Claire made her way through the stalls, asking for prices and taking notes. She could not afford to purchase seafood with gold, so barter was her only way out.
This thought reminded her that she had rice on her boat.
She compiled the information she had gathered so far. The creatures being sold in this city were called "sixth rank seafood monsters" and they were considered unpalatable here. Food for the desperate poor. Yet to her eyes, they looked identical to the premium seafood back home, the kind that fetched thousands in the market. It was basically between 2 to 5 dollars here!
She had stumbled into a fortune.
Her eyes widened as the pearl pulsed and warmed up against her skin. Claire approached a stall where a weary man in patched clothes was blowing air into his callused hands for warmth. He was selling large red crabs. The kind that cost 400 to 600 dollars per crab in luxury markets.
"How much?" she asked.
"One gold coin a bucket," he muttered. He lacked the enthusiasm of a seller who was hopeful. Like he was sure she was not going to buy anything.
"I have rice," Claire said quickly. "It’s on my boat. Will you trade?"
The man’s eyes lit up. A woman quickly walked forward, whispering, "Rice...real rice?"
"Yes," Claire said firmly. "More than enough for all ten buckets that you have."
The man hesitated, but his wife did not. "Ten buckets of sixth rank seafood monsters for the rice."
Claire’s pulse raced. "Deal. But you have to follow me to my boat."
The woman rushed away for a moment and returned with three burly young men and a haggard looking young woman. The family carried the buckets, balancing the loads with smiles on their faces. Claire had no idea who notified a knight, but one followed them. Every other second, Paddy barked at the magic beast, which was trying to sniff him, warning it to stay away.
They reached the boat which was as untouched as it had been when Claire parked it. The crabs were transferred and she handed over the rice, watching their faces glow with gratitude.
"I will be back tomorrow." Claire announced.
Paddy barked happily, tail wagging, as if sensing victory.
Claire did not dally, she set off immediately afraid that the knight would question her if she lingered longer than necessary. When she figured that she had sailed far enough from the dock, she crossed back to the real world.
She stopped the boat for a moment, just to catch her breath. Claire was still in shock over everything she had encountered. A two and a half hour trip to another world had truly turned out to be so fruitful.
While she organized her thoughts, Paddy trotted up and planted a paw firmly on one of the coolers as if stamping it with his royal seal. His eyes gleamed with the same canine entitlement he had when he claimed the abalone yesterday.
Claire blinked. "Again? Those crabs are business Paddy."
Paddy gave a low, deliberate bark--short, sharp, and smug. He shifted his weight, paw pressing harder, as though declaring, "Payment accepted."
"You remind me of Aunt Delia." Claire muttered.
Paddy barked twice.
Claire raised her brows. "Fine, you are nothing like her. You are simply charging me for services rendered."
Paddy wagged his tail, tongue lolling.
"Fine," Claire laughed. "One crab. One. And don’t expect butter sauce."
Paddy barked twice.
"Two crabs?" Claire huffed. "You will get fat, and then who will chase off those magic dogs we saw? Not me."
Paddy tilted his head, ears perked, and gave her the most pitiful look in his arsenal. Claire groaned. "Ugh, you are a heart killer. Two crabs, but that’s final. You cost more than an actual human employee. Two king crabs are at least 800 dollars a day. If we go by week, that’s 4800 dollars. 19,200 a month minus other work benefits. You are practically earning the same salary in a year as an airline captain, Paddy."
Paddy barked triumphantly, paw still on the cooler, tail thumping like a victory drum.
Claire set off for the docks. She wheeled the coolers off the boat and transferred them to her car. The weather was hot on this side, forcing her to pause a few times and wipe sweat from her forehead. She didn’t stop or think of the hardship. There was no time to feel sorry for herself.
She drove to the seafood market, choosing the biggest shop near the entrance. Her grandmother had told her about the owner, Rowan Carver. He was in his sixties and was a well known honest man around the town. He also supplied sea food to half of the hotels in this town and a few in the city.
Seeing Claire enter, he rose with a big smile on his face. "Wilder’s granddaughter, Claire. Your grandmother said you might be coming by to sell some seafood, but I thought it was a joke."
Being called Wilder’s granddaughter seemed to be the tradition in Briarshore.
"Mr. Carver, I have something I think might interest you." Claire replied.
"Call me Uncle Rowan, I am your grandfather’s third cousin once removed." He told her, coming around to look at what she had in her cooler.
Claire opened the cooler, her eyes brimming with excitement. She was looking keenly at Rowan and saw the exact moment the man’s expression went from puzzlement to shock, and then disbelief.
"A king crab? No, three king crabs?" Rowan looked at her in wonder. "Wilder said it was your first time fishing professionally. How did you end up with such luck on your first try?" He examined the crabs and tapped the shell of one. "They should be at least six to eight kilograms. Much better than anything I have received all morning."
Claire yawned lightly. "I have eleven coolers and a bucket of crabs exactly like this in my car. Forty crabs in total. Will you take them? Five hundred dollars per crab, no negotiation."
Rowan’s mouth dropped open. "Did you rob the god of the sea? Forty king crabs on one trip! I have lived here my whole life and never seen a fisherman come in with such a catch."
Claire shrugged. "I guess the sea likes me."
Rowan stared at her for a few seconds and saw how relaxed she was. It didn’t seem like she had used shady means to acquire the crabs. She also didn’t appear to be lying.
"I am selling thirty-five of them. Three are for my family and two are Paddy’s." Claire clarified.
Rowan gasped. "Two for Paddy!"
Claire nodded. "He caught the first one."
Rowan shook his head. "You young people do things that don’t make sense. One thousand dollars! That’s one thousand dollars on a dog’s meal!" He called an employee who was also his son. They helped Claire bring in all the coolers.
After checking each crab, Rowan did not negotiate, he counted out the money in cash. Most fishermen in the town preferred to touch their money before taking it to the bank personally.
"17,500 dollars!" Claire muttered. "It was worth it." This trip had barely cost her because the bag of rice was free. Her only expense was fuel. She was swimming in profits today.
When Claire walked out of the shop, she looked more relaxed than ever before. She was already planning her next trip. This time, she planned to take more than just one bag of rice.