The Flea Market (2)
Hiiiii-hing!
“Ah, looks like another one is coming!”
“Goodness, it’s absolute chaos. Move aside! I told you, horses aren’t allowed inside the perimeter!”
Just as the military clock ticks on even if you hang it upside down, the long-awaited flea market had finally begun.
People had started flocking in from the early dawn, before the sun had even risen.
“I’ve never seen this many people in my entire life.”
“Even if there’s nothing special, the sight itself is a spectacle.”
The residents blinked in amazement as hundreds of people formed a line, approaching the village where the Lord’s Castle stood. In the North, where it was easier to run into a wild beast than a person, this was a scene many had never witnessed in their lives.
“Alright, alright! General spectators to the left, those here to sell goods to the right!”
“We’ll assign stall locations in the order of arrival on the right, so come and get your tags!”
“Hey, you there! I said don’t push! Do you want me to shave your beard off for you?!”
Northern soldiers, who were easily one and a half times the height and build of an average adult man, glared with intensity, preparing for any potential unrest. They had all been pre-educated by Aiden.
- There will be many excited people. And when people get excited, mistakes are bound to happen. Mistakes lead to disputes, and disputes create chaos. Now, what is the soldiers' job?
- Catch the troublemaker and hang them from the castle wall as an example...
- Stop right there.
- Yes, sir.
- Any other opinions?
- If hanging them normally isn't enough, we could try hanging them upside down...
- Why are you so obsessed with hanging people! No, you’re supposed to manage the situation so that no chaos occurs in the first place!
- Ah...
- Why do you sound disappointed!
Of course, the process wasn’t exactly smooth.
“Alright, let’s get ready and start!”
“Yes, Chef!”
Smoke began to billow from one side. It was Food Stall No. 1.
The chef, Brikal, and a few workers from the Lord’s Castle were bustling about since dawn, pre-cooking the meat.
“We prepared for this day!”
Thud!
A massive chunk of meat, of unknown origin, landed with a heavy sound on the large log table that Jamie had split with a single axe swing. Brikal was planning to sell the Lord’s Castle’s specialty meat sandwiches. After Aiden had replaced every meal with a sandwich for days on end, making them had become Brikal’s specialty.
“Is this bear meat again?”
Aiden, drawn by the scent of charcoal, approached and cracked a joke.
“I did find one while hunting, but bears that just woke up from hibernation are too tough, so I didn’t catch it. If you want to eat some, shall we go on a hunt after this is over?”
“Please, don’t.”
It seemed that for the Northerners, this wasn’t a joke.
“Then what kind of meat is this?”
“It’s elk.”
“Elk? That deer with the huge antlers?”
Aiden tilted his head, looking at the elk meat that already looked like it belonged in a butcher shop.
“I thought it was a bear just by looking at the size.”
“A full-grown elk is easy to mistake for a bear. Haha!”
“Is that so?”
“The adults are as big as a carriage.”
“No way.”
At Aiden’s disbelieving expression, the workers burst into laughter. It seemed funny to them that the Lord, who they thought knew everything, didn’t know such common “common sense.”
“Anyway, I’m counting on you today. I’d appreciate it if you gave generous portions of meat.”
“Don’t worry. We wouldn’t trade the pride and honor of the Lord’s Castle for a few coins!”
“Ah... yes, well. Good luck.”
They seemed a bit too intense, but it was much better than having no motivation.
‘I’m not sure what the pride and honor of the Lord’s Castle actually entails, though.’
The pride of the district office. The honor of the administrative welfare center. That sounded a bit strange.
Since Aiden still had more of a civil servant’s mindset than that of a feudal lord, it was difficult to fully understand their desperate resolve.
***
“Wow...”
“You’re going to get a bug in your mouth.”
“Gasp!”
The man with the soot-stained face and an innocent expression hadn’t had a moment of peace since dawn.
“You’re here to sell goods, right?”
“Yes, elder.”
Glancing over, the old man at the stall right next to him seemed to have already finished setting out all his wares. Various types of mushrooms were neatly arranged on a wooden tray.
“There are a lot of mushrooms I’ve never seen before.”
The man examined the dried mushrooms with curious eyes.
“Are these edible too? They look like they might be poisonous...”
“That one looks toxic, but it’s not. To use an analogy, it’s like a guy who can’t fight but acts tough because he doesn’t want to be looked down upon.”
“Is that so?”
“It tastes good, too.”
The old man, seemingly liking the affable young man, tore off a piece of dried mushroom and handed it to him.
“Stir-frying them is best, but they have a pretty good umami flavor even just like this.”
“Wow, you’re right!”
“What did you bring?”
“Ah, it’s nothing special, but...”
The man scratched the back of his head, untied the bundle he had been carrying on his back, and revealed his goods.
“It’s cheese and butter made from sheep’s milk. I made it myself.”
“Oh, do you herd sheep?”
“Yes, elder. Would you like to taste some?”
“I’d love to!”
The old man’s expression brightened the moment he put the cheese in his mouth.
“The flavor is excellent.”
“It’s made using a method passed down from my mother’s mother’s mother.”
“So it holds the history of your family.”
