The town had yet to come fully alive, and stores like weapons, garments, and others were yet to be opened. So far only vegetable shops and cookhouses were open, and people were gathered there to buy daily necessities. Since the shops were yet to open, the three decided to roam around and see what things the town had to offer.
Where they had taken the inn to stay was where the rich resided; that was not surprising for the three of them, since they already lived in slums and rich people lived in separate locations in Gruoce Town.
After sightseeing for a while, they decided to enter one of the shops that sold clothes. Jasper chose this shop since it was not too luxurious but not too poor for them to choose only a few items. If he were to choose a luxurious shop, his mother would definitely reject the idea of spending a lot of gold coins.
Since it was still early for customers to come and buy clothes, the owner of the shop was a little surprised. He quickly greeted his first customers, though some reluctance showed on his face after seeing their clothes.
Jasper and his family wore old, somewhat tattered clothes, and in a few places there were patches on Irene's clothes. Previously they usually bought clothes only when necessary, not for luxury, so their clothes looked worn.
"Welcome, please have a look. We have a lot of new designs that people wear in the capital city," the owner of the shop said his usual line.
Jasper nodded his head and walked to a spot where clothes were hung for display. Irene was the most excited among them. Her eyes sparkled after seeing all the new clothes which she had never seen before. She quickly selected a few fancy-looking, bright-colored gowns.
His mother looked at a few tunics and kirtles and a few more designs which she could wear at home, along with a few fancy-looking dresses. Jasper picked up a few wool pants and a few regular full-sleeve shirts.
After finishing selecting, the three moved to the counter to pay. All the clothes in total came to 18 gold and a few silvers. Jasper quickly retrieved the gold from his bracelet and paid the owner. Seeing the gold coins on the desk, the owner's eyes widened. He half expected Jasper would bargain to reduce the price, but he didn't expect this poorly dressed man could bring out 18 gold so casually. His demeanor completely changed.
"Esteemed sir, would you like to check a new design that came yesterday for children?" the owner, seeing Jasper's decisiveness, quickly tried to seize the opportunity and brought out a children's gown with fancy intricate designs and expensive ornaments attached to it.
Seeing the new fancy dress, Irene's eyes sparkled as she looked at it intensely. However, Jocelyn, who was standing at the counter, didn't like the idea of buying expensive clothes since they had already bought enough and spent a lot of money.
"How much is it?" Jasper, seeing Irene's expression, couldn't find it in his heart to say no, so he asked, deciding to buy it.
"I usually sell it for 50 gold, but since you are my first customer, I will give it for 45 gold," the owner said in a very polite manner.
"Thanks, but we don't want it." When Jocelyn heard the price, she quickly answered and grabbed Irene's wrist to leave the store. Forty-five gold coins—who would pay that much for a dress? Seeing his mother's reaction, Jasper didn't want to press the matter. Just because he had a lot of money now didn't mean he would spend it carelessly.
The owner urgently started lowering the price, seeing his customers were leaving, but the three didn't look back as they walked toward the door. Suddenly Jasper's face changed. He quickly grabbed his sister and his mother, who was walking in front of him, and pushed them away from the door.
Boom!
Before anyone could react, the main door of the shop crumbled as something crashed into it. Jasper, who stood before his family, saw what it was clearly. It was a silver-armored Rhino. On top of its back sat a man holding a sword. Before he could comprehend what was happening, with a lightning crack another animal entered. It was a horned Wolf, and on its back someone was sitting holding a mace.
He suddenly charged at the silver-armored Rhino in a flash and swung his mace at it, aiming to crush the head of the person sitting on it. However, before the mace could strike, the person on the Rhino blocked it with his sword and ordered the Rhino to ram the wolf.
The Rhino moved like teleportation, using its horn to cleave the wolf's stomach, but with a lightning crack again the wolf evaded the attack. However, the Rhino didn't stop; it quickly followed the wolf's movement, intent on killing it.
Jasper, who was seeing everything in what felt like slow motion, was baffled. Who were these people who suddenly entered the shop and started fighting each other? He looked around. The store was almost destroyed within seconds. But he cared less about the store. He had already bought the clothes and paid for them. All he needed to do was leave the store and get away from these two people.
Jasper quickly lifted his little sister onto his shoulder and carried his mother in his arms, then dashed out of the store, leaving the owner behind. If he tried to leave normally, his family would definitely be injured by the sheer destruction happening around them. So the only way to avoid that was to carry them.
Within an instant, the three of them were away from the incident. Jasper slowly put his mother and sister down. Startled and shocked by the sudden events, Jocelyn stood there in a daze.
"Jasper, what happened?" she asked with a blank expression.
"Mother, let's leave this area. There is a fight going on. If we stay here any longer, we will get involved," Jasper said hurriedly, urging his family to move.
Soon they left the area, moving toward their inn. Jasper was still in shock—who were those people who started fighting early in the morning, destroying the shop? He hoped the owner would escape that chaos alive. But he doubted it, because those two looked far too strong, and he guessed the store had already been completely destroyed.