Im was startled by the sound of the wood being slapped, then heard Glen's question. He stammered, "T-twenty-one copper coins..."
"Twenty-one? For just a single bella's worth of chicken? You really are quite the seller," Glen said with a feigned look of surprise, followed by a mocking laugh.
Im, insulted, didn't dare speak up, but inwardly he cursed.
Suddenly, a hand swiftly shot into the pocket where Im kept his copper coins and pulled something out. Im looked up in surprise and saw Glen counting something in his hand.
"Those are my coins..." Im began to speak, but was immediately silenced by the look Glen gave him.
"Not a single coin more or less—twenty-one copper coins. Here you go, ma'am," Glen said, placing the copper coins carefully into the old woman's outstretched palm, before returning the package of chicken to Im.
"Come with me, I'll sell you some much cheaper meat," Glen said, gesturing for the old woman to follow him. She stood there, confused and unsure, but followed him as he led her toward the black pig.
The sight of the ugly animal made the elderly woman hesitate. She wasn't sure if she should buy its meat or not.
"Attention, ladies and gentlemen!" Glen suddenly called out loudly, drawing the attention of the crowd. "Come and take a look! Today, something that will benefit everyone is happening here! Whether you believe it or not, just come and watch—what's there to lose…"
As soon as he started calling out, people who were buying, sitting in carts, or just passing by all turned their attention toward him.
When the crowd had gathered, Glen stopped shouting and addressed them clearly, his voice carrying: "Ladies and gentlemen, I'm sure many of you have struggled with the price of meat. Wouldn't you like to buy fresh meat at a much cheaper price? Well, I'm offering exactly that! For every bella's worth of meat, I'm only charging four copper coins!"
The crowd murmured, exchanging quiet words. Everyone waited to hear more.
Im, however, shot him a hateful look, his expression clearly upset.
"Four copper coins for a bella? That's really cheap, but isn't that black pig? Will the meat be any good?" someone asked.
"Why not buy a little and try it? It's not expensive, after all," another person suggested.
Glen listened for a moment, hearing the crowd's murmurs, and felt confident. He had tasted the black pig's meat before. While it wasn't castrated, it didn't have a strong odor and tasted perfectly fine.
"Ladies and gentlemen," Glen called again, his voice full of confidence. "Now I'll show you a special skill—watch closely as I pluck the pig's hair… by hand!"
Before anyone could react, Glen was already moving. Fine hairs appeared on his hands, protecting his palms, though no one noticed. With swift arms, he began pulling out the pig's fur at a speed that made the crowd gasp in amazement.
The sound of pig hair being pulled out filled the air, one after another. Piles of fur began to collect around the cart, and soon, the formerly black pig was transformed into a smooth, hairless pig.
Glen's hands, rough like sandpaper, easily scraped off the smaller, harder-to-reach hairs. The whole process took only a few minutes.
When he finished, he brushed the last of the fur off and presented the now shiny, hairless pig to the crowd.
"Thank you, thank you!" Glen said with a smile, bowing dramatically. The crowd erupted in applause and cheers.
"That was incredible!"
"An absolutely perfect performance!"
"I can't believe it!"
Even the old woman, whom Glen had brought over, clapped her hands, a smile of amazement on her wrinkled face.
After a moment, Glen straightened up, still wearing that serene smile. "Alright, thank you all. The show is over. Now, back to business. I'll be selling meat to this lady first. You can watch, and if you need any, don't miss out."
He gestured for the old woman to come forward.
Once she did, he asked, "Ma'am, how much meat would you like to buy?"
"I... I want meat worth twenty-one copper coins," she answered hesitantly.
"That's a little more than five bellas. How about this? Since you're my first customer, I'll give you an extra bella as a gift. I'll give you six bellas worth of meat!" Glen said with a smile.
In front of the onlookers, Glen pulled out a dagger from his waist and skillfully began to butcher the black pig. He then borrowed a scale from the nearby fruit stand, a half-circle-shaped one that, while clunky, was reliable.
He carefully weighed out exactly six bellas' worth of meat and handed it to the old woman, who struggled to hold it all.
"This seems a bit hard to carry. Let me help you," Glen said, noticing how heavy the load was. He used the old woman's bag and modified it into a simple backpack, placing the meat inside so she could carry it more easily.
"This is much better. Thank you, young man," the elderly woman said, clearly pleased with Glen's kindness. This kind of warmth was something she never experienced from other vendors.
As the elderly woman walked away, a few middle-aged women began approaching the stall, eager to buy.
"I'll take four bellas' worth, please!" one woman said.
"I'll have five bellas!" another called out.
"Two bellas," yet another chimed in.
Glen remained composed, smiling warmly as he served the customers.
Meanwhile, Im stood a distance away, eyes burning with anger as he hacked away at his chicken meat, chopping it into small, unrecognizable pieces.
Dud Town Police Station
A young officer in dark black uniform entered, holding a document. He opened the deep brown door.
Three middle-aged officers were talking. They stopped as soon as they saw him.
"What is it?" the officer in charge, sporting a thick one-line mustache, asked.
"It's another case of a missing child. A couple reported that their eleven-year-old child is missing and have been crying outside," the young officer replied.
"I knew it. Two girls came to report yesterday, and now this," the officer with the mustache sighed, rubbing his forehead.
"They live outside of town. The child went missing three days ago. They thought they lost him in the forest and only started looking yesterday," the young officer continued.
"I see," the mustached officer said, waving his hand dismissively. Then, his brow furrowed. "Has Bob been found?"
"A worker claims he saw him yesterday. He's still in town, just hiding somewhere," the young officer answered.
"Alright, keep looking."
"Yes, sir."
The young officer saluted and left the room.
"Captain, we need to pay a visit to that young man, Glen," said one of the officers, a tall man with a long face and wide brows.
The captain frowned deeply, thinking for a few seconds before he sighed in resignation. "This situation is special, we'll have to do it."
As the conversation ended, another officer hurriedly entered, panting slightly. "Captain, Glen has just arrived in town."
The group immediately stood up, looking anxious. The captain nodded, his voice calm but firm: "Let's go."