Chapter 301- Traveling on the road

Traveling on the road

On the dusty main street which dissected a small village, the raised voices of hagglers engaged in battle. A youth with long black-hair and stubbly beard gestured with his hands while twisting and pouting his dry lips. He stood beside an open vegetable stand as he then pointed a finger to the melon-sized fruit held in his other palm.

"Old man, this is the best grass-apple you will ever see that passes through your village. I'm only selling it because I want a few of those honey-plums you have there."

"Young adventurer, this old man's eyes might only see as far for a few paces but I don't need my weak eyes to recognize a green grass-apple."

Sighing, he rose from his stool behind the open tent while extending a spotted arm. Guided by years of experience, he then rapped the large fruit twice. His clouded eyes remained locked on the boy as his lips twisted in an 'I told you so' manner. The man dropped on his seat with a grump.

"Hear that? Too muffled. If that grass-apple had been ripe, it would have sounded hollow. Honey-plums sell for one silver a cup. That green grass-apple can't even fetch ten coppers. Whoever sold you that, robbed you completely."

"Then what can you trade me for it? That traveling merchant in the last village took advantage of me. I need something which I can barter in Frost City at a higher price."

"Hmm, look, I really feel sorry for you but I can't help you. I've been selling so long on this street to know that the last merchant used your youth against you. You're not the first adventurer heading north to get scammed on trading and definitely not the last. I take it you're coming from down south right? From your clothes, you definitely seem to be a successful adventurer. Is this the first time heading to Frost City?"

The stall owner sat on his three-legged stool while fanning away the flies hovering over his produce. After asking and receiving a nod from the boy, he stroked his goatee before signaling him closer. The old man appeared to take a liking to this youth who spent nearly an hour trying to drive a profitable barter.

"From what you said earlier, you're looking to barter for something that can fetch more money up in Frost City right?"

"Yes, I am now down to this grass-apple and need to trade it for something in this village that can earn me some more coins in Frost City."

"Then I think I have the best thing for you, but you have to promise me you won't show it to anyone."

"Sure, sure, what is it?"

The merchant glanced around and then pulled out a little box from under his stall. Reaching down, he removed an equally large fruit with the aid of a cloth.

"This is a rare fruit called an Indigo Mellon. The locals in Frost City regard it as a delicacy since it only grows near the Capital. A merchant friend of mine dropped a few off for me while heading up to the city. It's not worth much in the village because we have lots of merchants passing through. You can, however, fetch much more than your grass-apple if you sell it in Frost City."

Wrapping the fruit in the cloth rag, the merchant pushed it to the confused boy.

"Don't worry, take it in exchange for the grass-apple. I won't lose out by much and when you arrive at the city, you will also thank me for the experience you gained from this trade. Not all merchants are greedy for coins."

Ming nodded at the vendor as he completed his bartering. The name Indigo Mellon sounded familiar but under the chatting, with the merchant, he couldn't place a finger on it.

Across the street, inside the General Store, a tall masked figure shook her head firmly. She tapped on the counter with her finger and pointed again at the sword behind the clerk. Eventually, the clerk capitulated and placed the sword on the table. The masked buyer showed no signs of excitement as she dropped a decorated dagger onto the counter.

"You drive a hard bargain, miss. I dare say I lost out on this trade."

"Haha, Shopkeeper Hinds praises are well received. Our companion might not be much of a talker but she thanks you very much for accepting this barter."

The raven-haired companion of the masked figure replied from the side. The middle-aged man laughed at seeing the two young ladies don their hoods as the three left. Seeing them exit the door, he sighed.

"What a pair of beauties. No doubt from the shape of their hooded companion, that spellcaster from the south is also a fine young woman. I hear the healers and priests from the other kingdoms are either disfigured or possess bewitching faces..."

Walking up the street, the various shoppers converged at another stall.

A teen with a tuft of black hair stood conversing with a sun-tanned man wearing a straw knitted round hat.

"So your old man is Farmer Winn, haha. When you travel home, tell him thanks again for the wagon. It saved us some trouble later when we left."

"I can't believe you bought that standing wreck from my old man. From what you said, however, you really helped us out. We still haven't recovered from the coins we lost during the demon raids. The harvested vegetables we planted back then all remained in the fields to rot. We couldn't sell them because the city gates remained closed and the merchants didn't arrive."

"I heard a lot of farmers and villagers along the road complain about the same thing. We also came from a village down south. It's the same, it's always the farmers or the poor who bear the brunt of the pain during a demon beast raid. Ah, it seems my companions have arrived, don't forget to say thanks again to your old man, the wooden cage works great!"

