Chapter 23: Alden’s Business

"You two really went all out this time."

Alden couldn’t help but smile as he looked at the mountain of sacks piled outside. There was much more produce this time compared to their first shipment.

"We thought we should collect as much as we could," Caelan replied to it ash he pointed at everything. "I’ll let you take care of it."

"Don’t worry, young man." Alden briefly nodded as he started to load the sacks onto his cart. It took them some time, but eventually, everything was packed and secured. Once they finished, Alden climbed onto the driver’s seat and grabbed the reins of the horse.

"I’ll see you two again in a few days."

"Be careful, Sir Alden," Eveline said as she lightly waved her hand off. She went downstairs just to bid goodbye. Alden simply smiled and nodded before setting off.

As the cart slowly moved away from the inn, Alden glanced back at the large pile of produce behind him. He had been doing this for only a short time, but he could already feel that things were changing for him.

When he first met Caelan and Eveline, he never expected that the two people would become his business partners. He thought that he would have no chance in life anymore, but now he was even doing better.

"Who would have thought?" Alden chuckled to himself.

The road back to his village took several hours. His village was larger than the small village where Caelan and Eveline were staying, and it had far more people living there. It’s also a good area where travellers from different areas pass through.

In the past, it was one of the reasons Alden had originally chosen to stay here. The village was once a good place for merchants.

He had spent years building his shop from the ground up. It started as a small wooden store where he sold whatever goods he could get his hands on. For a while, business was good. But of course, other people also started copying him

The number of customers slowly decreased with monsters appearing more frequently and roads becoming less safe; fewer travelers were willing to sell things to him, and with life getting hard, others prioritized the essentials first.

So now, as he watched the sacks of produce behind him, he couldn’t help but feel excited again.

"I remember my first time..."

The first time Alden brought Caelan and Eveline’s produce to his village, he had only brought a small batch just to try it out. He had expected it to take several days to sell everything. Instead, most of it was gone before the day ended.

Customers who bought them came back asking for more in just the next few days. Some even asked Alden where he had gotten such high-quality crops. And, of course, why would he tell that to others? He simply smiled and told them he had found a new supplier.

Alden knew that if people discovered where these crops were coming from, other merchants would immediately try to get involved. Caelan and Eveline’s little operation could also easily fall apart.

After several hours of travel, Alden finally saw the familiar houses of his village in the distance. They were also surrounded by lush greenery and farms that produced nice crops. But nothing was comparable to what he had.

Alden guided his cart through the streets until he reached an old wooden building near the center of the village. He stopped in front of it. The building was smaller than most of the shops around it, but it was the one with the most people.

As soon as Alden stopped the cart, a few familiar faces immediately noticed him.

"Old Alden!"

"You’re back!"

"Good morning!" Alden smiled and raised his hand to greet the people. A few of them walked toward him, curious about the large number of sacks loaded onto his cart.

"Looks like you have a lot today."

"I do. I managed to get a good supply this time."

One of the older women looked at the sacks with interest. "Is it the same produce as last time?"

"You’ll have to wait and see." Alden chuckled.

That immediately caught their attention.

The news about Alden’s new produce had already spread throughout the village. His customers had been talking about it ever since he first brought them in.

For most ordinary families, buying expensive vegetables every day wasn’t practical. They still had to think about their other expenses, so they usually bought whatever was affordable.

But Alden’s customers were different.

The people who bought most of his produce were usually from wealthier families and merchants. They had enough money to afford better food, so they didn’t mind paying extra for higher-quality crops.

Some of them came from wealthy families that owned businesses throughout the village. Others were merchants who regularly traveled between different towns. They could afford to spend more on food, especially if the quality was noticeably better.

"How much are you selling them for today?" one of the merchants asked.

"Come inside, and I’ll show you." Alden smiled, and several people immediately followed him toward the shop.

Alden opened the old wooden door and began unloading the sacks. The people waited as he did that. As soon as the first sack was opened, the people around him immediately saw the goods. The vegetables looked fresh, vibrant, and much larger than the ordinary produce being sold around the village.

"Those look even better than the last batch." A few people immediately leaned closer.

"They’re huge."

"Where did you get these?"

"I told you. I found a new supplier." Alden simply smiled at the guy who asked that. He knew that it was another merchant who had been eyeing his product for days.

The man clicked his tongue. "You’re still keeping that a secret?"

"Of course." Alden just chuckled.

And as he opened the other sacks, people just became more excited. After all, they had a variety of offering for today.

"I’ll take those tomatoes!"

"Wait, I also want them!!"

"Do you still have those apples from last time?"

"My lady wants to have all the fresh fruits!!"

"Give me two baskets of those!!"