Coin

Passing the bridge and nearing the gate I noticed that people were getting off their horses so I chose to do the same, it seemed like riding was not allowed inside the city.

As I get off the horse I take the opportunity to look at the other horses, they are all the same color, chestnut brown, at least I won't have to worry about anyone figuring out that I stole the horse based solely on its color.

I need to sell it as soon as possible and there is a stable right next to the gate, but I will not do it yet, first, I need to figure out how much these coins are worth, I will do this by going to the market and browsing the wares, I just hope there's a market, there must be.

And as for the horse, I'll sell it at another stable, there is more than one gate and there is no need to sell it at the stable located next to the road that leads to the village where I stole the horse from.

With that in mind let's take some time to admire the city, it is beautiful, the streets are paved and most people wear colorful clothes, there is even what seems to be a sewer system based on the holes in the ground, although they are quite big, a child could easily get a leg stuck in there or just fall through.

The buildings are all at least two stories tall, made of a variety of materials, some seem wooden, others made with bricks, and others look as if the walls are one solid slab of rock, it is aesthetically pleasing.

The main street that I am following with hopes of reaching some sort of central area is wide enough to allow at least four small carriages to go past at once, I say that as I have witnessed it, a renaissance era traffic jam that is, it feels good to finally see something I am familiar with.

After about twenty or so minutes of following the street I find myself in a wide area full of people, I can see a statue of a scantily clad lady in the middle of the square, it is surrounded by stalls and people pushing each other in order to pass.

I just noticed how tall I actually am. I can see above the heads of most people, and while I can't see the other end of the square, there is nothing blocking my vision.

I am not the tallest one around, every now and then some people that are as tall or taller than me pass by, but they are a minority.

It feels great to be tall, now back to business.

I approach one of the stalls by the side of the square, they seem to be selling wooden baubles, decorations, and the like. My horse keeps getting stuck on people so it is quite hard to stay still and look at the items.

There are no stickers with prices on them, should have expected that, let's just ask the merchant.

''How much for this one'' I say while pointing at a wooden plate, it is just a carved piece of wood, doesn't look properly sanded.

''Half a coin for that one'' Half a coin, what does he mean by half a coin, I just point at another item.

''How about this one'' This time it's something more expensive-looking, namely a broom.

''That's two coins lad'' Ok so he wants two coins for a broom.

I keep pointing at more items until he looks annoyed then I take my leave and keep passing by the stalls until I find the food section.

There are several stalls all selling food standing one next to another so I get closer to the first one and point at a piece of bread in the shape of a brick.

''How much for one of those'' The man that mans the stall turns to me and says. ''One coin''.

One coin for a brick of bread that could last a couple of days, not bad, although I would certainly die if I only ate those.

So I point at another item, this time a sausage of sorts and ask for the price, he just says.

''We sell those by the line, it's 5 coins a line'' What the hell is a line, I guess it refers to a line of sausages, but I can't tell how many there are on one line. It looks like between three and four or so, it's hard to tell from a distance.

In other words, a tiny sausage is worth about the same as a big brick of bread.

And so I keep going through the food items at the different stalls until I find the most expensive item, a wheel of cheese. Only it's not a wheel but it has the shape of a tit.

It costs a whole twenty coins, for a chunk of cheese in the shape of a tit.

Also, there's no fish for some reason even though this is a port city, I need to go to the harbor and figure out what's going on.

Last stop before I went to sell my horse were the luxury items, the stall was quite easy to find, no one was around it but a few ladies in colorful dresses, giggling while pointing at the shiny items.

As I walk behind them one looks my way, covers her mouth with a hand then points at me with the other, her friends also turn and look at me, stare for a bit then they start giggling again.

Great, either I am extremely handsome or dirty and dressed in rags, the baldness doesn't affect me too much, I think.

As I look over the items in the store I point at a hair ornament with a gaudy blue jewel on it. I didn't steal it because one, I am in an open place and two, there are three angry-looking lads glaring daggers at me.

One of the three men looks me up and down and says ''Not for sale''

Great, he's friendly, time to work my merchant charm.

''What if it's for the lovely lady'' I say while bowing lightly with one hand on my chest and the other on my horse in the direction of the ladies.

He again looks at me then at the pheasants, I mean ladies, and says in a gruff voice ''300 Coins''

I don't know if that's true but I guess the highest price possible is around 300 coins, he wouldn't give it cheaper but he would increase the price just to mess with me.

With this done I turn around and leave, maybe I should have said goodbye to the ladies.

With a better understanding of how these coins work I head to one of the exits of the square in search of a stable to sell my mount.

Let's hope it's worth a lot, that's why I stole it after all.