I Was The Only Omega In The Beast World-Chapter 58: CP : Stroll In The boundary Trading Post

Next morning, they reached the boundary trading post by midday.

It sat in a natural clearing where three territories met—wolf lands to the south, bear mountains to the north, and neutral wilderness to the east.

A collection of sturdy wooden structures surrounded a central marketplace: storage sheds, a communal eating hall, sleeping quarters for travelers, and dozens of merchant stalls displaying everything from dried meat to intricate bone jewelry.

The place buzzed with activity.

Bears in both forms—massive and powerful even in humanoid shape—bartered with fox merchants over winter pelts.

A family of deer-kin examined preserved fruits. A lone eagle perched on a roof beam, watching everything with sharp golden eyes.

And everywhere, the smell of food—roasting meat, fresh bread, something sweet and sticky that made Alex’s mouth water despite having just eaten.

[TRADING POST DETECTED!

Neutral Territory: Safe zone for all species

Available: Food, supplies, information, gossip

Recommendation: Stock up on HONEY and SUGAR before approaching bear territory!]

[Also—this place smells AMAZING. Can you smell that? What IS that sweet smell?]

"Sweet syrup-drowned fruits," Leo said, nose twitching.

"Females love these, especially during pregnancy. So, male beastmen often buy them for their female or to court a female."

[HOST. HOST. YOU NEED THOSE. THE BABIES PROBABLY NEED THOSE. THIS IS MEDICAL NECESSITY.]

Alex was already walking toward the smell before he consciously decided to move.

The stall was run by a cheerful badger-kin middle aged man with salt-and-pepper fur and clever hands that moved lightning-fast as he arranged his wares. Wooden bowls overflowed with preserved fruits swimming in thick, amber syrup—peaches, berries, apple slices, even some exotic things Alex didn’t recognize.

"Fresh batch this morning!" he called out when he spotted them approaching. "Sweet enough to make your teeth hurt, perfect for expecting bearers or—"

He stopped mid-pitch, eyes landing on Alex’s very obvious belly. "Oh! A really pretty female. Do you want to try my sweet syrup mixed with fruits? "

Alex’s mouth twitched when he was addressed as a female. He was wearing a loose and breathable tunic with loose trousers making him look like a plumpy, round female. And his obvious... feminine facial features.

Even though he was dressed modestly, maybe boring in human clothing comparison but in beastmen’s eyes he could be considered a high end female with luxurious life with strong mates.

But whatever. He’s too lazy to explain.

"How much?" Alex asked.

"Two bag of rice seeds."

"One big bag for large, half for small. Pregnancy discount. My sister’s carrying twins too, I know the cravings."

Alex: (⊙_⊙)¿?

" Two bags of rice seed? "

[ Silly Host. Unlike in your world, this world has no currency. Beastmen here exchange foods and products with equal value. ]

[ And rice seeds here are quite expensive because they consist of a lot of labor meaning this honey a.k.a sweet syrup you’re about to take must’ve cost a lot too. ]

[But don’t worry! You can just buy rice seeds from the System Shop!

Premium Rice Seeds (1 bag): 10 SP

They’re enhanced seeds that grow 30% faster and yield more grain

The locals will LOVE them]

"I’ll take a large," Alex said, then turned to the system. "Buy two bags of rice seeds."

[Purchase confirmed! -20 SP

Current SP: 853

Rice seeds x2 acquired!]

Alex reached into his travel pouch—the rice seeds materialized in convenient cloth sacks with his touch, system magic working its usual quiet miracles. He handed them to the badger merchant, who inspected them with an expert eye.

"Ooh, these are quality seeds," the merchant said appreciatively, hefting the bags. "Where’d you source these? The grains are plump, no rot, perfectly dried..."

"Family trade secret," Alex said smoothly.

[GOOD ANSWER! Mysterious! I like it!]

The merchant grinned and handed over a large wooden bowl sealed with a cork stopper and wax. "Enjoy! And congratulations on the babies. May they be strong and healthy."

"Thank you," Alex said, already working the seal loose.

The moment the cork popped free, the scent hit him like a physical thing—sweet and rich and perfect. He dipped a finger in, brought it to his lips—

[Oh. OH. That’s... that’s basically concentrated joy. The babies are doing BACKFLIPS in there!]

The snakelings were moving enthusiastically, pressing against his ribs in what felt like approval.

Alex ate three syrup-soaked peach slices right there in the middle of the marketplace, not even caring that he probably looked ridiculous.

"Good?" Leo asked, amused.

"Amazing," Alex mumbled around a mouthful of fruit. "The babies love it." 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

"The babies or you?" Naga asked knowingly.

"...Both."

[Acceptable. Now—HONEY AND SUGAR. For the bears. Focus, Host!]

They wandered through the market—Alex clutching his bowl of preserved fruit like treasure—while Leo and Naga kept watch for useful supplies.

"Sweet syrup here!" called a bee-kin woman from a stall overflowing with golden jars.

"Pure mountain sugar syrup, wildflower sugar syrup, even rare crystal sugar syrup from the high peaks!"

[THAT ONE. The crystal honey. Bears go FERAL for that stuff. It’s like... bear-crack. Extremely valuable.]

"How much for the crystal sugar syrup?" Alex asked.

The bee-kin’s antennae twitched. "That’s premium stock, sweetling. Three bags of grain or equivalent trade."

[Expensive but WORTH IT. Buy three bags of grain from me—they’re only 15 SP each!]

"I can do grain," Alex said. Another quiet transaction—45 SP converted to three bags of high-quality grain, exchanged for two jars of crystal honey that gleamed like liquid sunlight.

[Current SP: 223

Still above 200! Still enough for some necessities! We’re doing GREAT!]

They also picked up:

Dried meat (traded for system-generated salt, 10 SP)

SP: 213

Fresh salt (traded for a small knife Leo had been carrying, no SP cost)

A waterskin made from treated bear hide, heavily discounted because the seller was impressed by Alex’s pregnancy ("Growing the next generation deserves respect!")

By the time they finished, they had two jars of crystal honey, a bowl of preserved fruit Alex was NOT sharing, and enough supplies to last them through bear territory.

"Information next," Naga said. "We need to know the current situation with the bears."