She looked like a fifteen or sixteen-year-old girl. When she saw him, she took a small step back, as if she was afraid.
Huh? Am I that scary?
He saw the statuses 【Anxious!】 and 【Nervous!】 appear above her head.
Is this her first time selling something? Her voice sounds a bit tense...
"Fruit?" Sean spoke first.
Watching the young face under her red hood suddenly break into a smile, it was that standard, forced kind. As a merchant, her fake smile was too obvious, so Sean was even more certain this girl hadn't been in business long, or she'd encountered something upsetting today that she couldn't hide.
"Yes, sir, would you like some?"
She let out a breath, and the 【Nervous!】 status above her head slowly faded. Clearly, she was trying hard to control herself.
He walked toward a small stall in a corner of the street. This road was packed with various vendors, and it seemed Count Hamilton had no intention of cleaning it up.
If the Brucan Avenue before could still accommodate carriages, they wouldn't go any further here because it was simply impassable... Besides the regular shops on both sides of the street, there was an outer ring of street stalls, essentially pushing pedestrians onto the middle of the road, making it impossible for carriages to pass.
The girl's stall was right next to a fruit shop, slightly closer to an accessory store...
"Over here!"
"This is a fruit my family grows, called Pachira fruit. It's very tasty... Sir, please try one."
The girl had arranged several dozen fruits on a double-layered stall cloth, with four slightly larger ones piled in front. She picked up the top one from that pile.
It didn't look great, but it gave Sean a familiar feeling.
Isn't this a peach?
It just didn't have fuzz on the skin, but it looked similar and was quite large.
Since coming to this world, none of the fruits he knew existed. Maybe apples were the same, but they were called differently.
"Sir, you can taste it first."
Seeing the eager look in the girl's eyes and the 【Expectant!】 status.
He took a bite... the juice filled his mouth, telling him this tasted exactly like a peach!
Just with an extra layer of soft, smooth skin.
"How is it?"
Her big, round eyes stared at him. This girl was probably a commoner, not good at dressing up, but her facial features were well-defined. If she cleaned up a bit and changed clothes, she could pass for a noble's daughter or at least a wealthy merchant's child.
"Not bad. How much is this? I'll buy some."
Hearing that he wanted to buy, the girl couldn't hide her excitement, and her status changed from 【Expectant!】 to 【Happy!】.
She held up one finger and said, "Just one silver coin for these!" pointing at the three large ones in front.
Silver coins were the smallest unit in this world, since there were no smaller denominations like copper or iron. Paying with silver coins meant it was the cheapest thing. Even the smallest roast chicken cost two or three silver coins, and one silver coin could buy a few loaves of bread.
The exchange rate was roughly one gold coin equal to ten silver coins.
Sean fumbled with his money pouch. He really didn't have anything as small as a silver coin.
He casually pulled out a gold coin.
Uh...
"I only have these," he said, placing it in the girl's hand.
"But... this is too much!" The girl frowned.
"Then give me more. Forget it, I'll just take them myself!" Without waiting for her to respond, Sean crouched down and picked out a dozen or so larger, better-looking peaches from the pile, setting them aside.
He left half for her.
"I'll take these!" he said, pointing at the fruit on the ground.
By now, the girl could tell he was intentionally helping her, even if this amount of money meant nothing to a noble.
He received over ten thousand gold coins a year, so losing a dozen or so a day was trivial. No big deal!
"I... I'll wrap them up for you." The girl quickly crouched down to pack the fruit in a clean cloth.
She didn't dare look him in the eye, keeping her head down the whole time.
But Sean could see her current mental state, and her favorability had suddenly changed.
【900/900, Neutral】 instantly turned into 【Friendly】!
She was probably underage, so her health was lower than a normal adult's, but her favorability could jump straight to Friendly! That was the kind of favorability only his own subjects had.
Generally, Friendly meant they could communicate normally, like an ordinary friend or partner, while Friendly with a hint of admiration was usually only seen in townspeople from his own territory.
He didn't expect to get this kind of start after just one meeting...
So this is how nobles effortlessly charm girls.
Lesson learned, lesson learned!
Sean picked up another fruit from the pile and suddenly noticed a few holes on the back.
"What's this?"
"Ah~" The girl saw it too and quickly picked it up to examine it closely.
"Probably bitten by a rat. There have been a lot of rats in the city lately!" She wiped the bitten fruit with her hand and set it aside behind her.
"Did you just pick these fruits? Are rats climbing trees now?"
When she mentioned rats, Sean remembered the scene he'd seen through the owl's eyes last night. Weren't there plenty on the roadside back then?
The girl didn't speak, probably unsure how to answer.
"It's best not to eat anything that's been bitten, or you'll get sick. That's not saving money; it's wasting it." Medicine in this world was expensive. Ordinary life was easy, but getting sick could drain almost all your savings.
"Mm."
The girl just nodded, but she didn't seem to take it to heart.
"By the way, do you know where Skov's Shop is?"
"Skov's Shop?" The girl paused, having just finished wrapping the fruit. She then took a small basket from a corner and placed the fruit inside.
"I remember it's a shop in the engineering district. The engineering district is just ahead... Sir, just go around that street and you'll see it." The girl pointed ahead.
"Thanks."
Seeing her freeze for a moment, she then broke into a smile.
This time, it wasn't a fake smile but a genuine one...
"Honorable sir, would you like some fruit?!?"
As he passed another fruit stall, he heard someone call out.
It was a middle-aged man.
But above his head appeared the status 【Jealous!】. He'd probably seen the earlier transaction.
Tsk~
Sean ignored him and headed straight for the so-called engineering district.
After a few hundred meters, a fork in the road split the street in two. One side was still a bustling commercial area, while the engineering district side had fewer people, with more carriages parked instead.
The air carried a strong, pungent smell.