The Grand Market of Thousand Masts City was situated between the Castle District, the Marine District, the North District, and the Trade District. The Castle and Trade Districts were self-explanatory, while the Marine and North Districts served as the city’s Noble District.
These two districts consisted almost entirely of luxurious, detached villas and large courtyards, ho to the city’s most prominent and wealthy families.
Given its proximity to these districts, the Grand Market’s services and prices were naturally far from the affordable rates of the Trade District. You couldn’t shop here without so money in your pocket.
’Fortunately, I was here to make money.’
With this thought in mind, Colin led the Half-Elf through the shadow cast by a large gate, stepping into the din.
The Grand Market of Thousand Masts City unfolded before them.
It was a large plaza paved with stone slabs. Countless wooden stalls divided the expansive area into a series of makeshift market streets.
The plaza was surrounded by storefronts. A few of them housed branches of the Divine Hall of the Goddess of Wealth, offering exchange services for different currencies and Gold. The rest were various exquisitely decorated little shops that looked quite beautiful.
In contrast, the scene in the middle of the plaza was even more lively.
A Dwarf Blacksmith swinging his hamr, an Elf rchant arranging silks, a Halfling Vendor pushing his cart... Under the canopies of the wooden stalls, rchants and buyers were everywhere.
This was probably one of the places in Thousand Masts City with a higher concentration of Alien Races.
Moreover, the Alien Races here were different from the ones in Rommon. At least the ones here seed like decent folk; you wouldn’t see swaggering Hobgoblins or Ogres on the side of the road.
Colin adjusted the strap of his backpack.
The small shops in the slums outside the city or in the Trade District would surely not accept the antiques he was carrying. Even if they did, he felt those shops weren’t very reliable, so he decided to co straight here and try his luck.
He and Ale walked along, browsing as they went, looking for an antique shop.
The goods sold in the shops here were of much better quality than those in Rommon.
The silks in the Elf rchants’ stalls were especially stunning. Sunlight fell upon the cloth, making the fabric give off a faint golden glow. You could tell it was expensive just by looking at it, and rumor had it the patterns were actually sewn with gold thread.
After wandering for a short while, they quickly found a small shop called "Vite Antiques Shop" and stepped inside.
It was a very cluttered little shop.
The shelves were filled with an eclectic mix of items, from swords and blades to decorative ornants and pendants. Colin couldn’t identify the style of most of them. All the items shimred, to varying degrees, with a Magic Radiance, and they were arranged in a completely haphazard manner.
The shop’s owner was a woman in a purple slip dress.
She had black hair, very delicate features, and dark skin. She wore purple lipstick, and gold bangles adorned her arms and calves, giving her a southern look.
"Welco," the owner said without looking up.
"We’re here to sell so antiques," Colin said, walking up to the counter with his pack still on.
"We only accept very ancient goods here, and preferably Magic Items."
’Those are so harsh conditions.’ Now Colin understood why this little shop was so quiet despite being in the bustling Grand Market.
’But since we’re already here, might as well try our luck.’
With that in mind, Colin placed the small box containing the coins on the counter.
’I’m definitely not selling the Armor until I know its exact Enchantnt effects. These items are the antiques in the best condition.’
The owner sized up her two custors, then reached out and picked up a few of the blackened ancient Silver Coins to examine them closely.
"This little bit is only worth fifty Gold Coins. Do you have anything else?"
Before Colin could speak, Ale stepped forward and said, "These coins would be worth over a hundred Gold Coins in Silver Star Court. Even if Gold Coins from Thousand Masts City are more valuable, the difference wouldn’t be this much."
The owner was silent for a mont, carefully studying the young girl before her.
"Hm, I did indeed misjudge."
"No, you didn’t," Ale said, crossing her arms. "Don’t lie to , and don’t even think about cheating out of my wealth. If you do, you’ll definitely regret it. I swear it!"
Rebuffed by the blunt young girl, the owner cleared her throat twice and silently pretended nothing had just happened.
’Bringing soone knowledgeable along really is useful.’ Colin was relieved but also a little worried. ’She wouldn’t actually torch the owner here, would she?’
After a mont, the owner spoke again. "I can also offer one hundred Gold Coins... By the way, is there more?"
"That works."
After speaking, Colin took all the miscellaneous antiques out of his [Dinsion Bag]. Most of it was broken weapons and Armor, along with a few Ora Kaim flags that had so Magic Effects.
This was the loot from his two encounters with the Skeleton Legion.
"How much can I get for all of this?"
The owner glanced at Ale standing beside him and said tentatively, "Five hundred and forty Gold Coins. Is that acceptable to you?"
’How much? Over five hundred?’
Seeing that Ale had no reaction, Colin quickly nodded in agreent.
With that, the owner imdiately took out two gold bars from under the counter and stacked them on the table, followed by a bag of coins.
"Two gold bars, each weighing about a kilogram. They can be exchanged for two hundred and fifty Gold Coins at the Divine Hall of the Goddess of Wealth." The owner pointed to the Divine Emblem of the Goddess of Wealth on the gold bars. "There are forty Gold Coins in the bag. You can count them if you like."
Colin picked up one of the gold bars.
He carefully looked at the heavy Gold in his hand and tested its weight.
The gold bar’s width and length were about the size of his palm, and its thickness felt to be around one centiter. It felt much heavier in his hand than it looked, giving him a sense of security.
’I made over five hundred Gold Coins just like that?’
’With this much money, I could buy a small house in the Dock District!’
Sunlight from the window struck the surface of the gold bar, the glittering light dazzling his eyes.
Even with the prize right in front of him, Colin still felt a sense of unreality.
’This is real, solid Gold... Even though I only get a quarter of it, it’s still an absolute fortune.’
"Oh, right. Help divide this Gold into four parts."
"As you wish." The owner shrugged, took out a sturdy pair of shears and a scale, and precisely cut the Gold into four pieces of equal weight.
Colin carefully put the items back into his [Dinsion Bag] before quietly walking out of the shop.
He still felt a bit dazed, even as the sunlight hit his eyes.
After walking silently for so ti, Colin finally looked at Ale and asked, "I have to make a trip to see my friends. Do you want to co along? They’re a group of Dwarves."
"Of course," the Half-Elf agreed without hesitation.
The two of them then strode out of the Grand Market, heading toward the sewer outfall outside the city.
The whole way, Colin had the urge to take out the gold bar and turn it over in his hands, or maybe even bite it to see if it was really soft. But he figured doing that in the middle of the street was just asking for a beating, so he gave up the idea.
The two of them made their way to the Dwarves’ sewer.
Dorn wasn’t standing guard at the outfall today, so Colin led Ale directly into the sewer to find Donkexes.
Entering the herbalist shop, they could see Dorn and Langgrin doing sothing in the corner, while Donkexes stood behind the counter, writing and sketching. On the counter sat a scale and a pile of scattered Gold Coins.
Colin took a closer look at Dorn and the others.
It looked like they were fiddling with a locked chest. Dorn was poking at it with two pieces of wire.
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