Claimed by the deranged Archduke of the North

The Bazar of Eldoria Lunareth.

Xion, being the activist he was, threw the little episode of being an idiot at the back of his mind. He sneaked into one of the big baskets in a wooden wagon that was supposed to go out from the estate to pick up the fresh vegetables.

Luckily, the guards at the main gates merely glanced at the wagon before letting the driver leave. Xion was getting jolted from left to right at a rapid pace. For a moment, he felt that he very much resembled the fruits thrown into the juicer.

It took almost an hour for the wagon to stop and another ten minutes for Xion's head to stop spinning like a spinning top.

I miss modern cars, Xion thought miserably, while puking his stomach juices at the side of the road. He fished out a worn leather flask from his sack-bag and rinsed his mouth.

The bad was an improvised bundle he had managed to cobble together from old fabric scraps in the estate's storeroom.

It had no formal structure. Just a simple length of coarse, dark jute cloth tied at the top with a bit of frayed rope, slung over his shoulder like a purse. Though it was far from elegant, the material was tough enough to withstand a bit of jostling.

Inside, he had packed only the bare essentials: the flask, a roll of cloth bandages, a dull knife, a pouch containing a handful of copper coins, and a single mana crystal he had managed to slip past Soren.

Each item was buried in the sack's depths, cushioned by a few cloth scraps to muffle the noise as he moved.

Taking a few breaths, he glanced around. He found himself glancing at the almost empty path surrounded by lush trees.

He was actually standing at the small valley. He glanced upward where the Marquis mansion was situated and then downward where he could see people moving a bustling market moving like ants.

The driver must have stopped the wagon to avoid the struggle of pulling a fully loaded, heavy cart back up the steep in front of him.

All of this somehow worked up in his favor. Now, no one knew that the Xion Vaelis was not at the estate but running around the rowdy bazar.

Xion made his way toward the crowd while his figure remained hidden behind the ugly-looking grey cloak. The air felt thick with the mingling scents of dried herbs, smoked meat, and damp wood from the vendor stalls.

He was actually a bit thrilled to see such a novelty. Where had he ever seen people walking around dressed in ancient-looking clothes and speaking in such a different accent?

"Buy two and get a twenty percent discount! The offer will end in two hours!!!" shouted a vendor, waving brightly colored trinkets in the air.

"This fish looks fresh! How much is it?" a woman asked, examining a bundle of catch from a nearby stall.

Various such voices overlapped in Xions' ears. The more he walked, the more his eyes hidden beneath the cloak shone with excitement. There were so many things he had never seen in his entire life!

At one stall, coarse grains of salt were being sold for twenty silver coins! He had never thought much of salt before, but now he wondered just how valuable it could be in a place like this.

What if I sold salt from the system mall? He mused, picturing a fortune in his hands.

Passing another stall, he caught sight of a small crowd gathered around shimmering blue, red, pink and various such stones on display -mana crystals.

These precious gems were extracted from dungeons, making them expensive and highly coveted. From what he had learned so far, mana crystals served an important purpose.

Even for ordinary humans, who had no mana of their own, these crystals provided them with a concentrated form of mana essential for daily life in this world called Eldoria Lunareth.

Mana, the word rolled on his tongue as he walked forward. If Xion had to simplify the things then Mana was sort of like blood that ran in the veins of every human.

Even the people who are considered to have no mana were the ones who were unable to use it, yet they still had it running in their veins.

The first time he had realized about the fantastical thing like mana which could even heal a broken limb as a brand new, it felt utterly magical to him.

Then he sulked for like two hours, thinking that his knowledge was useless in this world. However, soon he knew that only the rich had the money to hire the healers from the church and the normal people were treated in a classic old way.

The average people who were unable to utilize their mana would use some herbs or mana crystals for medicinal purposes along with other daily necessities like keeping the house warm during winter and igniting the fire for cooking.

After observing enough, Xion made his way to the secluded place from where he could observe a large part of the area and set up his clinic.

Yup, you guessed right. He was here to provide the needy with medical help and earn some merit points. His legs were already hurting like hell!

He had used the earlier mall points to buy a map and some medicines like cold and fever pills along with a huge board that spelled, "Cheap Clinic for the Sick."

Now, please forgive Xion for his poor naming skills.

The silly lad had spent a major part of his life learning medicine names and watching animes. So, this was really the best he could come up with.

Xion placed a stool on the blanket he had placed on the ground and then he placed a few boxes around him.

While he was patiently waiting for his first-ever patient, someone had been observing him since he had set foot in the bazar.

Bazar at the foot of the mountain where most of the people live...

Marquis Roberto Vaelis' Estate...

Author's note- This chapter is dedicated to the sweet angels who have left votes and motivated me to update! Thanks a bunch, sweetness~ I hope you enjoy reading this chapter. And....our male lead may or may not be entering the scene!!!