Title: My First Trading Partner is An Awaken
Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. Unless otherwise indicated, all the names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents in this book are either the product of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
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It took them the rest of the morning to move into the new house. Jimmy, his father, and the rest of his siblings, Dylan, Sheinna and Amelia, were amazed by their new place.
Henry Ramirez stood proudly in front of the newly acquired house of their own. With a wide grin, he gestured for his father and three siblings to follow him inside.
As they stepped over the threshold, their eyes widened in awe at the spacious living area. The house needs renovation but it was still manageable in their eyes.
"Wow, Henry, this place is five times bigger than our house in the slum!" exclaimed his younger sister, Amelia, her eyes darting around the room in wonder.
Their father, Jimmy, stood silently, his expression a mixture of pride and disbelief.
"You've done well, son" he finally said, his voice thick with emotion. "I never thought we'd see the day when one of us would own a home like this."
Henry beamed at his father's words, his heart swelling with gratitude. "Thanks, Dad. Without you, literally, I wouldn't have done this."
Henry knew that this is actually the case as the ring where the activated platform is from his father's.
"You see, we need to buy furniture here… and" Henry was interrupted when his younger brother spoke.
"Bro. This is already enough. We can manage even without those furniture. We can still use the old bed." Dylan reminds Henry. They were used to sleeping on a hard platform and they didn't complain.
"I insist, Brother. This will be our home and I want the best of it too so that you will be more motivated to study." Henry said.
"We are already motivated bro. Just look at our performances, you're not disappointed, aren't you?" Dylan asked.
"Fine. I was just excited." Henry said. For his father and siblings, he wanted to give the best for them. Performance wise, Dylan is referring to their studies as the three of their siblings are on the top of their classes.
"Worry not, brother. This place is more than enough and we are thankful and proud that you have done this single handedly." Dylan said.
"Alright. But if you needed anything else. Let me know. Still, at least we need to buy the basics like bed foams, surplus sofa, table and curtains." Henry still insisted.
"It's your arrangement brother." Dylan said. He didn't mind as this place is truly enough. They can easily move now as compared to their small house.
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Henry Ramirez entered PAL Jewelry with a determined stride, clutching two gold coins in his hand. These coins are part of the 26 coins he traded with salt with Tyler. Yesterday, he had sold two similar coins to the shop, and today, he was back to sell another pair.
Mr. Fernandez, the owner of PAL Jewelry, greeted Henry with a warm smile as he approached the counter. "Ah, Henry, back so soon? Was it the gold coin?"
Returning the smile, Henry placed the gold coins on the counter with a sense of urgency. "Mr. Fernandez, I have two more coins for you. Like the ones I sold yesterday, these are of exceptional quality and weight a total of 215 grams."
Mr. Fernandez's eyes squinted as he was still interested with the gold coins in the hand of the young man in front of him. He nodded thoughtfully, his gaze lingering on the coins. "Are you still fine with 2,100 pesos just like yesterday?"
Henry took a deep breath, steadying himself for the negotiation ahead. "Yes, I'm fine with it."
The owner considered Henry's words for a moment, and he asked the gold coin to be inspected. Just like yesterday, the coin is truly 21 carat gold and it was what the man say, "Very well, Henry. I'll take them off your hands for 2,100 pesos," he finally agreed, extending his hand to seal the deal.
Relief flooded through Henry as he shook Mr. Fernandez's hand, grateful for the successful transaction. "Thank you, Mr. Fernandez. I appreciate your willingness to do business with me."
Manager Fernandez gives the amount and Henry is delighted. That's 445,000 pesos. Added to his recent money, he has 520,000 pesos. Too many for him to use yet he still has 24 gold coins.
He went to buy foams, curtains and some furniture for their new place. Also, new kitchen ware is a must and his most favorite, the refrigerator and the washing machines. Groceries are also inevitable. Thus, he spends around 100,000 pesos along with 50 sacks of salt and what he needed in making the F-rank healing potion.
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"Hey Tyler, I got what you wanted," Henry greeted, a hint of anticipation in his voice, as he approached Tyler amidst the bustling marketplace. "I've got the 45 kg of salt you needed."
"Amazing. It seems that your world is more open to salt trade, Henry," Tyler remarked with a chuckle, acknowledging the significance of the trade. He reached behind him to retrieve a collection of items.
"Here are the three kinds of items; here are the 20 liters of waste water, one F-rank healing potion, and the 20 depleted F-rank crystals. I had made the crystals powered already."
Henry accepted the items with a nod of gratitude, his eyes scanning over the array before him.
"Thanks, Tyler. These will definitely be useful specially this F-rank healing potion," he replied, a sense of appreciation evident in his tone.
"As for the salt. I truly need some space with me as I need certain ways on how to conceal my excessive purchase of salt here in my place."
"So what you really said is true about the number of people in your world? About 7.5 billion people?" Tyler inquired, his curiosity piqued by the staggering figure.
"Yes, in your country alone, there are 121 million people, and in this city where I'm at, there are around 3.2 million people."
Henry confirmed, providing context to Tyler's astonishment.
"For real?! There are only about 100,000 people in Wadas City, and you said that there are millions out there in a single city? How the heck do you manage there?" Tyler exclaimed, his confusion palpable.
