"Hello friend. Do you mind pointing me in the direction where I can buy some food and clothes". Mitchell asked in a polite manner and a faint smile on his face to look friendly.
The girl drew her gaze away from the book and looked at him. When she saw his face there was a faint surprise but before he knew it, it was gone. She drew her gaze back to the book and asked.
"How much do you have?".
" I have two silver coins and three copper coins. Will that be enough? "His smile was still on his face. He was trying to look easy going and friendly.
" Not enough". She said still without looking up from the book.
"What?" He shouted, no longer caring for image but brought his voice down and looked composed agsin. His small smile was back on his face and he continued. "Then how much may it cost me friend?"
"Several gold coins and a lot of silver". She replied.
"But look friend, I only have two silver coins and a few copper coins. What can I buy with this amount?"
She stopped to look at him. "It seems you are not from around here. Means you'll be extorted more than normal".
She suddenly brought out a piece of parchment from god knows where and began writing on it. When she was done, she said to him.
"I have written a contract where I will give you money to pay for your stuff while you will be under me"
"Is this slave contract?" There was a frown on his face.
"Call it what you might. But it's up to you if you agree". She said in a lackadaisical manner and passed the contract back to Mitchell for him to read and the contents made him raise his eyebrow.
'This is a f*cking slave contract'. He said inwardly. According to the goddamned piece of paper, he will work for her until the debt is repaid in full while she can send him on any assignment pertaining it does not kill the other.
'I just asked for her to point me in a direction, why did she bring up a slave contract'.
"Sorry friend but I just asked for you to point me in the way in can buy some food stuffs."
She looked at him like he was mad and folded the parchment then pointed at a particular direction and no longer bothered with him while shaking her head.
'You want to turn me into a freaking slave just for money'. He sneered inwardly at the blatant plan.
********
After counting twenty minutes, the girl patiently waited for Mitchell to come back and he didn't disappoint.
"Hello friend. What about the proposal you were suggesting". Mitchell came back with his sincere smile.
She just pushed the parchment closer to him without saying a word. After he signed on the line, she asked. " How much did they try to extort from you ".
" Seventeen gold coins ". Mitchell said with respite in his voice. 'That's freaking daylight robbery'.
"Now you've seen the market, just don't doubt anything I say". She kept her book down and asked Mitchell to follow her.
"Where are we going?" To get your food stuffs or whatever. And after a few hours, Mitchell was carrying plenty of bags while the girl carried nothing.
"You don't have a spatial ring?" She asked when she saw him carrying the bags in his hands.
"A spatial what?"
"Nothing"
After the shopping, he went back to the cave to arrange the bags he carried back. In it there were lots of food stuffs which he thought he could eat and looked familiar to him to cook. Along with several clothes but they looked very strange.
He got the name from Ange and learned they were called robes. He bought four robes and two cultivation robes.
These robes were very expensive and his heart cried out as his freedom was being spent without care, but after seeing the robes and their functions for himself. He knew they were worth his freedom.
The normal robes had a self cleaning feature and would clean themselves after a particular time. But the cultivation robes, were even better. They could clean themselves and also repair themselves.
He could see situations of himself where he just fought some beasts and after getting injured, the clothes would be ruined but not anymore.
'It was right to sell my freedom for these clothes. Yes, I didn't make a wrong decision'. He tried to convince himself that he did the right thing and wouldn't regret it.
'Lord Fate...' Jack groaned inwardly.