Part Four
The past few days have been mostly uneventful. Someone named Agnes the Man Stomper sends out messages about monsters in the region, but when I checked in the morning, there were no signs of monsters at all. The hunters must have done a good job. That makes me feel safer when I go out to the fields gathering.
Speaking of gathering, I still have no bedroll or tent. I did find several useful things though. Some bandages and alcohol will be useful if I ever get a bad wound while traveling. Two lamps would also help me travel at night, but I think two is a bit too much. The rest is junk, literally, junk, and oddly, two thief's hands. They don't look to be from the same person, and they are both right hands. I also have a set of battered armor that probably won't protect me much. I can't even fit inside either. I have a wolf's hide and crystal globe to round things out.
So I have come to a decision to aim for the capital. I have this feeling that somewhere there is a force guiding me to the direction of Rines, where there are many commoners and many nobles. The fishing village in Cjelegy is all I have known since I was born, and I have never seen a place with more than perhaps a hundred people at a time. The thought that there would be thousands of people in one large city surrounded by stone walls is frightening to me. I'll need money, and supplies. But at least there will be more people and perhaps more opportunities. If I can just get a shop open to sell various items and trade and sell, say a pawn shop, then that would be great. It would beat going out fishing day to night all the time.
I still worry about my family though. Will they be fine without me? As the oldest in my family I was supposed to take over as head of the family after my father, and become a fisherman as well. If I'm not there, then that job will probably go to the next oldest child, my younger brother. He seems more interested in hunting than fishing so I wonder whether our family will be able to continue living at the coastal village. At least mother will have my sisters and my youngest brother, who appears to enjoy making women's clothing. Perhaps they could live in the city too where they can find more customers.
But I think I understand why I should go to the city. It's not just to do something more than fish for a living. Even though I was born into this life, and there's nothing wrong with being a fisherman like my father, I think my family could use some help with money. If I can get established in the capital, maybe that will bring in enough silver, even gold, to support my family for several generations. I can live a more urban life, and my family can get more money. I think it will work out for the best.
It's just that I am not yet ready to say farewell to my home just yet. For twenty years I have never gone further than the north coast, stopping short of the crossing to Ajitmon. Always I have been a son of Cjelegy. To leave now feels very sad, and I think I should at least speak to my family about this before going off. It might also help to get more items, so that when I do set up a shop to sell my items, I will have more selection for the customers. So far the most expensive item I have is my crystal globe, which can fetch more than a gold, but buyers are rare in the village. I can only imagine how much better of a price I can get in the city.
I have also heard about the great mountains of gold some nobles have. Unlike commoners like me who can barely get enough silver each day to pay for the necessities of life, and the rest to pay for taxes, I heard that most nobles actually get paid and don't even have to pay anything. They also don't use silver coins, doing business only in gold! I remember when I got my first gold coin, I thought it was amazing. It was the first time I ever laid hands on the glittering metal that never rusted or tarnished, unlike the silver coins that often turned black with age and use. One gold coin would be enough to live on for almost a week, if not more. But I don't think the nobles will really want my wares. They have so much money they can probably buy whatever they want, and all I have to offer are commoners' goods. Besides, I have not met any nobles in person, and have seen only two in passing in my life. Always they were surrounded by an armed escort, and had colorful banners displayed. It is rather intimidating. I'll probably have no choice but to run into more while in Rines. I hope I can manage to give a good impression, so they don't pay my shop any mind and let me go about my peaceful life.
Right now, I have to focus on getting what I need to set up. There won't be too much time for me to go aimlessly around in Rines once I get there. My meager gold coins will only get me a couple of days I think, and after that I'll need to be self-sufficient, or at least somewhat capable of supplying my own meals. If nothing else, I could try going around the city graveyards and tombs to keep undead down. I could also try my hand at monsters. Do monsters exist in the city? I sure hope not.
Inventory
Common Items
Battered Armour
Crystal Globe
Junk
Thief's Hand (2x)
Wolf's Hide
Useable Items
Bandages and Alcohol
Lamp (2x)
