"Hunting wild animals and trying to sell them is not that difficult. All you have to do is to go home, grab a good knife, take their fur away if they present fur on their body, after you have done that thing, all you have to do right now is separate those two things. You see, the fur and the meat can be sold to two different markets, in that way you could generate much more money than selling those two things in the same market. You could gain even double if you will do that strategy, but it is kinda risky nowadays. You see, the markets have started to cooperate much more often, and trying to sell and gain much more money has become difficult." says Diana, Fiona's big sister, to Marcus and Ron who are on their knees, they look down at the ground for fear of seeing this woman, who is not nervous at all, on the contrary, she is harmless because she is impressed by the fact that the two managed to catch animals and come to her for advice, but these two are scared because they invaded her yard and immediately gave up because Diana tricked them that Fiona is coming who is in a state of rage.
"Were sorry for what we did!" says Ron feeling ashamed for the things he has done, even though he has done nothing wrong.
"You didn't do anything wrong, though..." says Diana to those which they are looking at her so shocked that they would have thought it was some kind of women's test, but it isn't.
"I-I see... So... Would you help u-us?" asks Marcus starting to shake and being nervous.
"Yes. I could help you," says Diana smiling at both of them and making them being relieved that they will not die by her hand. "Did the beast in that wheelbarrow belong to you two?"
"Yes," says Marcus to Diana.
"I see... They can be sold at a good price, but why you two are selling them though? I thought the knight's only job is to go and solve some problems in the Kingdom or protecting the city?"
"You see... We got some money problems and us... Have to spend every penny on our free day..." says Marcus being ashamed by the things he has done, but it wasn't his only fault, Ron was his accomplice.
Diana slaps her forehead to give her long hair back, then tells Knight Marcus and Squire Ron.
"So you need the money that much, huh? Well... I could help you, and not charging any coin, but you two will own me a favor. Understand?"
"Yes." says those two guys getting up from their knees.
"Good. Follow me," says Diana going to open the big gates and after that, Diana takes her dead animals in the cart to the room where look like a kind of butchery. The yard, owned by Diana and Fiona, has a house where they sleep and two so-called small wooden houses, one to repair weapons, objects, or anything else that can bring him money, and the second is to cut the inside of animals that had been captured. , take their fur or skin, and inspect the bones, because the bones can also be sold in the market because they can be used to create all kinds of accessories or as dog food that protects their home.
Ron, following Marcus' orders, takes his wheelbarrow full of animals to the house where Diana entered when she carried a whole deer that is bigger than her in the back. Marcus and Ron didn't even ask questions because they think that physical strength is inherited in Fiona's family. The two arrive in front of the house, there, Diana tells them to come in to see the process to peel the skin off the deer. They enter the room which appears to be a kind of butchery. The interior of that room has several cabinets that contain tools to dissect the dead animal, take its skin, or inspect if the organ is healthy. This pantry also had some animal skeletons that were completely devoid of meat and anything else. Diana is laying that animal corpses on the ground, she takes a knife and she is starting to take the fur outta that animal. While she was trying to do that, she explains to those two.
"Taking the fur out of an animal can be an easy or a hard job... Now depends on the animal you are working on... So, which animals you two have caught?"
"Just some small animals like rabbits, squirrels, and crows, and one big bear," says Marcus.
"You could make somewhere at fifty gold coins if you sell the rabbit and squirrel fur because those two are used as carpets or in clothing. And with their meat, you can sell to the butchers. So, the fur could value at twenty gold coins, and the meat at almost thirty gold coins."
"Per piece?"
"In total."
"Augh... And to crows?"
"You could deliver them to the butchers who are willing to give you six gold coins per piece."
"That means eighteen gold coins," says Ron because he knows some maths even though he is a squire knight.
