Chapter 3: Radish Market

[Lord's bedroom]

Lord: Morning already? The air is so... what... Sola? Black hair? No, you are Lily. Why are you wearing Sola's dress, and more importantly, why are you lying on top of me?

Lily: Her dress smells like meadow in broad daylight with a slight hint of lemon. Do you want to smell it?

Lord: You are not answering my question, are you?

Lily, shoving herself onto the lord's face: Smell it.

Sola, wearing a kind of towel that looks like it is made from some sort of plant, walks into the room.

Sola: Could you give me back my dress, Lily? Please don't get it from me when I take a bath. We maidens only have one dress, as it is like a part of our body.

Lily: Ok.....ok. I was just having some fun.

Sola: I'm sorry, my lord, that you have to see me in such an unpleasant condition.

Lord: It's OK, Sola. Please do not worry about it.

Lord thinks: [I don't mind at all, Sola. Do it again tomorrow]

[A while later]

Sola, back in her usual dress: Queen of Rose has just sent us this week of fund.

Sola drops a big bag full of gold coins onto the bed.

Lord: Wow! Isn't that too much? There are like almost 5,000 gold coins in there.

Sola: Normally they are kept in our royal treasury, but since now you are awake from your long slumber. So I guess I might give it to you directly for a change.

Wevil: Wow! These coins are so beautiful. May I have some, my lord?

Lord: Is it OK if I....

Sola: Do you want me to chant those boring rhymes again, am I right? [giggle]

Lord: Nope, I always forgot. Thank you, Sola, for everything. Here, Wevil, I give you 500 coins. It's yours now, so you can use it however you want. Have fun.

Iris, waking up: Where would she use it? There are only maidens and trents here. Wevil, I'm saying this again one more time. You are not allowed to go outside the castle's ground alone. You have zero capability to defend yourself and you don't know how bad some human can be, let alone other wild creature like orcs and goblins that might just kill you for fun. Am I right, my lord?

Lord: Ditto. Do exactly as Iris said. This is your lord's command.

Wevil nods.

Iris: I'm sorry I have to play the role of a strict and dominating mother, but I did that for our sisters. Deep inside I am a gentle and obedient housewife type of girl like Violet.

Lord: .....

Sola: By the way, Iris, the table is ready.

Iris: What table?

Sola: From Trent3

Iris: What Trent3?

Sola: Never mind.

Sola: Wevil, congratulation you got a large sum of gift from our lord. Now let go get Almond real fast. Tell her it's a top priority. I have a strong hunch that we might be talking about economy for a while. Almond is our accountant and treasurer, my lord.

Violet: About how much can a gold coin buy? I think it's more valuable if we use it in human villages, right?

Sola: Absolutely, most trents do not know its value. One gold coin can buy basic grade of human food for a few months I guess. If you want to buy something less valuable, you have to exchange it into silver coins or copper coins. The lord must have known these kinds of stuff very well since he is a human. I didn't expect anyone else would bother me by asking this question. My throat is dry ......mumble....mumble....

Violet: Sorry, Sola. I don't go out often.

Sola, sighing in relief: Almond is here. So she can relieve me of my usual duty of explaining things.

Almond is dragging in a really long big sack of gold coins.

Lord: What the f...?

Almond: This is all gold coins from our royal treasury, my lord. Do you need me to bring silver co...

Lord: No, please keep them where they are. And you are quite strong, aren't you?

Almond: Most maidens can drag this sack of gold coins with ease, my lord. My strength is just average. In fact, I am pretty average in everything. [giggle]

Iris, in a highly feminine voice: She is so strong, my lord. I can never drag heavy things like that.

Almond: Wha..? Yesterday I saw you...

Iris: Shut up.

Almond: My lord, I thought you might need it for some purpose, or at least check it. Do you want me to drag it back?

Lord: Yes, after we finish our discussion.

Lord: First question. Where does Queen of Rose get these coins from? Taxing those trents? Trents use money now?

Almond: The short answer is white radish.

After several seconds of silence.

Lord: That's too short, Almond.

Almond: Queen of Rose always regards this castle as your main residence, my lord. So she send most of the income here to keep it in our royal vault. Our kingdom gets revenue from several sources. You might be surprised that we have a lot of valuable things that can be sold. You have tasted Grapefruit, right? Her oversized grape can be sold for 10 gold coins each. Rich humans pay handsomely for the highest grade of food.

Lord: Hey, Wevil, stop eating those grapes, will you? Keep them for sale. It's like you eat away 1 gold coin each bite.

Almond: Our trents can grow various kind of herbs from its own body at no cost. A few of these can cure various life threatening conditions and are worth more than 10 gold coins a leaf.

Lord: Damn.

Almond: Ruin exploration is also another good source of income. Even though it's a dangerous task, some rare and useful items can be sold for more than 1,000 gold coins apiece.

Lord: Damn it! Who knows how expensive the device we broke yesterday. One shouldn't point an expensive item at an old woman, wait, she doesn't even look that old.

Almond: However, the most important source of our income is the sale of those white radishes. You can imagine our level of radish production output from the gigantic size of the yggdrasil tree. In a day the tree produces enough radishes to fill every space in this castle 10 times over.

Almond: Now there are more radishes than we can sell and the price per unit is dropping significantly, but from sheer sale volume alone, we are much richer than before. I'm sure you know that they are very delicious. Human regard our radish a premium grade of food, therefore they are quite valuable. The radish themselves refuse to serve human though, so we sell them as food only.