The items the residents brought were much more diverse than Aiden had imagined. Beyond the second-hand goods that were the original purpose of the flea market, items they had crafted themselves seemed to make up more than half of the total.
Various household goods woven from vines, hand-tanned leather, bowls carved from sturdy wood and waterproofed, bulbs and seeds of unknown varieties, lace with beautiful patterns...
This was more than just filling in the gaps.
It was still early for the market to be in full swing, but Aiden’s face was full of smiles after taking a preliminary lap. He had a gut feeling that this flea market would be much more successful than he had anticipated.
“Administrative Officer. Shall we head to your seat? The crowd is starting to grow.”
“I suppose so.”
It was a shame, but the sightseeing ended there. Usually, civil servants find it difficult to fully enjoy such events.
‘Because we’re short on staff.’
Since he couldn’t leave the general situation room to administrators who had absolutely no experience with events, Aiden had no choice but to be glued to the situation room.
***
A hectic morning.
Just when he thought things had calmed down, lunch was delivered to the situation room.
“Eat it before it gets cold, Administrative Officer!”
“Oh, thank you.”
It was a young worker who worked under the chef, Brikal, who had brought the sandwich.
‘They’re even taking care of my meals here.’
It was a grateful thing.
“How is the situation in the food zone?”
“It’s a huge success! It’s absolute chaos. Even though we started pre-cooking at dawn, we’re running out of meat.”
“Is it that bad?”
“They said at this rate, what we’ve prepared won’t even last through the lunch rush.”
“Oh dear. What about the other food stalls?”
“I’m not entirely sure, but it seems similar.”
A failure in demand forecasting. It was unavoidable. None of them had ever experienced an event where this many people gathered.
“Can’t be helped. We’ll have to raid the Lord’s Castle’s pantry.”
It wouldn’t be very well-stocked either, but it would be better than nothing.
“Ask the merchants if they have any leftover food they’d be willing to sell. They’ll be leaving soon anyway, so there’s no need for them to keep their supplies.”
“Yes, I will relay that.”
If the food ran out in the middle of the day, the customers’ complaints would be endless, so he had to prepare proactively.
‘The response seems even better than I thought.’
Aiden was someone who couldn’t understand the Northern residents’ feelings toward a leader who solved their hunger in the first place. So, he simply thought, ‘Were they all waiting for an event like this?’
“Why don’t you eat and go out for a bit? You haven’t been out once since the market started in earnest.”
Jamie, who had already finished a sandwich the size of his forearm and was reaching for a second one, suggested.
“If I’m not here, who will manage the situation room?”
“I’ve watched and learned all morning, so I can handle it alone!”
“...Really?”
“If anything happens, I’ll come find you.”
Jamie thumped his chest, telling him to trust him.
‘Well, the immediate fires have been put out.’
In truth, the time before the event starts is the busiest, and once it begins, the situation room usually becomes a bit more relaxed.
“Then, I’ll go take a lap?”
“Hehe. There are so many amazing things. I even bought this much.”
Jamie, who had already taken a lap under the guise of patrol, pointed to a pile of goods stacked to one side. It was obvious that he had blown a significant portion of his salary.
‘Is there really that much to buy?’
Aiden stepped out of the tent, feeling puzzled.
A whole new world unfolded before his eyes.
***
“Just give me a little discount!”
“Hmm, I like it, but... look here, shopkeeper. Any chance you’d be willing to trade this for that?”
“Mom, buy me this! Please! I’ll listen to you from now on!”
Aiden, who rarely got surprised by anything, froze for a moment.
‘What is this?’
It was a completely different scene from the early morning when they were just setting up their stalls. Indeed, a market isn’t complete without customers, not just merchants. And for some reason, Aiden thought this scene was familiar.
Yes, this sight.
I mean,
‘It’s just like a simulation game video!’
The heart of a tycoon otaku began to race. It was no different from the promotional videos where people move into a village, city, or nation that you’ve worked hard to manage, working and enjoying their leisure time. Aiden had never once thought that such a scene could unfold in 4D right before his eyes.
‘This is it! This is what it’s all about!’
That was why the scene was even more moving. Aiden cheered silently. And then, he walked slowly.
Thinking that government work was indeed his true calling. Taking in the scene in front of the Lord’s Castle that he had changed, as if not wanting to miss a single detail. He walked and walked.
How long had he been walking?
Aiden stopped in front of two merchants who seemed to be getting along quite well.
“Elder, could I draw this and take it with me?”
“The mushroom?”
“Yes. A lot of mushrooms grow in the forest near our village, but no one knows which ones are safe to eat and which ones aren’t.”
“Oh dear. Then what did you do when you ran out of food?”
“We were afraid we might lose our lives, so we just went hungry even while looking at mushrooms growing everywhere.”
“Oh my, what a tragic thing...!”
“Instead, it’s nothing special, but I’ll teach you a way to keep butter for a long time.”
“Is there such a thing? Thank you.”
The conversation between the old man who sold dried mushrooms and the man who brought homemade butter and cheese. At that moment, Aiden realized.
‘It wasn’t just goods that weren’t circulating properly in the North.’