Chương 6: VI. Madeleine La Croix

There was a [Apple (Poison)] on sale for 5 gold, and besides the ludicrous price, also felt rather cliché. The green peel shimmered, and it smelled like marzipan. The skin was smo–"Chérie, please," Madeleine's hand grabbed my wrist, and lowered the apple back to the shelf it was housed on.

"It's labelled, don't put it near your mouth, la?"

"I wasn't going too! I was just smelling it," I said, but Madeleine's grip tightened. I sighed, and released the apple. It zipped back to its spot, shaking haphazardly and then coming to a dead halt. Madeleine shook her head, but strutted back to Jasmine. Jasmine handed her a black basket with a cloth covering, and Madeleine opened a crate. Orange carrots that had black, throbbing veins floated into the air. The skin was… average, actually. See, the quality of a crop is really easy to judge based on how it appears.

Carrots are Adrian and I's favourite vegetable, but we diverge on fruits. Adrian is wrong on how oranges are good, since by all metrics, peaches are better. The first thing to notice is just the color; as water is how Flora feeds her children. The more that's taken in by the crop, the more vibrant it becomes as it goes through the process of, as my books called it, photosynthesis. The more vibrant a crop is, the more Flora blessed it to make it filled with nutrients.

When looking at carrots, you simply need to judge the tone of it. I am personally more fond of orange carrots, but I know purple, red, and the elusive white ones exist. It's the same principle though; the better the soil, water, and care, the more vibrant it becomes. That's not even getting into the texture and firmness. Carrots are generally soft to the touch but feel wonderful to the fingers. They have a small bend to it, but if you add too much pressure, they snap – cleanly – in half.

If they actually resist, or tear in cracks, you're dealing with an inferior product. A lot of the ones the [Farmer's Guild] produces are mass-created through Magic, which, while good at quantity, isn't really what Pa was about. Back when I was still a [Child] and had no [Class], Pa taught Addy and I about the way it has to be done. You can't just flood the fields with water. Carrots themselves need about a fingers worth of water a week, but the soil has to be reasonably damp – 3.

68 liters every three days exactly, at least on my fields. Oranges hid this, which I had tried to explain to Addy. Since it's a peel that isn't eaten, a lot of the energy and vibrancy of the orange is hidden into the actual flesh underneath. Peaches, being sweeter, were soft pit fruits. Of course, this was considering they were both fruit trees. That meant that roots had to be managed, and low performing branches had to be pruned. Grafting was a cheater's shortcut, and I'd rather be dead than grift.

All in all, it was just a [Common] carrot, regardless of the weird, black veins. It wasn't properly orange, and I could still see the white splotches. Whoever created that clearly had no appreciation for the craft – though, admittedly, mine weren't much better. But I was working in My DEAD FIELDS. What was their excuse?!

"So, the ten [Common] [Blood Carrots] at 10 gold each, five [Uncommon] [Potato] at 15 gold each, and…" Madeleine said. Jasmine and Madeleine were standing there, and besides the crops, there was something wrapped in butcher's paper. Jasmine frowned, and thankfully, Madeleine didn't continue either. But – 10 gold each? [Vendor] Prices doubled at the tier! A [Common] [Blood Carrot] should have been 2 gold! I slid beside Jasmine to [Inspect] one. BLOOD CARROTS (COMMON) Carrots infused with blood.

A favoured snack among [Sanguinarian] [Night-Thing] like [Vampire], [Leech Mind], and [Barghest]. Can only be sold to an [Underworld Trader] or a [Criminal] [Vendor]. • HEALTH RESTORED: 0 • SYMPHONY RESTORED: 100 • VENDOR PRICE: 2 Gold Pieces It WAS 2 gold pieces! Madeleine glanced at me, before returning towards Jasmine.

"Never seen a bleeding crop before, chérie?" Right. I covered my mouth and shook my head, and the tips of Madeleine's black lips curved upwards. Jasmine pulled out a bag and handed it to Madeleine. Madeleine opened the satchel, and hundreds of unmarked gold coins spilled into her hand. Unmarked Gold Coins were… gold, for sure, but only coins minted by the Phoenix Empire could be used for paying off debts.

Martivian Gold Coins were a bit shy of being one-to-one, and I believe the Nereidian gold coins were only worth a half-piece? I don't really know. I mostly carried around silver and copper. And I'm half convinced the economy is just made up. But I do know unminted gold coins are mostly for a [Hero] or [Monster]. I don't exactly know why, but The Collection Agency exchanges 10 unmarked gold coins for 1 Minted.

I recall a classmate saying it had something to do with inflation and the economy, but I didn't get what was being inflated. They were still gold, as far as I knew. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

"Were you looking for something of legal tender, chérie?" I jerked my head towards Madeleine. Her brown eyes narrowed, before she turned completely towards Jasmine.

"Mon Pipelette, I have some interesting oils that would help your… wheelbarrow racing? Is that what you… paysanne … do with your free time?"

"Yeah! Do ya wan' to join Madsy? Buy-in is just 5 si–""Not this time, my dear. There's a good [Oil of Slipperiness] in the potion cabinet," Madeleine said, pointing towards the back. Jasmine spun around, and dashed towards the cabinet. I began to turn, but Madeleine grabbed my arm. Her lips grazed my ear, and the elderflower scent wafted from her perfume.

