Gift Selection

"But I don't know what I should choose—that's why I came to ask you, Annie."

Hearing Annie's answer, Miss Fiona raised a small, delicate hand to her forehead, her lovely face showing a hint of distress.

"The best gift is your thoughtfulness, Miss Fiona."

Annie lowered her head slightly and brushed aside a lock of black hair that had fallen loose, answering Miss Fiona in a gentle voice.

"But thoughtfulness can't be given directly as a gift."

Her little hands in pure white gloves kneaded the lace at the hem of her skirt as Fiona stamped her feet a little more heavily in dissatisfaction. Her exquisite silver open-toed sandals slapped against the bluestone pavement.

"Annie, give me some suggestions."

"His Excellency Anvis presumably lacks no ordinary valuables. How about choosing something unique and creative?"

The maid, dressed in casual clothes, thought for a moment before offering a suggestion regarding the range of possible gifts.

She did not wish to interfere too much with Fiona's choice, but based on her understanding of her young mistress, she knew that if she did not give a direct answer now, Miss Fiona would probably become unhappy.

"Mm, that makes sense!"

Fiona's eyes lit up at Annie's suggestion. Once the range of choices had been narrowed down, making a decision would become much easier.

As they walked, the two had already approached the square on one side of the main district, where many traveling merchants had set up their stalls.

Crowds packed shoulder to shoulder here, and there were no shortage of figures from distant foreign races.

There were professional adventurers selling Magical Beast materials, metal ores, and Relic Items, as well as country folk who had entered the city to sell agricultural produce.

Quite a few buyers were fiercely haggling with stall owners, making the scene exceptionally lively.

It was Fiona's first time here, and everything around her seemed incomparably novel to the Girl.

Spellcasters in robes and tall hats, mercenary squads carrying weapons and clad in armor, scimitar-wielding nomads from the scorching desert, barbarian warriors from the northern lands—she could even occasionally spot the rare Elf and Dwarf.

The Girl curiously observed the people passing by her, looking at the brown squirrel perched on one mercenary's shoulder one moment, then secretly peeking at a Golden Hair female Elf's pointed ears the next.

A wandering middle-aged woman caught Fiona's attention. She wore a checkered headscarf commonly seen on civilian women and a coarse yellow-and-white dress. A huge woven basket hung from her right arm, filled with fresh seasonal fruit.

At the moment, she was eagerly peddling her wares to passersby in the square.

"Hello, may I ask what kind of fruit this is?"

Fiona walked up to the farm woman, pointed at a cluster of pale green fruits the size of ping-pong balls in the basket, and politely asked her.

"Hello, you two beautiful ladies. These are Peng Gu Fruit, an ordinary kind of fruit."

Seeing someone inquire, the farm woman hurriedly turned around and replied with a beaming smile. Her gaze seemed to casually sweep over the dresses the two wore.

Though the designs were simple, the material was clearly not ordinary linen upon closer inspection.

The farm woman guessed that she might have encountered potential big customers, and the smile on her face became even more eager.

"These are the freshest Peng Gu Fruit in all of Carlras. They were picked before dawn while still covered in dew—just look at how green the stems are.

"These fruits have a special fragrance and a wonderfully refreshing taste. They're also very good for protecting the skin..."

The farm woman enthusiastically introduced the fruit to them. She knew how to sell to this sort of customer.

Such ladies usually knew little about ordinary fruits, but cared enormously about maintaining their appearance. As long as she emphasized its skin-care benefits, they would often spend generously.

As for how much effect the fruit actually had, she did not know either. But most fruits had at least some skin-care benefits, didn't they?

"Really? Then I'll have one bunch of those."

Fiona grew curious as she listened and decided to buy a bunch to try.

"How much is it?"

Annie was the one who asked the price. When traveling, Fiona did not need to carry money. If she took a liking to something, she only needed to say so, and Annie would step forward to pay afterward.

"There are thirty-two in this bunch, at five copper coins each. But if you buy the whole bunch, it'll only cost one Silver Coin and twenty copper coins."

The farm woman quoted the price with a broad smile.

Annie nodded. The price was fairly reasonable, perhaps a little expensive. But since she was out with her young mistress today, she did not want to appear overly penny-pinching.

She took a small pouch full of Silver Coins from her pocket and fished out two, handing them to the farm woman.

The farm woman hurriedly wiped her hands on her linen skirt, happily accepted the Silver Coins, then reached into her worn old pouch and pulled out a large handful of copper coins.

She counted out eighty copper coins in change and handed them to Annie, then respectfully passed the cluster of fruit to Fiona.

After selling fruit here for so long, she had figured out a pattern. When one person asked questions while the other asked the price and paid, the one asking questions was usually the true person in charge.

After leaving the farm woman, Fiona wanted to taste the fruit immediately, but the ladylike upbringing she had received since childhood reminded her not to eat in the street.

So the Girl stopped, turned her head to look around, noticed a relatively quiet alley nearby, and eagerly headed toward it.

Just as the Girl was about to enter the alley, three or four nearby men who had been looking at goods, chatting, or wandering about suddenly stopped what they were doing and seemingly casually gathered toward the alley entrance.

Annie, half a step behind Fiona, frowned. They were only a few Low-Rank Professionals; she was confident she could deal with all of them alone, but she did not want to spoil her young mistress's mood over it.

She secretly took out a silver-white Nameplate and infused it with a trace of Spiritual Power. An unusual ripple immediately spread outward.

Fiona did not notice this minor incident. Her experience was still too limited, and she merely walked into the narrow alley with some excitement.

Because it was located in the Queen's District, the alley was not dirty, messy, or gloomy. Instead, it was quite neat and tidy.

The direct sunlight was blocked by the eaves, making the alley's atmosphere soft and elegant. The gray-white stone walls on both sides were slightly damp, with lush green moss creeping across them.

A few scattered vendors had set up stalls along the mottled Stone Tablet road, selling small handmade crafts.

Fiona walked over to the wall of the alley and cast a Neglect Spell on herself. It could lessen her presence, causing people to unconsciously overlook its target, though it had no effect on those with sufficiently strong Spiritual Power.

After concealing herself a little, the Girl picked a pale cyan fruit with her slender gloved hand and gently sniffed it. She found that it indeed gave off a pleasant fragrance, making her even more curious about its taste.

So, she conjured a small ball of water to clean the surface of the fruit, then took a firm bite.