Pathfinder
Chapter Fourteen
At Garam’s words that she had more to buy, the employee became even friendlier.
Garam, who didn’t know the local names, was momentarily confused.
“I’d like to know which ones are available first.”
“Well, we have a map showing Verok and its vicinity.
Here are maps of the neighboring cities like Kaltsburg, Kerpetine, and Varaline.”
The employee looked at Garam as if she were asking quite strange questions.
“Do you have a continental map?”
“Yes, we do.”
The employee subtly gestured behind her.
There was a map hanging on the window like a tapestry, briefly indicating the locations of mountains and cities on a large landmass.
It seemed that measurements like trigonometry had not yet developed in that world.
After a brief moment of contemplation, Garam decided to purchase both the continental map and the maps of the nearby areas.
“Alright, I’ll total things up for you.
One gold for the continental map and twenty silver each for the rest of the maps for a total of eighty silver.
As for the books here, there are no special editions, so they are fifty silver each.
So, um, let me add this all up…”
Garam finished the calculations much faster than the employee, but she didn’t mention it intentionally because it was clear that he wouldn’t believe it.
After a considerable amount of time, the employee, who had been struggling with the calculation, finally raised his head.
“It’s seven gold and thirty silver.”
Garam handed over a ten-gold coin from her pocket and received two gold and seventy silver in change.
It took some time for the employee to even calculate the change, so Garam put the books she had purchased into her backpack in the meantime.
Fortunately, the prices of towels and flashlights were quite high, so she didn’t need to sell her backpack.
With the books and maps in tow, Garam and Roana left the bookstore without any hesitation.
Quite some time had passed, and their hunger began to grow.
“What’s that thing on the street?”
The hungry Garam’s gaze was directed towards street food.
It was a street vendor selling various seafood, some stir-fried and some grilled with various sauces.
The smell of the barbecue was especially appetizing.
As soon as they smelled it, the hungry women stood in front of it as if they were mesmerized.
Garam was surprised to see that many of the foods there were oddly familiar.
While clams and fish were expected, the presence of shrimp was surprising.
Upon closer inspection, there were things that resembled crabs as well.
Garam’s gaze was fixed on a shrimp that was almost the size of a lobster.
It was about the thickness of a child’s arm and was covered in red sauce, looking very appetizing.
They had even peeled off the shells.
“This, this, and this, please.”
Roana, who quickly noticed Garam’s interest, ordered two large shrimp and a fish that resembled a well-fed flatfish that had been seasoned.
In addition to those, she ordered some strange dishes that Garam had never seen before, and she firmly prevented Garam from trying to pay the bill.
“Please let me pay for this at least.
It won’t cost much.
Since I work at the inn every day, it’s been a while since I had street food.”
“Is that so?
By the way, I see a lot of things here I’ve never seen before.”
While talking, Garam and Roana were already putting shrimp in their mouths and starting to chew.
Garam was impressed by how similar the taste of the shrimp was to its appearance.
The spicy red sauce on the outside was very much to her liking.
Roana, who found it a bit spicy, bought a juice being sold nearby and started drinking.
She didn’t forget to buy one for Garam as well.
When Garam took a sip, it tasted like a mix of mango and orange.
The drinks there were generally sweet and slightly thick in texture.
Perhaps due to it being a port city, there seemed to be plenty of seafood ingredients.
“Do people not eat things like this in your country?”
“We have similar things, but I think the seafood here is quite different.”
In truth, Garam didn’t know what kind of seafood inhabited the waters of the eastern sea there.
However, since Roana also didn’t know, she roughly accepted it.
Then, she picked up a large crab and began to eat it noisily.
After finishing the shrimp, Garam picked up the fish that resembled a flatfish.
It was skewered on a long stick that penetrated its mouth and tail, and it was perfectly grilled.
The tender meat melted in her mouth.
It was slightly sweet and very delicious.
She quickly devoured the entire fish, which was quite a delicacy.
Finally, they each ordered a large clam the size of a palm, and after eating them and quenching their thirst with the juice, they hit the road again.
Their stomachs weren’t completely full, but they decided to go because they simply couldn’t bear the overwhelming smell of sweat from the hungry folks all around coming in to grab a late lunch.
