Don Quixote walked behind Adele as they strolled through the market, eventually stopping at a fur stall.
Adele crouched down, her fingertips tracing over the spread-out rabbit and fox pelts.
The furs had been cleaned and fluffed perfectly by the stall owner.
As she stroked the soft fur of a fox pelt, she asked for the price.
The stall owner was a sturdy Northern man.
He looked up at Don Quixote, seemingly recognizing him.
He immediately offered a very reasonable, even somewhat cheap, price.
Adele thought for a moment, didn't bother haggling, and pulled out her coins to buy it.
After stuffing the light-grey fox pelt into her basket...
Adele continued her leisurely stroll.
Not long after.
Cole, who was already visibly stronger than before, hurried out from the crowd and respectfully said:
"Lord Don Quixote! Miss Adele!"
Don Quixote nodded and said:
"Cole, stay close to Adele and keep an eye on her."
Then, he turned to Adele and smiled:
"You keep shopping, Adele. I have some business to take care of, I'll be back in a bit."
Adele immediately replied:
"Go right ahead, My Lord."
————
Don Quixote found Elise standing in front of a wide, newly built stone hut.
He walked up slowly and smiled:
"Miss Elise! Long time no see."
Elise was startled for a second by the sudden voice but quickly recovered.
She pulled her gaze away from the stone hut and turned to look at Don Quixote, who had just appeared beside her:
"Knight Don Quixote, long time no see."
After the polite greeting, she immediately went on:
"My older brother said the Earl thinks this trade market is doing very well and plans to officially name it Cerwyn Market!"
Don Quixote wasn't surprised.
Liam had already told him as much.
Just then, Elise added:
"Because of that, the Iron Axe Tavern is planning to move into the trade market soon."
"Then you'd better hurry. There are already three taverns in this market," Don Quixote said with a smile.
He then pointed at the stone hut in front of them and guessed:
"Is this the spot you picked?"
"Yes," Elise nodded, looking somewhat resigned:
"Although, as long as you follow the Earl's rules and pay your rent and taxes, anyone can open a tavern here.
"We always knew the Iron Axe Tavern wouldn't have a monopoly like before, and we expected other taverns to pop up.
"But having three taverns appear this quickly still caught me a bit off guard."
The two chatted for a while longer.
Finally, Elise found an opening and took the opportunity to say:
"Knight Don Quixote, please continue to look out for me in the future!"
Don Quixote smiled:
"No problem."
————
The Iron Axe Tavern moved fast.
In just two days, they had completely relocated to the trade market.
No one was happier about this than Cole.
With the Iron Axe Tavern's move, his grandmother, Lady Nadine, had come along as well.
Lady Nadine was currently living in the makeshift residential area of the trade market.
Cole was an orphan, raised single-handedly by his hardworking grandmother since he was a baby.
He was still very close to her.
Because of this, whenever he had a spare moment, he would run over to the trade market.
He would help his grandmother with chores at the tavern while eavesdropping on the customers to gather information for Lord Don Quixote.
Another day passed.
Windsor's Lodge also moved to the trade market.
And soon after that...
Earl Medger officially named the temporary trade market outside Castle Cerwyn—Cerwyn Market!
This also meant that, barring any unforeseen circumstances, Cerwyn Market would become one of the very few true trade markets in the entire North.
At the same time, the old trade district inside Castle Cerwyn was permanently shut down.
From then on, Castle Cerwyn reverted to being a purely military and residential fortress.
————
In the blink of an eye, a month had passed.
Don Quixote closed the wooden door and sat alone on a wooden stool cushioned with soft fox fur.
He couldn't wait to check the quest panel.
[Employer: Earl Medger]
[Quest: Maintain order in the trade market outside Castle Cerwyn daily (This quest is settled monthly; rewards are random)]
[Reward:
One bag of Frost Spirit Rice (Claimable)
173 Gold Dragons (Unclaimable)]
He looked at the quest reward for the following month.
"173 Gold Dragons. Looks like my earlier guess was right.
"As the difficulty of the employment quest goes up, the quality of the quest rewards increases accordingly."
Don Quixote wasn't disappointed that next month's reward was just coin.
173 Gold Dragons was a massive sum.
Enough to fund a lot of his plans.
Focusing his mind, Don Quixote commanded:
"Claim!"
The moment the Frost Spirit Rice appeared in his hands...
He felt a unique, crisp chill radiating from the grey sack.
The chill wasn't a biting cold; instead, it felt like morning dew in a mountain ravine.
As it brushed against his palm, it was so pure and penetrating that Don Quixote's entire body gave a slight shiver.
Don Quixote pulled out a single grain of Frost Spirit Rice and examined it closely in his palm.
The thumb-sized, frost-colored grain was plump and perfectly shaped, radiating a faint, crisp chill.
Holding it up to his nose, he detected a very faint, sweet aroma of rice beneath the chill.
It didn't have the heavy, earthy scent of normal rice; instead, it was as clean and clear as meltwater from an icy peak.
"What incredible ingredients!"
Don Quixote praised deeply.
He then poured the grain back into the sack and pulled the drawstring tight.
Don Quixote stared at the large sack of Frost Spirit Rice before him, thinking to himself:
"Even though no one besides Adele would dare barge into this cabin, I still need to be careful.
"I should finish eating this entire sack of Frost Spirit Rice before heading out again.
"Besides, the daily patrols don't really need me anymore anyway. Even if I ghost them for a week or two, nothing bad is going to happen.
"And my secret trade with those elite hunters is already running smoothly. I just need to find a window to slip out, make the deals, and slip back.
"As for finding new hunters... I'll put that on hold for now.
"I'll deal with all that after I finish this sack of Frost Spirit Rice.
"Man, if only I had some sort of spatial storage ring right about now."
————
Twenty-seven days later.
Don Quixote washed the very last wooden spoonful of Frost Spirit Rice.
As the clear water ran over the grains, it kicked up faint wisps of chilly mist.
He then dumped the Frost Spirit Rice into an iron pot, added fresh water, and set it over the fire to simmer slowly.
As the iron pot warmed up, tiny bubbles began to form in the water, and the crisp, clean scent of the Frost Spirit Rice slowly filled the air.
About an hour later, the rice porridge in the pot had cooked down to a thick consistency.
Steam drifted up, but it wasn't hot; instead, it carried a refreshing, cool sensation.
Don Quixote ladled out three small bowls and handed them to Adele, Cole, and his new squire, Alden.
Then he housed the rest of the porridge himself.
The crisp coolness washed over his tongue, then seemed to turn into a clear spring as it slid down his throat and into his stomach.
This Frost Spirit Rice was even more potent than Don Quixote had imagined.
Even with his extraordinary constitution and digestion, it still took him nearly a whole month to finally finish the entire sack.
...