Chapter 11 - Selling The Pelts And The Horn
Northern Town was one of the four satellite towns of Wu Lim city. Each town was named according to the cardinal direction they were in, with respect to Wu Lim city. The different towns also had their different characteristics.
The Northern town had spirit apple orchards, which were the chief export of Wu Lim city and reaped large profits for the mayor each year.
Eastern town had grain fields and was the major source of grain for the other three towns and Wu Lim city. Grains such as wheat, rice, and some millets were grown there. It also had the largest population of all the four towns, with most of its townsmen being farmers.
The Western town was originally a checkpoint for the raw materials brought by merchants and traders from the different counties, but later had become a complete trade center; with most of the townsmen catering to the needs of the merchants that came to do business.
The Shuang Kingdom had an army base that was located in the Southern town. It was a veiled attempt to keep the Mayor of Wu Lim city in check and not let his influence get too strong, though officially the reason was to provide support to the Northern frontier in case of an invasion. The army base took up over sixty percent of the area of the southern town. Because of the army base, there were many blacksmiths, taverns, inns, and courtesans in the Southern town, which all provided their services and entertainment to the soldiers.
The first thing Lin Mu noticed upon entering the town was the unusually high amount of guards. Looking closer at the guards, one could see that they were not just from the town’s guard but also from the city guard.
’Why are there guards from Wu Lim city here? What could have made them come here?’
Lin Mu followed the road while checking out the various sights of the town. He was looking for a shop that would buy his pelts and the horn. He could not go to the shops he used to go before, as the shopkeepers would definitely decline buying them after the incident.
He had to look for a shop he had not been to before. Thinking over it more, he instead decided to go to the tannery; and if they did not buy the pelts, then he would go search for other shops. Switching his path, he made his way to the tannery. The pungent smell of rotten flesh and carrion could be felt from far, and as one got closer you could also smell the odor of various chemicals mixed with it.
Lin Mu covered his mouth and nose with his hand to prevent the vile stench of the tannery from making him vomit. Eventually, he reached the entrance of the tannery where hunters and trades could be seen standing. He saw a man writing down something in a register after talking to those hunters and traders.
Lin Mu approached the clerk,
"I would like to sell some pelts."
The clerk who was busy writing in the register, turned his eyes up and looked at Lin Mu who had just spoken.
"How many?"
"Two pelts."
The clerk raised his brows in question,
"Just two? What kind of pelts are you looking to sell?"
"One pelt of the Black horned rabbit and one of the Thorn tailed rat."
The clerk’s face had a look of annoyance after hearing what Lin Mu had come to sell.
With an annoyed tone, he spoke,
"Make trouble somewhere else boy, do not bother me. What use are the pelts that you are selling? We only buy pelts from bigger beasts, not one’s such as that you are trying to sell."
"This is a rather weird way to skin a beast, but the pelts are fine and don’t have any tears."
A smile appeared on Lin Mu’s face upon hearing the woman’s assessment, but then turned bitter on hearing her next words.
"The pelts are small so they are not worth much, I can give you 20 copper coins for the black-horned rabbit’s pelt and 10 copper coins for the thorn tailed rat’s."
"Umm, and the horn?" Lin Mu asked upon not hearing a price for the horn.
"Nothing."
"Excuse me?"
"The horn has no use, I won’t buy it." The woman replied with a rather straight face.
With a pleading tone, Lin Mu spoke,
"But can’t you make weapons with it? Or some other equipment?"
"The effort in making it would not be enough compared to how much such a piece of equipment would sell for."
Taking a pause, she added,
"Rather than selling it, you may as well just keep it as a small trinket. No one else would buy it, but seeing as you’ve come to this shop, I reckon you have tried to sell these things before."
Lin Mu felt a slight pinch in his heart upon hearing the words of the woman. He nodded his head and said,
"Okay, I accept the price. Also, if I bring more such pelts or goods, would you be willing to buy them?"
Still having a straight face the woman replied,
"I must see them first before deciding. But it would be better if you bring something more substantial than this."
Lin Mu thought in his mind, ’If I could, I would have sold them in the shops I had visited before and not in a place such as this,’ but did not show any change of expression on his face as he did not want the woman to get offended.
The woman removed a pouch from the counter and counted 30 coins before placing them before Lin Mu, who picked them up and put them in the small pouch he had tied to his waist.
He walked out of the old and dusty shop, closing the door upon his exit. Now that he had some coins, the first thing he wanted to do was to satisfy his hunger; thus he made his way towards the street where food stalls were located.
Once Lin Mu was gone from the shop, the woman, who was still standing at the counter, heard an old voice coming from the door behind her.
"Who was it, Ke’er?"
The woman replied but with a more affectionate voice this time, completely unlike how she talked with Lin Mu,
"Just some boy."