[I think we should do that. Also, this slave business smells of corruption. If a Royal Soldier visits a powerful noble family, they are assigned to observe and become afraid to make enemies out of them. This system only works for weak noble families.] [At least the King of this kingdom is somehow trying, but it seems his hands are tied with the kingdom's prosperity.] -Yes, I agree. It's difficult for a captain to keep a ship from sinking because of a greedy crew. I would make a corrupt-free nation if I became a king.- [I will vote for you, hehe. But we went off-topic for a bit. Shouldn't we cover Lupa's neck?] "Ester, could you wrap a piece of cloth around Lupa's neck. As Ben suggested, we should hide her neck." Vincent asked. Ester understood his intention immediately. A similar thought passed through her mind after hearing Ben's suggestion. She then took out a clean piece of cloth and tied it with a cute butterfly-shaped knot. "Big sister Ester, can I have one too? Please. " Tula said cutely. She liked the butterfly-shaped knot at the end. "Fine. " Ester couldn't say no at Tula's puppy eyes. "Shall we continue?" Vincent wanted to continue before they had to stop at every new thing they saw. A while later, the buildings became cleaner and well built. The dirt path was the same, clean and without wild grass. They stepped into the lower district. "Apples, come and get your apples!" "You, sir, this textile is popular. It would make any kind of dress to impress." "Familiars! Come and check out this little gray wolf. It's of the wind attribute and is familiar compatible with young wind mages. I won't charge much since this cute little familiar needs a mighty master like you." Vincent followed Ben through the lower district market. It was so bustling with people and vendors promoting their products that Ester held Lupa's and Tula's hands. Ester was afraid of losing them to the crowd. One was curious with drool on her lips as her golden eyes stared at freshly cooked food. The other big child stared at children's toys and cute small familiars. [The difference in districts is mind-blowing. This is similar to Earth's stand vendors you used to visit. It's not that bad, and it feels like home.] Vincent nodded as he felt the same. There was a particular street near the library owned by Kevin's family where it would get closed on certain days every week. Some vendors would obtain the permit to assemble stands and sell their products, mostly cheaper than usual. Vincent loved to find new cheap heroic books to read like this. 'This is nostalgic.' Vincent thought before he heard. "Trinkets! Trinkets for sale! Reasonable prices on handcrafted wood trinkets that make great gifts. Necklaces, rings, and head ornaments. Come and see. They are all crafted by hand." A street merchant promoted. Vincent stopped. He quickly looked in his direction after hearing the trinket street merchant promote his wares. He suddenly seemed interested in purchasing an accessory. "Can you wait while I check the trinket shop?" Vincent asked. Ben stopped. He turned around and nodded. There was no need to hurry if it was one or two shops, so he didn't mind a slight delay. [Are you thinking of buying something? We have the money we looted... I mean, we acquired. It's all we have. So be mindful of how much you use.] -Don't worry. You know I like to save money. Also, there is a specific item I'm interested in.- [I think I know what caught your attention. It's a ring, right?] Vincent let out a light chuckle as he approached the trinket vendor. He placed both hands together and summoned the bag of coins. The light was barely noticeable this way. [1x Small Bag (Multiple Items) (Common Quality) (33x Copper Coins, 35x Silver Coins, 2x Gold Coins, 1x Hollowed Silver Coin.) summoned. x0 remaining.] Ester, Lupa, and Tula looked at Vincent, filled with curiosity. They wanted to know what caught his interest so much that he wanted to buy something. The three noticed his expressions while walking through one of the many paths in the maze-like trading area. However, only the trinket merchant caught his interest. "Welcome..." The merchant was about to continue with his greetings before he abruptly stopped. Before him, the body of the customer covered in bandages made him forget his usual greetings for a moment. The trinket merchant quickly regained his composure like a veteran businessman and continued after clearing his throat, "Ahem. Welcome, valued customer. Would you be interested in a handcrafted accessory? Or perhaps looking for a heartwarming handcrafted gift? A hair ornament that makes women more appealing, perhaps?" "I'm looking for a ring. " Vincent responded. "Ohh valued customer. We offer a wide selection of rings. We have handcrafted wooden rings and also a small selection of elegant silver rings with custom gem slots per the customer's order." The trinket merchant loudly announced to make passerby notice the shop. The trinket merchant noticed a large bag of coins in Vincent's hands before mentioning the silver rings. However, the merchant couldn't guess if it was all for show and full of copper coins. Vincent donned slightly damaged and dirty commoner clothing because the water reserves were