Bo grinned as he discovered the limitless storage capacity of the MM Market system. Instead of carrying around his items in a bag, Bo made new custom offers and listed each at the price of a Lacrimal coin or two!
This let Bo pretend to have a spatial bag, inter-dimensional room, or storage ring! Bo could pull out his personal things at a moment's notice and at no cost! Not only that, but if Bo needed something and had the money, he could instantly get it!
Like Bo's dad once said, "Money can buy the World if used right!"
Bo also discovered the Third Imperial Majesty created Investor Soul Contracts or ISC's. Any business run by the people of Yorefire or any individual Yorefire entrepreneur could offer their services in a Soul Contract. By investing coins in these businesses or individuals, ISC's gave investors profit depending on the conditions stated.
One person using the MM Market Pseudonym DoNotGiveABigBuck stated he would give double the money invested in a day. This looked like a straightforward ISC. However, Bo noticed the same person made many other ISC's with the same wording. Although ISC's bound a soul to a contract, it didn't mean Immortals couldn't substitute another Mortal's soul in exchange!
This was the loophole for the equivalent exchange in risk! Soul Contracts looked like outsiders controlled Yorefire businesses, but it couldn't be any different. A soul would be taken, but the Third Imperial Majesty received them in the end! Outsiders lost all their invested money to businesses never intending to keep their promise!
Bo shook in anger, but the Third Imperial Majesty could be this shameless to help out his nation of Yorefire. Who knew how many criminals or innocents were used as collateral for these scams? How much of Yorefire's wealth built off of taking people's souls? What level of power did the Third Imperial Majesty get after taking so many souls of his Yorefire people?
Still, the MM Market offered this as a choice. Bo thanked his scheming head for not blindly jumping in. Reading the fine print of a contract saved his money! Maybe that's why people kept leaving, like they opened their doors to a neighbor and then got robbed at sword-point!
Bo rubbed his hands together and left the ISC's category. He checked on his list of items to buy.
Ten thousand noted Glass Flasks for eleven Nasal coins!
Ten thousand noted Wooden Buckets for forty Nasal coins!
Ten thousand noted Chicken Feathers for five Nasal coins!
Ten thousand noted Peasant Tunics for forty-four Nasal coins!
A whole Lacrimal coin, gone like that! Bo spent a little over two hours in the MM Market by now!
The sunset bled red light in the sky's horizon. Night was coming and the crowds of people started leaving.
Bo was confused, so he went to the front desk, this time not having to crawl under people's legs.
He found Elle and asked her, "Hey! Elle! Why're people leaving? Aren't we in the "Never-ending Hub of Trade?" You can't be closing up shop, right?"
Elle giggled and waved his words off.
"That's for Immortals. This is the only Mortal MM Market. There are ten other MM Markets you can access if you are an Immortal and have an Instance Travel Permit," Elle slapped the top of her desk.
"Otherwise, you have to use the Mortal MM Market. Even if it is the Mortal MM Market, there are Immortal items for sale. They're just not that many, they're lower quality, and they're more expensive. Also, we don't guarantee Immortal items in the Mortal MM Market."
Bo frowned, but accepted it. The strong make the rules for the weak. It couldn't be helped, since Immortals lived longer and had deeper backgrounds than Mortals.
"Thanks for the info, Elle. Oh! Could you give me my noted items?"
"Sure. It'll take a second..."
Elle verified Bo's purchase and gave him the notes. He threw them on the market, each for ten Lacrimal coins. Then, he sneakily stripped off his clothes and also tossed them on the MM Market for ten Lacrimal coins. Luckily, no one bought his old clothes, so he canceled his custom offer and put them back on.
Bo looked clean but still like the beggar he came here as. He withdrew a ham and cheese sandwich and started eating it as he left the MM Market. Droves of people came, but found disappointment as the Mortal MM Market closed up for the night. There was enough of a crowd that no one cared about what other people were doing.
Bo's mind reviewed what he saw for his brief moment in the MM Market. He saw people throwing away their junk. He saw people throwing themselves at the junk. He saw people gambling coins. He saw people getting scammed. He saw Immortals, Mortals; knights, peasants; wizards, rangers! He saw so many things!
His memory wasn't perfect, but Bo tried processing it all for the next day. If he could be lucky and find more suckers, wouldn't Bo be an Immortal by tomorrow? The prestige of being an Immortal...
Bo drooled at the thoughts of Immortal banquets, perfect beauties, endless treasures, and countless subordinates! One day, Bo would buy the World!
As Bo lost himself in thought, his legs kept moving. Now, it normally wouldn't be a problem, but this was outside the MM Market. Anything could happen in the World.
And what happened to Bo, in his moment of carelessness? He stepped in a pothole and tripped! The half-eaten ham and cheese sandwich flew! Bo flung his arms around like a deranged Chicken! A wet consistency clung to his leg!
In a matter of seconds, Bo dropped into a muddy puddle and his sandwich landed in horse dung. Bo felt like crying, but he couldn't open his mouth. His face was covered in mud.
"F*ck!" Bo thought. "Why me?"
He waded through the knee-deep puddle and dragged himself out. The puddle was so muddy that it looked like regular dirt. Who knew the stone roads had holes in them instead of being just dirty? Bo shook his legs off and wiped his face on his sleeve.
Bystanders laughed at him and then moved on. He was another bum from the backwaters for all they cared.