Lord: What? They are edible? I thought they are sentient beings. Isn't this a kind of vegetable cruelty? Should I call PETA?

Iris: Sentient or not sentient, your old self ate them like snack.

Violet: Don't worry, my lord. Even though your new self has a much gentler personality, I can assure that you are the same person. Want to touch my heart again to confirm that? [giggle]

Iris: What did I miss? There is a heart touching activi...

Lord: Please forget about it and get back to our financial talk.

Almond: In addition, there isn't much expenditure either, other than wage paid to those engineer goblins and a few other things, we don't have to pay anything at all to our workforce.

Iris: Basically your kingdom has almost ten thousand slaves that require no food, clothing, housing, medical care, entertainment, nothing at all, and a cash crop that can grow, walk and sell themselves in the market, all of these by their own and at no cost, then the remaining unsold goods bring back the entire proceeds from the sale to you.

Iris: After that, the unsold goods, instead of rotting or devaluating in its value, will continue to grow and will be available for sale the next day. You also have trents as heavy machinery, who is free and does not require personnel or fuel to operate, and no need of repair. In a month its seeds will automatically grow into 10 more of the same free machinery.

Iris: Moreover, all levels of your personnel require zero compensation, and give you all valuables they might come across in their life from time to time. How could you not get rich?

Lord: Thank you both of you. I get a totally clear picture of it, but I think my most precious assets are you maidens.

Almond is blushing a little.

Iris: Then be gentle with me to night, all right?

Lord: Let distribute these gold coins to all maidens who want it, up to 1,000 coins per person. Think of it as a long-due payment for their salary, and if possible, everyone keeps like 30 coins with yourself all the time. Who knows one day we might need it on the field, because money is one of the most valuable asset for most human. As saying goes, money can buy everything.

Lord: Almond, tell Peony that I allow her to use up to half of what is in the treasury for anything she wishes. Perhaps she might have a nice idea of any construction project that requires human money, and also tell Queen of Rose to keep like 30% of what she usually sent for her own construction and anything she fancies using it on.

Wevil: Wow, that's the most awesome command I have ever heard.

Lily: I haven't done a single work since I got here. Do I get them too?

Lord: Oh, I forgot. Your dresses are made of your own petals, right? Do they have pocket to carry coins?

Iris: Yes, my dress has pockets. Do you want to take a closer inspection of anything else inside my dress?

Wevil: Wow, everyone is so rich now. It's shopping time.

Lord: Did you see a shopping mall around here?

Violet: What is a shopping mall?

Lord: Uh.. never mind.

Iris: Actually we can do some shopping in a nearby human village.

Violet: I haven't been to a human village.

Iris: Other than our lord, how many humans have you seen, violet.

Violet: I don't remember I have seen any. T_T

Sola: The nearest human village is 12 hours away by human walking speed. I think one reason that the old self of our lord chose this place because it is quite far from any human. I will get some fast beast-of-burden kind of trent for the lord to ride on and we will be able to get there in 3 hours. If we start now, we.....

Wevil: YES! The lord has made his decision. Everyone let go.

Lord: Hey, I haven't said anything. But yes, let go.

[Eastern area of the castle]

Lord: Wow. This 10 meter-high trent is pretty awesome. What about their fighting power?

Sola: This one is not a war type, so less than 2. The best ones of the war type are almost 6.

Lord: Doesn't that mean you can kick their ass pretty easily.

Sola: Yes, but fighting like 10 of them at once might be quite troublesome.

Lord thinks: [I'd better never piss these girls, or my life might be in serious danger someday.]

Lord: How far is it again, Lady Sola?

Sola: It's about 3 hours of giant trent's walk to the east, my lord, but how does lady come out all of a sudden?

Wevil: Let do a head check. Lord, Sola, Wevil, Violet, Almond, Ruby, Astille. Hmm...Lily not coming again. So, it's 13 people. On our way back we can check with this number to ensure that no one is left behind. The most important trick in doing this is that you must not forget to count yourself.

Iris: .....

Astille is silently walking with Ruby down below.

Ruby: It's OK we can walk, my lord.

Sola: Yes, we shouldn't bring more giant trents as only this one is more than enough to panic the whole village.

Lord: Ruby, a lively innocent young girl with red flower theme, sporting a cute bang and a braid. Her hair is dark brown with red sheen. Her braid starts from the back of her head but she loves to bring its tail to the front of her body, showing an elegant single red flower attached to the end of the braid. She is very close to Iris and adores Iris as her big sis. For this reason, she should have always been seen with Iris all the time, but she has never appeared with Iris in the story up to this point because even so many scenes has passed, there wasn't really a good chance to put her in.

Iris: What was that all about? Whom are you talking to?

Lord: Don't mind me. Let just say that I have a habit of talking to myself.

Lord: Astille, a very small girl that looks like she is 7 if she was a human, with pale blonde hair, wearing a dress of weird white and red pattern. All strands of her hair end into the top of her head like a bun, but a big white reddish flower is there where the bun should have been. She has an appearance of aloof daughter from a rich and powerful aristocratic family. The way she wa.....

Iris: Are you done yet? Is it fun or what?

Lord: ....

Iris: My lord, please let me hold you tightly. The trent is so tall, I might die if I fall below.

