The old man looked up at Vy and was stunned for a moment by her beauty. It was rare for an old man like him to see a pretty lady these days. He asked to examine the ring and Vy happily obliged. Potto took the ring from her and examined it closely under the light of the lamp that hung above them.
"The craftsmanship is a little rough on the edges and time has caused some damages. But it's definitely worth something. Young lass, would you be keen to sell it?"
Vy was surprised but she did not show it.
-System, can the ring be fixed?-
-What is the current value of the ring?-
-After it gets repaired, how much would be then?-
"If I am looking to sell it, how much would you offer," Vy asked Potto.
Potto stroked his beard and thought for a while. He knew it was a gold ring, underneath the damage that had been done. Since the girl seemed nice enough, he decided to give a reasonable offer.
"8 silvers."
-He knows the value of it and has a pawnshop owner, he would need to make a profit too. That is a fair deal for both of us. But I can't let go of the fact that it would be worth so much more after being polished and fixed.-
Vy pondered for a moment and thought of a reply. She could only hope that the shopkeeper would agree. "What if I were to pawn it instead? How much would I be able to get and by when do I need to return to get it back?"
"You seem like a nice enough girl. If you were to pawn it, I'll give you the 8 silvers. If you can come back with 10 silvers before 30 days is up, you can have it back."
Vy smiled. She put out her hand and said, "It's a deal!"
Potto smiled and shook her hand. After her transaction with Potto was complete, Vy paid Carole what she owed her. With the additional income, she also decided to purchase a small leather sling satchel, to carry her items with her, as well as a belt for her to holster her dagger.
Carole had a changing room at the back of her store, so she invited Vy to change into her outfit. After changing into her new clothes, she stepped out of the changing room and Carole brought her a full-length mirror to have a look.
"So, what do you think?"
For the first time, Vy looked at herself in the mirror. The clothes fit her well, her dragon necklace sat beautifully in the centre of her chest. Her hair was passed her shoulders and a little curled, despite the little care she had given, they were not too tangled. She smiled, as she examined the satchel and her dagger on her belt.
"It looks great. Thank you Carole!"
Carole smiled. "Actually, are you planning to stay in the town to look for a job? If you are, I could help you to ask around."
"That would be great actually! If you need an extra pair of hands around your shop, I don't mind helping out either."
"That's actually a great idea. It could be useful to have an extra pair of hands. With the big harvest festival coming up in a week or so, it does get busier."
"A harvest festival?"
"Yes, it happens twice a year and this is the second one this year. It is also the bigger one so more people will be swarming into the town. There will be many festivities and there would also be a larger market set up right outside the town to cater to the travellers and farmers who would be coming in."
After bidding farewell to Carole, Vy realised it was getting late and most of the stores were closed. She made her way back to the inn and went back up to her room. Closing the door behind her, she locked the door and went to put away her things into her satchel. Taking off her boots and jacket, she laid down on the bed and drifted off into sleep.
The next day, Vy went out early to explore the town a little more, hoping to better understand her surroundings. Since it was still early in the morning, the streets were pretty much silent apart from a few snoring drunks on the side of the road or the occasional townsfolk who was rushing off to open their shops for the day.
After some time, came across a shop that caught her interest. It looked pretty ordinary from the outside, but the signboard indicated that it was a place for books. The shop had a sign that said it was open so Vy did not hesitate and walked in.
The little bells that were hung on the door chimed as Vy walked in. She called out to see if the shop owner was around, but there was no reply. Without much thought, she looked at all the books that lined the shelves and those that were scattered all around.
There were books piled up everywhere, all hardback and leatherbound. Their designs were simple, simply embossed with the title of the book and the name of the author. Vy realised that the language of the world was different from her own.
-System, is the language of this world different from the world I come from?-
-There are other beings? Other than humans?-
There seemed to be so much that Vy did not know of. She needed more time to process all the information. As she continued to browse the shelves, a book caught her eye. While it was leather-bound, just like the rest, it had the head of a dragon embossed on the cover. Vy picked up the book and read it.
It was about different races of beings, some who have the ability to take different forms, yet it was different from a shapeshifter. Taking the form would not consume their energy or magic in any form. If they chose, they could exist in that particular form for extended periods of time. There were records of humans choosing to do so and never regaining their human form.
"Eventually they forget that they were even human," a voice spoke from behind.
Vy was stunned and her reflex caused her to drop the book. She turned around and pinned the source of the voice to the bookshelf with the dagger in her right hand.