- Shari -

Now we are on our way to the second location where we are going to sell our gathered beast parts.

While I try my best to repress what occurred some moments ago and ignore any remarks of those accompanying me, I notice we are heading to the center of the city yet with a tendency to the east.

We reach a district where the majority of the buildings consist of warehouses.

If I think about it, it makes sense.

This Cid deals mostly with goods obtained in the Evergrove.

Those usually won't be sold here but will be brought to the capital.

So it is necessary to store the wares somewhere and because of that the providers should come to the warehouse directly, to simplify the logistics.

While we are on our way, suddenly Jacob turns to me.

"This should be clear, but you need to avoid getting exposed like you were just now." (Jacob)

"It wasn’t on purpose. I just can’t deal well with such disturbing images." (Shari)

"This is not about Tamarah. She might be weird, but you can trust her to a degree. Cid is much worse. He is a merchant at heart, so he will place his profit before anything else. Maybe he would look over your situation. But only if he gains something by doing so. He is the kind of person who stabs you in the back with a smile on his lips, already counting the assets. By no means will it turn out for you as positive as just now." (Jacob)

"Okay, I will be as careful as possible and keep it together, literally." (Shari)

"I am far more concerned about your escort." (Jacob)

"Right. She isn't good at acting. Or lying. Or in any way appearing unsuspicious or normal." (Shari)

"So what are you going to do in that regard?" (Jacob)

"We can either tell her to stay by all means quiet like I already did so many times, or we leave her unattended, alone on the street." (Shari)

"You are kidding, right?" (Jacob)

"Yes, I am! As if I would let her go on a rampage through the town." (Shari)

"Fine, no choice then." (Jacob)

"Glad you figured it out by yourself." (Shari)

So we are finally approaching a warehouse, which seems to be the one Jacob was leading us to.

"Do we have to go in there? I don’t like Cid. He is so haughty and doesn’t even bother to try to hide that he is ripping us off. Also, he gropes." (Myra)

"If we don’t go to him we have to ask every merchant and craftsman in town if they need some very special components at the moment. That won’t work. He at least maintains prices which make sure that we come back to him." (Jacob)

Is he really going to ignore that last part?

It wasn’t so quiet that one couldn’t hear it.

I certainly did.

Ignoring topics about sexual harassment, Jacob leads us to the entrance.

It crosses my mind that I still have the herbs we gathered and that I could sell them here, but after all the things I've heard about this guy, this could lead to quite a loss.

After all, I should maybe first check the possibilities I have before coming back to him.

I could have asked Tamarah if she would like to give me some specialized gathering quests and even if she would buy my herbs, but I simply forgot due to all that mental disturbance.

So we are entering the warehouse now.

There is a bit of business in there.

People are carrying items to places I can’t perceive right now and are preparing them to get delivered.

Maybe I am biased and unfair, but the workforce looks to me as if it purely consists of ruffians.

It could simply be that they do hard physical labor and are recruited out of the poor districts to give them work, yet that doesn't feel to me to be the case.

It is not only that some of them have scars or tattoos.

Neither that some are glaring at us, which is understandable since we invaded as foreign persons into their workplace.

It's more something like a general feeling.

Something in their eyes just makes me distrust them.

And the biggest wave of this feeling comes when a person approaches us in an overly friendly manner.

"Ah, Jacob, my friend! How nice of you to honor us with your presence. I am always glad when you come to me since we are always having a wonderful agreement in the end." (Cid)

I must have misread the situation very badly if this isn't Cid.

He has greasy black hair and while he isn’t fat, he is more on the chunky side due to having a small stature.

Also, he makes an impression as if he would in his spare time constantly rub his hands with a malicious laugh.

"To be true, we have something rather interesting for you." (Jacob)

"I wonder what that might be." (Cid)

"We have the pelt, bones, spikes, and if you are interested a good pound of the flesh of a rager." (Jacob)

"What!? He is going to give our flesh away?" (Liqu)

"Liqu! Stop now and stay quiet!" (Shari)

"Really! How did you accomplish to get this?" (Cid)

"Wasn’t easy. It gave us quite the fight, but we weren’t alone, it came so that this is our part of the share." (Jacob)

Without blushing!!! You made a dive into the mud as soon as you heard that thing!