Lord thinks: [Pretty sure she would get only a bruise even if the trent stomps her with all its might]

[Mid way to the village]

Lord: It's almost two hour already. Sorry Ruby and Astille, I feel a bit guilty sitting over here, you all must be tired]

Ruby: Guilty of what, my lord, and why should I be tired?

Sola, whispering: The lord's stamina is about 100 times lower than us, Ruby, so he thinks....

Lord: Hey, hey, I heard that.

Lord: Anyway, my back is a little stiff. Just rest here for a while.

Everyone stops. The lord, Iris and Wevil jump down from the trent's shoulder.

Wevil: Hey, trent. Give some of your berries to our lord.

The trent picks a few bunch of berries from its own body and hands them out to the lord with a friendly smile.

Wevil: Enjoy the fresh berries directly from its source, then drink the best syrup in the world after that, my lord.

Lord: Here are some berries for you, little white reddish one.

Astille does not respond.

Violet: She is just shy, my lord.

Astille emits cold aura.

Lord: ...

The trent picks out more berries and hands them to the lord politely.

Lord thinks: [Hmm...This trent is so friendly. Power less than 2, huh? Much weaker than Jasmine? Perhaps it is not as strong as it seems, just like those worms I sa....]

Out of the blue, the giant trent casually throws a punch at a nearby dead tree, pulverizing it into small pieces.

[After a few seconds of silence]

Lord: Uh...Sola, these trents can not read minds, right?

Sola: Of course not, this particular kind can't even talk.

The trent nods with a friendly smile.

Lord sighs in relief.

Sola: Well, in fact, how could I know it for sure?

Lord: ....

Iris: Everyone is ready? Let go.

Lord: Have you completely recovered your strength, Sir Trent? We can always rest more if you...

Iris: What are you mumbling about? Let go, my lord.

[One hour later]

Sola: Wow. This village has grown much bigger than the last time I was here.

Almond: This place has become the major trading place for the whole lot of radish Queen of Rose dumping into the market, and wherever is trade, along come prosperity. As the number of human in this area increases, I worry about their intrusion to our land. Maybe we should increase the number of guards on the right side of the.....

Wevil: Stop stealing Sola's usual role.

Almond: Pardon?

Wevil: Never mind.

Sola: Pretend that you are a tree and stay still over here as long as I say otherwise.

The trent nods and complies.

[Human nearby]

Man1: We traders have come so far from the east to buy some of the radish everyone was talking about.

Man2: While the price has been dropping significantly around here. It is still high in area far away to the east.

Woman1: The central market must be over there. Let go everyone.

Man1: The wind is pretty strong today. Even that big tree is waving.

Man2: Let me take a closer look. I swear it wasn't there just a moment ago.

Man1: Yeah, yeah... I just saw it walked there while you were looking away you dumb piece of...Wahahahaha....walking tree....wahaha...

Woman1: Are you OK darling? You have been working too hard lately.

Man2: I feel a little sick right now. Perhaps all those rumors about fairy, trents, yggdrasil tree.. have a negative effect on my mind.

Woman1: Better not let those nonsense tales get into your head, darling.

Man1: Wahahaha...walking tree...hahahaha.

Ruby: What was that all about, sis?

Iris: Don't wor...

Violet: Wow, those are human, right, with their wagon?

Iris, carrying Wevil up to her chest: Yes, and oh, in order to avoid any more trouble. Wevil, pretend that you are a lifeless doll all the time we are here. Do not talk, do not move, do not react, do not make facial expression... Simply put, just pretend dead until I say otherwise.

Wevil, turning her face to the lord: But...

Lord: From now on, Iris's words shall have the same authority as my command as long as I say otherwise. I'm hereby formally appoint Iris as my babysitt.. no, I mean, my royal advisor. Especially for you Wevil, no more 'but' when she tells you to do anything, anything at all. Everything went on too slow. At this rate we won't be able to finish the first chapter of this 18+ novel even when it reaches 100,000 words and 3 months of writing effort...mumble...mumble.

Wevil nods with a sad face.

Almond: I don't really understand the last part.

Iris: Me neither, but don't worry, Almond. The world is big and we don't really need to know everything to make our life happy.

Ruby: My lord, have you ever got a glimpse of my scent, do you want to smell it?

Lord, hesitating for a while: Uhh....Well....Ruby...

Iris: Didn't you seem to be in a real hurry just a moment ago?

Sola: I think you already checked on her scent during your first morning in the castle. But if you want to enjoy her more...

Lord thinks: [Oh, cheese. Her memory is terrifyingly good. But as I recall, weren't she sleeping at the time.]

Lord: Well, let go the market everyone!

[At the market]

Ruby: Wow. That's a small mountain of white radishes. Should we buy some, sis?

Iris: ....

Almond: This place has become the major trading place for the whole lot of radish Queen of Rose dumping into the market, and wherever is trade....

Iris: Stop. You have said the exact sentence earlier.

Almond: Other than radishes, there are also a lot of other stuff to buy. Let enjoy the shopping, everyone. We have brought enough gold coins to buy everything in this market, including the market itself and the land beneath it.

Sola: This place seems safe enough. Everyone except our lord can separate and enjoy yourself. You should stay near at least one maiden who isn't Astille all the time, my lord. Wevil doesn't count as a maiden, by the way.

