Hollowbrook was a lively village. The next morning, when Ethan woke up and went for a walk through the streets, he found himself in the company of Tahal, the Orc, who decided to give him a tour of the place.
Tahal was a farmer, just like most of the village folks. A river ran adjacent to the village, making the area very fertile. There were many farms on the west side of the village, and Tahal had his farm there too.
"I mainly grow rice and some vegetables and sell them in the nearest town, Arventown, which is right next to the main road that merchants and travelers pass through," Tahal explained. Arventown sounded like an interesting place, he needed to go there.
"May I ask a question that's been bothering me since last night?" Ethan asked.
"Go ahead."
"How do all of you fight the monsters? I mean, the Reshir I fought was quite ferocious. I had a hard time just killing one, but I assume there'd be more of them. And since you're so close to the forest, that increases the chance of attacks."
"Hmmm," Tahal scratched his chin, quite surprised to hear that Ethan didn't know about this stuff. "I've never heard a question like that. To be honest, we have mages who come here on a monthly basis and cast spells around the boundaries of all the small villages to protect them from the attacks of non-sapient creatures. They can't cross the area where the spell's been cast. Does the Earth Kingdom not have such safety measures?"
"To tell you the truth, no. Actually, my kingdom doesn't even have any monstrous creatures at all."
"Huh, that seems like a pretty great place to live," Tahal smiled.
"It has some bad sides too," Ethan replied.
Tahal chuckled. "So does every other place. Then, where do you intend to go from here?"
"I'm planning on visiting Arventown," Ethan walked next to him, taking in the view of villagers going through their daily routines. "I'll need to buy some supplies for my further travels, better clothes, a carry pack, and even a sword."
"You're on the right path, then. It's about a day's journey to the north. They've got a marketplace and a lot of shops. It tends to attract a lot of merchant crowds, so you'll get what you need, but you'll need good money to buy. The stuff they sell is great but also costly."
Money was an issue. He'd gotten lucky with the Reshir hide, but how would he earn more money once the money he possessed was all used? It really put his mood down a bit. Why didn't he think about it quickly, but even then, would it really have mattered?
Tahal noted the distressed look on his face. "Hey...I hope I didn't say something wrong."
"No, it's nothing," Ethan said, even though the look on his face remained the same.
"It's the money problem, isn't it?" Tahal knew what the matter was. "Let me guess, you don't have much money?"
"I don't," Ethan said. "I have enough money for food and some other necessities, but for shopping, I'd need more."
