Wild Boar Inn IV

Mila's answer wasn't far from what Carolyn believed, but she still felt a prick in her heart once her thoughts were affirmed. Even if she wasn't comfortable inside the tavern, showing it so blatantly would obviously hurt her chances of getting a job there.

After leaving the inn, Carolyn took a step forward, only to realise that she didn't know where to find a store that would sell what she wanted. She had a general idea of where the merchants were, but it wasn't so early in the day that exploration could be accommodated. Restraining her embarrassment, Carolyn went back inside the inn, but Mila was no longer at the front desk. She could look for her in the tavern, but considering what happened during her last visit, she had reservations.

Convincing herself that this was an opportunity for growth, Carolyn left the inn and decided that she would ask someone for directions after reaching deeper inside the commerce district.

Different cities had different rules, but most cities grouped areas according to the main industries and activities carried out within them, even if the areas weren't explicitly labelled. In Vernum City, besides the slums, there was a nobility district, a commerce district, a residential district and a mixed district.

The nobility district was at the center of the city and stretched south, surrounded by tall stone walls that appeared much tougher than the city walls. The commerce district was on the west, the residential district was on the east and the mixed district was between both of them near the north, the same direction that Carolyn entered from. The slums were on the outer edge of the mixed and commerce districts and the Wild Boar Inn was in the commerce district but close to the mixed district. There were a few stores nearby, but they mainly sold food and trinkets, so Carolyn went northwest, where there was more traffic.

The deeper she went into the commerce district, the busier her surroundings became. There was space left for a carriage to pass through the center of the street, but that meant pedestrians had to squeeze to the sides. She made sure to keep her hands on her messenger bag as it was impossible to avoid everyone in the thick crowd and even if no one tried to steal from her, the bag might get carried away by the foot traffic. Fortunately, she could still maintain enough awareness to search for her objective.

While walking down the street, Carolyn spotted a sign with the image of a couch next to a table with a lamp on top of it. It seemed to be a furniture store, so she decided to check it out. The signboard above the entrance read 'Green's Housing Supplies', so there was hope that this was the right place.

After entering the store, Carolyn found a small selection of different pieces of furniture. Wealthy merchants and nobles usually had their furniture custom made, but the average citizen would either go to an affordable carpenter or a store like this that sold ready-made furniture. Cleaning went hand in hand with houses and furniture, so Carolyn headed towards one of the employees to check if cleaning supplies were sold here. All employees wore a red coat with the store's name embroidered on it, so it wasn't difficult to pick them out. Unfortunately, it seemed the employee she found was in a poor mood.

"How may I help you, dear customer?" the young lady asked in a weary tone.

Rather than irritable or depressed, she seemed genuinely exhausted. Though this woman was a stranger to her, Carolyn couldn't help being concerned for her.

"Are you okay? You seem tired?"

"It's fine. There's no need for you to worry about me, dear customer."

She was becoming defensive, so it would be hard to convince her to open up, not to mention that she was on duty. Still, Carolyn wanted to do something for her. After thinking about it, Carolyn went into her bag and took out a small bundle of herbs. These herbs were a gift from Teri and taken directly from his garden. They wouldn't last long, so Carolyn planned to use them as soon as she had the opportunity, and this seemed like a good time to do so.

"You can boil these to make tea when you reach home. It should help you relax."

"Um, dear customer, that's..."

The employee appeared reluctant to accept the herbs, so Carolyn wondered why that could be.

"Oh, are you worried that these herbs are poisonous? Hmm, I guess I could eat a piece to show you."

"No, I believe you dear customer, but I can't accept such gifts for no reason."

The woman was also suspicious of the herbs, but Carolyn's willingness to eat them made her more believing of her sincerity.

"I see, that's fair. In that case, would it work as a tip?"

"That's, I suppose that wouldn't be a problem."

Accepting plain herbs would be a first, but there had been cases where employees received flowers, so the woman figured it would work in this case. Furthermore, it didn't look like Carolyn would back down easily and she didn't think taking the herbs would cause any trouble for her if it came with a sale.

"Okay. I was looking to buy a few cleaning supplies. Scrubs, brooms, mops, that sort. Do you have any of those?"

"Yes, dear customer. Please follow me."

With the employee's help, Carolyn was able to get everything she wanted to buy. She was a little worried about how she was going to move with them through the crowd, but she figured it would work out one way or another. In total, the goods cost one silver and thirty bronze, which was higher than what she expected, but based on the prices she heard for other goods in the store, she wasn't being lied to at the very least. In the end, she was able to give the herbs to the employee, so she didn't let it bother her too much.

***Female Employee POV***

"Ah! I forgot to ask for her name."

It was the norm for me to make a sale without exchanging names with the customers, especially the ones with clear ulterior motives, but I wish I had asked that girl for her name.

With the frequent tax increases and the reduction in goods and merchants entering the city, the store owner had made it clear that some members of staff would have to be cut. I was one of the top salespersons, but with everyone becoming desperate and me having to take care of my family, not only did I have to put in more effort, I also had to get a part-time job. Naturally, this ended up digging into my sleep schedule, but considering how the city is, I don't have much of a choice.

My jealous colleagues would often tell me that I could find a wealthy husband or sell my body even if I lost my job, but I'd rather die than give up like that. This kingdom has plenty of successful women, and I'll definitely become one of them.

"Kanna! Come and help me over here!"

"I'll be right there, Manager!"

I didn't have very high expectations for the herbs that girl gave me, but I placed them inside my coat and went back to work.