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The Village's market was built around the statues of the Mountain Hero and others.
Large and small carts were parked around the four stone statues, forming the Village's market.
After Yulian slowly parked his pumpkin cart next to another pumpkin cart, he took two small wooden stools from his cart and gestured for Nico to sit down, observing his surroundings carefully.
Throughout this process, he completely ignored the unfriendly stares of the villagers next to him.
After all, doing business is like this; you can't give up a good spot you've carefully chosen just because of others and go somewhere else.
Although it was indeed a bit wrong for him to voluntarily park his two pumpkin stalls together, there was really no other way.
Very few people were setting up stalls today, as the Village roads were muddy after the recent rain.
But there were still people who set up stalls.
Pumpkin sellers, potato sellers, chili sellers, carrot sellers...
Almost every stall only sold one type of fruit or vegetable. Occasionally, when they encountered someone selling the same thing, the two parties would exchange unfriendly glances and then quietly move away from each other.
So, I'm the only one not playing fair, huh...
Yulian rubbed his nose, quietly gestured for Nico to get up, and pushed the cart a considerable distance away from the pumpkin stall next to him.
Instantly, Yulian felt that the pumpkin stall villager's gaze towards him had become much friendlier.
Heh heh, men.
After returning a polite smile and finishing his internal monologue, Yulian entered the zone—like many villagers, he gazed at the end of the road not far away.
There was almost only one type of buyer at the market: merchants who came from the city with tall ox carts to collect goods.
However, unfortunately, even so, it was difficult for the villagers to make money.
While collecting goods, the merchants would often also bring expensive daily necessities to sell.
Fabric, salt, candy, as well as fine white flour, tea leaves, and weapons.
Weapons were also considered a type of daily necessity.
Because when mountain bandits arrived, most of the time the villagers had to fight for their lives with the bandits themselves.
Sigh...
Yulian didn't know how many times he had come to the market.
But every time he came, Yulian couldn't help but feel sad.
He felt sad seeing the wide, clean official road empty, and the stalls beside the official road placed in the muddy water.
He felt sad seeing the villagers working hard all year round, yet only being able to barely make a living.
He felt sad seeing the unfairness of merchants and the Lord's soldiers being able to return fully loaded and make a fortune just by coming on a casual trip with their ox carts.
But all Yulian could do was watch, or even just join the ranks of the exploited.
Powerful magic users, well-equipped soldiers, and towering city walls became an insurmountable barrier for the proletariat in this world.
Finally, at some point, the ox cart that everyone was longing for appeared!
Yulian was gently patted by Nico, and the moment he saw the tall ox cart appear, all his drowsiness vanished.
Despite his internal complaints, when the ox cart appeared, Yulian appropriately put on the necessary smile.
"Boss, want to take a look at some pumpkins?"
"Just harvested today, guaranteed fresh!"
Yulian shouted to the person on the ox cart.
"Stop."
The merchant on the cart stopped.
He got off the ox cart and carefully examined Yulian and the pumpkins next to him.
Because the pumpkins had been lightly rained on, they indeed looked exceptionally fresh under the sunlight at this moment.
"Eight gold coins is okay, right?"
The slightly plump merchant narrowed his eyes and roughly scanned the pumpkin cart as he spoke.
"Deal."
Yulian was slightly surprised by the man's ability to estimate the price, but considering the man's identity, it was reasonable.
"Clang, clang, clang~"
The sound of gold coins clashing rang out, and for a moment, everyone in the market couldn't help but focus their gaze on the bag the man was holding.
A full bag, all shimmering gold coins.
"Hold on to it carefully."
The man smiled, counted out eight gold coins and handed them to Yulian, then gently waved his hand behind him.
Immediately after, the pumpkins in Yulian's cart seemed to be given life, flying one after another neatly into the tall ox cart behind the man.
"Thank you."
Yulian nodded, ignoring the envious gaze of the previous pumpkin villager. He took out three gold coins from the ones in his hand and gave them to Nico, then sat on the small stool and stared blankly.
Nico took the gold coins and walked towards the back of the merchant's large group.
