Edenhal, and the Empire in general, uses your common coin currency—ten coppers for one silver, ten silvers for one gold. One gold is equivalent to one Imperial Note. Notes are rarely seen in remote places like this, as they are mostly used for large-scale purchases.
I had ten golds, and my first commission earned me 4 coppers. So by simple calculation, it's a large amount. I had been told I could freely buy food and afford rent for months, and I could borrow more if needed. Still, I didn't know what I should or could spend it on. So here I was, aimlessly wandering through the streets, looking curiously at everything like some countryside bum.
They sold a wide range of items, from street food to unusual gadgets, and from simple clothing to mysterious scrolls. Some shops even sold potions. I wonder what those do?
I need some weapons and basic gear, but I couldn't seem to find any. Where do I even find those?
Before I knew it, I paused in front of a particular alley. If I remembered correctly, the store that had given me the box for my first commission was down this alley. And if I recalled correctly, there were some weapons there. I didn't know if they were selling them, but hopefully, I could get an idea of where to find them.
Knocking on the door, I waited patiently in front of the store.
...
No one opened it. Right, what kind of store closed its door? Maybe I was to blame for being so ignorant.
Just as I was about to walk away, the door opened. The old man stared at me, showing an unpleasant look.
"Why are you here? There shouldn't be another delivery commission."
"Yeah, I just want to ask something. Also, is the store open? If possible, I want to buy something, too."
The old man eyed me up and down, then let out a resigned sigh.
"Fine. I cannot just ignore your pitiful state, not even a piece of equipment on yourself. Look around if you are interested."
He went back into the dark store. I stepped inside, and as I thought, I could barely make out what I was seeing.
"Are there lights in here?"
"No. Take this lantern to inspect the items. Do you even have money?"
"I do. But why don't you have any lights installed?"
"I cannot afford to have them on all day, and besides, my goods are expensive and hard to come by, so no fund for them."
These weird-looking gadgets and gears were that expensive?
"Then why don't you have some windows?"
"Foolish. Having windows is like inviting those creatures to feast on you."
"What creatures?"
An ominous silence lingered.
"...The demonbeasts."
"?"
Demonbeasts? I mean, I knew they existed, but are they really that common? I thought all of them were in the main front line?
"Tsk, you must be from some backwater village to not know this. In a big city like this, demonbeasts are commonplace. Live in ignorance, and one day they will tear you apart in some unknown alley."
"How do people in the city even live with them then?"
"We don't. Hunters from the Pathfinder Guild clean them all the time. But they are like pests, so it won't be enough. Taking precautions against them is natural. Your door must always be locked, even during the day, and sleeping with a weapon within arm's reach is also a given. Moreover, you—"
"Other houses around still have windows, though?"
"...They will pay for their foolishness someday."
This old man was just crazy. Maybe I shouldn't have stepped in here after all. Oh well, whatever, let's just grab something and be done with it.
A sword in one corner caught my eye. Holding it in my hand, it felt like it had a long history to it.
"Hey, what about this sword?"
"Oh, that sword. They said all three of its previous owners died to demonbeasts, so I got it for my collection."
I was puzzled.
"Why collect these dreadful weapons? Won't they attract demonbeasts or something?"
"None of your business, so you want to buy it or not? Despite its scary backstory, it's still a good sword. I will give you this for a low price of three golds."
"...Do you know where other swords are sold?"
"Then you would have to get into the Upper layer and buy one of their overpriced swords there. Anywhere else only has cheap and replaceable swords. You don't understand how generous I am to offer such a fine blade, albeit a blade with circumstances."
I guess that will do for the time being, I suppose.
***
I got an ominous sword and some seemingly useful items there. Encountering demonbeasts is inevitable, so might as well prepare something for it. That old man had a lot of miscellaneous items related to demonbeasts.
Afterwards, I found a tailor shop to get some basic protection, leather armour and gloves. No money for chainmail. However, I brought some of these recovery and stamina low-grade potions, which actually have a one-month expiration date. Might come in handy someday.
The market was always crowded, starkly different from the stillness of the back alleys. There was a lot of cool stuff here, and the fragrance of street food tugged at my appetite. I was tempted to try something out, but I didn't really know what I should buy. Asking strangers would be a hassle for both of us. I should move on—
"Oh! Hello there, Cain. How have you been? Are you looking for something? Maybe I can help you with that, if you want."
"Didn't expect to meet you here, Evan. I've been fine."
How convenient. It would be nice to have some help with selecting these strange items.
"?"
Someone hovering behind Evan caught my eye.
"Who is standing behind you?"
"Ah, it's Nina, my childhood friend. Come on, Nina, no need to be so shy. This is Cain, a nice newcomer just like us."
Only then did she finally stand apart from Evan. She had a cute chestnut bob and a petite frame.
"Oh, um, hello."
"..."
"..."
How awkward.
Evan spoke up.
"So, uh, Nina is not good with other people. She doesn't mean to be rude or anything, so don't think too much about it. She has always been too wary of others. It's a bad habit of hers. So, uh, we are also looking for some tools to help with our commission. Mind if we join you?"
"I won't mind."
Strolling around the market, we naturally exchanged with each other.
"So Evan, what is your commission about? Needing to prepare this much, is it that hard?"
"Honestly, I think we are being too careful with it. I wanted to simply go and do the commission as soon as possible, but Nina insisted that we need to prepare more thoroughly. Our party has five members, including me, and from what I have known, this is more than enough to finish the commission."
"And what is the commission?"
"It's demonbeast cleaning."
"..."
"Normally, hunters will take care of all of these commissions, but I've heard that lately, there is just not enough manpower. Because of that, I decided this would be a good commission to take on, helping the hunters and proving our capability at the same time."
"I see. That's ambitious. Actually, I can recommend a good demonbeast-related store."
"Really?"
"Yeah, but the owner is a bit eccentric, so please bear with it."
Throughout the walk, Evan and Nina showed me lots of interesting products, and then we parted ways. I hope their commission will go smoothly.
As for me, I would head back to the Pathfinder Guild. Time for work, I suppose.
I grabbed something simple to eat on the way there.
I don't know the lifestyle of the people here or their routines. I will try to eat three times a day, though the lack of timekeeping devices means I will have to just eat whenever I feel like it. Have I mentioned how bad the food here is? I am sidetracking again.
The point is, I need to get an easy and quick commission to complete. Probably another delivery commission. At this point, I was just doing commissions for the sake of doing something.
And again.
"Have you heard the rumours lately?"
"Rumours?"
Demonbeast.
"There have been missing reports recently."
"What about it?"
"The number is abnormal. There have been over 40 confirmed cases this week alone. It's crazy. They said it's the demonbeast's doing. What are the hunters even doing, man?"
...
It just doesn't feel right.
Still, I need to finish this commission. Why?
It just feels natural. As if this is how things must be.
I just need to avoid trouble. This is no big deal.
***
Fate is just cruel.