Herald of Steel

Alexander continued to talk to the soap merchant for a while, asking various trade related matters- how he came to Zanzan, what made him open up shop, how he met his suppliers, etc.

And during all this, Alexander was surprised to find out that the man did not even know that many of the soaps he was selling were invented by the man in front of him.

Instead, the elderly shopkeeper simply sang in a voice full of praise,

"My lord, I must confess, the soaps your city makes are nothing short of miraculous. It makes every other soap in the world look like cow dung. My family has been in the soap business for four straight generations, but we have never seen such quality!"

"*Sigh*, I wonder who is the genius who made it? I tried to ask around but never got anywhere. *Sigh*! I would love to meet him."

Alexander's lips half twitched in amusement at the comment, while those bodyguards who were in the know had to press their lips hard to remain professional and not give the secret away.

But this lack of awareness was also quite reasonable when you remembered that Alexander did not exactly celebrate each and every one of his inventions.

He just quietly invented a product and then used his high position to employ a third party to sell it on his behalf.

So how was a commoner supposed to know the origins of the product?

They only knew that the soaps came from workshops that were under Alexander's protection. That did not mean the man was its inventor.

For all they knew it was some bloke under Alexander who did it, from whom then the pasha 'bought' all the rights.

When thinking like that, Alexander was able to quickly get his emotions in check.

Then feigning surprise, chimed,

"Is my soap that popular? They don't seem that popular here. Look, our shop is quite empty right now, isn't it?"

"Hahahaha, this is because you came too late, my lord. We are almost close to closing." Alexander's unintentional dig appeared to have stung the proud shopkeeper a bit, as he quickly spoke up to defend himself,

"Most of my business is done in the morning when the markets are less crowded. The noble ladies prefer to avoid other people."

"You see, I usually serve nobles and rich customers… where will the poor get the money to afford my products, hehe. So most of my sales are done then.. without the hustle and bustle."

"During this time of the day, we mainly just sell washing powder for those laundries and dye houses. They buy them to clean their client's clothes. See…"

The merchants noted while pointing at the large sacks.

And then to hit home his answer even more, added,

"My lord, if you really want to know how popular your soaps are, you should to Matrak if you. I have never seen something get sold so quickly. Every noble lady and her slaves flock to the market whenever they hear your soaps are in stock, hahaha."

Here the man was certainly exaggerating, but the main point was still valid.

From what Alexander had heard from Pasha Farzah, his soap was indeed a people's favorite.

"I see! That is good to hear. Soaps here are not that popular, so I was afraid…." Alexander gently nodded at last to the candid merchant.

And then was about to bid goodbye, when the elder shopkeeper somewhat poignantly interjected,

"Indeed! Soap is a bit hard to sell here. Especially to the nobles. Everywhere else we had no problem, selling out before sunset every time but here… I thought the lords loved these kinds of products. Smells nice, is beautiful to look at, and even useful. Hmmmm, how strange…"

Actually, this phenomenon was not that strange at all.

The reason why Zanzan nobles were not that keen on buying soaps was because Alexander already sold them a portion of his wares at a heavily discounted price.

So why would they flock to these overpriced stocks?

So the only ones visiting the shops were those who had already used up or sold their portions, or they did not have that exact type of soap they were looking for.

Alexander's soaps were made with a variety of colors and fragrances, and it was naturally impossible to give everyone every one of the 'flavors'.

Alexander would at last leave the shop after a few more pleasantries, with the shopkeeper's last words being a request, once again repeating his wish to meet the man who made these soaps.

"My lord, if you could guide me a bit… I just want to show my respects." Having sold soaps all his life and developed an eye for quality, the man's desire was truly genuine.

He simply wanted to meet his 'hero', who Alexander surely knew given he owned the soap workshop.

And looking at those shimmering, excited eyes, Alexander considered it for a moment.

Honestly, he was not averse to revealing the answer- what was wrong with taking credit for his own hard work?

But he also felt that the answer might disappoint or even scare the shopkeeper.

Alexander was certainly not among the list of candidates the man had in mind.

Worse the man might even misunderstand.

What if Alexander said "I invented it," and the merchant thought Alexander was just stealing his subject's credit?

These things happened.

So instead of giving him a straight answer, Alexander dangled an alluring fruit,

"Continue to pay taxes to Zanzan for the next five years and I will let you visit my workshop. You can meet him there."

...

'*Sigh*, I should sell my soaps at a higher price,' The main takeaway for Alexander from that interaction was this, finding that he had underestimated the popularity of his products.

If profits would be made by importing his own exports, by selling to nobles who already had access to the stuff, it was clear how great a demand for it there was. Find your next adventure on empire

Recently there was even a rising culture of gifting expensive soaps and shampoos to one's favorite concubines, with even many popular prostitutes demanding similar treatments.

Alexander was thus left to contemplate how much to raise the prices and how to justify them.

….

Alexander was nearing the end of all that was there to see in the western district, as now, the shops had begun to diverge into the miscellaneous category.

"Wigs from women! Wigs for women! The hairs are all from slaves from Iyizarid! Look! Look! You can still see the curls!"

"Toupees! Toupees for men! Imported straight from Cantagena."

Colorful black, blonde, ginger, and red haired hairpieces hung from the hooks of a few peddlers' carts, hawking their wares.

Next to them were also a few carts filled with cheap jewelry for men and women-

"Chains, bangles, lockets, anklets! There is something for everyone! Take a look! Take a look! Looks like real gold! Not even the lords will be able to tell the difference. Come! Come! Look! Look!"

Made of copper, bronze, and iron, and painted to look like gold, these carts were actually swarmed by a small sea of men and women, looking to buy something for themselves or their partner.

These carts were also selling various types of children's toys- mostly made of wood or earth.

There were small flutes, painted dolls, tiny swords, shields, bows and arrows, round balls, and spinning tops.

One shop even had marbles, and Alexander could see a small group of bare feeted dirty urchins looking longingly at the wooden tray filled with those shimmering baubles.

It was a heated gaze like they were looking at the most magnificent treasure in the world.

But although these were quite cheap, it was still too far beyond their capability.

They did not dare even approach the stall, content to only keep looking.

And this sight tugged at Alexander's heartstrings.

There were also many things in his childhood that he wanted but could not get.

"Give each of those kids two of your marbles." Thus approaching the shopkeeper, Alexander made his comment.

And the smiles and grins those kids gave Alexander while being handed their prize was something, not even a million ropals could ever buy.

That single ropals he spent for the entire bunch was far more satisfying than the ten thousand ropals he had spent buying jewelry for his wives.

Alexander also bought a few marbles for his kids, along with a clay rattler that had small seeds inside so that it rattled when shaken, and a wooden ball.

….

Along these carts were the mandatory street side food stalls, serving all types of cheap food.

There were stews and soups of lentils, chickpeas, or other pulses.

Freshly baked bread and pulse porridge served with cheese, olives, or honey was quite a popular delicacy.

Hot dishes like spiced sausages, salted fish, and small meat platters served with a kind of fish sauce was served in wooden plates.

There were various types of salted fruits cut into bite sized pieces.

Then lastly, the ever present wine- often diluted with water and flavored with spices, herbs, or honey.

And as the people ate, there was entertainment in the form of fortune tellers, small games similar to throwing rings over a hook, as well as other small time street performers singing, dancing, and doing other party tricks.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

Let us say no to piracy! Don't take part in a crime! Don't patronize thieves!

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