Karl led the group to where Lotus was set up, just in case Remi and her bodyguards weren’t enough to quell the inevitable chaos around the healing tree.
But on the way there, they encountered an odd sight. The boardwalk along the river had the food carts pushed against the buildings, and the street was filled with merchants frantically purchasing everything that they could.
Karl’s first thought was that this was a full city looting event, but the people lined up were mostly dusty civilians, and there were guards every few steps.
"What sort of event is this?" Karl asked one of the senior guards.
"It’s ... A yard sale?"
The guard looked confused, as if there was no word for what was a tradition in the city.
"Whenever there is large damage to the city, the merchants buy up anything of value so that it can’t be stolen in the aftermath, and the locals have some funds to live on. Then they head out and sell it for profit, and donate to the city’s rebuilding fund.
The more that they make, the better the rebuilding process is. Most of this stuff wouldn’t survive weeks out in the weather, and even if it would, the owners have no way to keep it safe until they have a new house.
An inventory only holds so much.
So, they start over with a bit of cash to their names, and nothing else." The guard finished, doing his best to explain the situation to outsiders.
Karl would have thought the logical thing would be to load it into crates in a warehouse, but these were keepsakes and valuables, and money would be needed to buy new furniture and whatever else was needed for the new houses.
Karl nodded and headed for the east side of the river.
"If you’ve got anything to sell, the price might not be the best, but the profits come back to the city." The guard called as Karl began to walk away.
When the Undead bodies vanished, so did their weapons and other items, so there wasn’t much to be gained from the battle. But Remi had found some things she didn’t particularly want.
Karl looked down the line to a man who was buying up weapons, and stepped in line.
The housewife in front of Karl pushed him forward, as did the locals in front of her.
"You’ve got better stuff to sell than we do, I’m certain. Plus, you were with the Healing Tree during the first time she visited us. How long will she be there today? Some of my boys were still fighting when I left." The first old woman in line asked.
Karl smiled at her, then placed the stack of ugly and oddly shaped cursed magical weapons on the table where the merchant’s men were sorting items.
"Those are..." The merchant began.
"Stolen magical weapons. Royal Rank, with a few negative attributes." Karl explained.
"Well, I don’t know how you did it, but that is impressive. They’re all unbound, so they’re fair game. I can give you a flat twenty gold a piece for them. All profit when I sell them goes straight to the city coffers."
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