A huge fruit, covered with sharp thorns, pricked him painfully in the hand. Zee cursed, licked his finger, and continued his efforts to get to the sweet pulp. A simple room, consisting of two separate rooms, was littered with all sorts of delicacies. Local merchants offered many exotic dishes, sort of, at very competitive prices. Of course they robbed you, it was their job! Simpletons from the wilderness, always brought good profits. And a couple of travelers, not so sophisticated knowledge of this world, were no exception.
The needle stuck into his finger again, and he threw away the fruit, along with the knife. It was extremely inconvenient to wield with one hand, but there was not much choice. Upon arriving in the capital, Zee discovered that the sign drawn in his dream could glow if he was too close to the priest. It was not difficult to distinguish them, but their number was amazing. Everyone around was drawn to the church, famous for its wealth. Someone aimed at the very top, wanting to gain power in this way, since they were not lucky to be born a nobleman. And someone was insanely happy with breakfast and dinner, consisting not only of stolen turnips. The hand had to be wrapped in some kind of plaster, for stealth. In theory, it could be removed, but a little help would not hurt here.
Asura sat in the next room and pouted, refusing to come out but leaving the door ajar. As soon as they were alone, she tore off her clothes and forced Zee to look at her. He did not appreciate such a gesture and tried to turn away, which caused a blow to the head and many screams that he liked the elf better!
Zee tried several times to talk to her, but she refused until he looked at her the way she deserved.
He wiped his hand from the juice that had fallen on him and left the room.
“We need to make up with her as soon as possible. Excessive love, a little bit, but this oppressive guilt is no better. And if she decides that if I don’t hers, then I shouldn’t get to others...”
He did not feel the desire to check the degree of fidelity of the golem . The description said it was absolute, but there weren't enough examples. If the golem decides that the creator's life must end, for its own good, would that be a violation? And if not?
So he went to look for her a gift. Something special, capable of melting a stone heart.
Going down to the first floor, he flung open the doors and went out into the street. The narrow street was packed with people. It was time for lunch and people crowded around the stalls with food, trying to snatch a piece fatter, along the way haggling what the world is worth. The sellers waved their arms, someone whipped the outstretched hands with a twig, fearing theft. In the slums, respect was not accepted.
A rabble gathered here, in whose blood the phrase sounded - fuck your neighbor. This was their motto for life, passed down from generation to generation. Churchmen avoided such places, occasionally sending out their novices with charity in an attempt to recruit new slaves. Someone agreed, but usually people greedily sorted out free gifts, stole what they could and disappeared, leaving the most reliable promises to go to church tomorrow, referring to urgent matters.
Pushing through a dense group of onlookers watching the upcoming fight, for a pair of fried wings of some kind of insect. Zee walked down the street, looking at the stalls with everything imaginable. His stomach was full, and he concentrated on finding jewelry that a young girl might like.
He didn't want to stand out too much and get into trouble, making conversation with strangers wasn't the best solution. However, his hearing was attracted by a conversation in one of the alleys, where a couple of guys, very shabby-looking, were discussing pawnshops. Communication was already going on with raised voices, the first one proved that Surik's shop was the best place. No cheating, decent prices. The second rested that Shrinks is much better, because he does not ask too much and accepts everything!
There was a dull thump, someone screamed. The guys decided to prove their opinion by deed, stuffing each other's faces.
But the ultimate goal has been chosen. The Shrinks sounded like the perfect place, you could find something rare and the merchant wouldn't ask where the gold coins came from in the slums. From this emanated some danger, but Zee suppressed a feeling of fear and went in search.
________________________________________________________________________________________________
After a few hours of wandering and a stolen fake purse, which contained a pile of stones, he found the right building. The shadow from the city wall created dusk in this place. The rickety wooden house looked rather shabby, even against the backdrop of ugly stone buildings in the slums. A single hinged sign was once attractive. Now, the peeling paint and deep furrows made it difficult to read the name - "Brothers Shrinks and Co."
The door creaked open and Zee found himself in a cramped room, with a lone chair and a small window. The sash opened and an old man with a monocle looked at him.
- "Welcome" - He spat somewhere - "Buy or sell?".
- “ Uh , hello. Buy, you know, I'm looking for ... "
- "Show me the coins" - The old man bored him with his eyes. His face looked as crooked as the building itself. And the thick lens of the monocle created the illusion of a huge eye, contrasting with the second, similar to a pig.
Zee pulled out a pair of gold pieces from his bosom and extended his palm forward.
The old man whistled. A large figure slipped through the front door. It was a hefty bouncer armed with a short club. His face made you doubt his mental abilities, but his appearance inspired fear. The sleeveless jacket was a spectacle of his arms covered with muscles and scars. The legs were more like flippers. It was clear that he was extremely uncomfortable in such a small space.
The bouncer whistled back.
Something creaked and a hole opened in the wall. The old man invited the buyer to enter. He turned out to be a midget, with an oversized head, as ugly as a big man's, but somehow different.
- “You can be free, brother. And you, mister, come in. Welcome to Shrinks & Co. You already know my brother, as much as you need, but you can call me Brun. How can I help you today?” - They ended up in a wide hall, littered with many cabinets. Zee noticed that the old man was holding a large bunch of keys in one hand, the other he wound behind his back.
- “I would like to buy a gift for a girl”
- “I understand, I understand. Looking for something sophisticated, then you've come to the right place! Please, see what I can offer you” - The old man hobbled to the back closet, fiddled with the keys for a few minutes, and pulled out three drawers filled to the brim with jewels.
Zee was taken aback by the dazed mountain of gold and silver that met his gaze. Rings, earrings, necklaces, what was not there. And his gaze caught on a brooch inlaid with a beautiful red stone. As if a rainbow was imprinted in it, shattered into many fragments. He reached out and took it out.
- “Great choice, mister! I think your fiancee will love it. For this work of art, I will only ask for ten gold pieces, more than a worthy price”
“Damn, it’s expensive, I only have ten with me. But I have to make peace with her!” he thought as he pulled out a bag of coins.
- “Well, that's great, thank you for your purchase. All the best" - The old man hurried Zee out of the store and slammed the door.
Zee looked at the stone, thinking about a good purchase and a quick reconciliation, cheerfully striding back to the room.
The door opened slightly, the old man's nose and monocle appeared from the opening, he looked at the back of the departing buyer. Just then the bouncer appeared and leaned down.
- "Take the guys and drag the stone back, and check it for money, he hides them under the suit" - The door closed. The big man grinned, disappeared around the next bend, but soon returned, surrounded by a company of several muscular guys, and hurriedly went in search of treasure.