The doll in Iris's arms seems pissed.

Lord thinks: [yeah, yeah... I know that.... In her eyes I am even weaker than Astille]

Solar: Everyone can ask for more coins from Almond.

A human girl, points her finger at the group: Look..look.. those girls have bought a good costume from somewhere.

Another human girl: Yeah, cosplaying as the flower girls is very popular lately.

Lord: What was that all about?

Solar, with a dry smile: I don't know, my lord.

[Costume shop]

Ruby: Look...look....There is a lot of fake flowers here.

Iris: Hmm...this bunch of small flowers of various colors seems familiar.

Ruby: Look...look. There are dresses of various colors too.

Merchant: Welcome, ladies. This shop sells all kind of things related to the legendary flower girls. There is a rumor about flower girls living deep in the forest near a giant magical tree. Personally I don't believe in either the girl or the tree, but when there is a chance to make profit, I am......, oh, you all seem to have bought a full set of flower girl's gear from somewhere else. Every part of the costume you are wearing seems so real. That means they must have been made from very high quality material.

Ruby: My flower is real.

Merchant: Yeah, yeah.. but don't you want to buy some more? Even the quality of my goods isn't that high, but trust me sooner or later you will get bored with the one you are wearing. We have all sorts of costume. Do you like a sunflower, little girl? If you attach this big sunflower on your hair like this, you will look exactly like the legendary sunflower girl, only for 5 copper coins. I have a full set of her yellow sunflower costume too, only for 50 coppers, you can try it on inside.

[A while later]

Merchant: Thank you for your patronage.

Ruby: I think this set of costume makes me look like Sola. I have to wear it over my dress. I don't want to spend the effort to regrew my own dress again.

Iris: It seems the current fashion trend around here is "legendary flower girl"

Ruby: Who are they, sis?

Iris: .....

In another shop, the sign in the front reads 1 gold = 10 silver = 100 copper, as if it wants to tell someone who know nothing about this world's economy

Girl1: Wow. That doll is so cute. May I touch it?

Iris: Umm.. sorry, but you can look from afar. It's just a glorified bowl of syrup. There is a purse inside its belly.

Girl2: Where did you buy it from?

Iris: Somewhere far up north. You don't want to go there. The place is ridden with all kinds of dangerous monster.

Girl2: Too bad I really want one.

Girl2: May I buy it from you for 5 gold coins. My father is a rich radish trader.

Iris: Sorry, this doll is very important to me. I won't sell it even if you bring me all the gold stored in Midland's vault.

Girl2: Pretty sure you are exaggerating, but that all I can offer. Thank you for your time.

Girl1: Doesn't the doll's face looks a little happier than a moment ago.

Girl2: You are hallucinating. Come on. Let go buy similar dolls elsewhere.

Ruby: Girls, that thing is not a...

Iris: Shut up Ruby.

[Some other area in the market]

Sola: During his slumber, it never come across my mind that we should spend at least some of the kingdom's income. But now our lord has asked us to spend it....

Almond: What do you think we should do with the majority of the remaining gold? As our current income is about 1,000 gold coins per day, we are free to use at least half of what we have in the vault.

Sola: That is very tough question, almond. We should spend it on things that can improve the wellbeing, happiness and safety of the lord and all of his maidens.

Almond: I agree in principle, but what is it exactly? In contrast, Queen of Rose seems to have been spending it on several projects. Maybe we should consult her?

Sola: Yes, at least let listen to her advice, and we will think about it again.

A girl, walking by: Wow. Good costume. You looks exactly like the description of the legendary sunflower girl.

Sola, smiling: Thank you for your compliment. Have a safe trip.

Almond: It seems that you have done a lot of missions near human inhabited area?

Sola: Yeah, the sheer amount of approach by strangers starts to annoy me a little.

Another small kid, walking by: [Sunflower ray]... zoooom

Almond: .....

[Another area of the market]

Lord: I haven't seen you fight, Violet, but if I remember correctly, Sola said you are very strong. What can you do?

Violet, blushing: I'm not that good, my lord. I use storm of petals to attack all enemy from afar. I'm not very good at close range and kind of requires someone else to protect me.

Astille: I can shoot fireball.

Lord: Wow, little one. You can fight too?

Astille does not respond.

Violet: First, you must stop crouching in fear Astille. You can't protect anyone when you are crouching on the time.

Astille: ....

Violet: But her fireball can burst away a group of goblin and kill all of them, if she has a chance to attack first.

Astille smiles.

Violet: Anyway, stay with me or other maidens all the time. You got it right? You can try to protect the lord only when there is no other maidens around, otherwise let them handle it.

Astille nods.

Lord: Let not talk about serious things and enjoy the market.

Violet: Do you want to sniff Astille, my lord?

Astille: I don't want to be sniffed.

Lord: It's OK. I don't mind. Each and every maidens shall have their own free will. I don't want to force anyone to do anything for me.

Violet, blushing: That's such a nice thing to say, my lord. Do you want to smell my flowers a little then? I'm willin....

Astille: Look. The woman with cool crystal ball.

Lord: Let go try it, Astille.

Violet seems upset.

[At fortune teller's table]

Fortune teller: Come check your future and your past. For just one copper coin, you can ask one question.

Women: I lost my engagement ring. Where can I find it?

Fortune teller: Under your bed. It fell there yesterday. Next!

