Every morning, the innkeeper provides each person with a pail of water for bath. Contrary to night, there are bathroom downstairs.
When we woke up and took bath, Brita was no where to be seen.
But when we are about to leave the room for good, Brita is waiting outside.
She stops before me.
With my eyes, I direct the girls to wait at the other side.
“Did you need something?”
I call out slowly to the somewhat ill-equipped female guard. I have already confirmed the identity of this stuttering girl who is trying to communicate with me.
“A, um, about that.”
The one stuttering is the girl from last night.
Her attitude has changed so much from yesterday, she seems like an entirely different person altogether. I keep quiet and wait for her to continue.
“Um, the potion you gave me……”
I nod, and even move my neck to tell her to continue.
“I do not know much about the potion, but if it is possible could I please buy one?”
She frantically waves her hands and continues. “How much do you have in stock? I have heard about the price of a regular potion, but I have the money to purchase one. If that potion is stronger than that……I think……”
Her confidence seems to get weaker and weaker as she continues talking.
Especially when she utters the words, "I have the money to purchased", her weak and trembling tone shows how little confidence she has.
“I am currently working as a town guard outside the wall. Facing bandits and beasts are part of my work. And I think your potion would come in handy.”
The girl continues with her head hung low in an ingratiating manner.
Even as I maintain composure on the outside, inwardly I am getting more and more exasperated by the current turn of events.
Due to the fact that the price of a potion is unknown, a suitable price cannot be given. Underselling should be cautioned against, depending on the situation people might become curious.
Then if I triemy to reject just how should he?
Should I refuse by claiming that the potion given yesterday was my last one. However, giving someone your last potion just to get away from a smell seems like a ridiculous reason no one would ordinarily give. I could refuse by claiming that I have only one potion left. For the same reason as the former, this would seem strange.
In that case, why not give the potion as a way of buying favour? After all, the objective is to gather information on getting into Abram city.It wouldn’t be a bad idea to have the woman indebted to him. And if she wants more in the future, she may prove to be useful—-
Actually there are only nine of these potions remaining and Selene said these stuffs are very hard to make as the ingredients are very hard to find.
Upon applying her aura, there are occasions the ingredients are destroyed.
The girl’s face lit up in an instant. She must have been quite worried about her work as a town guard.
“From your experience with the healing properties of the potion, you are, of course, aware of how precious this potion is, are you not?”
Brita nods repeatedly.
"I starved and scrimped and saved to buy a cheap potion! But that potion couldn't heal my injuries even after weeks. I’ve always believed that I could get through a dangerous job as long as I had a potion."
She does not appear to be aware as to the actual qualities of the potion, just that she is immensely impressed by its effectiveness.
“But, this time I will specially hand it over for free. Even though it is the last of the four bottles I have.” I bluff.
I reach into the haversack cleverly hidden in my leather bag and retrieve a potion of the type I hand over yesterday. One out of 10 such healing potions.
She becomes increasingly panic.
“No, no, it would not be right to get this for nothing. I am poor but at least I can pay up to a certain amount.”
Hurriedly, the she plucks out a small satchel from her front. The faint metallic clink of a modest number of coins could be heard. It sounds like copper coins. If I actually ask her to pay, she definitely can't afford to buy my potions.
I weighed the pros and cons of accepting or declining the offer of payment rationally. Of course, the merits of being owed a favor as well as the utility of using the potions as bait won out.
“No, that’s fine. Take it as a token of my goodwill.”
“But”
"It's better to use your money to buy food or pay rent."
She stares upward towards me innocently from her 163cm height.
Her red hair is messily-cut, yet at a good length for movement. It could not be described as neat by any stretch of the word.
She is prettier than most of the women in my previous world and a keen edge to her eyes.
I scan her from top to bottom and she really lacks equipments for battle. Her only sword on her nicely shaped hip looks beaten up. Her hands are bare without guard or even glove.
She doesn't even wear leather armour. What she wears is obviously clothes that are hand made to look like leather armour.
Excitedly, she tries to shake my hands.
I avoid the girl’s attempt to shake my hand.
Instead I grab her hands and put a potion on her palm.
Her arms are muscular and her palms are covered in calluses from wielding a sword. The word that first came to mind when I saw for the first time last night, she was not “woman,” but “warrior.”
A small metal plate hung around her chest with words "Guard" written on it. The plate and bulging breasts beneath it shake mightily with every movement she makes.
But her equipments make her look pathetic. Does Abram governments pay their guard that cheap?
As I watch the girl carefully slip the potion into a sturdy leather pochette, I ask,
"I am actually a traveling merchant. I plan to establish a shop in Lothering Town. But I must register with Ferelden merchant guild."
Her face turns up to me and her sharp eyes look sparkling.
"Then.. then.. sir, I could guide you to the merchant guild. It is in Abram city."
I try to confirm as this development seems too good to be true,
"But you cannot enter Abram City without permission."
She shakes her head,
"No. I can enter anytime because I am guard for Lothering Town." She introduces herself while holding up the metal plate.
"Girls! We have a way to get into the city!" I stride to the waiting girls.
"How?" Ivanna ask.
Brita approaches us while holding up her metal plate,
"I can use my position as town guard to enter the city."
"Oooah. That poor woman has some use!" Kurotsuchi speaks her mind.
Brita just smiles and slightly blushes.
***
Selene is on the wagon's window with her head covered to hide her elven ears. Accompanying her are Sylvia, Clementine and Irijina. Irijina is driving the horses with Sylvia beside her.
Clementine is lying down inside the wagon.
The carriage go around the town wall and city wall.
Their task is to study the environment surrounding the Lothering Town and Abram City next to it.
Surrounding the town and city, there are villages.
Sandal village is actually just one of the village here.
There are actually fifteen more villages encircling the town and city.
The villages are protected by wooden fences. This understandable as they see beasts like coyotes and wolves roaming on the plain.
Upon going in circle around the city and town, they notice the obvious differences between Lothering Town and Abram City.
Sylvia explains,
"Entrance into Lothering Town is large sturdy steel door but entrance into Abram City is a portcullis."
Selene adds,
"Even their walls are different. Lothering seems shabby while Abram City looks grand. The village chief said there is another entrance inside connecting the two."