dwindling. Cleaning their clothes and themselves became impossible if they wished to live in the last few days before arriving at Lusterfall City. Furthermore, other than Vincent's head, all his body is covered in bandages. His appearance screamed of a low-ranked adventurer or a poor commoner. The possibility of choosing the cheapest items possible was significant, and as the merchant thought, he soon heard. "Can I have a cheap wooden ring? Can you carve something small on it?" Vincent pointed his finger on a ring with an elegant wavy line on both edges. A personalized carving would make a great gift or a memorable item. "So you want to buy wood but not meat. Hmph!" Lupa pouted as she felt unhappy every time Vincent ignored her golden puppy eyes, begging to eat freshly cooked meat from food stands. "Hasn't Ester taught you about rings yet? You will be my woman with an identical ring on your finger." Vincent replied with a poker face. His heart, however, was about to send him flying by how much it excitedly fluttered. The significance of the rings was the same as proposing to the two beautiful women for him. It also meant that Ester and Lupa accepted him if they accepted the ring. Kazumi could guess that many emotions pumped through Vincent's veins. Kazumi decided to say nothing. She wanted to watch and enjoy the drama with no commentary of her own. "Yes?" Lupa looked at Ester with a puzzled expression. It seemed she had already forgotten about what a ring signifies to humans. "Can we afford an engagement ring? We don't have money to spend frugally." Ester asked. She was worried they would get blinded by new and interesting things and waste all the money they possess. "You're calling them engagement rings already? Haha. " Vincent laughed at how quickly Ester imagined things. A cute personality quirk that made her think both good and embarrassing things. A pair of red cheeks would be the most obvious tell of her current thoughts. Then Vincent turned back to the merchant and continued with a smile, "You heard her words. I want six cheap but nice wooden rings to be used for our engagement." "You made the right choice, valued customer! Do you wish for a small decorative carving? Free of charge for such a memorable occasion! " The trinket merchant loudly promoted to attract attention onto him. He was having a slow day, but the large order made him happy, both as a merchant and a wood artisan. His rings were going to be used for something important... 'Are the other two pairs going to be used as spares? Or are all the rings for the three women next to him?' The trinket merchant thought with a hint of jealousy. "Ohh, such a generous shop! " Vincent loudly replied. The trinket merchant smiled when Vincent proceeded to promote the stall with him. It was something Vincent got used to when making on Earth's weekly closed merchant street. Three book-selling stand vendors would let Vincent read a few pages to let any passerby notice the stall. The more people a stall has, the more eye catching it becomes. Such sneaky tactics made both parties benefit, but standing while reading a book was all Vincent could do as he was an introverted and shy person back on Earth. Vincent finished a couple of books by reading a few pages per week for free. It was something he strangely found enjoyable. Reading stories on printed paper felt more interesting than on a digital screen. Maybe because he worked in a library, and it was a printed comic that Kevin used to help Vincent with a new life path. "Ester, Lupa, what do you want on your rings?" Vincent turned his head and asked. "A strong fang!" Lupa enthusiastically exclaimed. "Maybe a flower?" Ester continued, doubting if too was too much. "Don't worry, valued customers. My craftsmanship will make your jaws drop." Then the trinket merchant turned his gaze on Vincent and asked, "What about the other four?" -What do you want on your ring?- [Huh? Why are you asking me this question? I don't have a body.] -I will wear one in your stead. The other will stay in my Soul Dimensional Storage for safekeeping.- Kazumi didn't know how to reply to such a question. Her body flickered with the joy of being wanted. Staying in the empty Soul Domain was depressing. The thought of Vincent treating her like his woman even if she was just a soul made her unbelievably happy. [Three. Carve the number three. ] -Why the number three? You can ask for anything if you want.- [Third times the charm. So the third woman is the best you will ever get.] Vincent covered his mouth before a chuckle escaped his lips. He regained his business gaze and said, "Two rings with a fang, two rings with a nice flower, and two rings with the number three carved on them." "Coming right up!" Shouted the trinket merchant while picking up a chisel and a hammer. A while later, the six rings were ready. The trinket merchant placed them on the table and said, "You won't get better rings than these, valued customer." "How much for these well-made rings?" Vincent asked loudly. Both acted as if they were recording a promotional video. "The price will be a reasonable one valued customer. Ten copper per ring for a total of sixty copper." The trinket merchant said the final price.