information. Currency, commonly sold goods, and the names of various cities unquestionably showed up in these sorts of places.

I avoided talking to people—unnecessary conversation may have done more harm than good, especially since I was dressed like a beggar.

I still had no idea how certain social castes reacted to one another, so basing my suspicion solely on real-life history, I kept my distance.

「Come one, come all! Ingvardian nectarines from the Ionos region! Only seven bronze coins apiece!」

「Lookin' fer decent arms an' armor fer a fair price?! Look no further! Visit Tajiir's War Emporium! I can guarantee ya won't find a better deal!」

「Jewelry from the far reaches of Salzagar! A quality gift for a lucky gal!」

Reaching the Northeastern Marketplace, as they called it, I was met with a vast circular plaza. Two rows of stalls formed an inner and outer ring.

The space between the two concentric circles was wide enough to fit hundreds if not thousands of people.

It was a hectic and tumultuous environment. Some stalls were flocked with a substantial crowd while others were flat-out ignored.

All the popular stalls shared one thing in common though...

「Cutting board! Boy body! Flattycakes!」

My gaze was fastened on the massive wooden platform at the center of the square. Atop, stood a goateed man wearing suspenders and a comically tall top hat.

His callous words echoed throughout the plaza.

「Dear flat-chested women of Yarzon city! Do you hear those same hurtful insults hurled at you over and over and over again?! Do your small assets leave you feeling self-conscious?! Do you constantly try to convince yourself that they'll someday grow?!」

A primarily female crowd had gathered around the loudmouth salesman. It was larger than any other crowd at the square.

「Worry not! I, Alvis J. Potternuggets, have a solution for thee!」

Whispers from the congregation of women intensified. Whoever this Alvis guy was, he sure knew how to start a sales pitch.

The man took a step to the right, only to reveal a shocking new development.

「Behold! The new product from Varkob's Armory!」

Poof!

Suddenly, with a snap of his fingers, an armor stand materialized beside Alvis. It displayed a steel plate armor set, with two bumps protruding from the chest area.

「Was that... magic?!」

...was my first reaction to the unveiling of this "miracle product".

「Also... WHAT A SCAM!」

...was my next.

They hammered two dents into some used steel plate armor and called it a day. The sloppy positioning of each "breast" made it painfully obvious.

And yet the crowd ate it up.

「Yes! Padded chest armor! A new specialty product you can buy at the Pottershack for a mere three gold Jazgan coins!」

Jazgan silver coin was an important distinction. It meant this world's currency had more dimensions to it than I originally thought.

Rigorously learning it might take longer than I'd anticipated.

「You can find us at Barbajou District! First ten people to purchase get a 20% discount and a free bottle of Richester Facial Cream! We look forward to your patronage!」

With that closing statement, hundreds of women booked it.

It was a stampede. Countless pedestrians were either pushed aside or trampled.

I sought shelter in between two open barrels situated by one of the outer stalls. A fine pink powdery substance filled the containers in question.

My tiny build was perfect for hiding amid these containers.

「Pottershack at Barbajou district huh..?」

I stared down at my bare feet, processing the plethora of information that came from the thirty-second advertisement.

Every popular stall in this marketplace sells useless things at an extortionate rate...

The "padded chest armor" presentation was no exception. It seemed the merchants of this world were quite good at swindling the common folk.

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Potential rivals had already shown themselves.

Alvis J. Potternuggets.

His plan and execution were near flawless.

Grab the attention of an emotionally vulnerable group of people, pretend to empathize with their struggles, introduce a product from a well-known manufacturer, and lastly...

Reel them in hook, line, and sinker.

A limited discount offer was the cherry on top. It propagated a sense of urgency; the crowd had no time to fully digest anything.

All they had on their minds, was getting something for cheaper before everyone else. It was basic human instinct.

Preying on the insecure and exploiting their low self-esteem...

「Potternuggets, you devilish bastard...」

But before I could thoroughly recollect the information I had learned, another commotion had arisen from the marketplace.

「SOMEBODY CATCH THAT THIEF!!!」

A series of yells came from a mile away. In the following seconds, a shadowy figure landed beside me betwixt the powder barrels.

And that's where I met her.

「Ah—」

「Ah—」

A young girl with long green hair, crimson eyes, and a shoddy black-hooded cloak. Two loaves of bread occupied her hands, solidifying my suspicions of her as this marketplace thief.

Of course, I could've kept my mouth shut and let this poverty-stricken child feed herself for another day.

But in my eyes, this was the perfect chance to make some cash...

Without further deliberation, I stood up and inhaled deeply.

And then I shouted.

「I FOUND THE THIEF OVER HERE!!!」

The thief girl's expression quickly changed from subtle bewilderment to complete panic. I turned to her with a triumphant grin.

Helping with a thief's apprehension would surely get me rewarded in some way right?

Gold? Gems? Maybe the shopkeeper had a family heirloom to spare.

The thought made my soul tremble in excitement. Beads of sweat broke out on my forehead and dripped off my chin. A familiar thrill had overcome every inch of my body—an emotion I had not felt in such a long time. Not since the days leading up to Lorenzo's reign in Battleshift.

It had no distinct name, but a single desire attached to it.

Avarice.

Pure and unadulterated.

I could hardly contain my lust for riches.

