Herald of Steel



Alexander had some of his bodyguards go in front of him to clear the way, and the group then proceeded to walk into the square center and observe the bustling market.

"Ahh, today is a Thursday. That's why it's so crowded,"

And looking at the heavy crowd present, Alexander reminded himself that it was the weekend, which meant most workers had the day off or reduced work as they offered prayers or sacrifices at the temples in the morning.

In fact, this was happening around the time Alexander was visiting the central district, which was why the group had avoided that congested part of the town for now, even though Pasha Farzah had wanted to see the temple his granddaughters were working in.

Instead, Alexander had promised to let him meet them on their return trip.

And for now, urged the pasha to enjoy this foreign market.

The northern market square was a bustling hub of activity, encased around an area surrounded by timber-framed buildings which served as the abodes of the merchants there.

These buildings were adorned with colorful banners and flags which advertised many brand names and even read out various catchy messages.

For example, Alexander spotted one commercial banner for wine that read: 'This drink will be the life of your party.'

It seemed even in the iron age people knew how to make their product stand out.

Alexander and the group slowly made their way through the narrow roads, taking their time as they turned their heads from side to side to see the local produce.

This was a rare opportunity for all three of the women, with Lady Inayah being usually too busy, and the Queen mother and Nanazin being able to leave the palace without special permission.

And hence they wanted to savor the opportunity.

Especially when that opportunity was in a foreign land.

So they took their time to observe the stalls and makeshift booths lining either side of the street, their awnings casting shade over the array of products displayed.

These stalls were almost all owned by local farmers, who proudly presented their abundant collection of fruits, vegetables, and spices from the recent spring harvest, the colorful, vivid natural produce lighting up the surrounding.

Among the vegetables, there were every kind of beans: pitch black black beans, verdant lima peas, vibrant kidney beans, golden fava beans, and many more, in addition to beautiful plump gourds, green cabbages, bright carrots, and juicy leeks.

And these were just a few of the delicacies Alexander could see.

While among the fruits were ripe watermelons which every shop seemed to have a stock of, juicy plums, bright jackfruits, and stone fruits to name a few.

All being laid out in full display to tempt customers to have a bite, while their owners energetically call out their wares, hauling customers to them and then haggling over the price.

And at last were the spices and aromatic herbs, which hang from wooden beams, enticing passersby with their earthy fragrances.

And as Alexander passed by these, his nose even stung a bit from the smell a bit, as huge quantities of garlic, black pepper, bell peppers, mustard, and onions were laid out in the open.

But compared to the fruits and vegetables, their amount and variety were pathetically poor, for it appeared that Adhania and even Thesos were lacking in some of the more exotic spices such as ginger, turmeric, and cloves.

Perhaps they would be discovered when Alexander initiated his age of sail.

Alexander certainly had the mind to do this as he walked past these eager and energetic shopkeepers, while also being unable to help himself from comparing the current markets with his previous life's supermarkets.

And the biggest difference he would say between them was that whereas in modern times a market usually referred to as a stationary place with concrete buildings and fixed shops here a market simply referred to a place people got together to buy and sell stuff.

What he meant by this was that here markets were not permanent structures, but that most people would simply bring a portable stall or even just a basket filled with the fruits, vegetables, grain, etc from their fields, and set up by the roadside peddling it, while people moving about would spot them and then based on their needs purchase them.

This also meant that markets were not 24/7 available amenities like in the modern times.

But rather that this organic meeting would gather around itself around 2 to 3 times a week, while the rest of the week the place would be fairly deserted, with only the professional merchants with their fixed shops selling their wares.

So the city folk would actually have to pace their pantry such as that they could would be able to last three days without a major restock, as they could grain anytime, but not the seasonal produce, as well as meat and fish.

Speaking of meat and fish, the fishmongers and butcher stalls were next.

And they were in a wider clearing around the center square of the market.

Now unlike in modern times, meat was not available to buy every day.

But could only be bought on certain days of the week.

The reason for this was there was little way to store meat other than salting it, and so any unsold, and unprocessed meat would spoil very quickly.

And as there was not enough demand for freshly slaughtered meat every day of the week, butchers would usually slaughter one animal per week, which was Thursday for Zanzan.

And this produced an interesting phenomenon where people would show up at the market in the crack to get the best cut of meat.

While in the case of fish, the timing was the opposite.

Because usually the freshest fishes would be found around the evening when the fishermen would return from the sea, or perhaps in the afternoon if some fishermen decided to return by midday.

Alexander and the group stood still for a while and watched as the butchers wearing their trademark bloodied aprons now dyed red expertly use a cleaver to process cuts of meat for their customers over a wooden board, while the fishmongers poked at the fishes' eyes to show the buyers the freshness of their produce, or even cut open the fish to show the vibrant, red guts.

And a bit further way was the poultry for sale, as chickens, ducks, and even various birds were offered up for sale in small, bamboo cages.

After a while of watching this, the smell of raw meat and fish seemed to get on the nerves of the ladies, and so deciding to leave this crowded part of the market, Alexander surged forward.

And found the next destination a lot more free from the previous hustle and bustle.

It seemed that things had slowed down here quite a bit, as then wafted into Alexander's nose was the scent of freshly baked bread as well as the mingling aroma of roasting meats, fried fish, and fragrant spices.

Alexander appeared to have entered the food court of the market.

And looking around, he saw many food stalls selling various meat, fish, and vegetarian dishes of various exotic colors and tastes, many of which he did not even know the name of.

Numerous people were seen patroning these makeshift stalls, buying and eating the snacks either standing or sitting on the stall stools provided right in front of the shop, which was surprisingly reminiscent of those food carts of modern times.

And as these people ate and drank, they also enjoyed the songs and tales of the minstrels and street performers playing on the center square and would whistle, cheer, and even throw money to encourage their performance.

This part of the market might not be the busiest, because not everybody had the time or money to sit and snack in the middle of the day while watching the street performance, but it was certainly the most interesting part of the market.

"Would the ladies like to have something to eat? Perhaps even a cool drink?" Alexander politely offered seeing the group stop to appreciate the performance, though he knew this was unlikely.

Not to mention the security risks of eating food from an unknown source, but more importantly, he knew these noble people would not be caught dead dining in such an open space surrounded by commoners.

After all, if they were caught mingling with the low borns, their whole dignity would be dragged through the mud,

Particularly for the ladies.

"Thank you, lord Alexander. But we are not hungry," Predictably Seelima answered this back with a sweet smile.

Though this was a fib, as it was approaching midday, and breakfast was a few hours ago.

Not to mention, they had been walking for not an insignificant time now.

So Alexander replied, "Then perhaps we can get something to eat on the go. The eastern district is a while away," before quickly turning to Hemicus without giving the Queen mother to intervene, and said, "Go find what is nice. Hot, spicy, cool. Bring a bunch of things."

Alxx seemed to want to sample the lot.

So the guard captain received the order with a stoic nod, and then taking a few of his men, set out to purchase various food items.

While the group waited and entertained themselves with the street performance going on in front of them, and after the performers noticed they were being observed by some nobles, decided to put on the best show they had.

A show that Alexander would come to enjoy.