Boy: I lost my dog. Could you help me find him?

Fortune teller: On the other side of the pond near your home, but it can move, let go. Next!

Man: Will she marry.....?

Fortune teller: You have no chance. Next!

Girl: Will he receive my chocol...?

Fortune teller: Yes, but he still won't love you. Next!

Man: Have you seen my wife?

Fortune teller: No. Next!

Old man: Can you heal my dog?

Fortune teller: No, go to a vet, and you still have to pay me. Next!

Child: Will I pass my exam next week?

Fortune teller: Read more and you will, otherwise not. Next!

Old woman: Can you revive my dead husband?

Fortune teller: No, you need an entirely different kind of profession, and one copper please. Next!

Child: Will you tell my fortune for free?

Fortune teller: No, and you have to pay one copper for this answer. Next!

Homeless girl: Will I have a big house for my family when I grow up?

Fortune teller: Maybe, let do your best. Next!

A couple: Will us two get married?

Fortune teller: Yes, but not with each other, and I charge one copper from each of you. Next!

Another man: That means I still have a chance then?

Fortune teller: Yes, but be careful, both of them heard you. Next!

Women: I still can't find my ring.

Fortune teller: Search carefully. It's hidden in the corner of your rug under your bed, and one more copper please. Next!

Woman: Have you seen my husband?

Fortune teller: Yes, he is looking for you. If you wait here for a while, he might come. Next!

Boy: I still can't find my dog.

Fortune teller: Now the dog has walked to another side of your house, and one more copper please. Next!

Child: I'm still not sure I can pass my exam next week.

Fortune teller: What is the question? Better start reading now and you will have a better chance, and one more copper please. Next!

Girl: He ate my chocolate but he still don't want to be my boyfriend. Should I make more chocolate?

Fortune teller: Yes, if you want to, but he will never ever be your boyfriend, and one more copper please. Next!

Old man: I have gone to the vet but my dog is still sick.

Fortune teller: Try another vet, but your dog might die anyway, and one more copper please. Next!

Women: I still can't find my ring after looking under the rug as you said.

Fortune teller: From the left corner of your bedroom door, walk 3 steps towards the top left corner of your bed. The ring is hidden under the rug 3 inches away towards the left wall of your bedroom. How much more specific do you want me to be, and one more copper please. Next!

Boy: I still can't find my dog.

Fortune teller: It has fallen into the pond and died alone, slowly and painfully. The corpse has sunk into the bottom of the pond. Find a new dog elsewhere, and one more copper please. Next!

Man: I still can't find my wife. Have you seen her?

Fortune teller: Yes, I told her to wait for you here but she didn't believe me, and one more copper please. Next!

Homeless girl: Can I have a small house right now, and another big house for my family when I grow up?

Fortune teller: No and maybe, respectively, and one more copper please. Next!

Girl: Thank you. I am going to be married with a better man because of your advice.

Fortune teller: Congratulation, and one more copper please. Next!

Man: Another man get my future wife because of you. You are going to pay for....

Fortune teller: I'm also a powerful magician. If you really want to fight me, better come fully equipped and bring a few of your friends, or else you will have no chance, and one more copper please. Next!

[Near the fortune teller's table]

Violet: Wow, she seems pretty good at it, right? Hi, come over here, Iris, Ruby, over here.

Iris: She is a charlatan. These are all random answers she can make up in her mind on the spot. Tomorrow she won't be here because angry customers will come back, asking for a refund.

Ruby: What is a charlatan?

Iris: Never mind.

Sola, walking in with Almond: I guess so. At this rate, she can earn like 10 gold coins per day, more than an army's squad leader earns in a week, and tomorrow she just need to travel to another village.

Violet: I'm not very good at math, but if you girls said so.

Lord: Come on...girls. It's just 1 copper. Pretty OK for a cost of entertainment.

Ruby: Why don't you try it, my lord. You might get a glimpse of your past, and the memory you lost.

Violet: Good idea, Ruby. If we pay her 1 gold coin, we can ask her 10 questions.

Sola: It's 100, Violet.

Ruby: Then, our gold coins are useless then, we want to ask her only a few questions.

Sola: .....

Iris: Yes, I want to know about his past too. When I was born, he practically has lost all of his memory, even before he went into his slumber. He didn't even remember the yggdrasil and anything that had happened a few days ago.

Sola: Didn't you just say she is a charlatan earlier.

Iris: Oops. Anyway, let try it just for fun.

[Near the end of a very long queue]

Lord: The queue is so long again, and this time there will be no Queen of Rose rushing out to welcome us.

Almond, walking to a spot nearby and shouts: One free gold coin for everyone, get in this queue, answer a few questions about yourself and you will get 1 gold coin. Hurry up before the coin is run out.

The fortune teller's queue disappears in an instant. The fortune teller herself is hesitating whether she should get into the new queue or not.

Lord: Wow, she is pretty clever, isn't she?

Sola: Yes, better than myself in some aspects, but let do it before we lost our fortune teller.

[At the fortune teller's table]

Iris: Hello, may I enjoy your service?

Fortune teller: Yes, one copper please.

Iris: Could you come talk with us over there? The new queue starts to cause quite a chaos around the area.

Fortune teller: Yes, I can and I will, one more copper please.

Sola, whispering: Calm down Iris. With the money we have, we can do this practically forever till the end of time.

