Chapter 43 Gift Selection
"But I just don't know what to choose, so I came to ask you, Annie."
After hearing Anne's answer, Fiona held her forehead with her delicate hands, revealing a cute expression of distress.
"The best gift is your kindness, Miss Fiona."
Anne lowered her head slightly, moved her hanging black hair, and answered Fiona in a gentle voice.
"But a thought cannot be directly regarded as a gift."
Fiona's small hands in pure white gloves kneaded the lace on the hem of her skirt, and she increased her pace with some dissatisfaction. Her exquisite silver open-toed sandals made a snapping sound as they stepped on the bluestone pavement.
"Annie, give me some advice."
"Mr. Anvis is sure to have no shortage of common precious things. So, how about choosing some unique and creative little things?"
The maid in casual clothes thought about it and gave a suggestion on the range of gift choices.
She didn't want to interfere too much with Fiona's choice, but based on her understanding of her young lady, she knew that if she didn't give a positive answer at this time, she would probably be unhappy.
"Well, that makes sense!"
After hearing Anne's suggestion, Fiona's eyes lit up. After determining the range of options, the difficulty of choosing would be greatly reduced.
As they walked, they were approaching the square on one side of the main street, where there were many stalls of mobile merchants.
Crowds of people gathered here, including many people from different ethnic groups who came from far away.
There are professional adventurers who sell monster materials, metal ores, and relic items here, as well as some country people who come to the city to sell agricultural and sideline products.
Many buyers were bargaining fiercely with the stall owners, and the scene was very lively.
This was Fiona's first time here, and everything around her seemed extremely new to the girl.
Spellcasters in robes and tall hats, mercenary teams carrying weapons and wearing armor, scimitar fighters from nomadic tribes in the hot desert, barbarian warriors from the north, and occasionally the rare figures of elves and dwarves.
The girl curiously observed the people passing by her, sometimes looking at the brown squirrel on the shoulder of a mercenary, and sometimes secretly peeking at the pointed ears of a blonde elf.
A wandering middle-aged woman caught Fiona's attention. She was wearing a plaid headscarf commonly seen among civilian women, a yellow and white coarse cloth skirt, and a huge wicker basket on her right arm, which was filled with fresh seasonal fruits.
At this time, she was diligently selling her goods to passers-by in the square.
"Hello, what kind of fruit is this?"
Fiona walked up to the peasant woman, pointed to a bunch of light green fruits the size of ping-pong balls in the basket, and asked her politely.
"Hello, two beautiful ladies. This is the penggu fruit, a common fruit."
Seeing someone coming to ask, the peasant woman quickly turned around and answered with a smile on her face. Her eyes seemed to inadvertently sweep over the skirts of the two people.
Although the style is simple, a closer look at the material reveals that it is not ordinary linen.
The peasant woman guessed that she might have met a potential big client, and the smile on her face became even more enthusiastic.
"This is the freshest guava fruit in the whole of Karlas. It was picked in the early morning while still covered with dew. Look at the green color of the fruit stem.
This fruit has a special fragrance, tastes very refreshing, and is also good for protecting the skin..."
The peasant woman enthusiastically introduced to the two men that she knew how to market to this type of customer.
They usually don't know much about these common fruits, but they pay great attention to their appearance maintenance. As long as you emphasize that it has the effect of nourishing the skin, they will often spend generously.
As for how much effect this fruit has, she doesn't know, but most fruits have some skin-care effects, don't they?
"Really? Then give me a bunch of these fruits."
Fiona was curious and decided to buy a bunch to try.
"How much?"
It was Anne who asked the price. Fiona didn't need to bring money when she traveled. If she liked something, she just had to say it, and Anne would come out to pay.
"There are thirty-two pieces in this string, and each piece costs five copper coins. But if you two buy the whole string together, it will only cost one silver coin and twenty copper coins."
The peasant woman quoted a price with a smile on her face.
Anne nodded. The price was reasonable, maybe a little expensive. But she was traveling with her young lady today, and she didn't want to seem to be fussy.
She pulled out a small bag full of silver coins from her bosom, took out two and handed them to the peasant woman.
The peasant woman wiped her hands hastily on her linen skirt, took the silver coin with joy, reached into her worn pocket, and pulled out a handful of coppers.
She counted out the change of eighty copper coins and handed it to Anne, then handed the bunch of fruit respectfully to Fiona.
After selling fruits here for a long time, she has also summed up a little rule. In this situation where one person asks and the other asks the price and pays, the one who asks is usually the real person in charge.
After leaving the peasant woman, Fiona wanted to taste the fruit immediately, but the ladylike education she learned since childhood reminded her not to eat on the street.
So the girl stopped, turned her head and looked around, noticed a relatively quiet alley nearby, and walked over there with great interest.
When the girl was about to enter the alley, three or four men who were looking at goods, chatting, and strolling nearby suddenly stopped what they were doing and gathered towards the alley entrance as if unintentionally.
Anne, who was half a body length behind Fiona, frowned. They were just a few low-level professionals. She was confident that she could handle them all by herself, but she didn't want to spoil the young lady's interest.
She secretly took out a silver-white nameplate and injected a trace of mental power into it. A strange wave immediately spread out.
Fiona didn't notice this little episode. After all, she was inexperienced. She just walked into the narrow alley with some excitement.
Because it is located in the Queen Street District, the alley does not appear dirty or cold, but rather very clean.
The direct sunlight is blocked by the eaves, making the environment in the alley appear soft and elegant. The gray-white stone walls on both sides are slightly moist, with green moss climbing on them.
On the mottled stone road, there are a few vendors setting up stalls, selling some homemade handicrafts.
Fiona walked to the wall of the alley and cast an Ignore spell on herself. This can reduce one's presence and make people subconsciously ignore the recipient, but it has no effect on people with strong mental strength.
After disguising herself a little, the girl picked a light green fruit with her slender white-gloved hands, sniffed it gently, and found that there was indeed a pleasant fragrance coming from it, which made her even more curious about its taste.
So, she condensed a small water ball, cleaned the surface of the fruit, and then took a big bite.
(End of this chapter)
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