Chapter 8: The Cunning Merchant and the Taste Test

“That mantis actually shot wind blades! It almost hit me.”

“Luckily, I used my invincible Ice Wall!”

Hilvyn’s eyes sparkled as she spoke, clearly delighted by her Ice Wall spell.

Having submitted their commission, the two were now strolling idly through the streets.

Come to think of it, ever since Elara had acquired Hilvyn, their routine had been an endless loop between the dining hall, the guild, the forest, and home.

She had never truly shown Hilvyn around the city.

They soon arrived at the Hero’s Square in the city center.

Hilvyn gazed upon the colossal white stone statue, pure and sacred in its grandeur.

“Is this the statue of Hilmerya? It’s so beautiful!”

Hilvyn exclaimed, pointing at the statue. She then clasped her hands together, silently praying once more for blessings to ensure she could eat ‘double-sauce grilled bread’ every day.

Those nearby who overheard her turned their gazes, some with curiosity, others stifling laughter.

“This is Aivyn’s statue,” Elara corrected, her tone serious. “She was the Hero who slew the Fifth Demon Lord three hundred years ago.”

As Elara spoke, a rare admiration flickered in her eyes.

Hilvyn then continued, “What is a Demon Lord?”

“It’s…” Elara began, her mouth opening to speak, but she found herself at a loss for words, only knowing that they were incredibly powerful.

“They are extremely dense aggregations of demonic energy, with power comparable to the five remaining pure-blooded dragons in the world.”

An explanatory voice chimed in from the side.

Elara and Hilvyn both turned towards the source of the sound.

A black-haired, wheat-skinned girl, carrying a backpack, was approaching them with a warm smile.

“Two beautiful ladies, I am a solitary traveling merchant. I’ve been observing you for quite some time.”

Elara’s eyelid twitched. Her instincts, honed over two lifetimes, told her that such people were the most cunning.

However, Hilvyn didn’t overthink it, responding naturally, “What do you sell?”

“I have Hilmerian Wind-Blessed Oil, Tangrillian Scarlet Oak Ham…”

She rattled off a long list, like reciting a menu, detailing specialties from various countries and items with peculiar effects.

“I almost forgot to introduce myself. My name is Myra.”

Hilvyn, having only half-listened, remembered nothing but ‘ham’ from the entire list.

Such was her foodie nature.

“Is that… whatcha-ma-call-it ham tasty?”

Hilvyn’s eyes shone with anticipation. She had only ever eaten the local ham from Wind Chime City and thought it was delicious.

Upon hearing this, Elara’s interest was piqued. She wanted to see if this merchant truly possessed any skill.

Myra retrieved a ham from her storage pouch.

Elara discreetly appraised it.

[Name: Ordinary Scarlet Oak Ham]

Elara: ‘Ugh…’

“Scarlet Oak Ham is a specialty of the Tangrillian Kingdom. Forest pigs are raised on scarlet oak acorns after weaning, then smoked with scarlet oak wood. It’s even royal-grade, with a rich, oily flavor infused with the aroma of scarlet oak…”

Hilvyn listened, utterly captivated, her mouth nearly watering.

“Your ham is not royal-grade.”

Elara had no time for pleasantries and exposed her immediately.

Even if it wasn’t royal-grade, at least it wasn’t completely false advertising.

“Oh, oh, oh, esteemed customer, shouldn’t we be factual here? This is indeed authentic Scarlet Oak Ham.”

Elara understood. She had explicitly said, ‘It’s *not* royal-grade,’ yet Myra first denied it, then claimed it was authentic Scarlet Oak Ham.

She was quite adept at wordplay.

But Hilvyn was already utterly captivated. Even an ordinary Scarlet Oak Ham was far superior to typical products of its kind.

Elara watched, her brown eyes glinting as a plan formed in her mind.

“Can we taste it before buying? To see if it truly tastes like Scarlet Oak Ham.”

“This…” Myra hesitated. She had never heard of a ‘taste before buying’ policy.

However, she then glanced at the two women’s beauty—the mature and composed one with black hair and brown eyes, and the innocent and charming elf with black hair and blue eyes. Both were exceptionally elegant beauties.

Such people surely wouldn’t lack money.

“Of course, no problem, beautiful ladies.”

She deftly drew a small knife, slicing two paper-thin pieces of ham. She then skewered them with wooden picks and handed them to the two.

Hilvyn eagerly popped hers into her mouth. “So delicious!”

Myra breathed a slight sigh of relief.

Elara stared at the ham on the wooden pick for a moment, then sniffed it, before feeding it to Hilvyn.

Hilvyn took it with delight.

“Thank you, Big Sister!” Hilvyn exclaimed. Hilvyn would not call Elara ‘Master’ when outsiders were present; this was a command set by Elara’s s*ave contract.

In truth, Elara’s scrutiny and sniffing were merely an act. Without her appraisal skill, she wouldn’t have been able to tell the difference just by looking.

“This is definitely not royal-grade.”

“Customer, you said ‘taste before buying,’ didn’t you? You’ve tasted it, so why aren’t you buying?”

“Because I want royal-grade Scarlet Oak Ham.”

Elara spoke with righteous indignation, not feeling the least bit in the wrong.

Initially, she hadn’t intended to be so sharp, but with a glutton like Hilvyn beside her, it was a perfect opportunity for Hilvyn to try something new.

As for buying it, that was out of the question. Such a cunning merchant, playing word games, deserved to be taught a lesson. Besides, it was only two small slices of ham lost—a small price to pay for a memory.

“This ham is indeed authentic Tangrillian ham…”

“Shall we go to the City Guard Station and have the professionals assess it?” Elara interrupted her evasions.

“If yours is truly royal-grade, I’ll buy every piece of ham you have.”

“Beautiful lady, you’ve misunderstood, haha. I’ll be leaving now.”

At this point, Myra realized she had encountered someone knowledgeable and made a swift escape.

If they had truly gone to the City Guard Station, she wouldn’t just lose two customers; she would be prosecuted under the ‘Wind Chime City Commercial Management Law.’

Hilvyn didn’t quite grasp why the mention of the ‘City Guard Station’ was so terrifying that Myra immediately fled.

“Master, was that delicious ham a fake too?”

“Mmm-hmm.” Elara turned back from the direction Myra had vanished, instinctively reaching out to pat Hilvyn’s head.

Instead, her hand poked something soft.

“Gah…” Hilvyn gasped in surprise.

(´°Δ°`)

“Master, what are you doing…?”

“I’m sorry… I meant to pat your head. I forgot you’ve grown taller.” Elara awkwardly retracted her hand.

****

After that brief interlude, the two toured the entire city.

They visited the true Wind God statue at the Wind Temple in the south, purchased some potions for dipping beans, and a pile of snacks for Hilvyn.

Finally, they arrived at the tailor shop in the north, which was quite close to their residence.

“What a lovely young lady, is there anything you need?” The youthful shop owner greeted them warmly. “This shop offers fitting services.”

“Big Sister, hurry up,” Hilvyn called back.

Elara smiled, slowly approaching from behind. There was a strange sense of satisfaction when Hilvyn called her ‘Big Sister.’

With a grand gesture, she bought several outfits that both of them had fancied.

—After all, Hilvyn had grown up overnight, rendering all the clothes Elara had bought for a smaller Hilvyn completely useless.

“Welcome back anytime!”

The proprietress enthusiastically saw them off.

“If the two of you need custom clothing, the tailor shop down the alley is run by my sister. You can check it out there.”

Elara didn’t respond, silently noting the information.

“Okay, Big Sister Proprietress—,” Hilvyn, however, responded with enthusiasm.