God was correct—my heart was irreparably tainted. But I had no intention of fixing that. After all, he only wanted proof in the form of righteous acts; intentions did not matter

Finally, a mob of shopkeepers gathered around us. The thief girl was on her knees—bearing visible animosity, she glared at me.

I didn't flinch. After all, money mattered most here.

A stocky bald man—about seven feet tall—stepped forth from the group of stall owners. His fists were clenched and his unibrow curved like the limbs of a bow.

I almost feel bad for snitching, but... oh well.

「Hey! Mr. Merchant Man!」

I stepped out of the hiding place and played the role of an innocent child. Adults tended to have a sweet spot for those types.

「I found her holding two pieces of bread and hiding there. Could she be the thief everyone's talking about?」

The cuter I acted, the better the gain. I wasn't sure how the chrome-domed brute would react, but he'd at least brush me aside if anything.

「GANG! WE FOUND TH' THIEF!」

Bingo! Seems like he bought it.

「AND IT LOOKS LIKE SHE HAS AN ACCOMPLICE AS WELL!」

「Oh thank you, mister, your words are too kind—w-wait... what? Hold on! How am I an accomplice?! I ratted her out!」

The towering man cracked his knuckles.

「Think ya could fool me and get away with it hah?! Th' fact that ye're wearin' rags an' sweatin' like a pig in a butchery is proof enough!」

「Ah...」

By fantasizing about the reward, I ended up looking more suspicious than the thief girl. Such was the way of my twisted mind.

「So uh... I know I got ourselves into this mess but... how are we gonna get out of this..?」

I turned around only to see the thief girl atop the barrel climbing onto the fabric roof of the stall. She left a trail of pink dust as she sped away.

It then occurred to me how much trouble I was in.

「Y-you wouldn't hurt a child... would you..?」

I shivered in fear as I asked the lummox in front of me.

「I'll make sure ye're still breathin' by th' end of it!」

No good, he's out for blood.

Then, a plan came to mind. Slowly, I backed away, feigning cowardice.

After that, I struck!

「Take this you meat-brained gorilla!」

Puff!

I adroitly took a handful of the pink powdered substance behind me and threw it into the bulky man's eyes.

He yelled out in pain, prompting the other shopkeepers to take action.

Hastily climbing onto the barrel, I grabbed the edge of the stall roof. Pulling myself up was the biggest challenge. My noodle arms were not meant for strenuous activity.

Suddenly, I felt a hand on my leg. One of the shopkeepers managed to grab me. I merely saw this as an opportunity.

With all of my strength, I kicked my pursuer in the face, boosting me to the top of the stall.

And I clambered my way to the center of the red-striped fabric stall roof. It wasn't a small roof, but it wasn't big either—it perfectly serviced my small figure.

A sizable crowd had formed and encircled this once desolate stall. Some were bystanders watching from afar, while others were shopkeepers trying to bring me to justice.

Either way, nobody here was an ally.

Off in the distance, I saw the thief girl, climbing onto the roof of a building from the top of a stall. I wasn't a parkour expert, but now I was keen to try it out.

This light body, while weak, was still decent at moving. I didn't have to catch my breath yet.

So, I followed suit, jumping from stall roof to stall roof. I couldn't build up momentum due to the bounciness of the fabric rooves, but I still made decent headway.

「Hey th' brat's jumpin' around there!」

「Someone get up there and stop the kid!」

「Are ya willin' t' collapse th' rooves under yer weight!? Ya better be ready t' pay fer it!!」

Nobody was willing to risk the structural soundness of the stalls. They simply followed me through the plaza streets, hoping I fell off or jumped down. Having the whole marketplace wishing for your demise was not a pleasant feeling, to say the least.

Upon making it to the stall against the small building, I came to realize how great the gap really was.

It was a good eight feet away. I was surprised the thief girl could even make the distance.

「Hehe, the kid's reached the end of the line.」

「Is she gonna jump onto there?」

「No way, she'd fall and break her tiny legs. Makes it easier on us though haha...」

Hearing the shopkeeper's words disheartened me.

If I really did fall, then what?

Game over?

That's assuming I fell, but, the possibility was high.

Wait did they refer to me as "she"...?

Before I could contemplate any further, I felt the floor beneath me rumble.

「COME DOWN 'ERE LIL' SHRIMP! THERE'S NO POINT DELAYING TH' INEVITABLE!」

It was the bulky man. He shook the stall back and forth.

I could barely maintain my footing. The bastard's oxen strength made it harder for me to make an already difficult jump.

「YE'RE STANDIN' ON ME STALL YA BLASTED IMP! PRAY T' VEL THE FALL BREAKS YER LEGS INSTEAD O' ME!」

It was a good ten-foot drop. If I fell, my bony legs would undoubtedly shatter upon impact.

There was nowhere else I could go, though—the rest of the plaza was hemmed in by trees and shrubbery.

This roof was my only escape route.

So, I took a deep breath and focused on stabilizing my legs atop the wobbly stall roof.

And without thinking, I sprung forth and held out my arms—hoping I would reach the ledge. As my feet left the ground though, I was overcome with an intense feeling.

More intense than the greed I'd experienced.

Regret.

A few inches off, my fingers only managed to graze the side of the building.

Game over... huh..?

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