Bo helplessly moved on and searched for a place to bum around in for the night. If Bo spent his new fortune out here, he'd be mugged in a flash! He was a somewhat normal man, so he wasn't experienced in fighting.
This is why falling in that puddle of mud could be a blessing in disguise. Or, that's what Bo told himself. Bo left the parts of his sandwich that were stuck inside horse dung.
What remained was a bitten slice of ham on a bitten slice of bread. In his mind, Bo thought to trade this food to another idiot instead of wasting perfectly good food. Now wasn't a good time, since a number of people watched him scoop of the sandwich. So, he slipped it into his bag.
There was a stretch of unsettled land Bo needed to cross. It divided the MM Market from the "Capital of Civilization" and the Imperial Palace. A network of stone roads weaved through the grasslands and trees. Overall, it was about a hundred meters by about a hundred meters of land around the MM Market.
The Third Imperial Majesty thought the MM Market should've been wide open for people from all nations to gather. The oppressive size of the MM Market itself never ceased to amaze Bo. It wouldn't surprise him if the MM Market was able to hold millions of people. The design showcased the greatness of the MM Market.
But as of now, Bo thanked the huge stretch of land. It was easier to see crowds moving around and people moving by horseback. Carriages, flying swords, brooms, Wyverns! Immortals materialized into existence and hovered in the sky! Truly, this was the "Capital of Civilization!"
On his way back to the Capital, Bo noticed a downtrodden young man moving to the MM Market. He looked exhausted and hungry, his skin stretched tight on his bones. Over his shoulder, he held a long stick and a bag was tied to the end of it.
Bo rubbed his hands together. He was probably thinking like Bo to go to the MM Market but didn't know it closed at night.
"Hey, Brother! Hey, Brother!"
The young man looked up. His lips were cracked and his eyes drooped. He looked like a beaten dog that ran away from his master.
"You don't look too good. Are you new here? Are you going to the MM Market? Wait, are you hungry or thirsty?"
The young man licked his lips.
"Yes. Yes. Yes..." he faintly spoke, nodding his head.
"It's good I found you, Brother! The MM Market closes at night. Didn't you notice everyone moving back to the Capital? You can't trade until morning."
Bo's words shocked the young man. His face scrunched up.
"F*ck!"
Bo smiled and wrapped an arm around the young man.
"Don't worry, Brother. I can sell you some food and water."
Bo tried to clean himself a bit and then dug around in his bag.
"Here, sit down for a moment."
Bo led the young man off the road and they sat on the edge. Grass tickled their bare feet and it was relief from the long walk.
Bo pulled out his old canteen of water and the slice of bread and ham.
"Here, Brother. I don't have much, but we poor people need to stick together. If we don't, who will? We'll die by the roadside, like starved rats!"
The young man accepted it and slowly consumed this gift. He couldn't complain since this was literally all Bo had. His heart was touched and tears beaded up in his eyes.
"Brother, don't cry," Bo said. He had his arm around the young man and patted his shoulder.
"I'm a very honest person. I liked your determination, so I became your Brother. Is there any story for you coming here too?"
The young man nodded and swallowed the rest of the sandwich.
"My name is Ald. I'm from the Village of Northheim. I used to live there until a drought came. We couldn't grow any food and we spent our money in a flash! In late spring, we decided to go our own ways. I took most of the summer to finally get here."
Bo nodded. He himself took a long journey to get here. It changed his entire view and made Bo think more about surviving than helping others. Bo wouldn't lie to people, but he did business by triggering their emotions!
"I'm an orphan. In the Village, I heard stories of heroes forged from battles as kids to adults. I told them I wanted to make my own path. It didn't take me long to learn living by yourself is hard."
Bo nodded, "Yep. I'm an orphan too and have no idea how to cook either." He chuckled and sighed.
Ald looked at hin strangely, "That's not what I meant, but you're also right."
"What's your plan now?"
"My plan? Begging, of course! I can also carve, but they're not that good."
Bo's eyes shined.
"Oh? Can I see?"
"I mean, if you really want to see..."
Ald pulled over his bag on the end of his stick. He untied it and unraveled the bag.
"See? They're not that good."
Bo slackened his mouth and gasped.
"This... this... gives awful a run for its money!"
Ald scratched his head as Bo stared at the misshapen hunks of wood. He couldn't tell what any of them were. They looked too uneven and roughly cut. When Bo picked one up and inspected it, he saw little indents as if something punched into it.
"What'd you use to make these? A metal fork?"
Ald sheepishly laughed.
"Actually..."
Bo laughed.
"There's no way, is there?"
"I do use a fork. Although, it doesn't look like a fork anymore."
Ald held up a scrap of heavily damaged metal.
"What were you thinking! Don't you have a knife or something?"
"Well, do you have any metal on you?" Ald replied.
Bo paused.
"No, well. I didn't need a knife..."
"Exactly! I do wish I did have one. I'd carve much better if I had one."
"Sure, sure, Brother. We'll have to wait tomorrow, when the MM Market opens up."
"What are you going to do until then?" Ald asked.
Bo stumbled into the grassy fields.
"Sleep here, duh. I have nothing to lose and there's no reason to bother us here."
"You do have a point..."
"What's there to even steal? They'd be better off going to the Capital than search us. C'mon, Brother. There's no time in life like the present."
Ald followed Bo on the walk to a nice grassy bed. This way, Bo also gained a person to watch his back at minimal risk. It was nice to have another person around when Bo didn't worry about them stealing his money or his food.