Chapter 66: Buying Out the Market

  While they were leaving the outer district, they didn’t share a word on the way back toward the Government Square. Tessa walked beside Lily with a complicated expression on her face, and Lily let the silence stand. She didn’t want to push, and she also didn’t trust herself to say the right thing yet.

  Lily was also still mildly irritated about how things had turned out at Tessa’s home. Not irritated at Tessa, but at the situation itself. She had already felt responsible for the girl before today, and seeing her mother in person had only reinforced that feeling.

  You don’t get to choose your family, Lily thought, and the idea stuck longer than she liked. It was a familiar realization, and not a comforting one.

  Her own circumstances back on Earth had been different, but the core of it felt uncomfortably similar. Expectations, and guilt that didn’t belong to you. Being reduced to usefulness. Tessa reminded her of herself at that age, even if the comparison felt strange. Lily was twenty-one, not sixty, but five years meant a lot when you were younger. It was easy to forget how small the world had felt back then.

  That also explained why Tessa had accepted her new situation so quickly. It explained why she hadn’t resisted becoming something else when the chance showed up. Death and rebirth had probably felt less terrifying than staying where she was…

  And it wasn’t only about Tessa. This world didn’t tick like Earth. Lily had already learned that the people here were far more open to the idea that only the strong dictated how things worked. She herself was a good example, after all. Tiara had surrendered to her not because she was in the right or because she’d invoked the old Xares Empire, but simply because she’d shown strength and dominance. That was also why Gideon and the other nobles had come to her, to take part in that strength. From that, and from what Tessa had already told her yesterday, that people would kill for an epic or unique class, Lily had started to form her own conclusion about this world. Maybe it wasn’t completely true, and maybe she was still missing pieces, but from what she’d seen so far, the system pushed people into two sides.

  One side would do anything to get stronger. They chased levels, rarer classes, better skills, and more power. They wanted to rise until they could live like demigods among everyone else, untouchable and above the rules.

  The other side accepted their lot. If you were a farmer, you could become a good farmer, maybe even an excellent one, but you still stayed in your lane. You didn’t reach for the things that belonged to the powerful, because everyone around you acted like it was foolish to even try. It was like the world had invisible boundaries, and most people treated them as if they were laws of nature.

  And when someone does cross them, everyone calls it destiny instead of admitting it was will, Lily thought.

  Earth had been similar in some ways. People chased status, money, influence, and comfort. People got stuck in social classes and routines. But it hadn’t been this direct, and it hadn’t been reinforced by a literal system that stamped your limits onto your soul. Here, your ceiling could show up as a number.

  And the worst part was that many people seemed fine with it.

  That doesn’t make it right, Lily thought. It just makes it normal for them.

  That contradiction sat wrong in her chest, because she understood it better than she wanted to.

  By the time they reached the Government Square, the rest of the day moved fast. The meeting at the church took longer than Lily had wanted, but Vessikar’s report still confirmed what she’d already suspected. The priest and his retainers had fled, and Ekkra was dead. As proof, Vessikar had brought back Ekkra’s head for some reason, which was creepy on its own, but the head had already turned back to normal and was now the decapitated head of Lucien the Inquisitor.

  Since it was already here, Lily pocketed it in her inventory, just in case. She wasn’t really a hoarder in Xantia, but somehow it felt like a quest item she could use later, as macabre as it sounded, since this wasn’t a game anymore. She made the distinction subconsciously, and she couldn’t quite tell if it was her former ancient self or her old gamer self, trying to rationalize a decapitated head as an item. But in the end, if she didn’t need it, she could at least dispose of it somewhere else instead of leaving it on the church floor.

  More importantly, Vessikar had found an underground network of tunnels beneath the church. That part was genuinely concerning. So, Lily sent Vessikar back to map the passages properly and decided she’d bring it up with Gideon later that day, which added another item to her ever-growing list.

  Tessa seemed a bit excited to see Vessikar again, and she also relaxed a little after their walk back to the Government Square. Maybe yesterday’s hunt in the woods had bonded them more than Lily would’ve expected.

  After the meeting with Vessikar, Lily took Tessa with her to visit the city guard. The headquarters of the city guard was close to the town wall, so Lily and Tessa had to cross a good part of Tiara again, since the Government Square sat closer to the middle of the city.

  By now it was already afternoon, and the streets were buzzing with more life. It almost felt like the normal people of Tiara didn’t care about politics beyond using it for gossip, and they wouldn’t let it stop them from living their everyday lives. Lily found that pragmatism admirable, but it also confirmed her earlier assessment of this world: most people simply accepted their lot. Nevertheless, she used the opportunity to make a quick stop at the market square.

