Chapter 405 405-An Equal Exchange
Without looking back, Howard was unaware of Vivia's turmoil.
Since Vivia had not revealed much, Howard couldn't guess her thoughts.
Thus, his face bore a clean smile as he and Jelia walked the streets of Lorinda.
The slight tug on his clothing, a familiar sensation, gave Howard a fleeting illusion of happiness.
"Howard... where are we going?" Jelia asked softly, looking up at Howard with a small smile curving her lips.
"You can call me brother if you like," Howard said with a smile, "Do you know where to buy clothes in Lorinda, Jelia?"
"Clothes?" Jelia pondered for a moment, then nodded.
"There's a market on the street. Are you going to buy clothes, brother?"
"Yes, but not for myself. Didn't I tell you? I'm going to get you some better clothes."
"Since you've chosen to work with me, you can't always wear these clothes."
"Howard..."
It was futile.
Jelia's voice was very soft, and she didn't finish her sentence, so Howard didn't notice.
He only felt that Jelia's grip on the hem of his shirt had tightened.
As a native who grew up in Lorinda, although Jelia had no money to buy clothes, she knew all the places in Lorinda that might sell them.
More precisely, Jelia was intimately familiar with every road in Lorinda, big and small.
This was knowledge necessary for survival.
Thus, guided by Jelia, it didn't take long for Howard to find the Lorinda marketplace.
The marketplace, in reality, was just an ordinary street but one that housed a greater number of shops, distinct from a bazaar in that these establishments had formal storefronts.
Their true clientele were not the residents of Lorinda, but rather the members of caravans passing through.
It was these caravan members who had the means to leave the shops laden with goods.
From Jelia, Howard learned that Lorinda had no ready-made clothing stores, but it did have fabric stores that accepted custom orders and shops selling second-hand clothing.
The locals rarely shopped for clothes at these two types of stores; they preferred purchasing fabric to make their own garments.
Not only was this more cost-effective, but it also ensured a better fit.
However, lacking any tailoring skills, Howard had no choice but to focus on the fabric stores or second-hand clothing shops.
The second-hand clothing shop was marked by a sign featuring crossed spindles and bundles of fabric, with the words "Second-Hand Clothing" written below.
Howard, however, doubted the effectiveness of this label in a place where literacy rates were less than one in twenty.
The second-hand clothing shop was small, covering just about a dozen square meters, with the vast majority of its space given over to the second-hand garments.
After wandering among the tightly packed racks of clothing, Howard and Jelia finally caught the attention of the shopkeeper.
The shopkeeper appeared to be a middle-aged man, around forty, somewhat balding, and slightly overweight, with labored breathing.
"Young man, what kind of clothes are you looking for? I dare say, my shop has the most comprehensive selection in Lorinda!"
The shopkeeper wiped the sweat from his balding head, his gaze skimming over Jelia who followed Howard, a flicker of disdain passing through his eyes.
Although he was tempted to chase the filthy orc out of his shop, the prospect of earning silver coins held him back.
Some people always have their peculiarities.
If he drove the mixed-breed out, he might irritate the customer in front of him... and end up not selling any clothes, ultimately hurting his own business.
"Something like..." Howard mulled over a few descriptive terms, but considering the cultural differences, he eventually just nudged Jelia forward.
"You see, look for clothes that might fit her."
"An orc! Well... Sir, we might not have clothes for her body type here."
The shopkeeper wiped the sweat from his forehead again, his expression becoming tense and his gaze at Howard turning somewhat odd.
In his view, allowing an orc slave to follow closely was already a severe peculiarity; he hadn't expected this young man to actually consider buying clothes for an orc.
Had something stimulated his brain?
Allowing an orc to move around in the shop and selling clothes to an orc... these were two entirely different concepts!
The former might at most draw some people's disdain, but the latter could lead to being ostracized by the people of Lorinda, ruining his business!
"Didn't you say your shop has the most comprehensive range of styles in Lorinda!" Howard frowned, surveying the second-
hand clothes on the racks around him, not finding anything suitable for Jelia's size.
Generally, the items displayed on the shop racks are the ones in better condition, mostly for adults, with nothing suitable for a seven or eight-year-old girl.
"Sir... I truly don't have it here... Clothes of this size are already scarce," the shopkeeper said, casting glances at a few other customers on the other side of the shop.
Noticing Jelia on this side, those customers showed expressions of disgust, as if they had seen something filthy and repulsive, and turned to walk out of the shop.
Not just them, even those who initially intended to come in chose to leave upon seeing Jelia!
Realizing this, Howard felt a weight in his heart.
He had underestimated the malice these people harbored toward orcs.
If Jelia wasn't by Howard's side, she might already have been driven away.
"Howard... let's not buy anything," Jelia tugged at Howard's shirt, speaking softly.
Her voice carried no strong emotion, just a chilling calmness.
Her response wasn't just a reaction; growing up in Lorinda, Jelia was all too familiar with the residents' animosity towards orcs.
This reaction was expected.
While she appreciated Howard's concern, she knew his intentions were unattainable.
As long as they remained in Lorinda, as long as she was an orc, her situation wouldn't fundamentally change.
"Take me away from here, Howard," Jelia said, pulling on Howard's shirt.
She expressed no outrage or visible distress over the unfair and discriminatory treatment, knowing well that even if she did, no one would care about her feelings.
Howard looked down at Jelia.
Had she known this would be the outcome all along?
He remembered the odd expression on Jelia's face back at the inn when he mentioned buying her clothes, and his fist unconsciously clenched tighter.
Was she afraid?
Though it was a blur, Howard now saw the shadow of someone else in Jelia.
He reached out to grasp Jelia's somewhat cold hand, holding it tightly.
"Do you have larger clothes, for a girl around eleven or twelve?" Howard stared into the shopkeeper's eyes.
Without any overt action, an invisible pressure weighed upon the shopkeeper, rendering him unable to utter the word "no."
If he did, something unpleasant might unfold here.
"We do! There are a few dresses in the storeroom, well-
preserved, nearly new. Shall I bring them out for you to see?" The shopkeeper wiped the sweat from his forehead, his hands nervously clenched.
"No need," Howard shook his head, "Pack them all. I'll take them."
As if granted a pardon, the shopkeeper breathed a sigh of relief and hurried into the back storeroom.
Although Howard hadn't shown any frightening expressions, at that moment, when he asked his last question, the shopkeeper distinctly felt a strong aura of menace.
Resorting to violence over such a matter...
Howard might not do it, but it was clear he wouldn't just let it go either.
"Sorry... we don't have the exact size, it might need some adjustments when we get back." Howard touched Jelia's hair, smiling, "It might not fit perfectly, but it shouldn't be too bad."
If it was just a matter of adjusting the size, Howard could manage that much.
"Thank you." Jelia's voice seemed to choke up a bit, and when Howard looked down, he noticed a slight redness around her eyes.
Smiling, Howard once again ruffled Jelia's hair.
"Since you've chosen to work with me, I guess that makes me your boss. Letting my employee walk around looking unkempt isn't something a responsible boss should do."
"Employee?"
A novel term, seemingly connected to "boss" in some way.
"Yes, employee," Howard nodded.
"You've decided to work with me, right? That makes me your boss. It's a contract, a bond that must not be broken."
A contract?
Jelia was familiar with the concept, which seemed to signify a close relationship, an equal exchange.
So, between her and Howard, there was a contract?
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