"All the footprints on this side of the inn have been cleaned! Tadadada!" Min hummed a little jingle to celebrate the end of the first part of her ignoble quest. Anything to make her job feel just a little less like a chore. "Now to move to the ones near the doo- Ah! H-hi there, c-can I help you?"
A young man with blonde hair entered the inn, stopping to look at the naked cleaner up and down. He wore fancy silk threads and a floppy hat with a feather on it. The outfit was probably more expensive than all the laundry Min had to do.
"H-hey! My eyes are up here!" Min tried to cover herself with her wet rag, grimacing as the cold cloth made contact with her sprightly chest. "Eww." Hopefully, the guy would move on soon. Staring at her couldn't be that interesting, right?
"Hi, there, traveler!" The innkeeper's daughter called him out. "Want a place to rest? A warm meal? You came to the right place. Take a seat, and we'll serve you a nice, warm soup!"
"Thank you! We'll take you up on the offer. Guys, come in!"
More people came into the inn. Men and women dressed equally extravagantly filled all the empty tables around Min, who was doing her best to keep her internal screaming from escaping her lips.
The naked adventurer could feel her cheeks heating up under the pressure of the wall of eyes bearing down on her. Where did all these people come from? Peeking across the open door behind them, Min saw a couple of wagons parked by the entrance.
The caravan! It had arrived! The merchants must have decided to come for a quick rest. Why couldn't they have stopped in the town and let Min sulk by her lonesome?
The innkeeper and her daughter went to the kitchen to prepare their meal, leaving Min alone with the group. Now that she was in the middle of a fancy and well-dressed crowd, Min's lack of attire felt even more out of place. It was like she was a jester at court. They were all staring like they expected her to start the next part of her act and make them laugh.
Min squeezed the rag tighter across her chest, the soft contour of her breasts peeking from the sides. The rag wasn't enough to cover everything, and she knew that sooner or later, she would have to let her cover go to get back to scrubbing.
"Say, you don't seem part of the family." the blonde merchant tried to strike up a conversation, nodding his head towards women serving soup behind the counter. "You work here?"
"Not really. T-trust me. You don't want to stay here too long! The food's horrible!" Min replied, trying to get them to leave.
"We'll see. The ambient is quite cozy, however."
"Right, and the view ain't half bad either!"
The table shared a hearty laugh at Min's expense. She swallowed her nerves and grumbled. Her adventure had the worst start ever. Why couldn't the universe give her a break?
Wait, those guys were merchants! They probably had the tools, weapons, and all the clothes that a destitute adventurer like Min sorely needed. Meeting them was destiny! The goddess surely sent these people to put her on the right path.
"S-so, you guys are merchants, right? Do you happen to sell weapons and, erm, clothes?"
"We don't. We trade mostly in spices and salt, but if something strikes you fancy, I'm sure we can work out a deal." The merchant smiled as he gestured at his clothes, daring Min to buy them off his back.
"Err, as a point of reference, how much do those pants cost?"
"Two gold coins, one for each leg hole!" the man tried to crack a joke, but even his pals rolled their eyes.
"R-right, and, well, how much lower can you drop the price for a poor girl down on her luck like me?"
The man stroked his chin. "You don't seem to be very… affluent. I don't think I can drop it to any price you can afford."
"P-please, you have to have something I can wear! It doesn't need to be fancy!"
"At the risk of trying to extract water from a dry well, I can give you a blanket to tie around your intimates for about…" the man clicked his tongue. "…let's say, twelve copper coins. It is the cheapest thing I can sell you, honest."
That was twelve coins more than Min had… or maybe? "Err, excuse me, ma'am, how much will you pay me to clean your clothes?" she yelled at the innkeeper.
"We are not paying you to fix your mess, and we are not interested in hiring help," the matron yelled.
"Hold on, maybe we could use her help for… advertising," her daughter chimed in. "Hey girl, how would you feel about standing outside until sunset spinning a sign to tell people to come in? I'll pay you five copper coins a day! I bet a naked woman would attract lots of attention."
Min shivered at the thought. Yep, she would attract attention all right, the wrong kind. She ignored the innkeeper to keep talking to the merchants. Anything was better than going back to scrubbing the floor and giving them front-row seats to the full moon.
Min sat cross-legged on the ground, her chest already used to the cold rag currently hiding little more than her nipples. "So… I don't suppose you feel like doing some charity?"
"Look, girl, don't take this the wrong way, but you seem like an adventurer. Giving your kind more money is like donating to the Merchants Guild, just one more drop into the sea."
Min gritted her teeth, she sure didn't feel like a rich woman. Maybe being recognized as an adventurer was not as good ability as she thought. "Look at me, I'm naked! Destitute! How can you think I'm rich?"
"Right, because you absolutely don't have a hidden chest buried somewhere with all your loot."
"Bet she is going naked for the thrill of it," a plump merchant suggested. "These adventurer types are always looking for the next big rush. Nothing gets the blood pumping like wrestling a wolf in your birthday suit."
"I think you are half-right, but she is probably looking for another type of thrill, if you know what I'm saying," another merchant wiggled her eyebrows.
"No! I'm not a thrill seeker or a pervert! I just, erm, lost my equipment on the way here, that's all! I swear that what you see is what I got! NOTHING!"
"That sounds very unlikely. Who loses literally all the clothes off their back? Where do you even come from where that could happen?"
Min opened her mouth, but no sounds came out. What would they think if she told them she was from another world? Would they believe her? What if she wasn't the first or only inter-dimensional adventurer? The goddess did seem like she had done this reincarnation thing before.
Only one way to find out.
"I'm from Earth."
The inn fell silent. The merchants looked at each other in confusion. Did she hit a bullseye? Did Earth have some mythical reputation in these feudal lands?
Eventually, a merchant opened his mouth. "Earth? Like, from the ground? Did you plop out of the soil like a flower?"
"Well, that would explain the lack of clothes," a fellow merchant commented.
"You know, I heard that's how nymphs are born. Do you think she's-"
"No!" Min yelled. "I mean planet Earth! I'm from another world."
The inn fell silent again, but the ambiance was less serious this time. The merchants could barely hide their incredulous smirks.
"Pfft. Another planet. How could I forget the verse in the scriptures where the Sisters got bored and decided to make another world for the fun of it?"
"Right, and why can't we see this brand-new world in the sky? Is it hidden on the other side of the sun?"
"Of course, don't you know? Planet Earth is next to Planet Water on the cold side of the Sun."
"You sure you aren't from Planet Air? Seeing as your head is full of it."
"Well, right now it seems like she is from planet Fire. Look at how red her cheeks are getting."
Ok, so maybe no one knew about Earth. And maybe Min should not mention her home world to anyone ever again. They mocked her more over that than her lack of clothes! She had to play it cool and change the subject, at least to calm her burning cheeks before she started blowing smoke out of her ears.
"Haha, I was joking, you guys. I'm from like, the other end of the continent, I guess…"
"Right…"
"But it's true that I am destitute, so I would appreciate any help you can give me. M-maybe I can work with your caravan? I'll guard your goods in exchange for coins and clothes."
"…S-sorry, but you don't seem like the most reliable guard," the blonde merchant said.
"Yeah, you couldn't even guard your clothes!" his plump friend added.
"Ah… I guess you are right…" Min should have seen that coming. Kind of hard to get a job if you show up to the interview buck-naked.
"Chin up! I'm sure you'll find another job in no time at all. You'll be making more money than us before the next winter."
"I sure hope you are right because I'm starting to think I choose the wrong profession."