  Unfortunately, it didn’t take long for the next problem of the day to catch up with her. She hadn’t had time to speak with Marie about the current stock, and she still wasn’t sure what kind of supplies her fortress came with. So, she decided to buy enough for at least a week, just to be safe.

  While they were entering the market square, Tessa glanced at the stalls with a cautious look on her face. “We’re really buying food now?”

  “Yes,” Lily said. “We’re not starving just because the day is busy. Do you want something?”

  “I… I don’t know if I can eat normal food?” Tessa answered hesitantly.

  “There shouldn’t be an issue,” Lily said. “Even normal vampires can eat normal food.”

  Tessa blinked, still unsure, and Lily continued before the girl could spiral into her own thoughts again.

  “It fills you,” Lily said. “It also helps with normal hunger, but it won’t replace what your body actually needs now. You still need life essence to sustain your metabolism.”

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  Tessa looked up at Lily, almost whispering, “Life essence…”

  “Yes,” Lily said, keeping her tone level. “Dead meat doesn’t have it anymore. Once something dies, the essence fades. That’s why your kind drinks blood from living beings.”

  Tessa swallowed. “Oh…”

  She looked away for a moment, her face heating slightly, like she was embarrassed that she’d even asked.

  “I wondered,” she admitted quietly.

  Lily nodded. “It’s better to ask than to guess.”

  Tessa hesitated again, then pointed toward a nearby stall. “Then… maybe I’ll take a skewer, if it’s ok…”

  Lily smiled at her. “Of course.”

  A moment later, they both had skewers in hand. Tessa started eating right away, careful at first, then a little faster once she realized it really did taste like food.

  Lily took a single bite of hers. When she bit down, the outer layer gave way with a soft crunch before turning chewy as it warmed in her mouth. The filling tasted savory at first, with a smoky note that reminded her of grilled street food back on Earth. After that, a sharp herb flavor followed, one she couldn’t quite place. At the end, there was a faint sweetness in the glaze, almost like honey, and it made the whole thing feel more expensive than a simple stall snack had any right to be.

  She chewed for a moment, then came to a decision.

  Lily reached into her pouch, tossed a Gold Crown onto the counter, and pointed at the finished skewers. “I’ll take all of them.”

  The vendor’s eyes widened, and then his mouth stretched into a grin. “All of them, my lady? As you wish.”

  Before Tessa could say anything, Lily had already swept the remaining skewers into her inventory. It was around thirty pieces, give or take, and the stall was suddenly empty.

  A woman at the next stall clicked her tongue. “Seriously? Some of us want to sell too.”

  Another vendor muttered, loud enough to be heard. “It’s always nobles doing this.”

  The skewer vendor only grinned harder as he pocketed the Gold Crown. “If she pays, she pays.”

  Tessa stopped chewing. She stared at Lily, then at the empty tray, then back at Lily again.

  “Wait,” Tessa said quickly.

  Lily had already started walking again, still holding her own skewer. She glanced at Tessa with an innocent look. “What?”

  “I said wait,” Tessa repeated, catching up. She looked like she was trying to stay polite through sheer force of will.

  Lily took another bite. “I don’t need the change anyway.”

  Tessa rolled her eyes so hard it almost looked painful. Then she cleared her throat, and her tone turned pointed on purpose.

  “Master,” she said.

  Lily’s steps slowed a little.

  Tessa kept going. “You told me I should say something when you go overboard. And it’s the second time today that you’ve handed out money in a completely unreasonable amount. So, I’m saying something now, before this doesn’t stop.”

  Lily’s eyebrows lifted slightly. “Go on.”

  Tessa held up one finger. “A skewer is not three Silver Crowns.”

  The vendor, still nearby, suddenly looked very interested in rearranging nothing on his empty counter.

  Tessa continued anyway. “It’s three Bronze Crowns.” She did the math out loud, her expression rigid. “Thirty skewers would be ninety Bronze Crowns. For one Gold Crown, you could have bought three thousand three hundred and thirty-three skewers. Not thirty.”

  She let out a long sigh after that, like her soul needed it.

  She’s right… and I still don’t have a real frame of reference for what things are worth here. Lily chewed slowly, while keeping her expression steady. As if I have time to worry about every little price, and anything below an Adamant Crown should be pocket change anyway… What a mess. The real issue is that I can’t just throw money around and crash the local economy.

  Her gaze shifted to Tessa. Maybe I should put her in charge of the small finances. At least it had distracted her a bit, and she was proving reliable when it came to pointing out Lily’s mistakes.

  Lily glanced back toward the stall. The vendor’s grin was still there, but it had turned a little stiff now that someone had said the numbers out loud.

  Lily looked at Tessa again. “So, what you’re saying is that I got scammed.”

