Quantum Leap - Vol. 9 Robyn Hode Takes On The World

C004 The Weird Sense Of Naming

"Don't worry. You will soon know what to do next. Your experience points would be automatically allocated now. There's no need to think too much of it. As a 'vagabond', your stats would be distributed accordingly. A 'vagabond' would have the advantage of wielding a one or two-handed weapons and be able to use a ranged weapon like your short bow now."

"Thank you, elder, for your enlightenment," I said as I reached my hand to accept a bowl of gruel with some vegetables and fox meat in them. The scent of the gruel was enticing and I wished I could stock up on her food reserves since it would hard on her having an extra mouth to feed.

"I would like to go to the marketplace to get some more grains, elder. It's for both of us and some garnishings too." I suggested and she raised her hands when I mentioned about garnishing.

"Look yonder for chives, celery, onions, garlic and parsley. Collect them and return it back here once you have collected a basketful each. You don't have to buy those. I had cultivated them myself."

"Yes, Elder. I will do as being told. How much does the grain costs?" I asked since I do have such a meagre amount in my coin pouch now.

"Oh...just 1 'chupak' or 'catty' costs 3 coppers for unhusked grains while 8 coppers for rice. You can buy the unhusked grains and I will be doing the unhusking here using this molar and pestle. Such a waste to buy the rice since it costs nearly triple the amount. of grains"

"Yes elder, thank you once again. I will go to the fields later to cultivate the things required and I will go to the marketplace afterwards to get the grains. May I see the kitchen on what are the things that are required to be purchased later on?"

"Eeehhhh... no man has entered my private domain before and it would not be the first from you. Just buy what you think is needed and when on your second trip, I will let you know what is not being required."

"Yes, elder...I understand and please forgive me if my statement early was misunderstood." I quickly finished the gruel and held another bowl for seconds when she stopped me by saying, "Do you think this is Oliver Twist eh? Oh please...may I have some more...? See this ladle here? One knock on your head will turn you into a monkey... Now go and perform your tasks..."

"Ara ma...this old lady is sure grumpy as hell. No wonder she lives all by herself...." I thought to myself and took my empty basket and proceeded to the other side of the house where she had cultivated a plot of 10x10 land to grow her roots and herbs.

=*=

After I had picked the required amount of garnishing, I head back and deposited the basket's contents on the makeshift table at the side of the house. Noticing the elder was staring into the flickers of the fireplace's flames, I inquired her if she was alright.

"Everything is good with me, child. But there's nothing right with you at this moment. Look at your name above your head, it is still red, am I right? It had turned from crimson red and now it had become lighter red in colour. Do you wish to still go to the marketplace which is 2 hours yonder?"

I looked up and I saw my name was that was looming was changing into a lighter red than before. I took the blanket and concealed my head like a shawl and it immediately faded away from everyone's sight. I guess this has to do for a while. It's better than leaving it exposed like a siren above my head after all.

"Don't worry elder, I will return as soon as I could." I put a stick upright and saw a short shade heading towards the west and it suggests nearly after midday and before 1 pm. 4 hours to and fro and I should be back before dinner time.

"Alright, elder...I'm off to the marketplace now. I've set the garnishing on the preparation table at the side of the house and I am carrying this basket with me. I leave my bow and arrows at the side of the house, if you may."

The elder nodded her head as I picked up the basket and placed it in the crook of my arm and I walked alongside with stream. "2 hours walk...let me deploy my Internal Chi Energy and see if I could walk faster than this without breaking a sweat." I thought to myself as I slowly controlled my breathing and concentrated my secondary points on both legs to pump it faster as I trudged towards the marketplace.

I was like breezing through alongside the stream and everything around me was like afterimages due to the speed of my walk. "Not bad...really is not bad..." I slowly regain myself back as I deactivated my Internal Chi Breathing when I saw the outskirts of the marketplace nearing. It took me about half an hour to get here using my technique.

I wonder what kind of naming technique would I call that? Brisk walking? It seems so, and the main thing is that I am able to reach here in the shortest time possible. There were 5 to 6 main merchants lined up at the main marketplace and I peeked at them who were selling their wares. There was an ornamental stand merchant, a herbalist merchant, a clothes merchant, an innkeeper, a blacksmith and also the tavern.

There were a number of adventures and they never took notice of me since I was shabbily dressed with a shawl over my head and a wicker basket in the crook of my arm. Except for my short sword, I look neither an adventurer nor a Hodelum.

