The old man reached the upstairs landing, walked along the corridor and found himself in a large room with windows on three sides. After his wife died, this room served as his bedroom, study and living room.
“Yet how strange are these Former people”, thought Bruno. “Cozy said he was from the Northwest Territory. It is somewhere downstream on the Elde, a week or two on foot. And they use such strange names! Could they be Slavic, or something?”
Nowadays people flocked to Parchim from all over the Eastern Reach. Why merchants come was understandable and Bruno did not mind them. The rest of them come to escape hunger, misfortunes, and perhaps even their fate. They were looking for happiness in the New City, among the New People. Would they find it here?
Herr Stolz went up to the window overlooking the courtyard, bent down and stared openly wondering what his lodger was up to. Merchant Uno Kutasov was also one of the Former people, but a very respectable and courteous gentleman as such. It was a pleasure to talk with such a person. He always listened, sympathized, gave advice. He was a bit tight fisted though. He rented the entire rear extension, but managed to negotiate a ridiculously low payment. He won't get off that cheap next time!
The dark-bearded merchant, dressed, for some reason, in two jackets, one on top of the other, observed as his people loaded a wagon. The canvas-roofed buggy was harnessed by two roan horses. Bruno Stolz could not make out what exactly the workers were loading. All of the goods were covered and wrapped in the same canvas as the roof. But it was not difficult to surmise what could be there… ordinary things from the past. Everything that had been of little value before, but now, in this big world, was worth good money. Glass, plastic, fabrics, the brighter the better, mirrors. Yes, lots of different things. These days, one could even sell a piece glass, even a shard. Here people did not know how to bargain and paid in gold and silver. And how makeup was valued! Even the cheap stuff! Who would have thought!? It was not for nothing that in the very first days the city council took possession of large cosmetics stores along with pharmacies. These were whole chains of stores. Their owners were missing, and nobody knew where they were.