“They’re quite muscular, aren’t they?”
Roana, who had been walking silently, suddenly asked Garam.
Startled by the sudden question, Garam glanced at her with wide eyes and then nodded discreetly.
With meaningful looks exchanged, they both burst into short laughter without needing to ask who would laugh first.
“You like that kind of thing, too.
I’m sure you’ll like the romance novel I picked.”
Upon Roana’s words, Garam realized that she had laughed for the first time in a long while.
With a newfound sense of happiness, Garam, who was patting her own cheek, began to walk again, following Roana.
Before long, they arrived at a large four-story wooden building.
With a simple sign that read “Verok Clothing Store” without any special name, it seemed to be quite a famous clothing store as there were quite a few people coming and going.
“This store makes clothes for Lord Verok’s castle.
It’s probably the best clothing store in this territory.”
As Roana had said, the store was well organized.
The employees greeted customers with appropriate courtesy to make them feel comfortable, and there were panels with prices attached wherever clothes were displayed, giving the impression that they wouldn’t overcharge.
The first floor consisted mainly of everyday clothes for both men and women.
Women’s clothes were mostly dresses or two-piece outfits, and there were also shirts that emphasized tunics and cuffs.
Dresses were on the top floor.
Although there was no need to go further upstairs because there were leather clothes and linen shirts for travelers on the second floor, Garam went up to the fourth floor because she wanted to see as much as possible.
Dresses were a symbol of nobility and wealth.
They were not the type of clothes designed to be worn while doing physical labor, which meant only the class of people who didn’t have to do physical labor wore them.
The dresses on the fourth floor were not as splendid as Garam had imagined.
It was because artistic and renowned dresses were all owned by the nobility.
Culture and art belonged entirely to the nobles.
They had private libraries and private art galleries and supported talented artists including dress designers.
Therefore, the dresses found there were low-cost ones designed for commoners to wear on special occasions.
High-end dresses were crafted by top nobles or those granted an audience with the emperor, and they were sold in their shops.
Obviously, their main clientele consisted of nobles.
“Well, I’ve had a good look at the dresses.”
The dresses there came in a variety of styles, more than Garam had expected.
There were dresses with round puffed-up skirts, horizontally puffed ones, ones with only the hip portion puffed, long-sleeved ones, off-the-shoulder ones, heavily decorated ones, minimally decorated ones, bright-colored ones, ones with and without embroidery–it felt like a collection of dresses from different eras.
However, perhaps due to their low price, they didn’t impress Garam much.
The dresses, with their extensive use of fabric, were naturally made with lower-quality materials to reduce costs.
“Travel clothes are on the second floor, right?”
Roana, who had been touching the dresses, wore a disappointed expression when Garam mentioned travel clothes.
Garam continued past the section on the third floor, which sold clothing accessories like handkerchiefs and gloves, and descended to the second floor.
Most of the customers on the second floor were dressed as ideal travelers, so Garam referred to their outfits when choosing her clothes.
She couldn’t tell what they wore underneath, but female travelers were clad in dark-colored pants made of fabric and tunics that almost reached their knees.
They had belts with daggers or carried swords, and some even had bows on their backs.
Both men and women wore knee-high leather boots.
They were all greased, wrinkled, or worn out, sticking tightly to the legs.
Although all the boots had different appearances, they were all made of leather.
Occasionally, there were people wearing thick, rugged leather armor on top of their clothing.
The straightforward designs on the second floor put Garam at ease.
There was a common misconception that medieval clothing was complex, but it was the nobles who had intricate designs.
The attire of commoners was simpler than modern clothing.
Common women wore two-piece skirts or dresses, long tunics or pants, or vests, and common men weren’t much different.
Garam bought two pairs of high-quality fabric pants, two tunics to layer over them, a cloak, and a robe.
It totaled twenty-nine gold, and Roana clicked her tongue, commenting that she had never bought any clothes at that price.
The robe she purchased last was strongly recommended by Roana, considering Garam is an Asian.
The pants and tunics were very high-quality, costing four gold, while the cloak, though lightweight, had a heat-keeping enchantment, making it cost twenty gold.
The robe, designed for comfort and low visibility, cost five gold.
