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Join the ServerVilya followed us once she knew we were going out. Though Lia was displeased, Vilya’s insistence left us with no room to object.
I wrapped Lia’s small face in her scarf. In a city so steeped in religious fervor, it was best not to let Lia, a little succubus, draw too much attention to herself.
Fortunately, our military uniforms weren’t particularly conspicuous in this city. I held Lia’s hand in my right, and she happily surveyed the streets on either side, though there was truly little to behold.
Vilya walked to my left, her hand resting on her sword hilt, a picture of valiant grace.
Even Lia quickly lost interest in these unadorned streets. After her initial curiosity waned, the drab bluestone buildings offered little to captivate a child.
Not only did they fail to capture a child’s gaze, but even I found myself unwilling to linger in this city. This ascetic lifestyle was not for me. I glanced at Vilya, who seemed to blend in quite well here.
Her stoic, expressionless demeanor perfectly complemented the city’s rigid monotony.
“Papa, this city is so boring… There’s nothing new or exciting at all…”
Lia turned to me, sticking out her tongue as she spoke.
I nodded, then replied, “It’s alright, Lia. If Papa sees anything new and interesting, I’ll buy it for you.”
Easy words to say, but truthfully, I was broke. To buy anything, I’d have to ask Vilya for money. Yet, observing Vilya, I doubted she had much either. Someone with no interest in money like her was probably poorer than me.
After all, I still had the one gold coin Lucia had given me.
If the opportunity arose, I also needed to buy Lia a new set of clothes. She didn’t even have proper undergarments right now.
****
The market was next to the plaza we had just crossed, but it appeared far from bustling. It was merely an alley lined with various shops, none of which had signboards. Instead, a simple wooden plank announced what was for sale.
However, at this moment, a long queue snaked out of the alley, stretching all the way into the plaza. Soldiers patrolled the area due to the crowd. I was somewhat surprised; what could possibly draw such a queue in this city at this hour?
Were they waiting to donate to the church or to pray?
We walked past the edge of the line, curious to see what lay at its head. As I neared the front, a young boy, apron-clad, emerged from a shop holding a wooden plank, shouting to the crowd:
“We’re sold out for today, everyone! Completely sold out, no more grain! There might be some tomorrow, so please head home. Today’s grain is all gone!”
A wave of不满 (discontent) erupted from the crowd, but there was nothing to be done. I watched, dumbfounded, as the long queue slowly dispersed. So, this line was for buying grain?
Did everyone in this city have to buy grain this way? Or was there simply not enough grain, forcing them to sell only a small amount each day, much like our rationing system?
“Didn’t you hear? There’s no more grain for sale today… Oh, no… It’s Lady Vilya!”
The boy, who had initially glared at us for not leaving, trembled with fright upon seeing Vilya. He quickly bowed so low he nearly slammed his head into the ground.
Vilya nodded, then looked at him and said, “We want to buy grain.”
“Th-th-but there’s no more grain for sale today… Perhaps come early tomorrow…”
“Let us see your boss.”
I grabbed Vilya’s shoulder, who had already nodded, intending to leave. This was no time to turn back. They claimed to have no grain, but grain merchants profited precisely by hoarding it.
At a time when everyone was panicking over a lack of grain, selling a little each day could stabilize prices. This was likely a strategy for profit, and we absolutely couldn’t leave.
“Our… our boss isn’t here…”
“Then we’ll wait.”
“He went out of town to procure more grain…”
“Then I’ll speak with your current manager. What’s the matter? Is it so difficult for Lady Vilya, the one who slew the Demon King, to meet a grain merchant’s boss? Is your boss more important than Her Majesty the Queen? Should we inform the Queen about this?”
I narrowed my eyes at the young boy before me.
The boy was visibly terrified. He looked fearfully at Vilya’s longsword, swallowed hard, and stammered, “No… no, it’s not… we just… truly don’t…”
“Oh, my, my… Lady Vilya gracing my humble establishment is truly an honor! Please, please, tell me what you need. Although we don’t have much grain, we will do our utmost to fulfill Lady Vilya’s requests.”
At that moment, a stout man rushed out of the shop. He wore no hat, patting his receding hairline, and smiled at us with narrowed eyes. His clothes were noticeably thicker, though still lacking in color, and a silver scale ornament swayed gently on his chest.