"Is that so? Then it seems you only got the scraps." (Cid)

"Don’t say that. Those parts are very valuable and we both know that. It’s been a long time since anyone could get his hands on something like this." (Jacob)

"Hmm, let me inspect the goods first." (Cid)

So he goes through all the things that remained after we traded with Tamarah.

It’s still a considerable amount.

"I think I will take all of this. Five silver sounds like a fair price." (Cid)

"Are you kidding? They have more than six times that value. You can’t be serious to offer only five silver." (Jacob)

"You see, it's hard to directly find a buyer for such wares. And for the flesh, if it won’t work out it will spoil and I stay on the costs. Also, my commission is absolutely fair for the service I provide. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be here, right?" (Cid)

"You know perfectly well that we have no real choice. It's not possible for us to find a buyer. Especially since you press most of them to refrain from direct trades with adventurers, with the threat to cut their supply." (Jacob)

Wait! Why am I only hearing about this now?

"Don’t make such baseless accusations. Otherwise, I might believe that you don’t want to trade with me in general. And that would really be a shame for your group if you couldn't sell any of your spoils anymore, right?" (Cid)

Have I mentioned that I had a bad impression of him?

Even Jacob grits his teeth right now.

"But it might ease my mood and make me more generous if the good Myra would lend me some of her time. I am a sucker for the small ones." (Cid)

Because it would feel as if you would be of normal height?

Apart from that: Fuck you!

He draws dangerously close to Myra and rubs her cheek.

I also notice that the "workers" are threateningly glaring at us, implying that complaints can lead to violent actions.

Even Jacob hesitates because the wrong action could make them lose the main source of their income.

Myra stays quiet for the same reason.

And I have little non-exposing means to react as slimeshed is not in my favor.

Who knows who they're working with?

Or more concerning, who they're working for?

Cid lets his hand slide down and grabs Myra’s small chest.

Jacob is close to losing it, Myra looks shocked, and I am balancing in my mind if killing him might outweigh the demerits of getting exposed.

Yet, before any of us can react, a hand grabs Cid's and squeezes it tightly.

"Humans don’t like it to get touched like this!" (Liqu)

The tone is in a manner of fact, her gaze indifferent.

Yet behind this, I sense the clear urge to kill.

"W-who are you?" (Cid)

"I’m Liqu!" (Liqu)

And again, an answer which simply states this as if there's nothing more to add.

"What is this? Why are you so strong?" (Cid)

He is visibly intimidated and I think that she is inflicting pain.

The problem is, instead of me she isn’t wearing gloves.

So the matter curls directly around Cid’s hand.

The only reason he hasn’t noticed yet is that the sleeve is obstructing the view.

Also, he is more concerned about her death glare which distracts him from looking at his hand.

The workers take heavy tools and move in our direction.

Cid meanwhile wants to force himself out of Liqu's grip.

When he tries to rip free with all he has Liqu simply releases him, which sends him on his butt.

He's clearly trembling with rage.

"Jacob, who have you brought me here? Who are those people?" (Cid)

"We are just acquaintances who tagged along. We just arrived in town and Jacob offered to show us the places you should know to make a living." (Shari)

"Is that so? As long as I am here you will make no living at all. GUYS! Seize them!" (Cid)

The workers are approaching us, then Jacob chimes in.

"Cid, my friend. That wouldn’t be good. It is not good for your business if it gets violent here. How is it if we just take the five silver and nothing happened, fine?" (Jacob)

"Four! As compensation for my hand and the pain." (Cid)

"Good, then four, if we get a bonus next time." (Jacob)

"Deal." (Cid)

The tension eases and we hurry to make the deal and leave.

Outside we can finally gather ourselves and talk again.

I'm sure, they will never get this bonus.