Daniel glanced around, then turned his face toward the north.
He calmly approached an elderly man passing by. "Excuse me, sir," he said politely. "Can you tell me where the weaver's stall is?"
The man nodded and pointed west with his index finger. "Go straight and turn right. You'll see a small weaver's stall near the woodworker's workshop."
"Thanks for the information, sir," he replied, heading west.
After the right turn, the first thing he saw was a burly man hammering a horseshoe with brute force.
*Tang-Tang-Tang*
It was a blacksmith's workshop.
Daniel moved even deeper.
He spotted workers loading wooden furniture onto a wagon from the joiner's workshop. Nearby, a man sat in the potter's shop, concentrating on shaping clay pots.
A little farther stood the woodworker's workshop, with the weaver's stall right beside it.
He approached the counter, where a skinny woman dressed in fine cloth sat calmly, knitting a hand-made dress on a high-backed chair.
"Excuse me, I'm here to buy some wool threads," Daniel said, gently.
She slid a wooden basket from beneath the counter and set it down.
"Here, choose whatever you like," she said, her voice soft and warm.
The basket brimmed with colorful wool balls, too big to fit in one hand.
"Ma'am, does colour affect the price?" he asked calmly, wrapping his fingers around a ball to test its quality.
She glanced up. "Yes young man. You can choose white if you want the cheapest one."
Daniel dug deep, as the white ones are buried at the bottom. Then, he carefully pulled one out and admired it.
The wool thread felt soft and smooth between his fingers, almost like silk.
"Hmm… I like this one," he said, feeling satisfied. "How much is it?"
"Three silvers…" she replied, calm and steady.
'What the… Fuck…' he gasped, stunned by the price.
…
"Actually, I need only some of it, and it's way too big for me," he said, rubbing the back of his neck.
"For how much you need, young man?"
"Umm… I was thinking somewhere around five copper coins."
She smirked to herself, set the basket aside, and pulled out another filled with palm-sized bundles.
"Everything here is six coppers each, choose as you like," she said with a smile.
Daniel picked one and immediately felt the difference.
It was rougher and thinner than the last batch, with loose fibers sticking out. Although it wasn't the best, it wasn't the worst either—just good enough for his task.
"Can I get some discount on this? It looks a bit rough," he said, keeping his eyes on her.
"For that, you'll have to buy one more," she replied.
Daniel tightened his jaw, fished out six copper coins from his satchel, handed them to her, and left.
He sighed in frustration. 'Man, back in my village, I'd have gotten this wool for at least four coins."
His gaze drifted to a man holding a chisel over a wooden plank.
"Sir, can you tell me where can I find some hay?" Daniel called.
The man turned. "I think you should go to the stable."
"Where is it?"
"Just follow the path to the end, you'll see it there." he said, gesturing toward the west.
Daniel thanked him and followed the stone path.
A few minutes later, Daniel arrived at the livery stable in Arcana town.
The area was enclosed by a sturdy wooden fence, painted red. Inside, a stable house stood, and a man sat on a chair near the gate. Outside, round hay bales were stacked neatly.
Daniel stepped inside.
"Hello, sir…" he said firmly.
The elderly man dozed, leaning back in the chair. The brim of his cowboy hat shaded his face, hiding it from view.
"Hello! Sir!!" Daniel shouted.
The elderly man jolted awake.
"Ow… oh… a customer," he said in a deep voice. "Yes, which horse do you want to buy? We have black, brown, white—"
Daniel cut in. "No, no sir. I'm here to buy some hay."
The man froze for a moment, then shifted into a grin. "Oh, oh… my bad… I should've asked first. How can I help you, young man?"
"I want some hay, sir."
"Oh… you want some hay..? how much—this much? Or THIS MUCH? hahaha," he said, enthusiastically.
Daniel laughed lightly.
"Ha… don't mind me—I'm just playing with you. Anthony! Bring some hay for this young man!"
…
"ANTHONY! ANTHONY!!"
The elderly man sighed. "I guess it'd be better if you grab some hay for yourself.
Go inside the stable and you'll see a hay bale"
Daniel nodded. "Okay sir."
He walked through the wide wooden door.
Inside, the air smelled of hay, manure, leather, and horse sweat. Rows of wooden stalls lined the walls, some holding horses, some empty, with hay racks and water troughs fixed to the fronts.
The floor was often covered in straw to soak up dirt and damp. In front of him were three rounded hay bale in the middle of the far end, stacked like a mountain.
Daniel grabbed a handful and stepped out.
"Sir, how much for this hay?" he asked, holding out his hand.
The man glanced and laughed. "Haha… young man, It's not even worth a copper."
Just then, a young man arrived at the gate, leading a horse.
"Father, where do I put Jack?" he said, holding the horse's lead.
"Anthony! Where have you been! Didn't I tell you to clean the stall number six and seven"
"What? You told me to bring Jack from Mr. Jackson's house."
The man paused, something stirring in his memory. "Oh… did I? Haha… put Jack in stall number nine."
Anthony walked through the fence gate and saw Daniel standing by the table, holding hay in his left hand.
"Wait… sir, you also have a golden thread?" he asked, curiosity lighting his face.
Daniel glanced at his left wrist. "Yes."
"What is it? Is it some kind of lucky charm?"
"No, I got this after I passed the first trial," Daniel said calmly. "What do you mean you also have one?"
"Oh, I've seen five people on the street wearing the same as you," Anthony said with a neutral expression.