Iris, whispering: My lord, better start asking the real question before we run out of copper coins. Our coins are mostly gold.

Sola: I will get more copper coins real quick. Everyone please continue.

Lord: Tell me about yourself.

Fortune teller: I am just a generic fortune teller, and one copper please.

Lord: With unique sprite and all, do you want me to believe that?

Iris: Huh? What?

Fortune teller: No, I don't really want you to believe that. I perfectly understand what you mean, but do you think this is the most appropriate place to talk about how two-dimensional bitmap work? and one copper please.

Iris: Could you two stop talking about what everyone else can't understand?

Fortune teller: Yes, I can, and one copper please.

Sola, rushing in with a bag full of copper coins: All these coins for an hour of your answers. I think someone might be really fed up by the word "one copper please"

Fortune teller: I accept you offer. From now on you don't need to pay a copper coin for anything that I can answer.

Sola: In retrospect, I should have paid you with gold coins of equal value instead.

Lord: Oh, by the way, what is your name, fortune teller?

Fortune teller: I am sorry I refuse to answer that question. Here is a refund of one copper.

Iris picks it up and throws it far away.

Lord: Could you tell me about my past? I want to know about my past.

Fortune teller: Yes, but not with some difficulty. Your past is different, one more copper please, oops, no need, sorry, it has become a habit.

Lord: Tell me more about it. How can we avoid this difficulty?

Fortune teller: Your past are clouded by a powerful force. I can overcome it to some extent but I need 3 days to prepare and 1,000 gold coins.

Iris: I told you she is a charlatan! How come you charge everyone else 1 copper and charge us ten thousand times more.

Sola thinks: [She messed up her calculation a bit but better not bring that up right now.]

Sola: Let our lord decide. It's his money after all.

Lord: Well, we will think about it. Do you know any other fortune tellers around here?

Fortune teller: I think now there should be one west from here, where Water yggdrasil are.

Lord: OK, thank you for your answer. See you later.

Fortune teller: Thank you for loads of copper coin. See you later.

Almond: Are you sure, my lord? A thousand gold coins are just a small pocket change for us.

Lord: I haven't got used to spending that many gold coins, I guess, and we should be back at the castle before nightfall, since there are 2 children with us.

Iris: She is a charlatan!

[In a shop with a sign: Advanced Magic Item]

Ruby: Wow, there are so many weird items here.

Sola: My lord, we should carefully choose and buy only some good ones that might benefit our cause.

Almond: How much do all items in your shop cost, sir?

Sola: ... or just buy them all and think later.

Shopkeeper: Wahahaha, little girl. Not only you are so cute, you have a good humor too.

Almond lays a sizable bag of gold coins onto the counter.

Almond: Is this enough, sir.

[A few seconds of silence have passed]

Shopkeeper: You got the place and the land beneath it too. Thank you for your patronage.

Sola: She know how to use money.

Shopkeeper, far away in the back: Darling, we have been rich. Let move our shop to the business district in Midland.

Shopkeeper, walking back: Come visit us in Midland if you have a chance. Farewell, we are moving right now.

Iris: Well, this village no longer has an item shop.

Violet: Check this one. The description said "Power scouter, used to measure overall fighting power of a person"

Ruby: Let me use it on our lord. Wow, 45? Is that high?

Iris: On the path to yggdrasil, Sola said that I'm about 10, if I remember correctly.

Ruby, moving closer to the lord: Really? Wow, I always know you are stronger than you look. A man should be about 4 times stronger than a woman, right, sis?

Violet: Our lord is a very humble man and always hide his true power. He will use it to safe us only when we are truly in trouble.

Lord: I have a very strong hunch that there must be something wrong somewhere in this chain of reasoning.

Sola, with a dry smile: Let try it on Astille.

Ruby: Oh my deity, 4263.

Lord: What? Oh I get it.

Violet: Something must be wrong, my lord. Use it on Sola then.

Sola: No, you shoul....

Ruby: It's done.

As faint smoke come out, the device is not working anymore.

Sola: Let Almond explain. My throat is dry.

Almond: Every kinds of device are designed with certain limited range of use. Think of a weighing scale, it can measure a weight of a person with no trouble, perhaps around a range of 0 to 200 kgs, but if you use it to weigh an elephant even once, it will break and can never be used again. Some devices have some measures to prevent overloading like this, but perhaps not this one.

Almond: I think this device has been calibrated so that 100 is the power of average unarmed male human. So, that's why our lord get 45. The number 10 iris got is on an entirely different unit of measurement.

Lord thinks: [Everyone please leaves this weak, not even half a man alone T_T, oh cheese, better not piss Astille too from now on, she can certainly kill me in one strike if she want to]

Iris: Oh, that makes sense. Never mind. Let play another item.

Ruby: Look at this jug, water keep flowing out non-stop.

Violet: Wow, floating silver coin.

Astille is playing quietly with a top that spins forever.

Ruby: What is this, Sola?

Sola: A flute, a kind of wind musical instrument, not actually a magical item though. You block some of the holes with your fingers and blow into it.

Ruby: OK, like this... and this?

Lord: Huh, you played this somewhere else before? You have quite a talent.

Ruby: [giggle]

Iris: She has a talent in practically almost everything, except intelligence.

Ruby: Sis!

Iris: That's not a sarcasm though. You name it, fighting, jumping, swimming, sculpture, dancing, embroidery, cooking, music, art...

