《Inception of Cultivation》Chapter 10 - White Rock
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As he ran up the gentle sloped hill in front of him, Ezhno reach the top after a few seconds. He stopped to take in the view, and his eyes were met with the scene of tall breath taking mountains, and white rock quarries that littered the land. The town of White Rock was named after this stone that was abundant throughout the lands of this area. Even though the rock was no more special than other rocks, it was more aesthetically pleasing, so many people of the kingdom would purchase them at a slight premium because of it. There were also grain fields as far as the eye could see, and right in the middle of all this was the town of White Rock. The center of town was a mile across and had the iconic white stone walls surrounding it. Every building within the stone walls was also made with the same iconic white rock.
Mainly those with money lived within the walls. Those that entered the town would have a small fee to pay under the guise of a city maintenance fee. Ezhno had never set foot in the inner walls and found what he needed on the outskirts. Even if he wanted to venture into the inner city, it was coins he was not willing to spend. Looking at the radiant glow from the sun as it hit the walls, it was as if the whole inner city was a pure land.
Surrounding the area of the stone walls was a bustling sea of buildings, tents and homes that took up residence within the remaining surroundings.
The circumference of the entire town is roughly 2 1/2 square miles. Even though it is not considered safe, since the land was one of the major commerce hubs of the area, people still took there chances to make a better life for themselves. The outskirts were considered somewhat lawless, even though you could see the town enforcers walk by from time to time. They were mainly there to extort money under the pretense of justice and civil duties rather than to protect. Even though taxes are collected, these enforcers did not really care what happened to anyone in the outskirts as long as their pockets were lined with coins and bellies filled with food.
Everyone from the outskirts were technically not part of the town of White Rock itself. They drifted to the area in search of a means of building a better future for their families. They believed that in a time of crisis, those in charge of White Rock would not abandon them and would let them into the safety of the inner walls. Even though no major announcements have been made public, since the outskirts were a major hub of the area, they still took the chance in order to better there lives. They just believed the leaders of White Rock were not that heartless and cruel. Since catastrophe had never stuck the town, throughout the years rumors turned into the golden standard that gave people the peace of mind, so many flocked over in hopes that they too could better their lives. Since those in charge never drove anyone away and let them construct buildings and conduct business and even collected taxes on the people, it gave them even more peace of mind that they would not be abandoned.
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Ezhno walked closer to the outskirts of town. The closer he got, the sharper and nosier the sounds of a bustling city grew. Off in the distance you could hear the roars of the crowds cheering for there favorite fighters in the town's fighting pits. The boos and jeers of the crowd over shadowed the noise from the exchanges going on within the busy streets from time to time.
Ezhno was never fond of fighting, but wanted to at least visit the fighting pits once to see what all the fuss was about. He had never spent hard earned coins on entertainment, but he had overheard from the people within the village that there was no charge to enter. Since it cost nothing, maybe today could be the day he went over and took a look, he thought to himself.
Before entering the battlefield that was the sea of vendors, he took in a few deep breaths, looked around, and patted the area of his inner pocket to make sure he still had his pouch of coins. He continued on towards the sea of noise and people. Ezhno finally entered the busy streets and started to ready himself for the beginning of the frivolous battle of obtaining the goods he was needing, for the cheapest price he could obtain them at.
He had never thought himself to be handsome, but it seemed that the older street vendor ladies found him pleasing to the eyes and pleasant on the ears. They would always chat him up when he entered their line of sight. He knew this, and these were the only ones he would interact with if he saw they had something he needed. He had always received the best discounted prices from these pretentious ladies, so he did not shy away, but instead steeled himself for the constant harassment he would receive. This was all for his survival, even though it made him feel like a piece of meat, he could save a lot of his hard earned coins just suffering a few minutes of passes and sexual harassment.
He finally stopped at his first stall, which had a middle aged plump woman selling pre-made clothing. Since his mother was no longer around, and there was no one in the village that would help him make clothing from bolts of cloth, he had to spend a slight premium for pre-made articles of clothing.
The plump, middle aged woman said to Ezhno, "What a handsome young man! Come over and let this auntie take care of you and your needs. This Auntie does not bite." She gave a flirtatious, mischievous laugh and grinned the entire time as she placed her large hand on his shoulder.
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The vendors and some of the patrons in the vicinity heard this and started whistling, howling and laughing at Ezhno's plight. An older man across the way, while loudly laughing at this small scene take place, yelled out a warning, "Watch out for her young man, she is known as the "Destroyer of Chasity" and feeds on young men such as yourself, but if you are looking for some free fun and don't care how pretty and fresh the hole you stick your meat into is, then there is no better than that auntie right there. Be warned though, even if there is no coin to pay, you will still have to pay the price. There will be an insufferable itch that will be a never ending hell for weeks to come." As he delivered his warning, he furiously scratched the private area on himself. His laugh became louder and more infectious to the surrounding area.
The middle aged woman had a sour and embarrassed look on her face as she heard the surrounding area full of loud laughter. She looked at Ezhno, and saw that there was no difference on his face, only closed eyes and a bright smile.
These were the kind of vendors he loved the most, since he could get the cheapest price possible. It was as if what he heard the entire time went though one ear and out the other. He then said, "Hello auntie, I am looking for some work clothing, one pair of pants and a shirt, can you show me what you have?"
The plump middle aged woman looked around and then back at Ezhno, with a now puzzled look on her face. She thought he would have ran clear across town by now. Since he was still standing with a bright smile on his face, she acted like nothing happened and started to pull the articles of clothing he was looking for.
After 15 to 20 minutes Ezhno started to walk away from the stall, his burlap sack was now heavier than what he started with. Not only did he get a pair of work clothes, he also got a nice pair of pants and a shirt that the more well off kids of the village would be seen wearing. Even though he spent slightly more than he wanted, he still got a great deal that he could not pass up. Ecstatic at the huge score he had just made, and with a large smile on his face, he turned around waved goodbye to the plump, middle aged woman.
He turned back around, patted the spot where his coins were at, and continued on to look for the next perverted woman with items he was needing. The older man who warned him and the plump woman stood side by side as they watched the happy youth walk away. The older man said to the woman, "So, were you able to seal the deal and sink your fangs into him? I saw you gave him a huge discount."
She replied, "I told him to come back to the stall tonight and I would feed him and turn him into a man, but he politely turned me down and told me if he was not busy and had the time that he would come over."
"So you still have a shot?" the older man said.
She replied, "If that was the truth, I would be closing up early and back at my place already. Have you ever seen a horny young man turn down these large supple melons?" as she grabbed her chest and shook them up and down while laughing at the old man. She stopped and shook her head and then continued, "Since you had to meddle in others affairs and screwed with one of the only joys I have in life, you now owe me a good hole poking tonight. Swing by my place tonight and I can at least feed you dinner so you can keep me company the whole night." She punched him in the arm and turned around towards her stall, smiling and humming her favorite melody.
The old man madly muttered to himself "Sheesh, I will never get rid of this damn itching" and walked back towards his stall regretting that he had warned the youth earlier.
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