"Chérie, are you not trying to sell me something too… [Acolyte]?" My nails dug into Madeleine's wrist. She yelped and pulled back, shaking her hand off. A clattering sound came from the back, and Jasmine yelled, "Ya alright, Madsy?"

"Of course, pipelette," Madeleine said, voice returning to normal but still watching me.

"Well?" I watched her. She crossed her arms underneath her breasts. There was more clinking of glass, and then a bottle dropped. Madeleine turned her head quickly, and I took a breath.

"I.. how do you know that?" She snapped her head back to me. Her head returned to my dress, and then towards the bag I was wearing." Chérie, are you new?" The brass buckles on the straps were cool to the touch. I flicked them. One of the strands weren't tightened enough– Her hand touched my shoulder and I jerked away. Her lips flashed the quickest moment of a frown, before returning to that smile.

"Bien, Maman will guide you through. Pipelette is distracted, so show me what you have." I slipped the bag off my back and opened it. I reached in… and my muddy workboots came to my hands.

"Chérie, have you never used an [Adventurer's Backpack] before?" I shook my head.

"Uh… I just got this."

"Magnifique! And with how clean this is, someone must have bought it for you. Not something a new [Adventurer] has. Regardless, you have to think about what you want when you reach in, otherwise it is.. How do you say.. First In, Last out?" Not common? …Great, another thing to add to my debt.

"How much are they?" I said, and reached into my backpack. I knew what I wanted, and pulled out the stack of [Blood Carrots]. Madeleine's eyes widened, and her smile deepened – and actually met her eyes. She picked up one of the carrots and pushed against the stock. My carrots bended easily, and when they snapped – it was not clean. The white splotches and awkward shapes looked like an insult compared to the ones in the boxes. She rolled her tongue in her mouth.

"You made these?" I nodded.

"By yourself?" I nodded again.

"Then I'll purchase these off you for my rate, not the wholesale rate." Rather than her till, she pulled out her purse and pulled out… Minted. Gold. Coins. She neatly tied it into the sack that Jasmine had given it to her, and handed it to me. I tried to close my mouth, but I couldn't.

"Why–" I began, but she raised her hand to my chin and closed it. Her other hand waved the carrots Jasmine stepped up beside us, her hands filled with potions. She sprayed them across the table, and Madeleine turned towards her." Pipelette, do you paysannes know the concept of'Liberté, Égalité, and, Fra– Sororité'?"

"Ah?" Jasmine blinked.

"That's uh…"

"The Martivian Creed," I finished for her.

"What does that have to do with anything." Madeleine clicked her tongue.

"Shame, I had hoped you Empyrean's were there, but not yet it seems. How about this one? If I were to give you these potions, would you return to my store and buy," she paused, turning directly to me, "or, maybe sell, goods that you or I need?"

"You're gonna jus' give me them?!" Jasmine said, scooping up the bottles… and then throwing them all into my backpack. I was still staring at Madeleine.

"What's the catch?"

"No catch." Madeleine raised both of her hands to the air, showing off her palms.

"Think of it as an investment."

"Nah! It's a Sor.. Sorit… How do you say that, Ashy?"

"Sisterhood, Jasmine. So, an Investment."

"I like pipelette's interpretation more, chérie. But no matter, I do hope to see you… both more often."

"You see me every week, Madsy!" Jasmine said, and then tapped her chin.

"I should have bought stuff from here earlier." Madeleine just smiled, but didn't turn to face her. I chewed my lip, and exhaled.

"Maybe. I jus' need enough to buy my farm back."

"You ain' gonna sell to the [Farmer's Market], Ashy?" Jasmine said.

"Yes, you should try that," Madeleine said, suppressing a laugh.

"I'm sure you'd make a fortune that way." The gold bag was heavy. Nine poor carrots at [Vendor] price was 5 silver. The entire lot would have sold for 4 gold, 5 silver. She had given me 45 gold pieces. I looked into her eyes.

"What's the wholesale price then?"

"Three times."

"... For crops?" Jasmine said.

"Oui," Madeleine responded. I swallowed again.

"I'll let you know." I turned and dashed out.

"Ashy, wait up! You have my potions!" Jasmine called, running out behind me.

"See you soon, chérie," Madeleine said, but I was already running up the staircase. When we had reached the top and exited the store, I leaned against the wall to catch my breath. Jasmine just stared at me and shook her head.

"Ashy, ya really gotta exercise more. I thought a [Farm Girl] would have more [Stamina] than that."" [Farm Girl]?" I said, between pants.

"Aye? I woulda thought you was walkin' around bein' a [Scholar] an' all, but ya have your class as a [Farm Girl]. If ya had been a [Scholar], I was gonna say 'You gotta hit the fields instead the books girl' but… ya see how that ain' gonna work."

"Well, she just got back. Give her a break, Ms. Carnwich," a boyish, but muffled voice came from our side. Jasmine immediately straightened out and smoothened out her frock. She whipped around, and bowed deeply. I couldn't tell why. After all –"Mornin'-- I mean, Good Morning, Lord Skye," Jasmine said.

"Morning, Jasmine," Addy responded. He was wearing that doofy little hat, and had that dumb red handkerchief around his face. I stared at it, before leaning towards Adrian. Jasmine took a step back, and loudly inhaled. My finger hooked around the handkerchief and pulled it down – off his nose and mouth. Adrian narrowed his eyes, but also loudly exhaled.

"Morning to you, Ms. Har–""It's Ashy, Addy," I interrupted.

"What in Torment are ya wearin'?"