018 - Sunset City (2)
On the shopping street at the border of the western region of the Moel Empire.
There is a city called Sunset.
This is a city on the outskirts of the western region, where it is permissible to use the Celebration Gold Rose, a striking flower that is said to depict the majestic figure of Emperor Graham as a symbol of the city.
It was because it was the first city that Emperor Graham had visited to stay overnight, the day before the full-scale war to unify the continent had begun.
This city is a prosperous city which is divided into two main sections. Outer and inner.
The outer part of Sunset town has a lot of residents from the lower middle class and slums.
Most of the local residents of this outer section work as small merchants who set up tents or stalls on either side of the city entrance.
Despite the fact that people from the capital or from outside the Moel Empire were constantly coming and going, the outer section of the city was quite orderly.
While the city's inner section is crammed with a variety of pricey structures for exclusive merchants who can pay high taxes.
Due to its excellent security and cleanliness, the locals, who are from the upper middle class, can offer their goods in ease.
For instance, flower shops, boutiques, jewelry stores, restaurants, dessert shops, armor and weapon stores, drugstores, and other buildings that sell needs.
There are several nobles that enjoy visiting Sunset's inner city because they are interested in the life of the commoners.
The streets of Sunset City are also quite busy today, no matter how scorching the sun begins to shine from morning until midday.
A girl, completely wrapped in a shabby robe, emerged from the small alley and looked around uneasily.
'Did I use
The girl stayed silent for a time before returning her gaze to the bustling city.
'Let's just ask!'
Faerie, the girl, started to move toward one of the big, open tents.
Faerie's current goal is to explore the outside of Sunset City!
Faerie had a burning desire to personally experience what it was like in the marketplace during the Middle Ages.
She chose to come here for that reason despite the Moel Empire's many other good places being spread throughout the continent.
"Is this Sunset City?"
"Yes, are you a new visitor? Please look at my goods!"
Faerie grinned joyfully.
"Woahhhhh...!"
Faerie's two intriguing gray eyes twinkled with wonder and fascination at the strange yet familiar sight before her.
There were tents for blacksmiths, carpenters, jewelers, and tailors, as well as stalls for various foods sold by merchants.
Additionally, there is no less activity among the visitors to view the nicely displayed items.
Faerie remained enthusiastic despite the sales methods of the merchants in front of her, using the tent for the roof or using the cloth on the ground as a base.
"Let's take a look first!"
***
"Oh my goodness, what a gorgeous necklace!"
"You're right, madam! This necklace was created by six professional jewelers who combined 300 different diamonds into one jewelry set! And one of them became this gorgeous necklace!"
"Three hundred different diamonds?"
"Wow, that must be very pricey."
"Hahaha...."
When they realized the price of the jewelry, two middle-aged women laughed in a bitter tone.
"It smells delicious!"
A food stall that sells a variety of foods by burning should be chosen once more. People who are busy passing by are forced to look at the meal with drool as the smoke from it fills the air.
"I want the squid satay, Mom!"
"Two skewers, sir."
"Okay!"
The queue for food stalls is a bit long, considering the aroma is so delicious.
Nonetheless, the crowds at the leather and cloth tailors' stalls are unrivaled.
This is due to the fact that the shop produces pretty excellent work at a price that middle-class people can afford.
"Wow, that cloth armor is incredible."
"Isn't it a really good price for such a perfect piece of thin cloth?"
"However, my salary as a City Guard Knight for a month won't be enough."
The crowd appeared to be normal. Even though the streets had become so congested that they had to shove each other, no one seemed to mind if one of their shoulders was accidently bumped.
In the crowd, there was a teenage girl wearing a beautiful and expensive but simple gown, which was perfectly concealed beneath a long shabby gray robe.
The girl approached a tent with a wall full of various weapons with confidence.
"...."
The teenage girl reached out and touched the dagger, which had an ornate hilt yet was adorned with a luxurious design.
The owner of the weapon tent greeted the teenage girl with a merchant's distinctive smile.
"Welcome, sir- um, miss?"
