Chapter 69 – Unaffordable

The weasel didn't manage to keep his poker face.

"Is that true?"

"All true, sir."

"Then… What about this one?"

"It is called a refrigerator, or fridge for simplicity. Another essential cutting-edge item for the house. The interior is constantly kept at a low temperature, making it perfect to store all kinds of food. Whether one uses the preservation spell or not, keeping food inside the fridge will multiply shelf life by several times. This is probably one of the greatest inventions I have witnessed in my life. Because it needs to be powered all the time, the batteries only last two days before needing to be recharged."

The reseller merchant was left speechless for a moment.

"Can… can I try them?"

"Of course."

I turned one of each on and demonstrated how warm and cold the oven and fridge were. Contrary to his reaction to the fans, which weren't that impressive in functionality, he was clearly sincerely impressed this time. Yet, he couldn't help hesitating in front of the prices.

"Sell me two of each… ugh, no, sell me one of each. And all the fans. Can't you give me a discount?"

"No discount, sir."

"Argh! Whatever. I'll take them!"

Greed was oozing out of his gaze and I couldn't blame him. This wasn't very different from showing automatic guns to a crossbow military unit. The marvel induced by the difference in technology was simply impossible to ignore.

Just like that, I earned 26.5 golds, probably more money than most people possessed. There truly was nothing like trading things people couldn't refuse to buy.

However, for the first time since I started selling in the night market, I had leftover stock, probably because even the weasel couldn't come up with that much money on the spot. I waited in my stall for any other potential buyers but soon noticed it wouldn't happen. If people had been chuckling mockingly at my items and prices on my first day, they were now simply astonished by the cost of what I offered. Some even laughed out loud right in front of my nose before leaving in a good mood, as if they had witnessed something funny.

I waited a bit but there was no point in doing so. I decided I had better use of my time and dismantled my booth. The money I earned was more than enough to last me for a while. Plus, I could simply wait for the weasel to sell the items, earn money, and come back to buy the rest. In a way, I was acting as a sort of wholesaler for him, which was a pretty good deal all things considered.

I bought some food from my fellow night market traders and headed for the slums next. I wandered in the dilapidated streets full of sick-looking coughing people, waiting for one specific contact. After around fifteen minutes, I noticed what I was looking for. A pair of eyes was monitoring me from behind the corner of a street. I recognized their owner to be the boy who first tried to pickpocket me the previous time I was there.

I calmly took out some bread and fruits from my bag and extended my arms in his direction.

"Here. Take this."

For a second, he seemed startled to have been discovered, almost ready to escape in a hurry. However, the appeal of food might have done the trick and he stayed in place, jumping on his feet nervously. I waited patiently until he managed to build the courage to come and get the food. When he eventually did so, I questioned him on his way back to escaping in another street.

"You're together with the girl I gave food the other day, right?"

He jumped in surprise and looked at me with caution. After a few seconds, he nodded so slightly that I could have missed it if my attention wasn't fully focused on him.

"Here take this too."

I gave him another piece of bread and some more fruit. The small child now had his arms full, marveling at the quantity of fresh food.

"Go quickly and don't get it stolen. I'll try to come here from time to time."

He sent a last weird look at me before heading my advice and running away at full speed.

Things were going very well today, unlike two days ago. I left the slums and made my way to Geola's delight. I was left pent up after a day of hard work, especially because Suuru didn't want me to touch her for now. The relief time in the bunny's village didn't help with this situation either. I could almost understand Giya's need to visit the place every day.

Now that I was a bit more used to the brothel, I entered with more confidence and didn't wait in the hallway. I wanted to have a more standard experience, where I would behave as an initiated customer. Of course, I was still far from being one but I had to start somewhere.

First, I toured the first floor, to get a better understanding of what it offered. However, just as I was making my way up the main corridor, some people surrounding a large book caught my attention. It was a group of three men of unknown species, turning the pages of an enormous book while discussing excitedly. A woman was standing next to them, watching over them with a business smile. I made my way toward them, curious about what they were doing.

"What about this one? Grade 2, she's welcoming most normal acts. She's a bit larger than you, though."

"Grade 2 is a bit… What about grade 1?"

"There's this one. She's got large boobs if you're into that."

"Not bad. I think I'll go with her today. What about you two?"

"I'm feeling like a smaller species today."

"I just want someone not too expensive. Hmm?"

They noticed my approach and looked my way while halting their conversation. I tried to give a friendly smile.

"Hello, gentlemen. May I ask what sort of book this is?"

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