Ruby: Love you sis.

Iris: But a bit stupid.

Ruby: Love you only half.

Iris, hugging Ruby from behind: And as a maiden, her nectar has the best quality of all maidens, both in scent and taste. She usually doesn't produce much though. Come taste it, my lord.

Ruby: No, sis.

Iris: The lord won't taste you if you say no, you know. He is quite a gentleman. Do you want him to taste it or not?

Ruby nods.

Iris: Too bad, I think our lord doesn't want to taste someone like you. He has a lot of other maidens to taste already.

Ruby: ....

Lord: All right...all right. [Hmm..similar trick Sola used on me earlier]

While still hugging Ruby from behind, Iris picks the end of Ruby's braided pony tail, and hand it to the lord.

Iris: Massage this red flower attached to the end of her pony tail. She won't give much nectar unless you massage it well.

Ruby: Be gentle with me please. No, stop, stop...

Iris: Stop moving too much, OK? Or else he can't massage your flower well.

Ruby: I can't.... please stop, it's too....

Ruby's scent starts to fill up the room. Her scent is far sweeter than Jasmine's

Iris: She still hasn't stopped moving. Let me help you by holding her in place, my lord.

Ruby: No....sis...no... Please don't....

Iris: Do you want to do it or not, Ruby? Should we take your words literally or what? The lord and me do not want to force this on you, you know?

Ruby: Whatever I say please don't stop. They are just meaningless words. From now on, please ignore every words I say.

Ruby breathes a lot faster, her cheek reddens....

Ruby: No..it hurts. It hurts... The nectar almost...

Violet: Hi, have you girls found any good items...huh? All of you are in a middle of something?

The lord drops Ruby's pony tail from his hand.

Ruby seems really upset, with tears filling her eyes.

Violet: Are you OK, Ruby? Why are you crying?

Iris: Our lord wanted to taste Ruby's nectar. She said don't, no, stop, it hurts, several times, but the lord probably wanted her nectar so badly he refused to stop. I come in to help my little sister but the lord doesn't seem to care and keeps doing it. That's probably why Ruby is crying.

Lord thinks: [Hey...hey...you are also one of the accomplice. These misleading truths are so scary...and this 'probably' cheese can't help either]

Violet: My lord, I'm very disappointed in you. At the market, you told me that each and every maidens shall have their own free will, and now you are doing this to Ruby?

Iris thinks: [These guys are so fun]

Iris: Please forgive our lord, Violet. I'm sure deep down inside he is a good guy. He might just have lost control for only a moment because he wanted to taste her nectar so much. Perhaps you should give some of yours to him later in the castle.

Lord thinks: [Hey, hey, you stop playing good girl's role right now.]

Violet, blushing: If that's what my lord wishes.

Violet: Ruby, are you OK? Your face still reddens and you seem really upset. My poor little sister. Let me check if you are OK.

Violet's hands reach for Ruby's flower, checking it.

Ruby: Please don't. It's still very sensitive. No.. don't or else I won't be able to...

Violet: Stop talking, Ruby. I have to make sure that you are OK. There are bruises all over the petals. Let me check the pistil.

Ruby: Please don't touch it....It’s still…..I can’t.....

A transparent red nectar splashes out from the flower, soaking all over Violet's hands and face.

Ruby is now crying instead.

Violet: Look what you have done, my lord. She is crying hard due to the pain and damage you did to her flower and her feeling. Look at all her tears and tell me you don't feel a slightest bit of guilt?

Sola: It's OK, Violet. I think they are good kind of tears.

Violet: Huh?

Iris: My lord, taste it on Violet's face. That's the best nectar in the whole maiden's world. I don't want to waste it, and it has never come out in such a large quantity like this.

Lord, whispering: Violet is still very angry with me, you know.

Iris: Fine. I'll eat it all myself. Hmm...soooo good...this concentrated beautiful scent....HEAVEN....you are so worthy to be my beloved sister.

Lord: Now I really want to taste it.

Violet: I found a lot of rings, necklaces and pendants over here.

Iris: There is jewelry too. Do they have magical property, Sola?

Sola: Slightly. The attribute boost is way too low for us anyway.

Iris: But they can still be used as ornament, right?

Sola: Definitely.

Iris: My lord, let get some good one for our princess in pink. I'm sure she will love it.

Lord: Uh, yeah.

Sola: Let get all of them back for maidens who stays at the castle, as souvenirs. I feel a little bit guilty that I left all of them there, except Lily of course.

Violet: Look at this thorny necklace. Holly must like it.

Lord: Are you sure about that...

Sola: Since half of the items are junk, everyone put what you think is good into this sack or keep it with yourself.

Iris: Almost time to go somewhere else.

Violet: I feel like a rich kid who has just bought a lot of toys.

Astille nods happily.

Violet: Ruby, are you OK? You can't walk straight.

Ruby: It's OK, violet. I feel a little tired.

Sola: You forgot your beloved doll.

Iris: Oops, totally.

Sola: She obeys your command so well.

Iris: Yeah, so well that I almost forgot her here. Eh? Or is this in fact a doll, let me check.

Wevil giggles but still does not speak.

Iris: OK, it's real her. Let go. Next time we will bring her out again if the mission is safe.

The doll smiles.

Almond: You sir, over there, do you want to buy this item shop for 1 gold coin?

