“One way to gauge the quality of life in a nation is by the laughter of the children. If you find a place where the children still laughed carefreely even in poorer areas, it probably meant that what hardships took place were still manageable for the people who lived there.

On the contrary, when you find a place where children rarely left their homes in fear of the outside, that would likely be a sign of a nation on the verge of collapse, be it of their own doing or otherwise.” - Saying attributed to the Silver Maiden.

Cal gave an appreciative whistle when she saw the massive, bustling open-air market Igor brought them to the next morning. They had gone their own ways after the meal the day before, with a promise for the two youngsters to take them around town the next morning.

He arrived by their inn right around when the group was having their breakfast, and after a quick arrangement, they agreed to go with him while Tal was left at the inn where he kept an eye on Lumi in the stables, a task the young man was clearly all too happy to do anyway. Some of the places they planned to go to that day were on the narrower side and might be bothersome to bring the drake to.

Ida followed them though, as most of those places would be less of an issue for her more lithe form. She also served as a mount for little Ilena, who sat comfortably on her back, with her hand hugging the back of the serval’s neck.

That above anything got some attention from the people they passed. Animal companions were not uncommon in the city, and while they were rare in the region, the people also roughly knew what Ida was. What surprised them was Ilena’s young age and how closely she had bonded with the beast, something most of the locals rarely did.

The practice was supposedly more common in the Isles, according to Mallard. Most local cityfolk felt iffy about allowing their infant children around, much less bonding to a potentially dangerous wild beast, so the practice was rarely done in the city itself.

Krystal herself had dared to allow Ilena and Ida to bond since they were both roughly the same age, and she herself was an experienced tamer. To raise a pair of infants together, although they may be man and beast, was almost guaranteed to result in the two regarding each other as their sibling.

So far, it had paid dividends, and Ilena was probably closer to Ida than she was to her own older sister Leila, while Ida was very protective of the little girl, sometimes scaring away people who got too close to them with a warning snarl.

The market Igor brought them to was situated just outside the city gates, where local farmers and ranchers gathered together on a biweekly basis and erected temporary stalls to sell their produce, both fresh and preserved.

Supposedly there was one such market outside each of the city’s gates, though the western one was the largest by virtue of being in the direction of the most fertile lands, which was where Igor brought them to. The boisterous crowd had already gathered to shop as well, city dwellers from all walks of life, from the laborers who lived closer to the outskirts of the city to butlers and maids who served the rich folks, all shopped and chatted together without a care.

The group dispersed to have a good look on the market - though just in case Cal asked Willa to accompany Vark and his family - and each of them went around to have a look at the things that drew their attention.

Cal visited a stall where a pair of young therians who looked similar enough that they were likely family sold fresh apples, ones with more of a golden sheen to their skin, as well as preserves of plums and strawberries, either as marmalade or simple slices steeped in honey.

Unlike most apples she tasted before, the ones sold had a strong sourness on top of its crisp sweetness, but Cal found that together they just made the fruit more refreshing. The vendors also suggested some freshly pressed apple juice to her which she found just as refreshing, and left the stall with a bag of apples as well as some preserves, while she sipped from a glass of juice in her hand.

Another stall sold corn still in their husks, and also attracted a crowd of buyers by cleverly selling roasted corn on the cob as well, which they roasted above hot coals right in the stall. The fragrant smell of corn and butter wafted throughout the vicinity, which inflamed the appetites of many passersby.

The corn itself was far sweeter than most - testament of its freshness - and flavored simply with butter and some flakes of dried peppers, which gave an additional richness and a slight spicy kick to their sweet smoky flavor. Many other stalls did the same, as they cooked and sold some of their products right on the spot.

What was probably the most unusual one she found was a stall that sold large onions, ones almost the size of a fist, that also baked their onions whole with some butter stuffed into slits made on their top. The resultant baked onions had both a sharp kick of spiciness as well as a pleasant sweetness to them, enriched by the herbed butter that had melted and seeped into its insides.

Naturally, there were other staples of such open markets and fairs, like sausages and other meats roasted over open flames, or potatoes chopped into fingers and fried in plenty of oil. Many of the city dwellers also enlivened the market as they opened their own stalls and sold things alongside the visiting villagers, while a traveling troupe of orcish entertainers who happened to be in town also performed for the gathered crowd.

It was overall a lively, joyous gathering, one that took place every other week. Those who were selling their produce this time might be around as customers the next time, and those that came as customers might be opening a stall and selling their wares in turn.