Herald of Steel

The group really left no stone unturned when it came to praising the refined sugar, with even Nanazin joining in, as she nodded and said, “Mmmm, this sugar has to be my favorite invention out of all of the things lord Alexander has made,” adding,

“In fact, I think even if he were to charge 10 ropals, some would still come asking for a second or even a third bite.”

Nanazin was sure anyone and everyone who tasted this solid treat that directly activated the brain’s dopamine receptors will want to buy it”

And then unable to resist herself, the still-now queen headed over to the counter to have a bite, and was soon joined by the other two ladies who could not resist.

And seeing this Alexander advised, “Your Highnesses, why don’t you sprinkle some of the sugar onto your fruits?”

And this they quickly did, showering the cut fruits they still had in their fruit baskets with the white powder, and then relishing in its taste.

“Mmm,”

“Ohhh”

They could not help but subconsciously moan.

While Pasha Farzah commented, “Alexander, I would like to buy your entire stock of this sugar. But the price…..”

100,000 ropals a ton was enough to make even someone rich as him bleed.

To which Alexander only smiled and said, “Hahaha, come on my lord. 100 ropals per kg is a bargain. Don’t tell me you would not have paid a few hundred ropals a kg for this?”

This was true, Pasha Farzah would have coughed up that amount if it came to it.

But what kind of a lord would he be if he did not haggle?

And so the old man switched to his silver tongue, which after a while seemed to have produced results, as it made Alexander simply sigh and say, “Okay, okay, we can re-negotiate the prices another time.”

The group stayed in this part of the market for a while, preferring it much more here because the place was virtually deserted.

Regular people had no need or the capability to afford the things here, not to mention the presence of so many armed guards drove many away in fear.

While today it also appeared that prospective merchants showing interest in Alexander’s wares were low.

So the group was able to enjoy Alexander’s shops to the fullest.

But finally, and albeit a bit reluctantly they decided to continue with their tour, as the group then moved to their last destination- The artisan’s section.

And the moment they left the peaceful central square, the hustle, and bustle of the market again hit them like a sledgehammer, as the people used alternative routes to access the wares here.

Which were of the category produced by the most numerous branch of the artisans- the potters, who were selling every kind of pottery one’s heart could desire.

Potters perhaps made up 80% of all artisans, and was the group that always produced the lion’s share of the economic output for the artisan class.

The reason behind such a huge demand being there because everyone needed pottery.

Their needs ranged from a variety of earthenware and clay pottery used for utilitarian purposes such as cooking food in them and serving food in earthen bowls.

They were also used to store all kinds of kinds of food, herbs, spice, and vegetables, not to mention the most important ingredient of life- drinking water.

Then they were used for miscellaneous purposes, such as vessels to pickle fruits, and even sometimes even for storing materials such as jewelry.

After that came decorative purposes, where beautiful vases were used for decorating the house, either by themselves or growing flowers in them, clay idols for worshipping the gods, and clay toys such as dolls, and figurines for children.

Clay pottery was really the plastic of the ancient era.

As Alexander stood at the mouth of this section, he could see rows and rows of such clayware laid on the ground, a sight he had seen only a few times in his life.

And it appeared that a lot of these had their outer walls used as a canvas for skilled painters to exhibit their artwork, depicting scenes of daily life, religious iconography, and heraldic symbols.

It was both a way to express themselves while also making their products more eye-catching.

Alexander and company slowly walked past these large rows of merchandise, while some brave and eager potter hauled them to take a look at their wares, while a bit further from this huge display of skilled labor and arts were the tanners and leatherworkers.

Here the men showcased their finely crafted assortment of belts, pouches, and shoes, as well as saddles, and bridles for horses and bulls.

Next to them were blacksmiths displaying their skillfully crafted knives, cleavers, short swords, as well as various tools such as hammers, nails, chisels, etc.

And then there were the carpenters selling their woodenware of bowls, utensils such as spoons, figurines, toys, chopping boards, and most numerous of all-furniture, which they seemed to have every kind of, from small chairs or stools, to large beautiful tables, ready-made doors, and windows, to lastly huge cupboards.

And as Alexander walked passed all of them, the clinking of coins and the jingling of keys echoed as merchants tend to their money chests, ensuring the safety of their earnings.

At the end of these shops was the last section of the market, – the textile and clothing section, which was perhaps the part of the market the least densely populated of all the sections, outside of Alexander’s shops.

Both because it was at the back, and also because clothes were in general an expensive commodity.

But nevertheless, for anyone looking to buy fabric, the market seemed to offer an array of options.

Traders exhibited thick bolts of richly dyed fabrics of velvets, wool, silks, and linens, colored red, blue, green and yellow, and embellished with intricate embroidery and patterns.

While tailors displayed their finest garments, including elaborate dresses, tunics, and cloaks, some of which were adorned with jewelry and brooches to entice the more affluent buyers, most likely merchants.

“Hmmm, are any of these shops your’s lord Alexander? I’m sure many ladies would quite like your products,” The Queen languidly asked about the lingerie shop while out of mere curiosity, she decided to check out some of the dresses, much to the delight of the shopkeeper there.

Though Alexander knew she had no actual intention of buying any.

Nobles did not just go to a shop and buy their clothes.

No, no, no.

Clothing was perhaps the most important item for a noble as it showed off their status and affluence, and it was especially the case for noble ladies.

And so they would make sure whatever they wore was custom-made to best suit their needs and taste. .

To help accomplish this, all noblewomen would have a personal tailor and stylist who would be well-versed with the current trends and styles of the times, and who could guide them along the design of the fabric.

So if a noble lady wanted a dress, she would first call them to tell them about the occasion she wanted to wear them, the material she wanted to use, and then speak about what she wanted to look in that dress.

Hearing these the stylist would then recommend various designs and materials to be used, and then even produce sketches of the design.

And if this sketch was to the liking of the lady, the dress would be given the go-ahead, while if it was not, the entire process would have to be repeated again.

Hence, the best a merchant could usually hope for when peddling to nobles was that a servant would come to them and buy a few rolls of fabric if it caught the eye of a noble lady.

“No. Not yet. Those lingeries are beyond the ability of the common folk anyway,” Alexander replied to the Queen Mother’s query about the shops in a light tone, while slightly shaking his head.

Alexander had not placed the lingerie shop in his reserved spot primarily because he did not think Gelene had earned it yet, and intended to give her that spot as a future reward.

And so that made Gelene intend to open a shop here, but first there came the war, where she was required to produce yarn for the arrows which delayed that.

And then afterward found Zanzan did not have the high-value customers such as rich merchants and nobles that would be required to consistently sell the product.

So then Alexander ordered her to simply stock up on them, as he planned to sell these to Pasha Farzah and Lady Inayah in bulk.

And he was pretty sure they would buy these mass-produced garments anyway, even if their target would be the nobles, who generally detested anything not custom-made.

For with the blooming of the dandelions, Alexander had also managed to make elastic bands, meaning the bras and panties would have a ‘springiness’ to them they had never seen before.

Alexander was confident that they would be a great hit.

And so after his reply, Alexander added, “If Your Highness is curious, we are working on a new kind of clothing which I’m sure you will love. I’ll ask Gelene to show it to you later.”

To which the Queen mother somewhat eagerly replied, “Oh? Then I look forward to it.”

She really liked the comfortable underwears.

And with that eager anticipation, came the end of the market visit, as the group then proceeded to the eastern district.