CHAPTER 2: Garret
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"Hey, Ethan!" called a familiar voice.
He turned to see Lina, a local girl who had befriended him, waving happily. She was a beacon of hope in his difficult days, always cheerful and ready to help.
"Hi, Lina," he responded, managing a slight smile.
"Not much luck today, huh?" she asked, glancing at his unsold vegetables.
"Not really," he admitted. "I'm still trying to figure out which ones are good and which are not."
Lina laughed, her eyes bright. "You're getting better. It just takes time. Let me help you sort them out."
Together, they went through his produce, separating the good from the bad.
Lina's knowledge of agriculture and produce was invaluable, and Ethan was grateful for her help.
Even though he enjoyed Lina's company, Ethan always had a strange feeling when he was with her.
He couldn't describe it, but it felt like something was off.
He had tried to ignore it over time, after all, he had known her for a while, and she seemed like a cheerful and good person, but this feeling was like a tune in his head that wouldn't go away.
"You know," Lina said as they worked, "I heard there's a new merchant in town looking for suppliers. Maybe you should try talking to him."
Ethan perked up at the suggestion. "Really? Do you think he'd be interested in my produce?"
"It's worth a try, right? His name is Garret. He's set up near the main square. Why don't you go see him?"
Encouraged by Lina's suggestion, Ethan decided to give it a shot. He packed up his remaining vegetables and headed toward the main square.
The market was even more crowded here, with merchants shouting their wares and customers haggling over prices.
Near the center of the square, he noticed a new stall with a large sign that read "Garret's Goods." The man behind the counter was tall and sturdy, with a friendly yet shrewd demeanor.
"Hello," Ethan greeted, approaching the stall. "I'm Ethan. I heard you might be looking for new suppliers."
Garret, who was working behind the counter, turned and scrutinized him, his eyes appraising. "Ah, you must be the newcomer I've heard about. Let me see what you have."
Nervously, Ethan unpacked his vegetables, laying them out for Garret's inspection. The merchant picked up a few items, examining them closely. After a moment, he nodded.
"These aren't bad," Garret said.
"A bit inconsistent, but I see potential. How about this? I'll buy all your stock today and see how it sells. If it does well, we can discuss a regular arrangement."
Ethan's heart lifted at the proposal. "Thank you! That would be fantastic."
"Don't thank me yet," Garret said with a smile. "Let's see how it goes first. Bring your best products next week, and we'll talk again."
And so, thanking Garret once more, Ethan headed towards Old Wei's house.
As he walked, he couldn't help but think about how much his life had changed in the past year.
Since the day of the accident, he had been searching for a way back to his home world.
He had even asked around if anyone knew of another world, but every time he was dismissed as a madman and chased away.
After a few months, he stopped trying.
He was stuck in this place, and for now, he knew he couldn't do much, so he focused more on his daily tasks, making sure to sell enough each day to repay Old Wei for his hospitality.
He knew that in his current situation, he had no strength, neither economic nor physical.
His idea was to save up some money and purchase a cultivation technique in the future, allowing him to build a strength he could rely on, which would help him survive in this world.
Time passed, and before he knew it, a week had gone by, and the day of the meeting with Garret arrived.
Ethan, walking through the city's alleys with his cart, arrived at the agreed-upon location from last week.
It was early morning, and the place was still quite deserted.
People usually went out at this hour to go to work, but this area of the city seemed to be a spot where few passed through.
Ethan looked around, searching for Garret, but couldn't find him.
"Maybe I'm too early," he wondered, deciding to wait for a while.
After about fifteen minutes, Garret arrived, and seeing Ethan already there, he couldn't help but say:
"You're here earlier than I expected," he said, approaching him.
Ethan, seeing him approach, stood up and greeted him.
"Good to see you. I didn't want to risk being late, so I set out a bit early this morning," he said, lifting one side of the tarp on his cart.
"What do you think of these?" he asked, showing his produce.
Garret, seeing it, couldn't help but smile.
"Not bad, really not bad. They seem fresh and ripe," he said, taking a few and examining them.
Then, putting them back in the cart, he said to Ethan, "Come, let's go to my shop, which is nearby, to finalize the deal."
Ethan nodded, covered the produce with the tarp, and began to follow him.
They walked for a few minutes until they stopped in front of a building.
Ethan looked at the building and couldn't help but think it looked nothing like a shop.
Garret, seeing his look, said as he approached the building:
"I know, it's not much of a shop, but I didn't want to rent a fancier one at a higher price. After all, I don't tend to stay in one place for too long.
It's fair to say this shop is more of a warehouse than a shop," he said, unlocking the doors.
Ethan nodded and understood his reasoning. Indeed, the goods he wanted to sell, he sold directly in the town square, so for an itinerant merchant like him, renting a more expensive shop was a waste of money.
After a few seconds, the lock opened, and Garret motioned for Ethan to enter.
"Come in, make yourself at home," and with those words, he entered.
Ethan followed, successfully maneuvering his cart. The warehouse entrance was wide enough for about five people to pass through simultaneously, so Ethan had no trouble getting his cart inside.
Once inside, Ethan set down his cart and looked around.
The area inside the warehouse was almost completely dark, with only a few rays of light managing to pass through the closed windows.
Ethan could see the warehouse was quite full.
Everywhere he looked, he saw large and small containers, covered with cloths, grouped in orderly rows.
Ethan was curious to know what the nearly two-meter-tall containers held, but he didn't want to be rude, so he refrained from peeking inside.
Just as he was about to turn back in search of Garret, a slight sound came from one of the containers near him.
Ethan didn't know what it was, and for a moment he thought it was a mouse that had made its way into the warehouse.
Just as he was about to lift the cloth and check inside the container, he heard the sound of the entrance door closing.
He turned toward the entrance and saw Garret, who was finishing closing the sliding door of the entrance.
Though this seemed suspicious, Ethan didn't worry immediately, but as soon as Garret locked the door from the inside and turned around, everything changed.
Near the entrance, a smiling Garret closed the door and turned toward Ethan.
His expression seemed to change by the second, as a disturbing smile formed on his face.
Seeing him, Ethan became alert, beginning to sense that something was wrong here.
He remembered the earlier sound, and for a moment a thought crossed his mind.
'Wait, could it be...'
But his thoughts were interrupted by Garret's voice.
"What's wrong, did you see a ghost?" he said jokingly, but seeing that Ethan didn't react, he paused for a second, extending his hand toward his face.
Then, as if he understood what was happening, he said, laughing a bit.
"It seems I couldn't hold back any longer."
And then he continued, starting to walk forward, toward Ethan.
"Too bad, but this will do.
Come, let me show you my goods."