A Sudden Attainment of Wealth

"AHHHH!"

I scream through the final leg of my arduous journey through the masses. My legs give out as the colourful drapes of the market are finally within reach. Of course, nobody pays any mind to the exhausted individual cluttering the walkway. They are all too busy getting the items they need before the sun sets.

"I need to get this done as soon as possible and get out of here…"

Now on my feet, I start following the flow of traffic. My eyes have a hard time believing the sheer quantity of goods.

"They really do have everything…"

Some places sell fresh produce, others every age of meat you can prepare. There are shops that seem directed towards an adventurer planning for the road as well as the housewife preparing supper for the evening. There are so many things that I've never even seen before, things that I can never hope to identify as I can't read the signs selling them.

"Here we are…"

I found a place selling all forms of textiles, including clothes of course. Pushing through the moving river of people, I stand in the space in front of the wooden stall. I'm greeted with a nod by the merchant and a number from the items themselves.

"What can I get for ya?"

"Let me see…AH!"

I'm here perusing the merchandise without even confirming my budget.

"Let's see, hopefully I've got enough copper for this and my lodging…"

I untie the pouch and peer inside.

"HUH!?"

"S-Sir!? Are you okay!?"

A gasp followed by complete paralysis. My hands are too stunned to continue holding the money, causing the pouch to fall to the hard floor with a slight ring. Peeking through the felt bag is a yellowish colour.

"T-This can't be right!?"

I rush to scoop the coins back up, slowly shuffling my fingers through each and every little disk. There must be at least thirty coins, each one with a sheen that I've never witnessed in my entire life.

"It's all gold…"

Just the existence of a single gold coin in town would cause an absolute uproar. Even when the folks would pool their money together for an important purchase, there would still maybe only be enough for a bare minimum amount of copper and silver to purchase one cow. This amount of gold in a farmer's hands would make him froth at the mouth just thinking of the wealth he carries.

"Are you alright, Sir!?"

The merchant is rightfully concerned after all of the trembling that I've been doing.

"Um…exactly how much for some basic clothes?"

"Our cheapest will run five silver."

"FIVE SILVER!?"

He jumps back at my outburst. Others begin looking in our direction as the merchant visibly sweats.

"D-Do you find that too expensive?"

"No, if anything that's too cheap!"

The merchant doesn't even know whether he should be scared or pleased anymore. Whichever it is, I definitely have him scared with all of my shouting. How could I not? There is so much power in my hands now. I could probably buy one hundred sets of clothes with the wealth I've acquired.

"No, Rado! Don't be fooled!"

I can't tell whether it was because of my hollering or because of me slapping my cheeks, but the merchant is well and truly cowering behind the counter. One might even assume that I'm trying to rob him in broad daylight with how he whimpers.

"You are a lowly peasant! A farmer!"

The clothes currently on my back were handmade for a fraction the cost of these slightly nicer ones. Sure, they look nice, but they could never withstand the abuse of hard labour in the fields. No matter how you look at this, this is not a worthwhile purchase. My brain knows this, but my hand still tries to reach into the bag.

"This money is not real! It's not yours! You are poor! POOR!"

My desire to reject this frivolous mindset finally wins. After a few deep breaths and continuous chanting of poverty, I seal away the cursed coins and store the pouch away. When I look back at the merchant, he jumps in fear.

"Excuse me."

"Y-Yes!?"

"On second thought, I think I'll look elsewhere."

Before temptation can grip my heart again, I quickly march back into the flow of people. My pockets feel just as heavy as when I first arrived, though it was a close call.

"The city is a dangerous place…"

That idea continues to show true as I walk past stall after stall of luxury goods and aromatic street foods. It feels as if every little item here is designed to draw my eyes and cloud my reasoning.

"Just the necessities…just the necessities…just the necessities—Oh! Sorry about that!"

In my trance, I accidentally walk into a purple figure standing a little shorter than me. At least, they would be shorter than me if not for the needlessly long hat atop her dark hair. The rim of her headpiece threatens to cut through me as the girl turns to look at me.

"Wait…I know you…"

Katherine, I think, was her name. Long robes reach down to her feet and a long metal pole with a crystalline end is tied to her back. Also slung over her shoulder is a bag for whatever she carries on her person at all times.

"Fancy seeing you here."

"You are…the man with the sight."

"Rado! My name is Rado!"

We were never properly introduced, but I could have sworn that Charles mentioned my name at least once. This girl really doesn't see me as anything more than a shovel with additional features. I guess I shouldn't be surprised if every peasant looked the same in the eyes of a girl wearing such an expensive colour of robes.

"Ma'am, that will be 15 gold and 7 seven silver."

After having distracted Katherine from her purchase, I take a step back and allow the transaction to continue.

"Here."

She turns her pouch upside down and allows the money to pour over the counter. Fifteen gold and seven silver exactly. The amount of money leaving her pockets in a single instant makes me want to faint.

"What could possibly be so expensive…"

"Thank you for your purchase!"

The merchant hands Katherine what appears to be a book. It has a nice leather cover and probably several hundred pages, but it is still just a book. A single book, 15 gold pieces. That amount of money could probably feed an entire village for a month. In fact, it could have probably fed her for several times longer.

"Are you going to be okay on food?"

"I can make what I have last. Probably."

"Probably!?"

I find myself following the young girl as she begins wading through the crowd, book held firmly against her chest.

"Surely you could have waited until you had more coin to buy that!?"

"Absolutely not!"

Katherine turns back to me, narrow eyes peeking through a curtain of purple fabric. She carefully shows me the leather cover, almost as if to keep any amount of sunlight from touching the precious surface. I can't understand whatever is written there, and I struggle to also understand the words she begins quickly rattling off.

"This tome was written by the wife of a legendary sorcerer! I cannot let it disappear before I get my hands on it! It may not be as valuable as a work by the man himself, but it may still hold something of note!"

"Something worth being hungry over?"

"I would starve if it meant a glimpse into his craft!"

Rumble

A sound reaches out from her stomach in agreement with my sentiments. Unfortunately, its master is adamant about her past financial decisions. Katherine looks embarrassed for no longer than a second before confirming her own priorities.

"I can deal with it."

Out of her pocket comes a piece of hard bread, if you could even call it that anymore. The 'food' resembles a rock more than anything else.

"Hold on! Those ship biscuits will break your teeth!"

"I'm used to it."

And so she proceeds to slowly gnaw on the hard biscuit. It has enough calories to keep her afloat and will never spoil, but even I can't handle the lack of flavour and pain in my jaw.

"Is this girl going to be okay…"

I should be busy searching for items that I need for the journey. However, the thought of leaving this one to her own devices almost gives me an ulcer. Who knows what she'll do if something else catches her eye? She might be crazy enough to pawn off something important just to get it.

I'm hardly paying attention when I bump into Katherine for the second time today. If my legs weren't carrying me so slowly, I may have completely knocked her over.

"What's going on?"

"Leon is over there, Bernard too!"

Katherine springs into action, pushing towards the crowd that has formed only a few paces away.