Tyler had just rented an inn in the city and was exhausted, sleeping for a long time. It was Henry who woke him up, announcing that the salt was prepared.
"It's abiding by the law; there are a lot of people here, and only some are superhumans like you. These superhuman people on our side also abide by it as they were tasked to protect the lives of ordinary beings like us"
Henry explained, weaving a tale inspired by the fantasy worlds of movies and anime he was familiar with, such as the Naruto series, One Piece, and Marvel.
"Your world seems orderly," Tyler observed, reflecting on the differences between their realities. "I didn't think that law could hold down those powerful beings that could smash everything in just a whipped of their power."
"They have some leeways, but still, there are limits on their actions," Henry explains.
"It might be so. As I said here, to survive is to get stronger and have due credit. However, just like your world, the one who holds the power is also the one who protects."
"Thus, for people with higher ranks, like B-rank warriors, they have the go signal to be a lord. A lord that governs lower ranks and ordinary people. The lord protects them from harm, and in return, the people will give them tax and resources he or she needed to rank up to a higher realm of existence," Tyler elaborated on the hierarchical structure of power in his world.
[I see. I don't mean to judge, but it's a more direct method than ours]
Henry remarked, his words tinged with a hint of sadness. [It's sad to say that in our world, there are full of what I consider filthy acts to gain more power and authority]
He added, referencing his words to the often dubious nature of news reports and rumors. He told Tyler about the different powers existing in his country and the latter agreed to the existence of such waste in the society.
"They seem to be the wolf in sheep's clothing. I am certain that if such people exist and the lord of the different fiefs, lands and cities knows about it, these kinds of people will be dead or be eaten in the wilds," Tyler commented.
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"Brother! Father's caca stinks, and it's black!" Dylan complained, assisting their father, Jimmy, in the comfort room. It was a Saturday morning, and Jimmy, still needing assistance due to the stroke, faced this ordeal with his sons by his side.
"Don't shout it out, bro. Look at das, he was rather embarrassed!" Henry said after noticing their dad's behavior.
Henry wrinkled his nose, catching the strong odor even from a distance.
"It's become effective already?" he mused aloud, noting the overpowering scent that seemed to permeate their new house.
"Just bear with it. I ordered herbal medicine for Dad, and one of the effects is this," Henry lied, hoping to deflect suspicion from the real cause.
"Was that the white compound that smells nice in your room?" Dylan asked, noting the odd combination of scents emanating from Henry's room. He had observed the various items piled in Henry's room – foam, wooden cabinets, bags of salt, and numerous vials of liquid.
Henry hesitated, choosing his words carefully. "Yep. Father, how do you feel?" he inquired, turning his attention to Jimmy.
Though Jimmy still struggled to speak, his expression conveyed a sense of improvement. He indicated that he wanted to try the herbal medicine Henry had added to his soup.
"That's good, dad. But the supplier mentioned you can only consume 200 ml of it daily. The stinking waste means your body is becoming cleaner, flushing out toxins," Henry explained, citing advice he had received from Tyler regarding the F-rank healing potion.
"My gosh, bro. It's my first time seeing Father seem better. Look at his cheek!" Dylan observed, noticing a hint of color returning to their father's face.
"That's a good sign. Anyways, you move him as I need to use the bowl too," Henry instructed, closing the door behind him as he attended to his own needs.
"Brother, did you drink it too?" Dylan called out, curious about Henry's involvement.
"Yes, Dylan. But I'm not talking to you right now because of this awful smell!" Henry replied, his voice muffled by the closed door.
Yeah, it was truly smelly which smells all throughout the kitchen and living room. Thus, they needed to open the doors and the windows.
Dylan's curiosity about the mysterious white compound in Henry's room only grew stronger. He couldn't shake the feeling that there was something special about the white herbal compound, something that held the key to his family's newfound sense of hope and optimism.
"Hey, brother," Dylan called out, his curiosity piqued. "Your skin looks different. Is this related to that white water in your room?"
Henry emerged from the bathroom, a towel slung over his shoulder, his expression a mix of surprise and realization.
"Really? I didn't even notice," he replied, his voice tinged with wonder.
Dylan approached his brother, examining his face closely. "It's true! Your skin looks clearer than before," he exclaimed, marveling at the transformation.
Henry ran a hand over his face, feeling the smoothness of his skin with amazement.
"I guess the herbal medicine is working its magic on me too," he mused, glancing at his naughty Dylan. He knew that face when his brother is ready to make such comments or counters.
As they returned to their father's side, Dylan couldn't help but feel a sense of hope stirring within him. If the potion could work wonders for Henry's skin, perhaps it held even greater potential for their father's recovery.
"Bro. If those acnes will be gone while drinking the potion, can I try it as well?" Dylan asked eager to get rid of the markings in his body and faces too.
"Why not bro. However, keep this secret between us. Also, you dad. We need to be discreet about it." Henry reminded Dyan.
"No problem brother, I will zip my lips about it," Dylan promised.
"Right, just 1 cup a day and make sure that you drink it only on Saturday and Sundays, unless you want to be laughed at in your school about your smelly doo-doos," Henry advises.
"Yeah, I realize that now," Dylan also agreed.