Chapter 10 : the new axe
At her question, I went silent for a moment, then spoke with a faint smile.
"I have parents, but they are far away from me."
Vrishali interpreted this differently; she thought my parents were no longer in this world.
She lowered her head and said, "Forgive me, Karna. I did not mean to ask you such a question."
Hearing her words, I realized she had misunderstood. I had spoken the truth: my father lived far away from me—furthest of all, residing in the sky. As for my mother, she was no longer in Hastinapur but was living an ascetic life in the forest with her husband.
I didn't think it was the right time to explain this to her, so I decided to tell her another time.
"Karna, can I come here sometimes? Please? I want to see the beautiful view from the upper floor."
Vrishali was looking at me with a sparkle in her lovely eyes; it felt as though refusing her would be a grave mistake.
I couldn't resist that look. "Alright, alright. You can come whenever you wish. I live here alone, after all."
She jumped with joy at my words. Just then, I asked, "Vrishali, didn't you bring a pot with you? Where is it?"
Hearing this, she finally remembered that she had come to fetch water.
"Thank you for reminding me! If I don't bring the water, Mom will scold me. I'm leaving now. I'll meet you later. Bye-bye, Karna!"
Saying this, Vrishali quickly ran back toward the riverbank, and moments later, she disappeared from my sight.
....
I began to ponder my next move. Simply sitting idle like this wouldn't help me figure out my future.
Suddenly, an idea struck me. I had already obtained a business permit using the merchant persona to buy the house, so why not actually start a business?
But what business should I start? As I was contemplating this, my gaze drifted toward the river—or rather, the River Ganga.
I slapped the back of my head. There is a gold mine right in front of you, and you, Karna, are wondering where to earn money?
Catching these fish, frying them, and selling them—the profit wouldn't be small.
I wish I had the spices from my world; that would truly make the business boom. I just hope the System upgrades quickly and includes a Store option.
I made this wish and was about to activate my Telekinesis skill to catch the fish when I remembered another problem.
Shit. I don't have the fuel needed to fry the fish—I have no wood.
For that, I would need to buy an axe, which meant I had to go to the market.
So, I set off toward the market. After walking for some time, I arrived there.
"Fish for sale! Just 1 Silver Coin!"
"Flowers! Get your flowers! 5 Bronze Coins!"
"Fresh vegetables! 6 Bronze Coins!"
Many such stalls were set up in the market, and people were busy selling their wares.
I had no interest in these, so I moved further ahead. A short distance away, I spotted a shop.
It was a smithy where several muscular men were heating iron in the fire and beating it with hammers to shape it according to their will.
Due to the fire, the heat here was far more intense than usual. Yet, accustomed to working in this environment, they were hardly sweating.
I took a few steps and reached the place. There, displayed upon a flat wooden plank, lay various types of tools and weapons.
One of the men looked at me and gestured for me to leave. "Hey, kid. This isn't a place for children to play. Go somewhere else."
"You are misunderstanding me. I have come here to buy an axe. Can you show me one?"
He became interested in my words. "Oh, an axe? Did your parents send you to get it?"
I shook my head. "No, I need it. I want it to cut trees in the forest. Are you willing to sell it?"
The man looked at me with a scornful expression; a mere child talking about cutting down trees.
Sensing his scornful gaze, I broke my silence. "Are you selling me the axe or not? Otherwise, I will go buy it somewhere else."
The man was about to refuse to sell it when another man's voice called out from inside the shop. "Give him what he is asking for."
This man was the owner of the shop and the boss of all these men. The worker dared not defy his boss's order.
"Here, kid. This is a good axe. Its price is one gold coin."
After saying this, the man looked at me, assuming I wouldn't have any money.
But contrary to his expectations, I took out a gold coin and placed it before him.
"Oh, alright. Now this axe is yours."
The man pretended to be composed and handed me the axe I had purchased.
At first, I thought I would have to return empty-handed, but I hadn't expected another man to intervene.
I didn't give it any further thought and began to leave.
Meanwhile, inside the shop, the worker approached his boss. The boss looked old, perhaps around eighty years of age, but his physique was no less robust than that of a young man.
"Boss, why did you allow this to be sold to a child like that? You previously said we should not sell dangerous weapons to any boy under sixteen years of age," the man asked.
"You fool! How many years have you been working here? Have you learned no wisdom from me? Couldn't you see? Even though that boy was standing right here, he wasn't sweating at all."
"We don't sweat because we have been working in this place for years. But that boy stood here completely unbothered, without a single drop of sweat," the boss replied.
"Boss, you mean that child is extraordinary?"
The man had finally asked a sensible question. The boss nodded. "Yes, that is why I told you to sell it to him."
To be continued...