Garam was secretly astonished by the exorbitant prices, but she quickly accepted them by thinking about how much her own items sold for under the label of magical items.
“The horse market is this way.”
As they walked in the direction Roana pointed, a peculiar smell began to permeate the air.
The scent grew stronger with each step, and Garam only realized its identity when they arrived at the horse market.
It was the smell of horse dung.
The stench of the horse dung in the horse market was so unbearable that it made her want to block her nose.
Garam walked, avoiding the rolling horse dung under her feet, and tried to hold her breath as much as she could.
The horse market was located on the outskirts of the city, inside a large fence.
Nearby, there was the clangor of a blacksmith’s workshop, with the clattering sound of horseshoes, the noisy cries of people bargaining, and the pungent smell of horse dung carried by the wind.
Garam’s mind was in chaos.
Garam’s eyes wandered between a white horse with reins standing motionless and a black horse to the seller spitting saliva as he boasted about his horse’s merits.
She then turned to the small ponies.
In an atmosphere where it was hard to tell who was buying and who was selling, Roana walked confidently without hesitation.
After wandering around the horse market for a while, Roana stood in front of a horse merchant who was staring blankly at passing pedestrians.
“Hello, Mr.
Tolan.”
“Oh, Roana, what brings you here?”
A moment of joy was added to the man’s face, which had seemed to be able to make nothing but a tired expression.
Garam admired Roana’s extensive network of contacts and thought that she was close to literally everyone in her city.
“A friend of mine wants to buy a horse.”
When Roana said that, Tolan looked Garam up and down.
When their eyes met, Garam lowered her head slightly.
She looked quite nice to him, but Tolan was not a person who thought that Garam could afford to ride the kind of horses he sold.
He mainly sold horses that knights, warriors, or people who could survive for a week without drinking water in harsh deserts or snowy mountains would ride.
Although the horses he sold were good, they were quite expensive, and Tolan did not think that the young Asian lady in front of his eyes had that much money.
“Sorry, I’m thankful that you came to visit me, but the horses I sell are not suitable for this lady to ride.
Instead, if you tell me what kind of horse you want, I can tell you where to find the right one.
How about that?”
Garam listened to Tolan’s words while examining the horses behind him.
They all had good color, were big, and had clear eyes.
At a glance, they seemed different from the horses she had seen while walking there.
Garam was disappointed, but she decided to listen to the expert’s advice.
“Alright.”
“Great.
What kind of horse are you looking for, lady?
A pretty white donkey?
Or a handsome black one?
Or a cute brown one?”
Although he suggested some options, they all turned out to be donkeys.
Garam was puzzled.
“Why do they all have to be donkeys?”
“Because they’re easy for beginners to handle.”
Garam, who had only interacted with dogs and had never seen any other animals, found it hard to understand the explanation.
A big horse was a bit intimidating, but it didn’t seem as dangerous as Tolan described.
Besides, weren’t horses supposed to be domesticated animals?
Garam felt a little uncomfortable but quietly stated her requirements, all the while keeping her eyes on the magnificent dark brown horse behind Tolan.
“It should be able to climb mountains or steep terrain well, whether it’s a desert or a snowy mountain.
It would be nice if it could swim, and it should be able to carry twice my weight on its back while running.
It should be smart enough to understand a bit of human language or gestures, and of course, it should be fast when it runs.”
“Stop, stop.
If that kind of horse actually exists, I might want to buy one for myself.
Miss, is this your first time buying a horse?”
It was true, so Garam nodded.
“Well, do you know how much a horse usually costs?”
“No.”
“A good horse, even if it’s just a pony, costs over twenty gold.
But you might not want to buy donkeys or ponies since they can’t climb deserts or mountains.
The ones that can carry luggage comfortably and travel through mountains and deserts cost 120 gold.
They may not be very smart, but they’re fast.
Among the ones I have, that one over there is the smartest and the best.
Look, it already knows that you’re here to buy it and is staring at you.”
The horse pointed out by Tolan, which Garam had been staring at all along, was the dark brown horse.
When Tolan turned to look at the horse, it let out a short whinny and perked up its ears to Garam.
Its sparkling black eyes were filled with curiosity as it stared at Garam.
“How much is that horse?”
“550 gold.”
“Yikes!
Can you give me a little discount?”