“Get out. We don’t need anything from you.”
It was the third time that Lucien got rejected. These fancy tailors always hated poor guys like Lucien. Even when Lucien showed the lace, they were still not willing to waste a second on him.
It was a big market. More than ten streets that crossed with each other. There were lots of different shops ran by humans, dwarves, and elves.
Soon, Lucien found another neat little tailor’s shop, at the end of a street.
Standing behind the counter was a fifteen or sixteen-year-old shy looking blond boy.
“Hi, I’m Buster. Anything I can help you with?”
“Um… Yes, could you take a look at this lace, please?” Lucien placed the veil on the counter.
Buster gently rubbed it with his fingers under the light and got surprised.
“Sir, it’s the Black Nightingale from the Kingdom of Holm! Where did you get it?”
Like other tailors, Buster knew Lucien could not afford this lace. Sometimes, even rich people might not be able to buy a small piece of Black Nightingale. All noble ladies wanted it.
Lucien lowered his voice, “Don’t worry. It’s clean.”
“Clean?” A thirty something year old man walked out from behind. The thin-faced man was McDowell, the owner of this shop.
Lucien was surprised that they did not immediately drive him away, which was a promising signal.
“Yes, yes! I swear in the name of God! You see… there’s a hole in it. It was abandoned by a noble lady and I just happened to find it. Turn it into a decoration on a dress or a band. I think with your hands, you can definitely make it become eye-catching again, sir.” Lucien added eagerly.
Taking the lace from Buster’s hands, McDowell had a close look. After a moment's thinking, he asked calmly.
“How much do you want, then?”
Lucien clenched his fists in excitement but did not dare show it in his face.
“Come on, Lucien… you fought with the huge crazy rats before. Stay calm.” Lucien secretly consoled himself.
“You offer, sir. I believe your price wouldn’t let me down.” Lucien smiled and answered.
Looking into Lucien’s eyes, McDowell paused a little bit.
“Forty Fells. It's not much use to me with a hole in it.”
“A Nar. A fancy dress with a Black Nightingale on it, even distinguished ladies and madams will fight for it.” Lucien more than doubled the offer.
McDowell shook his head and handed the lace back to Lucien.
“Fifty Fells. I cannot go any more than this.”
“Um… I’m sorry, but thank you anyway, sir.” Lucien calmly turned around and was ready to leave. Actually, he was very nervous. He was worrying that he might lose his only chance for being greedy.
Step by step, Lucien dragged his feet towards the exit. When he was about to leave the shop, McDowell’s voice suddenly came from behind.
“Eighty Fells. My last offer. I’m only paying this much because the lace is a perfect match for one of my dresses.”
“Great!” Lucien waved his fist joyfully and then he turned around and smiled.
“Deal, sir.”
Tinkling coins bulged Lucien’s pocket. For Lucien, nothing was more lovely than getting rich.
“I don’t know you. And I don’t care either. But, if in the future you got some good stuff like this, you could bring it here, as long as it’s clean.” McDowell added.
“Sure, sir. Thank you.” Lucien slightly bowed and smiled.
After stepping out of the shop, Lucien found the sunshine was very brilliant under the amazingly blue sky. Breathing the fresher-than-ever air, Lucien found this world was kind of lovely as well.
Eighty Fells was pretty decent for him. For Lucien, he found his idea of collecting money actually worked. This was even more important to him!
……
Iven was waiting for Lucien near his home. He waved his hand as soon as he saw Lucien coming, “Lucien! There you are! My mom sent me to invite you for dinner. My brother’s home!”
“John? Iven’s elder brother?” Lucien tried to recall, “John’s a… yes, knight squire in training.”
It was not really safe for him to carry so much money everywhere with him.
“Just a moment, Iven. I gotta wipe my sweat a bit.” Lucien smiled.
“Sure, Lucien.” Iven looked more excited than usual, “You know what? John brought a piece of beef from Lord Venn! We’re gonna have beef stew tonight!”
His little dirty face was full of excitement and expectancy.
“I haven’t had any meat stew for quite a while!”
Actually, little Iven’s family was not as poor as most people living in Aderon. As a busker, Joel’s income could vary sometimes, but it was still better than labors. Alisa worked as a laundry maid as well. But, they were always saving for John’s training back in the days. Old Evans, Lucien’s father, helped them quite a lot before.