I walked over to the merchant manning the tavern and asked her where are the local produce market and she pointed out to me in the other direction where the local villagers were milling about. There were colourful tentages above them and the sellers were hollering their wares and prices as the villagers bargain their purchase.

"Miss, could you do me a small favour. I was thinking of buying some groceries and all I have is this gold coin. Could you kindly break this down to smaller change for me?"

"Oh sure, child. Are you sure you won't buy anything back? I have this salted duck eggs that go for only 5 coppers for 2. I would then be of service to you to return the change back."

"Alright Miss, I'd take 2 eggs then. By the way, is this any good?"

"Of course child. When this salted duck egg is consumed, it will slowly heal you back within a period of 5 seconds. Not that much because this is the basic food only but sustenance but also healing."

She passed me the salted duck eggs that it's hardshell had been covered with a kind of mud and straw. I gave her my gold coin and she returned my change. With a jingle of coppers in my coin pouch, I made my way to the local produce to get what I need.

I bought the following:

3 catties of unhusked grains for 15 coppers

1 catty of rice for 8 coppers

1 slab of animal fat for 5 coppers

1 dozen chicken eggs at 6 coppers

1 catty of plain flour for 5 coppers

1 head of Chinese cabbage for 3 coppers

1 head of cauliflower for 3 coppers

2 stick of carrots for 2 coppers

6 semi-ripe tomatoes for 3 coppers

I had spent a total of 50 coppers for the marketing and it's time for me to head back since my basket was overflowing. the 2 salted duck eggs were placed on my pants pocket and the chicken eggs that I had bought was placed on top of all the groceries.

The adventurers had all white names, and same goes to the other villagers and sellers. They took little notice of me with a shawl over my head and a basket on the crook of my hand and one look at me would suggest that I am here to do my usual groceries.

At the corner of the market, I saw a big dumping ground and I picked a few rotten carrots, rotten potatoes, rotten tomatoes and some rotten strawberries and a few dried string beans. "Great...! It's not for consumption but would definitely be great for cultivation. It might take some time to reap what we down but at least we do have some vegetables in the vegetable patch.

A few villagers lasses me by and took little notice. If these weren't NPC, they would be sneering at me 'dumpster diving' even though I had bought the food I wanted. Hahaha...i picked another broken basket and places all the rotten vegetables inside and this way my load would be balanced and my trip to the market today would be worthwhile.

"Time to head back to the elder's..." I thought to myself as I gingerly walked with the two baskets on both crooks of my arms. When I'm outside the outskirts of the settlement, I deployed my Internal Chi Breathing and concentrated on my legs as I walked and then breezed through after images with the technique I had deployed.

I deactivated the technique when I was just a short distance away from the house and the elder was surprised that I came back with 2 baskets from the market. "It seems you had mastered the art of 'Cruising Along' my child."

"Cruising Along was the techniques I had recently deployed? Is that the term for that? I thought it was Brisk Walking."

"Brisk walking your head la...What are you going to those eggs in your pants? Keeping them warm issit?

=*=

"Oh...you mean the salted duck eggs..." I removed the 2 eggs that were coated with mud and hay. "Is this a normal way to make these salted eggs?" I asked as I produced the eggs out from my pants pocket.

"Definitely not store them in your pockets. Yes, it's a way to preserve these eggs. These eggs had been processed and after that, the coating would keep them at a controlled temperature. Did you buy that from the tavern? Do you know it's used besides eating them?"

"The lady told me it would heal me in 5 seconds, considering the fact that it was cheap and edible, I don't think it would regain so much health points."

"That's true and it would also make a good companion dish with the gruel. So I see you bought grains and rice. You shouldn't have bought the rice but it's for my convenience right? Why do you need this flour for?"

"Yes elder, it's for your convenience. The flour is to make grilled bread since I saw a small saucepan that can be used. Would you mind if I make breakfast tomorrow? And this basket of rotten fruits and vegetables, could I share the garden patch to grow some vegetables too? it may look rotten now but it's the best way to get started."

"Do what you wish to do with them. Are you sure you would know how to till the land?"

"Yes, elder...i know how to manually till the land for cultivation. I would do it in the morning when the soil is wet with dew and cold from the night."

The Elder nodded her head as she acknowledges my methods of cultivating the land. I went over and only saw an old hoe with a broken handle and decides to make good use of it.

"Since its evening, go make yourself a hearth beside the fireplace and you can do whatever you like. You are not my disciple anyway and I am no Master too. Go, run along for the rest of the chores. There are some leftovers from lunch for dinner. Eat it all up and remember to wash the cauldron."