Perhaps it was a merchant’s symbol, but it struck me as amusing. Merchants relied on tipping the scales to acquire more goods; how could they possibly ensure balance? Or perhaps, it meant that a merchant was like a scale, leaning towards whoever offered more coin.
I looked at him, then chuckled softly, “Didn’t you go out to procure more grain?”
“Ah, that was merely to avoid harassment. Surely, you understand, my lord. At times like these, we who sell grain are often the most vulnerable.”
The merchant before me grinned sheepishly. I had no intention of arguing with him about such trivial matters at this moment. Besides, this would serve as a minor point of leverage during our later discussion.
After all, the shop owner’s haste to appear suggested he was somewhat flustered.
“Then let’s get straight to the point. We want to buy grain.”
I looked at the owner and stated.
“Come inside first, come inside.”
The owner smiled, ushering us into the shop. Inside, there was only a long table with a few chairs beside it. A candle burned on the table, alongside a massive ledger and writing implements. I carefully observed the interior of the grain shop.
Currently, there were only a few empty sacks on the floor, and no grain whatsoever.
Of course, grain wouldn’t typically be stored here; it would be in a warehouse at this time.
“We want to buy grain.”
We sat around the table, and I immediately stated our purpose. The owner sniffed, then said with a wry smile, “To be honest, we don’t have much grain left now. As you’ve seen, everyone is buying grain out of fear, and much was forcibly taken during the previous war.
So, I don’t have much left to sell. If I run out of grain, this city will also plunge into panic.”
“Then how much can you sell?”
“Five sacks, at most five sacks.”
He looked at me, spreading his hands.
I frowned, saying, “No, that won’t do. We need twenty sacks.”
“My lord, it’s not that I don’t want to sell. In previous years, let alone twenty sacks, I could have loaded two hundred for you this afternoon. But this year is different. To defeat the Demon King, all of the north’s grain and armies have been mobilized.
We don’t have much grain on hand. Have you seen the refugees outside? If we were heretics, we wouldn’t even have this little bit of grain. These five sacks are only being squeezed out for Lady Vilya’s sake. We’ve truly done our best.”
“What about the price?”
“One gold coin per sack. I’ll even give you a discount.”
“You call that a discount? That’s extortion!”
I couldn’t accept that price! One gold coin per sack? Why don’t you just rob us? You’ve increased something that usually costs a dozen silver coins by six times! I’d believe you if you said this was an arms deal.
“This isn’t extortion, my lord. Grain is genuinely hard to come by these days.”
The owner looked at me with a dejected expression, then continued, “The people in the south control the grain now. We have to pay whatever they demand, don’t we? A sack of grain outside currently sells for thirty silver coins.
By the time it’s transported here, with shipping costs, it’s already forty or fifty. At one gold coin per sack, after accounting for my expenses, I’m not making any profit at all.”
“Hmm…”
I slowly leaned back into my chair, observing the merchant. The problem now was that the merchant insisted he had no grain and had to buy it from other regions, while grain prices were soaring.
To be honest, I regretted the price I sold to Lucia. I suspected that Lucia chose to buy here precisely because Vilya had no understanding of grain prices, as grain was simply too expensive elsewhere.
We had been deceived by Lucia, but the bigger issue wasn’t Lucia. It was where we would acquire the twenty sacks of grain we needed. If this current owner stubbornly denied having any grain, there was nothing we could do.
The only way to prove it would be to inspect his warehouse, but I was certain he would never let us see it.
Even Vilya couldn’t trespass into someone’s warehouse, especially at such a sensitive time. If Vilya entered a warehouse and then left with grain, it wouldn’t look good if seen. One, we couldn’t cause panic in the city, and two, we couldn’t tarnish Vilya’s reputation.
If news spread that Lady Vilya had forcibly entered another merchant’s granary and taken grain, no merchant would be willing to do business with her. Killing the goose that lays the golden eggs was not an option.
I considered this, then said, “Alright, then. I’ll think of other solutions.”
There was no point in continuing the discussion, so I stood up. The merchant also rose, saying with a wry smile, “Times are tough, and I have no better solution. I hope the gods guide your path, my lords.”
“If the gods guide our path, then humans are no different from pigs and dogs.”
I shook my head, then declared, “I will always only believe in ourselves.”
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