Chapter 33: The Golden Bazaar

Elias stepped into the Golden Bazaar. Upon entering, Elias was greeted by the aroma of exotic spices and the hum of commerce. The ground floor was an open, airy marketplace with various stalls and counters displaying an array of goods—from fresh produce and fine fabrics to rare artifacts and shimmering jewels.

The floor was paved with smooth stone tiles, and the ceiling was high, supported by wooden beams carved with motifs of the district's specialties.

The ground floor served as something of a display room for various goods, a marketplace for people who knew what they wanted. There was no haggling, customers just simply picked up what they wanted, paid, and left.

Elias wasn't there to buy anything, what he wanted was on the first floor. So he made his way there.

The first floor was dedicated to offices and meeting rooms. Here, merchants negotiated deals and discussed trade routes. The rooms were furnished with dark oak desks, plush chairs, and shelves filled with ledgers and maps. Large windows offer views of the harbor and the bustling streets below.

The first floor was also where all pure monetary transactions were conducted, money lending, currency exchange, and likes.

Elias made his way into one of the meeting rooms, he met an old man sitting behind a desk. The man had a rugged look with a thick gray beard and mustache, and his hair was scruffy, almost to the point it looked unkempt. His attire consisted of a layered outfit: a red coat with fur trim draped over a green tunic, with the cuffs of his white shirt peeking out.

"Welcome young sir, to the Golden Bazaar, please have a seat. What can I help you with today?" He asked with a polite and practiced tone

Elias pulled out the seat in front of the desk, and sat down carefully, "Good day sir…."

"Belford, sir"

"Mr. Belford, I would like to split my money into smaller denominations," Elias said

"Certainly sir, how much?" He asked as his face lit up with excitement

"A crown" Elias answered

"A crown?!" Belford exclaimed

"I know it's a just singular crown, but I can't just go around town spending a crown…it's awkward" Elias chuckled

"Don't be mistaken sir, It is by no means 'just' a crown, especially coming from someone as young as you are. Most people can go their lives without holding a crown. Young sir, please come with me and we'll get everything sorted" Belford said

"Very well," Elias said, as he followed Belford

As they walked, Elias spotted another collared person staring wide-eyed into nothing.

"Hey Belford," Elias called out

"Yes, young sir?"

"Say, I've been seeing people around wearing the same collar, and they all seem to be a little aloof. What's with that?" Elias asked

"Oh, you must be new around here sir if you don't know about them"

"Enlighten me"

"The collar is a form of restraint placed on flares as most people call them, you know, people with impulsive magic, magic that activates based on their feelings.

It keeps them in a constant state of mind to avoid them wrecking their surroundings when their emotions run rampant.

But as you can see, the side effect is that they become far too relaxed to the point that they can't think for themselves." Belford explained

"If it's this bad, then why do they wear it?" Elias asked.

"Because it's a law, if you have noticed, everywhere you see a flare, there's always a person with them. It is illegal for a flare to be without a collar, as it is also illegal for a flare to be without a guardian" Belford said, his tone carrying a faint hint of wist

A disapproving look appeared on Elias' face as he listened to Belford "Is that allowed? Sounds like enslavement or worse, even slaves have the freedom to think. Is the king aware of this?" He asked

"Ah, who do you think introduced it and made it mandatory in the first place?"

"That's preposterous, this is terrible. There must be a better way to go about this instead of reducing people to mindless numbs. King Alaric is really different from what I've heard" Elias said

"Ahh, the King isn't a bad king, just a lazy one. He would go for the simplest solution instead of the ideal ones"

"Doesn't that make him a bad king nonetheless"

"I guess so"

Elias looked at the collared flare, and he looked back, and Elias saw nothing but tiredness and a cry for help behind those eyes.

'Yet another thing that's not in the game. There has to be a better way to keep the flares under control than flat-out enslavement' Elias thought to himself

[New task!

Task: Find a way to liberate the flares

Reward: Advanced spell, Intermediate skill + 1,200,000 FWP

Failure: Nil

Time limit: Nil

Note: Refusal to accept this task will award the user with 500,000 FWP and one advanced spell

Will you accept the Task?

〔Yes〕or 〔No〕

]

'I can decline and still get five hundred thousand FWP? Is this fucking system for real? What do you take me for? Of course, I accept the task'

[Task accepted!]

"We are here sir," Belford said as they approached a counter

Elias deposited his crown and got his money broken down as he requested, 75 silver shillings and 250 copper pennies.

"Would you like to open a customer account with us, sir?" Belford asked as Elias was about to take his leave

"No, I don't need it," Elias said, what was the need for an account when he could just store everything in his inventory

"You may need it, sir, you look like a noble that likes to travel. If you open an account with us you can withdraw your money anytime and anywhere in this world, you don't need to change currency each time you land on a new continent. There's nowhere in the world where the Golden Bazaar isn't situated." Belford insisted

"I am not a noble nor a royal, I am a farmer" Elias corrected

"A farmer? That's surprising, you certainly dress like a noble. Well, the Golden Bazaar doesn't discriminate, we open our arms to everyone"

Elias contemplated for a while, there was no doubt that he was going to find himself on another continent, he might as well open the account to save himself stress when the time comes.

So he filled the necessary documents, opened the account, and deposited 50 silver shillings, leaving Belford with a broad smile.

As Elias was about to leave the Golden Bazaar, a group of rough-looking men that looked like they had no business being there appeared, their leader, a huge muscular man with a mohawk, barged into the first floor.

He walked past Elias and rudely bumped him out of the way using his arm. Elias decided that there was no need to retaliate against him, if he caused a commotion, the security of the Golden Bazaar would intervene and it would not end well for both parties, so he simply kept walking.

"Hmph, noble weakling" The leader of the ruffians scoffed

Belford walked up to the men, "Welcome to the Golden Bazaar, may I help you gentlemen with anything?" He said, still keeping his polite tone despite the men's demeanor.

"Huh? Move out of the way old man, we need someone who can still count the fingers on their hands haha" The ruffian laughed as he pushed away Belford forcefully, causing the man to tumble.

'Now you've done it, I need someone to test my new abilities on anyway. But I have to act quickly before the security comes'

Elias approached the men, "Please distinguished sirs, sorry for the bad service. Would you please step into the office while I attend to you?" He asked, giving the best welcoming smile he could muster

"Ahh, so the weakling noble is a worker. What happened brat, your family punished you?" The ruffian laughed and his men followed suit, "Anyways you'll do, men wait outside. I have business to attend to"

"You sure you don't want us to come with you boss?" One of the ruffians asked

"I was clear on my instructions, wasn't I?" He said in a threatening tone

"Yes boss" the ruffian whimpered

"Tsk, these guys, always trying to get a peak at your finances. None of them can be trusted," the leader said, as he entered the office.

Elias closed the door behind him, and put the locks in place, " You should have respect for the elderly you know, they've been through so much already" He said as he approached the leader

"What are you talking about brat?"

"[Ward of Silence]. Manners" Elias answered in a flat tone