Chapter 23

    Merchants Awaiting

    The group of visiting priests had to extend their stay by more than ten days beyond their original schedule, as supplies from the kingdom’s central region had yet to arrive. The church’s main provisions had run out for a while now, leaving their daily meals consisting of either boiled or roasted tubers, supplemented with whatever meat they received from the villagers as circumstances allowed.

    “The prophecy must have made those nobles and upper-class folks scramble for supplies even more. It’s truly worrisome.”

    “It’s already close to the beginning of the third month. I think it won’t be much longer,” Jacob responded to Sister Anne, feeling partially guilty, as the prophecy from the Landbruh Order was the root cause.

    “It’s not the Church’s fault. It’s human greed to blame. Luckily, the children decided to plant sweet potatoes in advance, so at least we can be a little more at ease,” Lisa reassured her friend. She was no longer stressed about the food shortage issue.

    However... a crucial commodity—salt—meant for community distribution remained a pressing concern, leaving everyone anxiously waiting.

    “I wonder if the merchants who came along still have anything left to sell. Why don’t you take the children for a walk around the market? Maybe you’ll find something useful,” Jackson suggested, handing over a portion of the Central Church’s funds to Redwood Church for special use. Two gold coins were swiftly placed into Sister Anne’s hand.

    “This... isn’t this too much? You might run into trouble,” she said, her hands trembling at the large sum.

    “Don’t worry. We’ve been staying here for over a month. Naturally, there are expenses. The Church of Russel is not struggling financially—don’t overthink it.”

    “Oh, Brother... Saying that makes us feel bad, you know...” Jacob protested lightly before realizing the sound reasoning behind his friend’s words. Before he could think further, Matthew had already made an offer.

    “Jacob and I will send something in return later.”

    The next day, Sister Anne took the three older children on an educational outing. Kit suggested they bring along a sack of golden chanterelle mushrooms that had been dried and stored since the previous month—just in case they had an opportunity to introduce their goods to the merchants for trade. As they descended the mountain, they took in the sight of the lush forest, thick with vegetation. The atmosphere of this valley was truly beautiful and refreshing.

    Summer had arrived. By the start of the third month, the sky was nearly cloudless, and the midday sun shone fiercely with searing heat. Fortunately, the crops in this region received water from the great headwaters of the Redwood Forest, along with the melting snow from the Landbruh mountain range. The land’s natural moisture ensured that farmers here did not suffer from agricultural struggles like those in other areas.

    As they crossed the bridge over the village’s central stream, they encountered the merchants' tents—those who had accompanied the religious procession and were still waiting until the priests resumed their journey. Some trade was still happening, though it had slowed significantly. Even though the merchants had plenty of money, the travel provisions they had brought were steadily dwindling, and their profits were beginning to decline as they had to buy food to sustain themselves.

    Unfortunately, news of the prophecy had already reached everyone through the village chief. As a result, the villagers were reluctant to sell their food, making life even harder for the merchants.

    The arrival of unfamiliar newcomers stirred noticeable interest among them.

    “Honored priests, would you like to browse our goods? There’s no need for money—we accept food in exchange for anything.”

    “This shop welcomes you as well. We accept food in trade for any item you desire…”

    “Our store is offering discounts too. Come take a look.”

    The merchants' calls, though coming from only a few stalls, echoed throughout the street, making Anna and James nervous. These merchants were nothing like the ones they had met in previous years. But Kit, on the other hand, saw an important opportunity to turn a profit. His small hand tugged at Sister Anne’s cloak, slowing her steps.

    “Sister, I...I want to look at every shop.” His emerald-green eyes shimmered with an innocent plea, softening the elderly nun’s heart. She handed him a portion of one gold coin in case he wanted to buy something at the market.

    “Spend wisely. Keep in mind the money we have. Mm…” She glanced around at the merchants, listening to their voices. Then, narrowing her eyes in thought. “There’s still plenty of sweet potatoes left at the church, and the ones you planted will be ready for harvest in about two weeks...”

    “I understand, Sister. If they’re willing to trade, I’ll make sure to get the best deal possible. Hehehe.”

    Seeing this, the elderly woman chuckled softly before stroking Kit’s head affectionately several times.

    “I’ll stop by to visit Mary for a bit. Once you’re done, come find me quickly.” After reminding them about the time, she separated from the group.

    James, Anna, and Kit then wandered through the market to their hearts’ content. There were only eight merchant tents, but since Kit took his time carefully inspecting every item and gathering information about the kingdom through conversation, James and Anna occasionally decided to sit and wait by the stone benches in the village center. In such a close-knit community, they had no need to fear anyone going missing.

    Thanks to the boy’s friendly nature and his intelligence that seemed beyond his years, the merchants’ dull day became more lively. A few of them got to sample some of the rare dried mushrooms he brought. They couldn’t stop praising them when one merchant decided to make a soup with dried meat and chanterelle mushrooms, sharing it among his fellow traders. Such high-quality delicacies quickly became a valuable commodity that significantly increased Kit’s purchasing power.

