The Merchant District

Earl found himself in the pool-sized bath with his mother when his mind returned from heaven. The steam-filled room prevented him from seeing anything too clearly but it added to the erotic air of the room. He leaned back to feel Ari's milkers against his back.

"Awake?" Ari asked.

Earl faked a blush and looked down. "Thanks, mom."

"Hehe." Ari suddenly hugged Earl's young body. "Grow up quickly, okay?"

He felt his heart warm up. "Yeah!"

The rest of the bath went uneventful with the two cuddling together, enjoying the afterglow of the session they just had.

It was already mid-afternoon by the time they got out of the bath. The sun was high in the sky. Earl was dressed in a short-sleeved white dress shirt with a red string bow tie. For his bottoms, he wore brown double pleated shorts. Combined with his handsome looks, he was the ideal image of a noble child.

Ari wore her Court Mage robe. She rubbed his head and asked, "Mom has some errands to run, do you want to come along?"

The Capital of the Kingdom of Ablax was the heart of the Kingdom. The city was divided into four sections. At the north, the Noble District. At the south, the Merchant District. At the East, the Magic District. At the West, the Commoner District. And in the middle of it all, the Royal Palace.

The names of these districts were self-explanatory. The Noble District was where all the nobles resided. The Merchant District was where all merchandises were sold. It was the most lively place in the city where travellers from all over the world gathered. The Mage District was the product of the reform by the latest king, King Ablax the 66th. Certified Mages were granted the right to purchase homes in the Mage District. The houses in the Mage District was almost comparable to the houses of nobles and it was a huge incentive for the citizens of Ablax. The Commoner District was where all the commoners and inns were. Travellers, when visiting Ablax had to reside in the Commoner District.

Ari held Earl's hand as they entered the Merchant District. At the Merchant District, the ground was paved with stone. The buildings were mostly built from wood and concrete. There was a path for carriages to go through, and a path for people to walk through.

"Selling bags of mana stones for 1 silver!"

There were stalls that lined the streets.

"Wolf pelts for 5 silver!"

"Slime cores for 2 copper!"

It was a lively place with street merchants yelling out their prices. The main customers of these merchants were Adventurers. Adventurers consisted of both Mages and Adepts. They made their living by accepting quests and were ranked from F-class to S-class like any other fantasy medieval world.

The street stalls were most concentrated at the entrance of the Merchant District. As one ventured deeper into this district, there would be more well-established stores.

As a young child, Earl did not come out very often. And as a businessman at heart, this place made him feel like home. He enjoyed the atmosphere of this place and looked around everywhere like a proper child for once. Ari did not teleport to her destination directly because of this. She knew her son would enjoy this sight from all the previous trips they had together. The phrase "a mother knew best" was not a lie.

Walking through the crowd at the entrance, they did not bump into anyone. This was through Ari's discreet use of wind magic that pushed people away without them noticing.

"What errands are you running today, mom?" Earl asked while pulling on her sleeves.

"Just some materials for my research and I wanted to show you around," Ari replied while petting his head.

They walked a while before arriving at a large hall. The entrance reminded one a church. Walking in, one could immediately tell it was a store for the nobles.

The lights that were used were magic circles. The floor was made out of some shiny white material and the goods were showcased in a glass case.

It did not take long for someone to attend to Ari.

"Miss Ari." An old man with a butler-like demeanour greeted with a slight bow. "How can I help you today?"

"I'm in a good mood today, so I'll pick out the goods myself."

"As you wish, ma'am."

Ari nodded lightly before taking Earl to one of the glass cases.

[Dragon's Saliva. 100 Gold.]

"One of these," Ari told the old man. The old man nodded and placed the Dragon's Saliva aside. While waiting for him, Ari asked Earl, "Do you remember the effects of the Dragon's Saliva?"

Earl scratched his head and tried his best to recall, "Uh, it has good healing effects, as well as a tempering property to metals it touches?"

"Smart boy," Ari praised. "The way they acquire the saliva is quite humorous, I would say. Since dragons are too strong to be killed, Adventurers have to get creative in how they acquire these. The most common way is to get eaten by a dragon... Don't be shocked now. Since dragons are prideful creatures, they absolutely refuse to eat humans so they would just spit them out. You can guess what happens after. Although, accidents do happen where dragons don't notice humans in their food and they end up getting swallowed and die in the dragon's stomach."

After the old man handed the Dragon's Saliva over to Ari, she continued to browse through the shop, giving explanations to Earl about its uses and such. Most of the things she told Earl were considered secrets that were not written in books. It was her way of educating her son about the world.