"Correct answer, Ron. Now, with the bear, things are different. You can sell an entire bear without taking away its four-legged mammal fur, but you'll find very few buyers here who want to offer somewhere around a hundred gold coins. But, the best option is to sell the fur somewhere at tailoring where the minimum for such a thing can be at almost seventy gold coins or more at a higher price. And as for meat," says Diana while she takes a part of deerskin and she put it somewhere safe, and after a little bit, she continued to take the fur from the dead deer and continued to explain those two boys "... Meat is different, bear meat is not so sought after because it can present certain diseases that are even deadly to humans, but certain butchers who are desperate for money can even offer you almost ninety coins golden because I can camouflage this meat as a tastier one."
"However ... we still won't be able to have enough money to pay the rents and taxes," says Ron to Marcus, which makes him nervous.
"Also... There is another way to make money, but it is kind of a risque," says Diana looking at those two who were sad a few moments ago.
"It is?" asks Ron and Marcus at the same time.
"You could dig for elemental rocks, but those can be hard to find and they are also valuable."
"Yeah..." says Marcus. "We tried that, but it didn't quite work."
Ron remembers the elemental stone he discovered, the one with the fire sign. He takes it out of his pocket, shows it to Marcus, to whom he smiles like a man who discovers that he has drawn the big lottery. Diana glances at the rock that contains the element of fire then look at Marcus and ask.
"How many gold coins you said you need it?"
"Enough to pay three weeks of taxes," says Diana to Marcus and Ron and make them happy, which she took that fire rock element with her left hand to analyze it. "...This rock and with the sales of those dead animals will value much more than that. You two are lucky."
Ron and Marcus are looking at each other, both of them are doing a fist-bump in the sign of a good partnership and victory.
After that, they both start to give him a knife and start working to take the fur off some of those animals they caught. Ron took care of the small animals, Marcus took care of that bear, and Diana, who finished with that deer, starts cutting his meat using a different knife from the other one, one that is always used in meat or that is never used on fur. While the three of them were working on the animals, they decided to talk to make time pass and not to have such a difficult atmosphere while the three of them worked. They had casual conversations about family members, life in this kingdom, memories, and Ron shared memory of himself when he had been fishing and caught only a pike.
After a few hours of work, it's already night outside, and since the tailors will only open the next day, Marcus and Ron decide to put those pieces of meat, wrapped in paper that Diana uses to keep the meat intact. and not broken. The two wanted to go with the meat in the morning, but Diana explained that most butchers in this kingdom are open even in the evening because they have to slaughter the animal or cook it for nobles who want meat for breakfast or rich knights. The two say goodbye to Diana and tell them they will see each other's hands when they come to take those animal furs because they have nowhere to leave them because Ron lives with his parents and their house is a bit small, and Marcu's house she is also small, but she is full of garbage because he is a messy knight and has no idea where he could leave the garbage. And the rock who Ron has found out it is in his pocket. He can't leave such a valuable thing in anyone's hands. He knows Diana, but still, such an object is very valuable.
Those two are heading with the wheelbarrow at a Butchery called "Dinma Butchery" and who has opened anytime. They are going to that butchery because it is the closest to Ron and Marcus's houses. While they were going there, Marcus is asking Ron a random and not expected question.
"Do you think I could have a chance with Diana?"
"... What?" asks Ron having no idea where does that question came from in the first place.
"Well... Is this a yes or a no?"
"Marcus... I know I am a squire and I do not have much experience with women, but... knowing you and Fiona where together a long time ago, maybe it will not be a good idea to marry her sister."
"Marry?! Who said I am going to marry her?" asks Marcus feeling quite ashamed for himself because he asked a stupid question to his squire.
"Alright. You wanted her to take your virginity away?"
"No!" says Marcus facepalming. " You know what? Forget it. It was a stupid question anyway."
On the rest of their road to that butchery, none of them uttered a word until they arrived in front of the butchery, which does not seem to look as normal as it seems. While Marcus and Ron where approaching the door of the butchery, someone in that building, was having a good time while he was cutting the meat of an animal.