“Hold tight, boy!”

  A middle-aged man in work clothes and a ft cap sat at the front of a wooden wagon, which was hitched to the horse pulling it along.

  “Don’t you go falling off!”

  He called out several times toward the back of the wagon. Among the vegetables bundled in brown sacks sat a small figure perched behind him. That small figure was Thalia, her legs dangling over the edge of the wagon.

  “Only an idiot would fall off this, mister!” Thalia shouted back in reply.

  “That’s the spirit, boy! Anyway, Darryl. Just call me Darryl. I’m too much of an immigrant for that title, hahaha!”

  “I’ll make a note of it, Darryl!”

  The cap she wore proved to be remarkably useful. Not only did it conceal her distinctive hair, but the man who had offered her a ride had even mistaken her for a young boy, and Thalia saw no reason to correct him.

  As for why she now found herself atop this wagon, it was because, while wandering the streets in her confusion, she had spotted the driver busily hoisting sacks onto the cart nearby. Already frustrated and unsure of where to go, Thalia had decided to ask for a ride. To her relief, he had allowed it without much hesitation.

  She still remembered the address of her home clearly from the memory fragments. What she don't knew is the route. To reach it, she would have to pass through the market district for the lower csses, more specifically the immigrants’ market. Since the wagon’s final destination was precisely that marketpce, the arrangement proved most convenient.

  Moreover, at the very moment she realized she was lost, her stomach had begun to growl. Wandering the city had drained her energy more than she expected. She decided she would stop by the market to purchase some basic provisions and put her money to use by cooking for herself.

  At present, she had seven Quills in her pocket, the currency of this country. For a child like her, that was a considerable sum. From what she had gathered, the average borer earned only one to two Quill per day.

  How she had come by such an amount was, in truth is because of a matter of luck. Back when she was still in the clinic, during one of her walks about the premises, she noticed a suspicious door that led to an equally suspicious room.

  Curiosity overcame her that led her to enter the room. To her surprise, inside sat three men dressed in physicians’ attire, gathered around a round table, pying cards with a modest stack of paper notes pced in the center. Yes, the doctors were passing their leisure time with a game of cards.

  When the three men noticed Thalia’s presence, they were not particurly armed that a young girl had stumbled upon their little gambling den. They attempted to usher her out and even offered to buy her sweets. An ordinary girl might have complied, but when Thalia calmly remarked that she understood precisely what they were doing, that was when panic set in.

  In the end, she assured them she would tell no one, but she also make a statement that the silent is have a price. The three doctors reluctantly pooled their money and handed her seven Quills.

  That incident marked her very first earnings in this new world.“Here we are, boy!” Darryl the driver shouted loudly enough for his voice to reach the back of the wagon.

  At the same time, the surroundings began to change. Thalia turned her head, trying to peer ahead through the piles of vegetables loaded on the cart.

  Through the gaps between the sacks, she caught sight of a dense crowd moving back and forth along the street. Stalls lined both sides, with vendors standing behind them.

  The wagon rolled closer and soon sank into the sea of people. The horse pulling it seemed to part the crowd like waves, as pedestrians stepped aside once they realized a wagon was pushing through.

  The deeper they went, the heavier the movement became as the crowd thickened around them. Loud cries from various merchants filled the air, adding to the unmistakable atmosphere of a busy market. Laborers carrying heavy sacks across their shoulders pushed through the same streets, blending into the restless flow of trade and work.

  Soon after, the wagon’s movement began to slow until it finally came to a halt, the wooden frame giving one st creak as it settled. It was clear that the cart had stopped at a stall selling a variety of vegetables that looked fresh and of good quality, despite the rather filthy surroundings, especially with the smell of wet earth and the many goods scattered throughout the market.

  Seeing Darryl climb down from the driver’s seat, Thalia followed without hesitation, jumping off the wagon. Her nding sent a small spsh of muddy water outward.

  Feeling that she had been helped enough, Thalia reached into her pocket and began searching for some loose change, at least a single Quill from the money she had obtained at the clinic. Darryl, already understanding her intention, immediately took hold of her arm and shook his head.

  “Uh-uh, keep that money,” Darryl said sincerely.

  “You sure?” Thalia asked to make certain.“You’ve helped me plenty, Darryl. I don’t mind losing a few pennies.”

  “Pennies?” Darryl replied with confusion. “Anyway, forget it. No need to worry about it.”

  “Well, if you insist.”

  After a few more exchanges and with Darryl refusing any payment, Thalia finally decided to thank him and take her leave, allowing him to return to his work.

  Keeping her attention on the ground so she would not step into the muddy puddles along the road, Thalia looked over the many stalls lined up around her, each dispying the goods they had to offer. Some vendors waved their hands eagerly to invite passersby to stop and take a look. A few people were tempted and slowed down, while others continued on their way.

