Jack looked at the board.
He rubbed his eyes with the fingers of his right hand before scanning the rest of the notices.
A single piece of paper stood out from the others, noticeably higher quality than the rest.
Its title read:
"By the grace of the crown and the edict of the sovereign"
And just below it, the content of the announcement.
"Let it be known throughout the Reach and the Lowlands:"
"His Serene Highness, Third Prince Aurus."
"Count of Lut and Governor-General of the Royal Clay Extractions."
"Commands the attention of the learned."
"Whereas the Royal Pits provide the very bone and marrow of our Realm's architecture, and whereas the stewardship of such wealth requires men of high character and subtle mind;"
"His Highness seeks a clerk of seals."
Placing his hand over his mouth, he looked towards the name "Aurus" and focused on it.
Since "Emlyn" stayed as "Emlyn" but "Sea Dragon" became "Mardrago," I'll assume that the ability translates descriptions rather than proper names.
But I should make sure. How do I activate it though?
Do I just wish for it? No, now that I think about it I just questioned what Sea Dragon meant.
What does Aurus mean?
In that moment the name "Aurus" began to warp and shift, slowly becoming the word "Golden."
It worked! ..ok, one more time just to be sure.
His eyes moved to the title "Count of Lut."
What does Count of Lut mean?
Slowly, "Count of Lut" began to warp into "Companion of Clay."[1]
"..Pft!" Jack held back his laugh.
..Let's stop for now. Ability research comes later.
He skimmed the rest of the board. Most of the notices were either sales of goods or hiring announcements. Three of them caught his eye.
The first was titled:
"Representative of the Merchants: Ship Captain Varen will discuss the matter of lifting the blockade with the Count Household."
It explained that after repeated complaints from merchants and captains, Commander of the Guards Aldis had been convinced to allow one representative inside the Count's Mansion to negotiate the lifting of the blockade with the Count's family.
So that's why non-local produce is so expensive.
The second was titled:
"Major Pestilence Outbreak in the Slums and Nearby Area — Causing the Newly Named 'Faithful Street' to be Almost Completely Wiped Out."
This one is recently posted..
It explained that a major disease outbreak had wiped out an impoverished area near the slums, causing mass death within almost two weeks. Residents were advised to avoid the area at all costs. A new way shrine had been built to honor the lives of the lost. Reports from inside the slums themselves were few, due to lack of safe passage.
"Rest in peace." Jack said in a low tone.
The last was titled:
"The Church of Salvation Seeks Volunteers to Assist in Treating the Afflicted."
Jack didn't read past the title. His attention had snagged on one word.
What does Salvation really mean?
He focused on it. The word began to distort.
"Ugh!" The pain hit sharp and fast, like someone had driven a dull knife straight into the back of his skull.
He pressed a hand to his head. A few people nearby glanced over.
The pain faded as quickly as it came, leaving nothing behind but the memory of it.
I should leave.
He stepped away from the board and made his way through the market, taking a path that kept him away from the people who had looked his way.
Reaching the far side of the market, he turned onto one of the upward-sloping roads and followed it until he stopped in front of a sign that read "Worker Street."
He looked around and checked that nobody was still watching him.
I think I'm good..
He turned back to the street ahead. It was busy with people of different trades and different smells. Unlike the clock-tower market there was no fish in the air here, and the street itself was noticeably cleaner and more organized.
The ground floors were lined with open-front workshops where craftsmen worked in plain view, selling directly to whoever passed. Between them sat proper shops with display windows showing their goods. The upper floors above were residential, same as the rest of the town.
He walked slowly, taking in each shop as he passed. Clothing. Tools and weapons. Another bakery, this one selling white bread. Others he didn't have a name for yet.
He stopped in front of one of the open workshops. Inside, a man was pressing sheets of paper. The smell of wet pulp and something faintly chemical drifted out from the back.
On a smooth black-painted board outside, prices were listed in chalk:
"Stack of 25 Simple Writing Papers — 20 Flora"
"Stack of 25 Treated Writing Papers — 40 Flora"
"Stack of 25 High Quality Writing Papers — 80 Flora"
A blonde, well-groomed man in his thirties wearing a black vest stepped up to the counter.
"Looking to buy or just interested in the works?"
Jack glanced at the board. "It's much cheaper than I expected."
The vested man smiled. "We get that a lot, actually."
"And why is that?" Jack asked.
The man gestured toward the back of the shop. "About fifty years ago paper was made from linen, cotton, or animal skin. Then the Church of Mardrago introduced a method using tree bark."
Mardrago? Did it automatically register it by that name rather than Sea Dragon?
The vested man tapped the price board with three fingers. "The prices dropped to almost a tenth of what they used to be."
He leaned on the counter, facing the street. "Now that I've entertained your curiosity, are you interested in purchasing?"
It's about two or three days of food. That doesn't include the price of a pen and ink.
"Do you also sell pens?" Jack asked.
"One flora per quill. For ink though, you'll need the apothecary two buildings over. We have an arrangement with them, they're the only ones that sell it."
"Also surprisingly cheap."
"They wear out faster than you'd like." The vested man paused. "The ink runs about twelve flora for roughly a month's supply of common ink."
Five pens and ink would be about seventeen flora. Stack of simple paper is twenty. That's thirty-seven total. About a week of food if I buy only the cheaper bread.
..If I want to keep track of things properly this is the only way.
Jack exhaled. "I'll take a stack of simple paper and five pens."
The vested man's smile brightened. "Twenty-five flora!"
[1] Quick lore drop — "Count of Lut" roughly translates to "Companion of Clay." Lut comes from the Romanian word for clay, and the whole Countdom is named after its clay deposits which fund 55% of the global brick market. The kingdom deliberately sells red bricks cheap to low income residents. It's economic propaganda basically — "look, even our poorest live in brick houses." Jack's neighborhood will make more sense with this in mind. This gets explored properly later. Also the word Count used to mean Companion in Roman times.