  Tessa’s expression stayed flat. “Yes.”

  Lily nodded. “Good. That means you’re paying attention.”

  Tessa stared at her. “That’s your takeaway?”

  Lily took another bite of her skewer and kept walking. “My takeaway is that you just saved me from doing this again.”

  Tessa opened her mouth, then closed it again, still looking annoyed.

  Behind them, one of the other vendors muttered, “So she really did overpay.”

  The skewer vendor huffed. “It’s not overpaying if she offers it.”

  Lily didn’t look back. She kept walking toward the next stall, still munching on her skewer, while Tessa followed close behind her with a complicated expression. They stopped near a large food stall stacked with sacks and crates. Grain, dried beans, salted meat, hard bread, and a few bundles of vegetables that looked like they had been brought in early in the morning.

  The vendor looked up, took in Lily’s clothes, then her posture, and his eyes widened slightly. “My lady. What can I do for you?”

  Lily pointed at the stall. “I want that.”

  The man blinked. “You mean… a portion?”

  “I mean all of it,” Lily said. “Everything you have ready for sale.”

  Tessa’s head snapped toward her. “All of it? Again, Master?” she said with a frosty undertone. Then she added with a sigh, “Let me negotiate, okay?”

  Lily paused for half a second, then nodded. “Go ahead.”

  The vendor’s eyes flicked from Lily’s clothes to Tessa standing at her side. Tessa also looked nothing like a servant. The fitted black dress, the dark coat with the silver clasps, and the way she held herself made her look like a young noble’s attendant at worst, and a noble herself at best. Even her pale hair and the red eyes came across as exotic instead of threatening in the middle of the market.

  “My ladies,” the vendor said, voice suddenly careful. “What are you looking for exactly?”

  Tessa stepped closer to the stall and looked over the goods without touching anything.

  “We’ll buy the full stock,” Tessa said with a calm expression on her face. “That means a fair bulk price. You save time, you save effort, and you sell out in one deal.”

  The vendor hesitated, then nodded quickly, still watching their faces like he was afraid one wrong word would cost him his stall.

  “A fair bulk price,” he repeated. “Of course, my lady. Tell me what you consider fair.”

  Tessa didn’t look at Lily. She kept her eyes on the goods and spoke like she’d done this before.

  “Bread at five bronze a loaf,” she said. “Hard bread counts too, even if it’s older. Beans and grain by sack, and I’m not paying triple just because you stacked them nicely. Salted meat by weight, and vegetables by bundle. If I’m buying everything, I’m also buying what you can’t sell tomorrow.”

  The vendor swallowed. “Five bronze is standard, yes. Beans and grain, I can do two silver per sack if you take the whole lot.”

  Tessa tilted her head. “One silver and five bronze.”

  The man blinked. “My lady, that is low.”

  “It’s a full clear-out,” Tessa replied evenly. “No leftovers, no carrying it back, no worrying about spoilage, and no spending the afternoon shouting at customers. You get paid once and you’re done.”

  The vendor glanced at Lily again, like he wanted permission to argue, but Lily was still chewing her skewer and didn’t look interested in the details.

  “One silver and seven bronze,” the vendor tried.

  “One silver and six,” Tessa said.

  He exhaled through his nose, then nodded. “One silver and six bronze per sack.”

  Tessa continued without pausing. “Salted meat at eight bronze per pound.”

  “Ten,” he said immediately.

  Tessa looked at him. Her expression stayed calm. “Eight.”

  The vendor’s shoulders sank. “Eight, then.”

  Behind them, someone from a nearby stall muttered loud enough to be heard. “She’s buying out another one. Again.”

  Another voice replied, annoyed. “Of course she is. Nobles.”

  The vendor pretended he hadn’t heard anything. He turned back to Tessa with a careful smile. “Do you want it delivered, or carried?”

  Tessa glanced at Lily, then back to him. “We’ll take it now.”

  The vendor opened his mouth, probably to ask how, and then stopped himself. He just nodded again, like he had decided it was better not to question noble logistics.

  Lily finally swallowed and pointed at the stall. “Total.”

  The man named a number.

  Tessa corrected him without raising her voice.

  Lily paid it without blinking, and one by one, the sacks and bundles started vanishing into her inventory as if the stall was being eaten by thin air.

  The vendor stared for a second, then bowed so fast he almost hit his own crates. “Thank you, my ladies.”

  Tessa let out a small breath through her nose and looked up at Lily. “At least this time you didn’t pay for a steel sword when you bought bread.”

  Lily gave her a faint grin. “You’re learning my weaknesses very quickly.”

  And with that, they left the market square and walked the rest of the way toward the city guard headquarters.