After hiding the money safely, Lucien quickly washed his face and followed Iven towards aunt Alisa’s place.
A bunch of neighbors were gathered in front of the cabin.
“Little John’s now the sworn knight squire following Lord Venn, isn’t he?”
“Yes, Alisa told me herself.”
“Little John’s not even nineteen yet. One day he might get lucky and awaken the endowed blessing in his blood… then, he’s gonna be a real knight!”
“Then no more Little John. We shall say, Lord John!”
“John can also be the commander of the City Guard as a sworn knight squire now.”
“Joel and Alisa are so lucky… they must be very proud of their son!”
Iven was nodding with great pride.
As they entered the living room, a blond young man stood up from the chair. Inheriting his father's look, John was a handsome young lad, tall and straight. His elegant gesture was quite impressive to Lucien.
“I was quite worried hearing what happened to you, Lucien.” John patted Lucien’s shoulder and smiled, “Glad to see, you’re alright now. I guess it was a test for you from God.”
Although he was just one or two years older than Lucien, John appeared much more mature. His gray knight attire also made him quite out of the ordinary.
“Thanks, John. It was not a big deal, really. Aunty Alisa always worries about me.” Lucien nodded.
When they sat down around the dinner table, John laid his hand on Lucien’s shoulder.
“Why do I feel strangeness between us? Come on, we are best friends.”
“Umm… I guess you changed quite a bit since you left home.” Lucien was a little bit nervous.
John nodded seriously.
“Yeah… I’d say so. Training there changed me a lot, both physically and mentally. It was very hard, but I gained a lot from it as well.”
Dinner was not a feast. They only got beef stew and roasted fish on the table. But for Lucien, this dinner was beyond delicious. He devoured his serve and even bit his tongue a few times. The happy reunion was so sweet that Joel even got a rare chance to enjoy his beef with ale.
Alisa talked even more during the dinner. Most of the time, she was the only one who kept talking all the way. A couple of words from Joel, Lucien, or Iven were enough to keep her going. According to the rules of a knight, John did not talk very much.
“I’m stuffed… ” The happy dinner ended with little Iven’s loud burp.
John smiled and shook his head, “Iven, eating too much is bad for you.”
Then, he turned to Lucien.
“Have you got any future plan?” He asked.
Carefully arranging his words, Lucien nodded.
“Yeah… It was still unclear, but, I don’t want to live a life like what I’m doing now.”
“Good.” John looked into his eyes, “Lord Venn told us, ‘being unsatisfied with your life pushes you to move forward’. The bakery and the cellar in Lord Venn’s manor are now looking for apprentices. It’s a pretty good chance but you gotta work there for ten years. If you’re interested in this job, just tell me by next Monday.”
People in this world also believed in the myth that God created everything in seven days. They also attended church every single Sunday.
Being a knight squire was very promising: Now, John was able to help his family and friends. Although the help could not change their lives completely, it was still of great importance.
“Thank you, John.” Honestly, Lucien was still reluctant to constrain himself in the following ten years, especially when he had just made his first small fortune. But, he still wanted to think for some time before making a decision.
“Alright, I gotta go back now.” John stood up from his chair and hugged his family. And he gave Lucien a big hug.
“I wish you could read, Lucien. Downey is looking for a clerk for the court. It’s a very decent job with nice payment.”
“I’m planning to start studying.” Lucien seized the chance and told John.
John was quite surprised. Soon, he smiled and nodded, “I’ll see if there’s any chance for you.”
Lucien thanked John again, sincerely, but he also did not place all his hope on John. He had to work on his own.
……
For the following three days, Lucien did not find anything valuable like the Black Nightingale. But, he still managed to save a Nar and sixty-four Fells. Now, he was walking towards the city gate as usual, with great confidence.
Looking at Lucien’s back, Andre nudged Mag a bit.
“Why does he leave the city every morning?”
“Leave the city?” An amiable voice came from behind them.
Andre hurriedly turned around, looking serious.
“Morning, Jackson.”
Jackson Riodors, one of the leaders of the Aaron gang, had a kind face. But, his craftiness and treacherousness could definitely place him at the top of the group.