The owner, a man in his late 40s, observed the girl who entered the tent with confusion.
The owner, however, did not want to pass up the chance to turn a profit, therefore the owner quickly returned to his professional demeanor.
"Are you looking for a dagger? Wow, what a lucky coincidence! The dagger you're holding was created by one of the Dwarven Kingdom's most famous dwarven craftsmen!"
The teenage girl kept examining the small dagger while ignoring the tent owner's talk.
As the blade was exposed to light in the blazing sun, it had a magnificent glint.
But it wasn't the dagger that drew her attention; it was the thin screen that appeared in the air.
The gray-eyed girl stared at the
[Name: Dagger failed.]
[Classification: Weapon.]
[Rank: common.]
[This dagger is a failed replica dagger that attempts to duplicate the sacred dagger, the blacksmith dwarves' treasure.]
[You'll have the opportunity to stab yourself if you use it!]
'Wow, the appearance of this dagger is really deceiving! Who would have believed that a failed dagger capable of stabbing its user existed?' Thought the teenage girl as she raised and swung her dagger at the sky.
She didn't see any difference. No matter how hard she swung it, this dagger appeared to be a good weapon.
Perhaps she would be fooled by its appearance and purchase it right away at a high prices if she wasn't able to have the
"No," she said plainly.
The girl returned the small dagger she had taken earlier and left the weapon tent.
The weapon tent owner could only grimace at being unable to empty an innocent girl's bag.
Meanwhile, the teenage girl was making her way towards a big tent at the far end of the street.
This appeared to be the last tent standing between the outer and inner of Sunset City.
It was a large tent belonging to a craftsman and jeweler combined into one place.
The girl heard a sound as she walked into the tent that drew her attention.
"Well, it's unusual for a craftsman and a jewelry shop to be combined into one," one man commented, while the man next to him stood motionless, glancing indifferently at the entire tent.
They were both dressed in the same robe that covered the teenage girl's body.
The difference was that their robes looked expensive, and they seemed to be wearing them solely to hide their faces, in contrast to their clothes which clearly belonged to wealthy nobles.
'Ah, there's another visitor,' she thought. The girl wanted to leave right away, but a voice stopped her.
The stall owner, who was in his late 30s, greeted the three of them quickly. "Hello, gentlemen!"
"Are you the owner of this place?"
"Yes! That's right! My wife and I sell the stuff here. My wife is quite talented at creating and embellishing jewelry, so we both decided to combine our shops."
After a lengthy explanation, the three persons who entered the tent discovered that he was a craftsman who had traveled to many locations before settling in Sunset City with his wife.
"That's how I met my wife," He smiled and gestured to a woman in her mid-20s holding a newborn baby.
The man is still young, yet he has become a father.
'What a cheerful small family.'
The girl in the robes couldn't help but smile before turning her attention to the items that were exquisitely arranged in the display case.
"What a romantic story." That was said in a nice tone by one of the two men who entered the tent first.
The girl agreed with the man's statement by nodding.
'Isn't it sweet that the craftsman intends to go across the area to develop his talents, but what he ends up meeting is an adorable wife and child?'
Both the craftsman and his wife reddened. The three of them then engaged in a joyful conversation. Leaving the shabby-robed girl and the expensive-robed man in silence.
"..."
"Haa." A short, heavy breath was eventually exhaled by the man who had remained silent the entire time.
"!!"
The teen girl gasped as she heard a sigh that caused her entire body to tremble.
'Why am I feeling this way?' The teenage girl touched the nape of her neck as she prepared to leave the tent.
Her steps were stopped, however, as her two gray eyes caught sight of an object tucked away in an expensive-looking glass display case.
"Brooch?" Her voice came out of nowhere due to shock.
She recognized the design of an expensive jewelry that was elegantly displayed near the checkout desk.
It was a brooch with the same shape as the guarantee God had given her.
Faerie, the robed teenage girl asked quietly. "... What symbol is that brooch?"
"Oh, that?" the craftsman smiled as he opened his mouth, "of course, it's the symbol of the great and beloved Goddess Gaia!"