In a discreet and exclusive alley of the Crimson commercial district, a store was sitting in the farthest corner of the street, this store was just like any other in the district. With high stone brick walls, wooden interior cladding, crimson clay gabled tile roof, and glass windows. A sign with a cast-iron cauldron hung from a beam.
The Black Cauldron was the County Witch's shop for resources and raw materials. Inside it, a human and a witch were busy in pleasant silence.
Sascha opened the subdivision of the long counter that divided the room in two and walked to the door. She turned the brass doorknob, and when it swung open, both dark brows shot up in disbelief. Wasn't the witch afraid of being stolen from her?
"How many thieves do you know who are willing to tickle me?" Melida snorted from the counter, before continuing to say. "Everyone knows that I mark my wares with magic, who would be so crazy then to steal this witch?"
Put this way, Sascha had to admit that not even the bravest of the brave would dare. She shook her head and cautiously peered outside. Perhaps because it was the early hours of the morning or perhaps because of the exclusivity of the place, but the alley was devoid of any sign of human life.
Unlike the other areas of the business district that Sascha had seen on previous visits to the city, this alley was immaculate and free of the usual stalls and stalls, as well as the pulse of life that characterized these places.
An aura of refinement could be appreciated in every corner of the alley. Sascha, who had lived her entire life amid the simple, rustic life of the country, felt somewhat intimidated.
"If you have already satisfied your curiosity. So, come help me. Who knows and maybe we'll finish before closing." The old woman complained, her voice was full of sarcasm.
Instantly, Sascha closed the door and obediently began to work. The job itself was simple enough, and she just had to restock the drawers and burlap sacks of merchandise. The witch was very organized and this could be appreciated with the way she painstakingly qualified the store's resources behind the counter. On the left side of it were magic herbs, while the right side was common medicinal herbs. Besides this, the herbs were sub-organized according to their uses.
"Since it is your first day, you will only watch for today." Melida took a seat behind the wooden counter, where a scale was balanced on it. "Normally I open the store once a week, for half a day, and always on the first day. Since you're here now, the new schedule will be five days from seven to twelve noon, is there a problem with this? "
Sascha shook her head like a rattle. Even if she had a problem she wouldn't say it either. She had two babies on the way, at this point she would cling to any burning nail.
"Good. As for your pay, I will pay you to double what that old Ogre used to give you. " The old woman frowned. With a finger, she gently tapped her lips. "Besides, I will pay you two pieces of iron for each magic herb and fifty copper for each medicinal herb you recover from the forest."
The double? An ecstatic expression lit Sascha's eyes as she calculated in her heart, That would be one hundred and sixty-eight pieces of copper! Two pieces of iron for each magic bud? Fifty coppers for every common sprout? With her natural abilities, it would not be strange if by the end of the year she was a rich woman. For a second Sascha got so excited that he got dizzy. However, sanity soon broke through and with great regret and a resigned sigh, Sascha refused to accept. "The salary is fine, however, you don't have to give me more than that, I feel like if I took more, I would be being greedy."
"Do not worry about that." Melida rejected the protest of the young woman with a gesture, although she was inwardly very pleased, if the young woman had accepted her without her more likely she would have relegated her to some position without responsibilities. In this way, Sascha passed one of what would in the future be the witch's tests.
"But..."
"Do you know how much it costs to buy a single gram of magic herbs?" Melida stopped her impatiently. Sascha swallowed what she was going to say, but shook her head negatively. "A single gram in the Guild costs a piece of iron." Sascha's eyes rolled with the astronomical figure. "Of course, since I don't have to pay for labor or transportation like the Guild, my standards are more moderate."
Sascha gulped, not sure whether or not she wanted to know that she understood the witch by 'moderate' yet she still had to ask. "How much is moderate?"
"Eighty pieces of copper." The witch declared proudly, to which Sascha could only sigh.
What are you so proud of? You have only reduced twenty pieces! She scolded the witch in her heart. Of course, it did not happen from there, however, Melida would not be Melida but she could perceive this kind of thing.
"Do you think it is too expensive yet?" Sascha had the delicacy to pretend guilt, seeing this Melida laughed dryly before saying. "Learn this, girl! The rarer the merchandise, the higher its value. I am pretty good considering the usual market rates. Furthermore, my goods are fresh and top quality products. "
Sascha nodded meekly and without expression. The old woman's eyes gleamed with pleasure. The young woman was a good girl who did not allow herself to be reaped by greed. The idiot ogre made no mistake in choosing. Despite this, she insisted again. "Then! Do you insist on not accepting this witch's proposal? "
Sascha was thinking too much for Melida's liking, so she got irritated and stressed. "Life in Crimson is three to four times more expensive than Arden."
"I have no interest in living in Crimson," Sascha said absently, but she was considering it.
"You lost everything when your ex burned them, right?" Melida cajoled a bit more. Seriously! It was the first time that she almost had to shove money into someone's hands! "None of this is cheap in the city, so you should consider my offer."
Sascha quickly made calculations, she currently had a capital of ten pieces of iron. The old woman would pay him a monthly piece of iron with eighty-four pieces of copper. Winter was coming, so she had to think about buying winter clothes for herself and her babies.
Sascha was an intelligent woman and she knew that, with the growth rate of her children, she would by no means have the typical twelve-month pregnancy. Less than three days after getting pregnant, her children were already three weeks pregnant, two more days and the worst symptoms of pregnancy such as nausea and dizziness had already passed, her appetite on the contrary was growing by leaps and bounds.
Three days, three weeks. Sascha calculated with this ratio in mind. She hugged her belly, currently, she must be about five weeks old. In other words, a month and a week. However, she did not stop there, and she continued to do the math without pause. A year was twelve months, and twelve months was fifty-five weeks.
Two and a half months, maximum three? Was this how long her pregnancy would last? Sascha's eyes twitched in shock. Luckily or unfortunately, her mind did not linger too long on this figure, rather she circled what was bothering her. When the time came, how would he deal with the witch?
What's the use of worrying now? She and she would cross that bridge when it was time to do so! With this kind of mindset, Sascha focused on the most immediate urgencies.
Like clothes, shoes, hats, gloves, winter covers, and a crib. She also couldn't forget to buy a pill refiner furnace, she had already looked at Sascha before and she found out that the witch didn't have any of these.
No problem, as long as there was an alchemist blacksmith within her reach, pill refining furnaces weren't hard to come by actually. However, the price was another matter. Only the lower class cost twenty pieces of iron, while the middle and upper class, tripled and five times this figure. But this had nothing to do with her, with her natural talent as long as she could obtain a lower class she could refine pills down to a medium level.
When Sascha faced the witch again, she had already made up her mind.
"And good?" the Witch wanted to know.
Sascha gritted her teeth and prepared to toughen her face, because she still felt that she was taking advantage, just discounting the amount of money she would have to pay for the valuable magical and medicinal herbs would be enough to turn the whole thing upside down ten times. buns from her. This without counting the money for the tools and work facilities. However, for the sake of her magic bugs, Sascha was willing to do much more than this.
"I will do that."