Rhode turned around and saw a man in very colorful clothes holding a cloak.
His clothes really were colorful.
Almost his entire outfit was red, with yellow stripes embroidered across his chest, stomach, and thighs, while his shoulders and the sides of his calves were blue.
Never mind Southshore, where almost everyone dressed plainly-Rhode suspected that even in a big city like Lordaeron or Stormwind City, this man would still be the flashiest guy around.
Rhode recognized him. He was the town tailor, Bath'rah the Windwatcher.
The cloak in his hands was just as colorful, looking rather like a butterfly's wings.
Clearly, he had come to sell Rhode a cloak.
Ah, fame brings trouble, just as a fat pig attracts the butcher. Back when I stayed on the Farm, I was a nobody even when I occasionally came into town. Who would've thought I'd become such a tempting prospect for every merchant?
"I'm not planning to buy a cloak, thank you." Rhode nodded politely to Baturo and continued walking, leading Lilia along.
"I heard you killed the Great Yeti yesterday," Baturo said hurriedly. "I think we could work together."
Hmm? A business partnership?
It was worth hearing him out. After all, Rhode really did need money now.
Rhode stopped. "What sort of partnership?"
"This Mountain Cloak is really just a component. What I'm best at is making Yeti Hide Cloaks!"
"Yeti Hide Cloaks?" The name sounded a little familiar. Had Rhode encountered them while doing quests in his previous life?
"That's right! I, the great Baturo, will make Yeti Hide Cloaks renowned throughout the world, known across the entire Alliance!" Baturo began boasting. "If you don't believe me, go look around and see if you can find a better one. Everyone will say, 'Baturo, there's no better cloak than this!' Of course. Of course there isn't."
"Uh... but what does that have to do with me?" Rhode scratched his head. "Can't you just make them yourself? Unless you want me to be your salesman and help sell your cloaks?"
"Cloaks for sale! Cloaks for sale!" Mischievous Lilia immediately began running and skipping around Rhode.
Baturo waved a hand. "I need materials! Every Yeti Hide Cloak requires a Bolt of Woolen Cloth, a Mountain Cloak, a length of Fine Thread, and, of course, a yeti hide! Bring me those things, and I'll show you what I can do!"
"So what you're missing right now is..." Rhode tilted his head. Surely the man wasn't asking him to get woolen cloth and all that.
"Yeti hides, of course!" Baturo chuckled. "Even the great Baturo is short on yeti hides! Since you killed an Abominable Snowman, you should have a way to get their hides, right?"
Rhode finally understood.
Rhode would supply the hides, and Baturo would supply the other materials. That was their partnership.
But considering how difficult each contribution was to obtain, didn't this feel a little like, "Let's eat crabs together. I'll bring the vinegar, and you bring the crabs"?
Besides, even if he could kill yetis, he wasn't very good at skinning them.
He hadn't learned that profession!
And if every cloak required a yeti hide... there were only ten yetis over at Darrow Hill, and they had bounties on them. For all he knew, greedy adventurers might already have wiped them out.
This business wasn't sustainable.
"Hmm... I'll think about it. I have something to take care of right now. I'll get back to you later," Rhode told Baturo.
For now, he could only put him off.
Baturo seemed a little unhinged. Who knew what might happen if Rhode rejected him outright?
Then Rhode quickly tugged Lilia along and hurried away.
Baturo stood there in a slight daze, but Rhode and Lilia were already far away.
He could only shout after their retreating figures:
"Hey! Didn't I forget to discuss how we'd split the sales proceeds?..."
It was lunchtime already.
They went to the same tavern, and once again, Monica, the owner, personally brought over the menu.
This time, however, Rhode decided to let Lilia eat to her heart's content.
For one thing, he had promised her. A promise made to a child had to be kept.
For another, he had already spent four gold coins. Why worry about the cost of a meal now?
Splurging once in a while was fine. Besides, in a little tavern like this, even extravagant spending couldn't amount to all that much.
"This, this, and this too."
Lilia pointed at the menu without holding back, then nibbled her finger as though hesitating. "Pan-Seared Turtle Meat, Roasted Fat Goose... the Dragonbreath Chili looks really tasty too. Adults have to choose. Kids get everything."
Monica hid her mouth behind the order sheet and chuckled.
"That's enough. Are you a bottomless pit?" Rhode couldn't help speaking up to stop the little girl.
Money was one thing, but they couldn't waste food either.
"Ah, then that'll be all. Miss, write those down." Lilia looked thoroughly reluctant.
Rhode shrugged at Monica, who smiled and turned toward the kitchen.
Waiting for the food was the most boring part, so Rhode began looking around at the tavern's patrons.
Most were still farmers and miners from nearby, along with a few merchants.
The most conspicuous were two fellows wearing red clothes and captains' hats. They were drinking and talking animatedly with a young man in a green vest, apparently boasting about their adventures.
A fishing rod rested on the chair beside the young man.
Rhode knew him. He was the town's finest angler, and the future finest fishing master in all of Azeroth-Nat Pagle.
Rhode had little interest in fishing, so he and Nat Pagle were only nodding acquaintances.
The other two captain-looking fellows were strangers to him. They had probably stopped at Southshore's docks to take a break while passing through.
"No, no. Your Spotted Catfish here tastes far too ordinary." Rhode saw one of the captains waving a hand at Nat Pagle. "You've never tasted the Stonescale Cod off the coast of Stranglethorn Vale. That flavor, tsk, tsk..."
"You've been to Stranglethorn Vale, Captain Sander?" Nat Pagle was clearly interested. "I wonder if you've seen any Bluegill Pike? I've heard they live along the Savage Coast and are very difficult to catch."
"Haha, we just eat fish. We don't catch them." Captain Sander took a sip of his drink. "If you're interested, I can take you there for a look. Right, Captain Hans? Hic!"
"Right. Everything there is great, except there are goblins everywhere. Haha..." the fellow called Captain Hans chimed in.
"There's nothing wrong with goblins." Captain Sander waved a hand. "They're born merchants. Doing business with them can be quite profitable."
Captain Hans nodded, then turned to Nat Pagle. "Right, right. If you want to go, you can come with us this trip. Who knows when we'll be back?"
"Why can't you come more often?" It was clear that Nat Pagle rather enjoyed chatting with the two captains.
"There's no money in it." Captain Sander shook his head. "Your docks are too small. Big ships can't get in, and there's hardly any cargo moving through. Our ship is still offshore. We came in on a small boat to rest a while."
"Unless the docks can be expanded," Captain Hans added. "Then goods from elsewhere could come in by the load, things here would start moving faster, and we'd be able to make money."
Hmm... making money?
That was Rhode's favorite topic to hear about right now.
Almost without realizing it, Rhode slowly edged closer to the three men.
Before you continue