Alina pushed the cart with great effort as she arrived at the checkpoint.
"Halt! Who are you, and what are you doing here?"
Seeing someone approaching, a man immediately walked over, brandishing a weapon.
Alina put on a look of surprise.
"Good afternoon, officers... I'm a mountain dweller living nearby. Isn't there a gathering over at Mickey Village today? I made some handicrafts at home and was planning to take them there to sell so I could buy some grain to bring back."
"After all, winter is coming. Once the heavy snow falls in a while, I don't know if I'll have another chance to come to the market."
"You officers are still busy even though winter is almost here; it must be hard work!"
As Alina spoke, she allowed the other party to rummage through the items on her cart.
"Pah, a pauper!"
Just as Alina had said, there were no valuable goods on the cart; most were just little trinkets that mountain dwellers would occasionally weave.
Seeing that there was nothing valuable on top, Alina tactfully fished out a few Para (Ursus currency) and handed them over; they decisively chose to let her through.
"Damn it, there's no profit to be made on this route at all. Which idiot insisted on setting up a checkpoint here?"
"Sigh, just bear with it. I heard it was a decision from above. Apparently, the lords up there raised taxes again, so the higher-ups had no choice but to arrange for us to do this on these country paths."
"They also know there's not much profit here, which is why they didn't give us a quota to meet."
"Anyway, we can withdraw once the north wind starts blowing."
Alina overheard the conversation between the two soldiers and couldn't help but start calculating in her mind.
Upon learning that it wasn't targeted at the Infected, her mood improved considerably.
Seeing Alina successfully pass through the checkpoint, Flandre also breathed a sigh of relief.
There weren't many of them; killing them wouldn't have been much trouble.
But for now, she didn't want to affect her image in Alina's eyes.
"Sister Alina, those guys didn't make things difficult for you, did they?"
After turning a corner, Flandre appeared in front of Alina.
Alina shook her head.
"No, these things are just ordinary trinkets that those soldiers have no use for, so they didn't intend to make things hard for me."
Flandre followed up with another question.
"Then, are they here to target the Infected?"
"No, the local nobles raised taxes again. Those people were assigned to these roads to collect taxes."
Alina's tone was very lighthearted.
The fact that these people weren't here to look for trouble with the Infected was good news to her.
After passing the checkpoint, the two quickened their pace and soon arrived at their destination for the day, Mickey Village.
"Wow, it's so lively!"
Compared to the Infected camp, the people here seemed more vibrant.
With the gathering taking place, there were many people coming and going in the village.
Alina took Flandre to find an open space to set out the items they had brought, and then she stood there and began to hawk her wares.
Flandre found this sort of thing very novel and stood behind her, imitating her actions.
Since they could only rely on these woven goods to make money, the Infected had put extra care into making them; the appearance and quality of these woven items were top-tier in the market.
Coupled with her warm and generous personality, the things Alina brought were soon sold out.
Holding the heavy coins, Alina took Flandre to the place in the village where grain was sold.
"The biggest difference between Mickey Village's market and others is that they don't charge extra stall fees here, so many poor families take advantage of the market to buy and sell what they need."
"That's why this is the liveliest market in the area."
"Also, the grain reserves here are very sufficient, and the prices are the lowest in the region."
"We should be able to bring back quite a lot today."
Alina whispered to Flandre.
Soon it was their turn.
Alina took out all the coins and handed them over.
After counting them, the man said,
"This money can buy three hundred catties of grain in total."
"That's not right; I remember this much money should be able to buy at least three hundred and fifty catties!" Alina asked with wide, puzzled eyes.
"Winter is coming, so grain prices naturally go up. Are you buying or not? If not, next person."
Alina bit her lip; if prices had risen even here, they would likely be even more expensive in other villages.
But with fifty catties less than expected, many people would have to tighten their belts for a while.
"I'll buy it. Three hundred catties it is!" she said firmly, holding back the tears in her eyes.
The grain was soon loaded onto her cart.
Noticing Alina's low spirits, Flandre pulled out the candy Alina had given her earlier.
"Don't be sad, Alina. How about I go back and kill him?"
Alina grabbed Flandre's hand and shook her head vigorously.
"No, it's not his fault."
"Sister Alina really is a gentle person!" Flandre tilted her head.
"Let's go!" She looked back at the granary, then pulled Flandre and pushed the small cart away without looking back.
On the way back, Alina suppressed her sadness and told Flandre stories until they returned to the checkpoint.
Since she was the only one traveling back and forth today, the people at the checkpoint only did a simple check, and after confirming it was all grain, they let her through directly.
Flandre, who had bypassed it from the side, looked behind her.
Three identical versions of herself were off to the side, each carrying a large sack that looked to weigh at least two or three hundred catties.
Earlier, when they were leaving, she had seen Alina's expression and couldn't help but go to that warehouse to swipe some.
Once they met up again on this side, Flandre took the initiative to admit it.
"That bad guy made you cry, Sister. I already gave him face by not killing him."
"I swiped these with my own skills, so just take them, Sister!"
Alina looked at the three bulging sacks, not knowing whether to cry or laugh.
"But stealing is bad behavior!" Alina said gently.
"Then I promise there won't be a next time!"
Flandre answered decisively.
"Alright, since you've already brought them out, it's impossible to send them back. But there must not be a next time!"