That was where the daily necessities were sold.
"Would you like to see some carrots, Sir!"
"Sir, newly harvested potatoes, Sir!"
The villagers behind him eagerly promoted their crops, but unfortunately, there were always times when the market was bad each year.
The merchant naturally couldn't buy everything.
So the villagers who sold their crops were naturally happy to take the gold coins and go to the back to buy supplies for the winter, while the villagers who didn't sell their crops kept pleading along the way, just to sell their hard-earned year's harvest cheaply in exchange for money to buy supplies.
What a profitable business!
Yulian couldn't help but sigh, perhaps even the capitalists of his previous life couldn't reach this level.
"Brother Yulian~"
Nico waved to Yulian in the crowd, then pointed to the ground behind her.
"Coming!"
Yulian pushed his cart and walked towards Nico.
Fabric, salt, and some charcoal were all that Nico bought.
"Let's get some more candy."
Yulian rubbed his nose and shouted to the woman standing on the supplies cart.
"Okay, Sir."
The woman wearing a black and white apron smiled and handed over a bag of candy.
"Twenty copper coins in total, Sir."
"Here you go."
Yulian took out the money bag he had already prepared and handed it directly to the woman.
"Thank you, Sir."
The woman was polite, slightly bowed, and then turned to attend to the other villagers.
The entire process was smooth and comfortable, as if it had been repeated dozens of times.
And indeed, it had been.
In the ten years he had been in the Village, every winter since the first year, Yulian would do this.
"Okay, Brother Yulian~"
By the time Yulian turned around, Nico had already moved all the supplies onto the small cart.
"Very good~"
Yulian indulgently ruffled Nico's cat-like head, praising her while handing her the candy.
"Let's go."
From noon until sunset.
Yulian and Nico's figures, pushing the small cart, were stretched long by the setting sun, and they gradually disappeared from everyone's sight.
"Is it really the Demon Race?"
In a corner, Frieren looked at this scene and pondered.
In a thousand years, this was the first time she had doubted her perception.
Perhaps it was just a similar magic fluctuation?
"Mage Miss, do you need to buy some supplies?"
"Winter here is very difficult to get through~"
On a passing supplies cart, a sweet-looking girl waved to Frieren.
Beautiful clothes, charcoal packaged in bags, and a variety of delicious candies were displayed one by one by the girl.
The array was dazzling, and the villagers were stunned.
They had almost never heard of or seen these things.
Unfortunately, the girl misjudged.
"Emma..."
Frieren bit her finger, felt the money bag in her pocket, and after a moment of contemplation, silently walked over to the ordinary goods.
"I'll just take this."
Frieren wasn't very wealthy; buying magic items almost always emptied her money bag.
And before coming here, she had just gone on a major shopping spree.
"This, this one?"
The beautiful girl's mouth twitched slightly as she looked at the coal Frieren was pointing at.
What's going on!
Are the esteemed, wealthy, and noble magic users so poor now!
But she was clearly wearing precious silk clothes!
And they had gold trim!
"Okay, how much would you like?"
Fortunately, the girl's professional quality allowed her to react quickly. She immediately put on gloves, picked up a sack and a shovel, and prepared to start working.
"One bag?"
"Two bags,"
"Hmm... no!"
Frieren clutched her small money bag, a conflicted expression on her face.
Finally, she sighed.
"Three bags then."
As expected of the esteemed Mage!
The quality might be average, but the quantity is excellent!
The girl's eyes lit up, and she called out to others to start shoveling coal for Frieren first.
"Six gold coins in total, Esteemed Mage!"
"Six coins?"
"Yes, Esteemed Mage!"
"It's quite a bit cheaper than expected."
"Because this is the Hero of the Mountain's hometown, Esteemed Mage!"
Frieren nodded, handed the money bag embroidered with the words 'gold coins' to the girl, then summoned her staff and transported the three bags of coal she had packed before turning and leaving.
Is it because of the Hero?
Frieren thought silently.
The four stone statues stood quietly in the center of the market.
Although the Hero and his party were no longer here, was the Hero's grace still protecting everyone in this land?
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