Chu thanked the farmer before joining his companions. Walking towards the village north entrance, he glanced towards them and then looked towards the nearing gate.

"This is the last village before we arrive at Frost City. From what I gathered, it's best we enter via the south gate. The merchant line is long there, but we can use the lane dedicated to the Tower if we need too. By late tomorrow evening, we should join the others."

He turned to the group and smiled.

"So, how goes your bartering sessions? Since we left Limerock, I gave everyone a small knife. All you had to do is use your bartering skills to increase it's worth. I can't wait to see how you all do in this little game."

"Chu, I don't know why you want us to play this game. How is this supposed to help me? You know my real strength lies in making friends. I can find out anything we need to know about the road, so why do I have to participate in this?"

"You especially need to learn from this. Sure you have the best communication skills among us, but when it comes to money, you suck. All the rural settlements, villages, towns, and even cities still use forms of barter. As adventurers, we need to learn how to trade without money so we can survive."

Chu scolded the older teen.

"But why do I need to learn about this? With my power, I can hunt a few deer and sell them for coins."

"Sure, sure, but there are yet places where people don't use coins. From what I heard, there are small tribal villages around the mountains that don't trade in coins. Don't forget, you of all people should know coins won't work as currency among other races. If you want to explore the world, you need to learn how to increase your worth."

"That's right. Knowing you, you probably bartered your way down to a stick."

Miki added after Chu spoke.

"Is that what you all think?"

Ming asked while looking around.

Instead of a reply, he saw everyone including the masked Ishara turn their heads away.

Stepping through the gate, he was about to speak when the group slowed their steps. Not far away in the open field, a small commotion appeared to be occurring near their wagons.

***

Young Master Sun strolled around the campsite while raising his face towards the summer sky. In one week's time, he would reach his eleventh birthday. As the best among his relatives in Haven, his grandfather recommended him to the main house in Frost City.

On this routine journey, his father thus allowed him to travel with their merchant caravan to the city. There, he would join the best of the best among the Sun merchant House in learning the ways of a successful merchant. He had no inclination of fighting the geniuses of the main house for positions of leadership. All he aimed for was to earn the right like his great-grandfather to open a branch under the Sun House in one of the nearby cities.

Walking to the edge of his campsite, his interest piqued on noticing a pair of wagons parked further away in an isolated corner. What intrigued him, however, was the occupants of the caged wagon.

"Snails, follow me."

Shouting a command, he stepped out as if walking on the clouds without waiting for an answer. A small smirk appeared on his face on hearing the scampering of the personal servant his father assigned to him. On arriving closer to his destination, he viewed a little girl sitting on a small crate between the two wagons.

The golden-haired girl hummed a tune while her legs swayed from under a strange dress.

Ignoring the lone, insignificant occupant of this campsite, he focused on the entities sleeping within the wooden cage.

"They looked so large, I thought they were those cats those nobles fancied. But they look like wolves. Snails, I must have one to train as a pet in Frost City. I heard most of those masters of powerful houses and clans tend to flaunt such pets. Hey! You there! Where is the merchant? Find him for me, I have a proposal."

The little girl blinked her blue eyes before replying.

"Greeting young sir, greetings elder. If you have come to inquire about the wolves in the cage, I am afraid they are not for sale. I have already informed most of our fellow travelers about it."

"That is not a decision for you to make. Hurry and find the owner! Snails, I dare say these wolves must be some type of variant beast, right? I wonder how large they actually are. See if you can wake one up and have it stand."

Young Master Sun brushed off the ignorant girl while circling the wagon from a distance. Usually, when beast traders transported their catch, they drugged the animals for easy travel. Even with this knowledge, as a son from a merchant family, he would not venture close. His father had told tales where curious travelers ventured too close to inspect animals, only to lose a limb or even their heads.

"Young Master Sun, I believe we should wait on the beast merchant and not provoke his goods."

"Nonsense, all I want is to see how large these wolves really are. I'm not asking you to grab a stick and rattle the bars, Snail. All you have to do is this..."

Young Master Sun bent down and wrapped his fingers around a suitable stone. Before he could swing his hand, the young girl jumped down from the crate and ran in front of him.

"What are you doing? Please show a little more respect for other people's property. You walk and talk as if you possess class yet you act like a hooligan. Shame on you!"

"Hooligan? Are you insulting me?"

Young Master Sun dropped the stone while opening his raised hand to deliver a slap to this disrespectful child.

****