Off to Market

I leave the clothing store fourteen silver poorer, but with ten sets each of pants, shirts, and underwear. The salesperson kept trying to convince me to buy shoes and socks, but I managed to get out of there without any unnecessary purchases.

I check the position of the sun…and realize that I have no idea how to check the time with that. Guess I'll have to wait until the city bell rings to be certain. But if my stomach's growling is anything to go by, it should be around lunchtime. Which means it's time for stall food!

Back on Earth, whenever my family dragged me with them on vacations, stall food would always be one of the things I looked forward to the most. Sure, the restaurants were nice. But it's stall food that you really get a taste for the local flavor. As long as you aren't in an area where the locals are trying to rip off the tourists.

I wander the roads, taking in the architecture as I look for food. Really though, they look like you would expect in a fantasy world. They're either built of stone or wood, sloped tiled rooftops.

Though you can also see the impact that transmigrators have had on the city. What seem to be street lamps are placed at regular intervals. But instead of holding light bulbs powered by electricity, they hold magic crystals that charge while in sunlight, and glow in the dark. These crystals are apparently also a must have for adventurers in case they need to move at night or explore somewhere dark.

I thank the helpful passerby who told me this, as well as giving me directions to the most popular street to grab a bite to eat. When I get there I see a bustling marketplace blocking the road, stalls of all sorts crammed together without any rhyme or reason to their placement. Throngs of people crowd the paths between them, coming to a standstill in some spots as something of interest catches the attention of a multitude of people.

It looks hot, crowded, and like a pickpocket's wet dream.

And a whole lot of fun.

I dive into the crowd in excitement, deciding to follow my nose to the first stall I can find. Then it's time to see what kind of interesting things I can find.

There's just something fun and relaxing about crowded outdoor markets. Seeing all the things people can make on their own. The crowd providing the reassuring comfort of an enclosed space. Eating food off a stick, or finding food that weirds you out to the point just before you wouldn't eat.

I love it.

The first stall I find is selling some meat and vegetable skewers. I happily pay the man a half-copper for five of them. Judging by the line I had to wait in to get them, they should be pretty good.

I eat one while holding the other four between the fingers of my left hand. I always did want to try that. I have to say, the skewer is pretty good! The meat is tender and juicy, and the vegetables are nice and crispy. They're seasoned with some herbs that really bring out the meat's flavor. I quickly finish off the first and start on the second, taking my time to savor it now that the immediate edge of my hunger has been taken off.

I wander the stalls, seeing what they have to offer. There's a stall selling wooden carvings of monsters, another with carvings of animals, and a third with only the civilized races. Apparently the three are brothers who are competing through their carvings. They're all interested in the same girl, so they decided that the person who can earn the most money by the end of the month would be the one who would get the chance to ask her out first.

An interesting bit of drama, but not something I feel like getting involved in. Unless she's cute. But since she's not here, I walk past them.

Another stall has an assortment of weapons laid out for customers to examine. I fight barehanded though, so there's nothing for me there. Though I did enjoy collecting weapons in my past life.

A stall selling heavy armor catches my eye as well, and I'm tempted to see about buying a pair of gauntlets. But when I look over the selection I'm disappointed. They don't have anything that leaves my fingers bare, so I wouldn't be able to use my claws. And that's a no--go. There's a kind of visceral satisfaction to tearing something apart with your bare hands, even if you are aided by magic.

Anyways, no armor for me. Maybe if I find someone with leather armor. Can't restrict my movements, flexibility is key.

I walk off, tossing another stick freed from the confines of tasty food into a nearby bin. As I do, I notice a stall selling jewelry. I never wore it on Earth, but I can always get it enchanted so it has both form and function. The best of both worlds.

I look over the display, trying to find one that I like. Honestly though, they're nice, but nothing that I'd really enjoy wearing. The rings each have a wooden base, while the necklaces hang on a silver chain.

I already have one ring, so I focus on the necklaces. But the hangings they have are all of some creature. Goblins, bashers, bears, etc. I sigh, deciding to just go somewhere else when something catches my eye.

It kind of looks like a man in a billowing robe warding something off. But I blink and it changes into an image of a tree standing atop an upside down mountain Another and now it's an indescribable shape resting upon a scroll.

"What's the deal with this one?" I ask the stall owner.

"Which one?" She looks at the one I'm pointing to and a scowl crosses her face. "Oh. That. It's a symbol of the deity of chaos. Since he's the opposite of order, of course his items representing him randomly appear all over the place. Seams that he's snuck a necklace bearing his…symbol into my own products. Would you mind getting rid of it for me? It shouldn't be much trouble, just chuck it in the trash. I'd do it myself, but I can't leave my stall unattended."

I make a noise and grab the necklace, staring at it unblinkingly. At the moment it looks like a sunburst, and I want to see if it'll change if I don't blink.

Unfortunately that means I'm not paying attention to where I'm going and I bump into someone. I stumble past them, nearly dropping the necklace as I do. I breathe a sigh of relief as I manage to keep hold of it, finally turning my attention away.

Instead I'm looking at a guy around my age with blonde slicked back hair and a rapier at his waist. His clothes are a definite step up from what everyone else is wearing, but not to the point where you'd think he's a noble.

He dusts off his shirt, but since he didn't fall I don't know why. Maybe it's just one of those things you do after bumping into someone? Anyways, "Sorry for that. I wasn't watching where I was going."

He hmphs at me. Literally hmphs! I can already tell I won't like him. "Perhaps you should endeavor to keep your eyes on course, so you might avoid such occurrences in the future." Then without another word he walks away.

I'm left standing there, blinking at his abrupt entrance. I shrug it off, and on a whim toss the chain holding lord Soahc's symbol over my head.

I wait for a moment, but when nothing happens I breathe a sigh of relief. 'No major development here. Just a girl putting on her lord's symbol.'