CH 203

Chapter 203 : Bartering Items For The First Time

「So, Mark, what do you want to buy?」(Celine)

While we were walking toward the center of the village square, Celine asked me.

Come to think of it, I didn’t tell her what I wanted.

「You know, I made my house like a Japaneseー I mean… You need to take off your shoes before entering, so I need a huge carpet to cover my entire floor.」(Mark)

It would be best if I could use tatami mats but I don’t think they exist in this world.

Anyway, I need something to cover my floor. Stepping on the stone floor barefoot feels weird and lying down on it is not very comfortable. Sometimes, I feel like lying down on the floor after all.

「You need to take off your shoes before entering? Hee~ I heard that there’s a region with a similar culture in the far east. If that’s the case, then let’s go find someone who sells cloth-related things.」(Celine)

After saying that, Celine grabbed Nicola’s hand and continued walking. I replied with a nod and followed her.

――――――

「Yo, Celine, I heard that you returned a few days ago. It’s been a while. If you need a cloth to make another black dress, I have a lot in stock.」(cloth seller)

After walking for a while, Celine stopped in front of a stall.

There was a man sitting on a cart next the stall. He seemed to be the owner.

Judging from the way he talked to Celine it seemed that he was Celine’s acquaintance.

There were sewing tools, threads, and many other small items on the front table of the stall, and there were a number of rolled-up pieces of fabric neatly arranged on the rear table.

But what caught my attention were the stuffed animals lined up on the side table next to the man.

He has a big physique and rugged looks. I can’t imagine someone like him making all those cute stuffed animals…

「I’ll come again next time for that. Today I want a large and thick carpet. As for the payment… Mark, can you take out a Grass Wolf corpse?」(Celine)

As I nodded to her, I remembered that we killed Grass Wolves that we encountered on our way to the Town of Sadola several days ago.

It seems like this man also makes leatherwork, so I think it will be a good item to exchange for the carpet.

I took out one of the Grass Wolf corpses from my Item Box. It’s still fresh because the flow of the time doesn’t exist inside my Item Box.

「Hmm… A Grass Wolf, huh…? It brings back memories…」(cloth seller)

The man smiled while staring at the corpse as if he was reminiscing about his past.

I wonder if he used to be an adventurer.

I used my Item Box in front of him but he didn’t seem to be surprised. It’s rare to see someone with no reaction like him.

「So, what do you think? I think this corpse is worth about two gold coins.」(Celine)

「Hmm, you want to exchange it for a large carpet, right? What are you going to use it for?」(cloth seller)

「This boy, Mark, built a house at the edge of the village. He wants it to cover his floor.」(Celine)

「This boy…? Built a house…? By himself…?」(cloth seller)

「Yup.」(Celine)

The man tilted his head and stared at me. He didn’t seem to believe what Celine said.

「Hmm… It’s hard to believe…」(cloth seller)

After the man said that, Celine crouched and put her hands on my shoulders.

「You know, he’s an extraordinary boy! You think that I’m strong but I’m just an ordinary person compared to him!」(Celine)

「Seriously? So he’s even more out of the ordinary than you, the woman who has beaten up a large number of men who tried to pick you up? This boy is super amazing then! Haha!」(cloth seller)

「Huh? I politely declined at first but you guys were so stubborn!」(Celine)

「Hahaha! I remember I couldn’t work for a few days after you beat me to pulp years ago. Hey, boy, I think you should stay away from her when you grow up. She hates men.」(cloth seller)

The man gave me advice while grinning. Right after, his face turned pale for some reason.

It looks like Celine, who is crouching behind me, is looking at him with a scary face. I can even feel a slight amount of fire-attributed mana coming out from her body.

「A, Anyway, Boy, you need a large carpet to spread on your floor, right? How about this one?」(cloth seller)

While saying that, he stuck out his hand forward and then a big roll of thick carpet appeared in his hands. It was so large that he seemed to be struggling to hold it with both hands.

Now I know why he wasn’t surprised when I used my Item Box. It’s because he is also an Item Box holder.

「What do you think? I made this quite a long time ago. No one wants to buy it because it’s too large. I’ll be grateful if you want to take it because it will open up some free space in my Item Box.」(cloth seller)

「Mark, I think it’s a bargain. This carpet is surely more expensive than one Wolf Grass corpse.」(Celine)

Celine said that while touching the carpet, feeling it with her hand.

Certainly, it looks soft on the skin and it’s quite large even though I don’t think it’s large enough to cover my entire floor.

「Alright, I’ll take it.」(Mark)

「Thank you! Umm, can you please put it in your Item Box now? My hands are getting numb…」(cloth seller)

「O, Okay.」(Mark)

As soon as I put the carpet in my Item Box, the man sighed in relief and stretched his arms.

He then approached the Grass Wolf corpse and touched its fur.

「Hoo… The fur’s quality seems to be quite good. Boy, do you have more?」(cloth seller)

「Yeah, I killed several of them.」(Mark)

「Hee, it seems like Celine wasn’t lying about you being stronger than her. Do you want something else from my stall? I want another Grass Wolf corpse if possible.」(cloth seller)

「I don’t need anything else, but… Celine, do you want something?」(Mark)

「Well, I want some cloth to make another black dress, but are you sure?」(Celine)

「Of course.」(Mark)

As I replied to Celine, I took out another Grass Wolf corpse.

I took the one without a head but the man didn’t seem to care at all. He immediately stroked the fur and nodded to me.

「Nice. This one is also in a good condition. Celine, you can tell me anything you need.」(cloth seller)

「Fufu. Alright then. Mark, thank you.」(Celine)

After thanking me, Celine told the man what she needed from his stall.

I’ve been in this morning market twice but I’ve never seen people arguing with each other about their exchange.

Well, it’s a small village, so people need to get along with each other.

After Celine was done with her shopping, the three of us walked around the village square to greet the villagers and introduce ourselves while bartering various things.

As usual, people were a bit surprised when we told them that I and Nicola were twins. They couldn’t believe it easily.

It seems like Ester is the only person who can tell that we are twins at first glance.