  She knew this was not the world she had once lived in, yet upon closer observation there was nothing particurly strange about the food ingredients being sold here. That realization brought her a small sense of relief.

  Her train of thought came to a halt along with her steps when she stopped before a stall where various cuts of meat were being sold.

  Chunks of dark red meat hung from bck iron hooks, the flesh thick with fat. Beside the stall were several severed heads that reminded her somewhat of goats, yet something about them felt off. The creatures had fairly rge curved horns and narrow teeth, making them unlike any goat she had ever seen.

  Above the stall hung a painted sign that showed a rough illustration of the animal and its name.

  Brindlehorn Cuts – Fresh This Morning.

  Next to it stood more meat stalls, each selling cuts from animals that were just as unfamiliar compared to anything she remembered from her previous life.

  For example, beside one butcher’s table were several plucked birds the size of small turkeys, their skin oddly gray and their legs thick with cwed feet.

  The vendor proudly shouted, “Fresh stonefowl! Tender breast, perfect for stew!”

  "What am I watchin’ here, somekind of absurd theatrical?"

  Despite having gone through several surreal things like this for couple days, Thalia was still half-expecting someone to suddenly shout that all of this was a prank, considering content like that had been quite popur in her previous life. She also thought that maybe she had been drugged, which made her drunk and hallucinate about being in the body of a little girl. If that were the case, it would be far too excessive, so that possibility was unlikely to be what actually happened.

  Casting aside those useless thoughts, Thalia walked toward one of the stalls. Several other customers were already standing there waiting for their orders, so she had no choice but to take a pce in line before she could buy anything.

  The reason she chose this stall was because the meat came from an animal shaped somewhat like a rabbit. However, this rabbit had only two legs, while the front of its body had a pair of wings resembling those of a duck, covered in white feathers.

  Exotic lookin’ or not, I don’t give a fuck if they call it a Hopwing or whatever the fuck. That crazy shit’s still a rabbit, Thalia grumbled to herself.

  Rabbit meat had always been an absolute favorite of hers back in the other universe. Even now she had to be careful, or she might start drooling, because what filled her mind was the image of that meat sautéed with spices and chopped ingredients like garlic, celery, carrots, onion, pancetta (if that even existed in this world), and other things, all brought together with olive oil.

  Thalia still wondered whether all those ingredients were avaible in this different world, but even if they were not, she felt that would be fine. In fact, it made her feel challenged to improvise with whatever ingredients were avaible. Before all of this, she was Italian after all.

  “You always make me wonder why you never open your own restaurant. Stuff like this? It could make you rich for seven generations.”

  “I agree. If you opened your own pce, even Gordon Ramsey would pay you millions just to shut it down.”

  “Haha, exactly. Such a waste, you know?”

  “Nah, it’s nothing.”

  A brief fshback suddenly surfaced while lost in the thought of cooking. Those scenes came from the time of Lucas Divetteli, when the Old Man had asked for something special to be cooked for a certain occasion. The exact event was hard to remember, but it seemed to have been during a ceremony after a few associates had just been made or inducted.

  But who would have thought that one of those associates had actually been an informant who had been working with federal agents for a long time.

  The chaos that spread through the family after the informant began testifying was still easy to remember. One by one, many friends were indicted, along with the Old Man and Lucas as well. In the end, the trial was lost, and fifteen years were spent behind bars.

  There had been an offer to reduce the sentence in exchange for cooperation, but it was rejected outright. There's a memory of Lucas trying to punch the prosecutor who proposed the deal still lingered.

  How nostalgic…

  "Next!"

  The booming shout startled her for a moment and abruptly cut off her sense of nostalgia.

  The women who had been standing in front of her had already received their orders and moved aside after paying. Now it was Thalia’s turn.

  “Give me this, this, this, and this. Make sure the meat stays whole,” Thalia said as she pointed to several parts of the animal called Hopwing.

  But instead of serving her right away, the butcher did not move his cleaver at all. He lowered his gaze and studied Thalia closely. The look on his face clearly showed disbelief.

  Thalia understood the meaning behind that piercing stare. Letting out a small sigh, she slipped her hand into her pocket and carefully pulled out a single Quill. She made sure not to reveal all the money she carried. One could never know if a mugger might be standing nearby, quietly looking for their next victim.

  Realizing that the small customer standing before him was not some street thief, the butcher gave a nod and finally raised his cleaver. With the pull of gravity aiding the swing, the bde came down onto the sections of meat Thalia had pointed out.

  The pieces were gathered together, and the butcher carefully pced them on a sheet of brown paper torn to match the amount of meat. He folded it neatly and tied it tightly so nothing would leak out.

  The wrapped meat was then handed over to Thalia, who of course extended her money to pay for it.

  “Thank you!”

  Thalia nodded to the butcher in gratitude and walked away from the stall.

  “Well, I got the meat. Now let’s find some seasoning for this.”