    Sister Anne had previously mentioned that a sack of these mushrooms should be worth around ten silver coins. However, due to the scarcity and monotony of food supplies, the market’s dynamics had completely shifted.

    These merchants were now willing to buy them at two silver coins per serving. The large canvas sack James carried held enough mushrooms to fill the standard merchant measuring cups forty times. Even after distributing many samples, there were still more than thirty portions remaining.

    Excluding the single gold coin given by Sister Anne, Kit now had nearly seventy silver coins to spend. Excited by their newfound wealth, James and Anna eagerly followed Kit, scanning the market for items they wanted.

    Anna found a set of high-quality sewing kit, which she exchanged for three cups of mushrooms. The kind shopkeeper even threw in three large spools of fine-colored thread as a bonus. Kit, examining the cloth’s smooth and soft texture—far superior to the robes worn at the church—decided to ask about the price. However, the young boy was shocked to learn the cost of the plain wool fabric. He glanced at the merchant’s measuring unit, which was close to one meter in length, and then examined the fabric several times...

    A single meter-wide, meter-long piece of soft wool fabric cost five silver coins—the lowest price possible, equal to the merchant’s wholesale cost. She could not lower it any further, even though she had grown fond of the children.

    Anna gazed at the large fabric roll with sparkling eyes, silently vowing that one day, this material would become clothing for everyone. Until then, she would endure. Meanwhile, Kit began planning to expand their livestock—raising sheep wouldn’t be too difficult. Thus, another personal side quest was added to his growing list.

    James, on the other hand, was particularly drawn to the weapon shop. Survival tools and training equipment for hunters in the great forest had always been something he wanted. Kit was momentarily confused, as he distinctly remembered that his older brother had wanted to become a soldier, not a hunter. So, the youngest of the group asked outright.

    “I... I figured being a hunter would help me find more food for you all.” James scratched his head awkwardly. Jason’s teachings from that day had truly influenced him.

    “You don’t have to give up on your dream just for us, brother. Training with weapons and foraging in the forest should already be part of a soldier’s training. Why not pick a weapon that suits you best—one that you’ll be comfortable using both in the forest and the army?”

    Hearing this, the eldest brother pulled his younger sibling into a tight hug, overwhelmed with emotion. Kit, now trapped in the embrace, squirmed in frustration at the sweaty scent. James didn’t take long to make his choice. After a brief moment of consideration, he inquired about the prices of a steel axe head and a double-edged blade. Both items lacked handles and seemed to be spare parts meant for weapon repairs.

    A small axe head, suitable for throwing, was priced at five silver coins per piece. A slightly larger one, capable of chopping wood, cost fifteen silver coins. Meanwhile, the double-edged steel blade, nearly as long as Kit’s arm, was priced at thirty silver coins.

    In the end, Kit handed over several more cups of mushrooms, as James wanted to purchase three throwing axe heads and a large steel blade, which could be used as either a short sword or the head of a war spear.

    Additionally, Kit decided to buy a large axe head as a backup for the church, as the old axe James had been using was beginning to wear out. All the remaining mushrooms were exchanged for the aforementioned large axe head, making the weapon merchant smile broadly. At last, their survival food would no longer consist of just salty meat alone.

    Since they had just made a large trade and run out of goods, Kit took the opportunity to ask the weapon merchant a bit more—whether they were interested in exceptionally delicious sweet potatoes. However, upon hearing the name of the food, the merchants grimaced. The belief that root crops were food from the earth, associated with misfortune and poverty, made most merchants particularly disdain this type of food. Thus, the young man was gently refused, no matter how much he tried to advertise it.

    But words alone could not compete with real experience. The little boy then had the idea to roast the sweet potatoes as a demonstration for them. As a result, James had to haul the newly purchased goods back to the church along with Anna’s belongings. Meanwhile, Kit instructed him to bring two large sacks of fine sweet potatoes.

    A gold coin was exchanged for a hundred silver coins with the merchants. Then, Kit walked to Aunt Mary’s house to buy a pile of dry straw at the price of half a copper coin per bundle.

    After exchanging brief greetings, the young man and his elder sister carried two large piles of straw to the merchants’ lodging area. A bonfire was promptly prepared.

    Not long after, James returned with a coarse sack filled with several dozen sweet potatoes.

    The dry straw was placed over the sweet potatoes that were laid on the stone ground before being set ablaze. Kit tossed three or four pieces of red pinewood into the fire to keep it burning. Once the straw had completely burned away, there was no need to roast them a second time like before when he had prepared them for the younger children at the church. This time, he had the power of a bear’s nose to sniff out when the food was ready.

    After a while, the sweet, fragrant aroma from the fire spread throughout the area.

    The group of people who had considered sweet potatoes to be lowly food began to have their stomachs grumble in protest as Kit and his elder siblings cracked open the roasted sweet potatoes and ate them as a demonstration. Their delight was evident from their facial expressions.

    In the end, the fabric-selling aunt was the first brave soul to step forward and take the remaining half of a golden-yellow sweet potato. After taking some time to compose herself and observe the food in her hand, she asked the group of children for permission before quickly putting it into her mouth.