"The market is nicer than I thought." Leonard muttered as e walked leisurely through the marketplace. Beside him, Anika followed, her eyes darting from one stall to another like a curious cat.

"I know right…" she said, tilting her head at a stand filled with colorful fruits. "Now that we're not here to work, I actually enjoy being around!"

Leonard only chuckled at her.

After circling the area, the two of them stopped by a row of fruit vendors. Wooden crates overflowed with grapes, apples, berries, and even some fruits Leonard didn't recognize. He crouched slightly, examining the grapes first.

They were plump, round, and had a nice shine under the morning light.

'Hmm. Not bad,' he thought, rolling one between his fingers. 'The quality's good enough. I can start with these.'

Anika leaned closer, whispering as if she was in on a secret.

"What are we even buying all these fruits for? We've been looking around stalls for some time now.'

Leonard smirked at her. "Just… planning."

"Planning for what?" Anika frowned, not quite understanding what he meant.

"You'll see," he said before standing up and brushing off his hands. "For now, just remember which stalls have the best fruits. We might be doing a lot of business with them soon."

Anika blinked, still clearly confused but intrigued.

"Alright, whatever it is, I trust you."

After looking at it for a couple of seconds, they quickly moved on. They passed by a few grain stalls next. What greeted them was wooden containers filled with barley, wheat, and oats that lined the tables.

Leonard stopped again, before tapping his chin thoughtfully.

'Barley for the base, wheat for a softer flavor… yeah, now I'm getting the hang of it with all the information in my mind,' he mused silently.

To Anika, though, it just looked like Leonard was being weirdly fascinated by sacks of grain.

"Don't tell me you're planning to open a bakery next," she said dryly.

"Not exactly. But something close." Leonard laughed at it.

"Close? So… a bakery that doesn't sell bread?" She looked at him even more weirdly.

Leonard just laughed again.

"Something like that," he replied, grinning.

Anika just shook her head and groaned.

"You're impossible."

Leonard just smiled meaningfully at her. His gaze lingered on the produce stalls again. Everything he needed in the market was here. There were fruits, grains, and even some barrels he could repurpose.

However, the only problem that he had was its cost.

The market was known for having higher quality goods, but it also means they have higher prices than any part of this town.

While they walked around earlier, Leonard and Anika started casually asking about prices from different vendors. It didn't take long before they got a general sense of how the market worked.

The lowest they found was around two silver coins per kilogram of grapes and similar fruits. Those were mostly the ones sold by smaller stalls. They were fresh but not exactly the best looking.

The larger vendors, the ones with carefully polished crates and neat displays, were asking up to four silver coins for the same amount.

Leonard rubbed his chin, looking at another crate full of ripe apples.

"Hey, Anika," he said, glancing at her. "Do you happen to know any farms nearby? Somewhere we can buy fruits and grains directly instead of through vendors?"

Anika blinked at him, clearly caught off guard.

"Farms? Leonard, what are you talking about?"

"Well, you know," he gestured vaguely toward the stalls. "If we buy straight from a farm, it'll be cheaper. We could skip the middlemen."

Her confused look deepened until she just stared at him, dumbfounded.

"I don't even live here, Leonard. How would I know that?"

Leonard paused mid-thought.

"…Oh."

Right. She was new here, too.

He laughed softly to himself, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Right, I forgot about that."

"You really are something else sometimes." Anika sighed, shaking her head with a tiny smile.

He was about to say something back when a familiar chime echoed faintly in his mind.

[Host, I have a suggestion.]

Leonard blinked, looking around instinctively, though he knew no one else could hear it.

'Huh? A suggestion? Do I need to pay for this one?'

[Don't worry. It's free.]

'Good. Then go ahead, what's the suggestion?' That instantly made him relax a little.

[Host, do you remember the employee candidate list from the system assistance I provided earlier? Locate Candidate Number 2. She may be able to assist you with your current concern.

'Candidate 2?' Leonard's brows furrowed slightly.

A new panel appeared before his eyes to help him remember.

- - -

[Candidate 2]

Name: Maren Everti

Appearance: A slim woman in her mid-twenties. Sharp brown eyes, dark hair, and often seen with a satchel of herbs.

Background: A daughter of a traveling healer who was killed by bandits. Grew up assisting her mother and learned basic medicine in the outskirts of town. Known in the area for being quick with numbers and having a sharp tongue. Currently working part-time at a food stall.

- - -

Leonard read the information silently. After reading, that's the only time he realized what the system meant.

'Right!' A slow grin curved on his face. How could he forget that the system gave him 3 candidates?

And this one works on a food stall and grew up here so she might know the roundabouts!

'Damn, what a good save system. You're helpful for free… once." Leonard muttered before an even wider smile appeared on his face.

"Looks like I might've just found someone useful for us, Anika," he murmured under his breath.

"What's that?" Anika glanced at him.

"Do you want to go on an adventure with me, Anika?" Leonard asked suddenly, a mischievous glint flashing in his eyes.

"Adventure? What adventure?" Anika blinked, clearly taken aback.

Leonard crossed his arms, smirking faintly.

"We're going to find someone who might be able to help us with this little problem of ours."

"Problem?" Anika raised a brow. You mean your weird obsession with fruits and grains?"

"Exactly that." He chuckled.

She sighed, pretending to look tired, but couldn't hide the faint amusement curling at the edge of her lips.

"Do I even have a choice?"

"Not really." Leonard shrugged casually.

That made Anika laugh softly. She shook her head, then her eyes lit up suddenly.

"Alright then, fine. Where are we going?"

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