(MC POV)
I pushed open the door to the general store, a bell chiming loudly when I did so.
The woman behind the counter looked up expectantly, only to have a look of disappointment cover her face when she saw me.
"What do you want, servant boy?"
"Servant boy?" I unconsciously blurted out.
She raised an eyebrow at me, "Judging by your looks, you should be the servant of someone travelling through this town right? What did your mistress send you here to get?"
I briefly considered explaining the misunderstanding but then realised this actually kind of works in my favour.
I carried my bag towards the counter stopping a short distance away with a bow, "My mistress wishes to sell these goods. I hope madam could give us a fair price."
The woman clapped her hands and two very large and very, very muscular men appeared from a side door.
They looked at her for instructions and she simply pointed at my bag.
I dropped my bag and allowed them to open it up, arranging its contents on the ground.
Despite their size, the two of them handled the things delicately, moving with both speed and precision to unpack them from my bag and lay them on the ground.
I did notice that they seemed to pause at a few of the items before removing them though.
When they were just about done, the woman stood from the counter and walked up to us, inspecting the items laid before her with a critical eye.
"These things… Did you and your mistress come across a bandit group on your way here?"
Hmm? I guess she must have guessed that from the weapons and armours that were on display. No point in lying to her in that case.
"Yes, my mistress managed to handle them though."
"She must have been quite a strong Practitioner."
I hid a smile, "Yes she is indeed. She had saved my life and I am grateful to her."
I could feel my clothes tightening a little.
Oya? Is Xun Guan actually getting embarrassed? You're getting embarrassed aren't you? So cute.
I'll remember to give her a few headpats later, maybe she would like those.
"By chance, could you tell me the name of your mistress?"
Hmm? Maybe she wants to thank her for getting rid of some bandits? No… She has some kind of ulterior motive…
I bowed my head, "Forgive me, madam, but my mistress does not wish for her name to be known. That is why she sent me here in her stead."
"Hmm… Still, she must be quite strong to handle all these bandits herself? Is she affiliated with the nobles?"
"Yes, she is indeed very strong, she had dealt with them very easily. But no, she is not affiliated with the nobles."
Ok, ok, you can stop squeezing me now Xun Guan. I can even hear you squealing softly, you know? You're surprisingly weak to compliments eh?
"I see… In that case, I'll give you fifteen coppers for all of this."
I couldn't help but look at her in surprise.
"Fifteen coppers?" I repeated.
"Yes, is there a problem?" She asked, giving me the look that she knew very well what the problem was.
I looked down at the mass of things in front of me, "There's six sets of equipment, five sets of weapons in perfect condition, camping items, tools and clothes as well as food. I'm sure these would go for at least a few silvers?"
The woman smiled at me, but the smile was not a kind one.
"What's this? The mere servant boy dares to talk back to his betters? Seems like your mistress did not teach you manners."
The two men that had been standing beside me hurriedly backed away from me.
The woman reached out her hand and a cat o' nine tails appeared in it, what's different is that I could see metallic spikes at each end of the flail.
I could feel Xun Guan tighten up at the sight, already hardening herself into armour to protect me.
I bowed my head, "Apologies, madam. It's just that my mistress would not be happy with that price so I had to speak out for her. Would it be possible for madam to increase the asking price?"
"Oh ho? Is that so? If that's the case, tell your mistress that if she wants to have a good price on these, she should come and negotiate herself, not send her errand boy."
"I see…"
Can't say I didn't expect that though. I already knew what her plan was when she asked the question about the bandits.
Since I know that women are the ones in power here, she must have wanted to force a meeting with my so-called 'mistress' and form connections or something.
I've seen such events one too many times, working as that Matriarch's plaything did teach me quite a lot of things.
She must have a grudge against the nobles and I can bet she's part of the rebel faction.
Ugh, just thinking about how many times I was used by that Matriarch for her political schemes hurts my head…
Anyway…
"In that case, I'm afraid that the deal is off," I declared, moving to repack everything back into the bag.
"Huh?"
I ignored her gasp of surprise and continued packing everything back into the bag.
She scowled at me, "What do you mean by 'the deal is off'?! Are you in a position to decide for your mistress?!"
"It may be surprising but yes, I am. My mistress has specifically told me that if I were to receive an unfair offer for the goods, I would not even need to go back to consult her and just immediately pack up and leave. She has no intention of doing business with dishonest people."
That was all a complete lie of course, I had decided everything by myself. I had planned for Xun Guan to pretend to be my 'mistress' if needed anyway, so there wouldn't be a problem if they wanted to check.
Though the people at the inn might raise some questions, I doubt that would matter in the grand scheme of things since we're only here for a day.
"Wait," She demanded.
I stopped my hands and looked up at her with a raised eyebrow.
"Your mistress does not like to meet others?"
"That is the case, yes."
"I see… I will offer one gold for everything here, as long as I get to meet your mistress."
I shook my head, "Not possible. We are not swayed by money."
Her frown deepened at my immediate answer, the other two men trying their best to look like pieces of furniture now.
"… I understand. Thirty silvers is my final price. Take it or leave it."
"Deal."
Hearing that, she looked to have completely lost interest in me and went back to the counter, sitting behind it with a bored look on her face.
The two men then came forward again, one of them handing me a coin purse before joining his companion in gathering the sold items.
I made sure to count the coins in the purse first before thanking her, the woman not even bothering to acknowledge my presence anymore.
Well, I can already roughly guess what she's thinking so I left the shop quickly.
I looked up at the sky, seeing the sun about to set.
"It's a bit early but I guess I can go grab something to eat. Shall we, Xun Guan?"
"I will accompany wherever Master goes, of course."
Well, since you put it that way, let's see what food this town has to offer. Hopefully there's other places to eat aside from that bar.