Iris: And now the village has its item shop back.

[On their way out of the market]

Little girl, walking by: Mother, check those legendary flower girls. The rare red one is coming too.

Mother: Don't be silly, girl. They are all fake. These girls don't know how to spend their parent's hard-earned money.

Iris: Hey, you two over ther...

Ruby, stopping her: Easy, sis. Calm down.

Lord: Haha, Iris, you are always like this.

Iris: .....

Almond: Thank you our lord for giving all these coins for our shopping today.

Lord: No..no, I must thank all of you for everything. These coins are in fact yours, and if you didn't help me, I would have been dead long ago.

Iris: Instead of verbal thanks, can I get physical thanks tonight?

Ruby: What is physical thanks, sis?

Iris: The one you've just received, I guess.

Ruby: Hmm, when?

Iris: Never mind.

[Meanwhile near Windy castle in the north]

Purple: Hello, do you ever see blue sunflowers around here?

The woman does not reply and walks away, dragging her son along.

Woman, whispering to her child: Let go home my child. Never go near crazy people.

[Back at the bedroom, in the night time]

Ruby: Wevil hasn't moved yet, is she OK, sis?

Iris: You can move now, Wevil, and my pretend dead command always ends automatically when we are back safely at the castle.

Wevil nods.

Iris: Your nectar tastes so good. I'm not kidding when I said your nectar is the best in both scent and taste. Let me make it some more right now.

Ruby: No, stop, sis. This time real stop. Now it starts to hurt a lot you know., but let do it again some other time.

Lord, walking in: Not sleeping yet? You two.

Ruby: My nectar tastes OK, right, my lord?

Iris: He hasn't eaten it yet.

Ruby: What? Why?

Iris: You might be too tired at the time, so you didn't notice that after it spilled all over Violet's face, our lord refused to eat it and I had to eat it all instead.

Ruby, with a little tear: Why? It smells bad or something. I was trying so hard to produce that.

Iris thinks: [Oh, really? I saw you did nothing apart from saying no, don't, stop, it hurts, it hurts]

Lord: No, Ruby. I'm sure it tastes so great. Violet was angry with me at the time.

Ruby: Liar. You just don't want to eat it. My nectar smells rotten, right?

Ruby is crying.

Lord: No, believe me I want to.

Ruby: Then prove it. Eat it right now.

Lord: From where?

Ruby: Here. From the flower.

Iris: But didn't you just say it starts to hurt a lot.

Ruby: What? I haven't said anything even close to that.

Iris, with an expressionless face, thinks: [YES!!]

Lord: Your flower seems to have a lot of bruises right now. We can always do it some other time, Ruby.

Ruby: What bruises? Those are the flower's natural pattern. It's OK, my lord. I know you don't want to eat it. Just say a word and I will go.

Iris thinks: [Wow, she will be better than me someday.]

Lord: It seems to be much softer to the touch.

Ruby: Stop. It hurts. It hurts so much.

Lord: I told you we shouldn't do it today.

Ruby: You still don't get it, do you? They are just meaningless words I love to cry out when my flower is touched. Please don't let them get into your head.

Iris thinks: [Wow, Ruby. Your lies are so smooth and powerful. I know it really hurts a lot right now.]

Ruby: You shouldn't stop every single time I say anything.... In fact, just ignore everything I say from now. Let finish this quickly. I really want to go to sleep.

Lord: OK, if's that is what you want. I will finish this quickly then.

The lord begins to massage her flower.

Ruby: It hurts. It hurts so much. Stop.. no... I can't stand doing this anymore. This time for real, stop, please. I'm sorry I thought I can stand it, but In fact, I can't….Let me goooo..

Iris: She has a habit of wriggling so much. I will help by holding her in place then. Let finish this quickly. I want to sleep too.

Ruby: No, sis, this time it really hurts, really really hurt. Why are you not listening to me, sis. I beg you, please, no more....no more....please..stop...sis...please.

Ruby: Sis, why are you doing this to me? I don't want to do this anymore. Please stop, sis. It's so painful....anyone at all...

Lord: Your meaningless words sound so real, Ruby, and your performance is 10/10.

Lord: I think I'd better use my tongue just in case because I really don't want to hurt you. It's much softer than my hands and we won't waste a drop of your nectar this time.

Ruby: This feeling... It still hurts so much, so so much. but.......It feel so....

Ruby: Please, my lord, no.. please, I can't hold it anymore. Please don't look ...

All nectar contained in her flower squirts out, until no single drop is left.

Her body shakes for a while. A moment later she stops moving but sobbing silently instead with a lot of tears flowing continuously down her cheeks.

Ruby: Sis, hold me..sis. Hold me softly just like this. Sis it still hurts...it hurts. It hurts so much I don't want to..... Stay with me, sis...please hold me softly just like this...sis, I love you so much...I forgive you for doing this to me...sis..just hold me sis...

Lord: Oh, suddenly and without notice, she turned back into flower form?

Iris: Yes, we do that a lot when we are too tired, sleepy or bored..... or when we no longer want to live in this world anymore.

Lord: What did you just say? I didn't hear that last part.

Iris: Nothing.

Lord: Not only bruises, now most of her petals are completely torn away. Is this really OK?

Iris: Don't worry about it, my lord. She will recover in a few days, physically at least.

Lord: What do you mean by physically at least.

Iris: Never mind.