114 - Learning to Trade

  The next day, Nexha had a problem in mind to solve. Now that more merfolk besides him were spending time on the surface, there was only one wheelchair available. This meant that everyone except him struggled to move around. Dragging themselves across the ground all day could damage the scales of the more fragile merfolk and cause discomfort.

  He himself didn’t have this problem, as his scales were so resistant that the ground suffered more from the scratches he left behind. Noticing the marks on the stone floor, he quickly shook his head to push away the embarrassment and looked back at the others. Some merfolk already had reddened scales on their tails. The cooking training was already complicated, but with them so limited and injured, it became even worse.

  He sighed and crossed his arms.

  — This isn’t going to work like this. Someone is going to get seriously hurt, and if an infection happens, it could be a disaster. I need to make some ointments and wheelchairs to help them.

  Nexha was about to gather materials when Lilay suddenly emerged from the water, dragging a wheelchair identical to his.

  — Look, Nexha! Nalu and Helen made this for Nina!

  — What?! They made this on their own?

  — Yeah! They said they’d give it in exchange for some fish. They saw you using one and copied it for Nina. Isn’t that amazing?

  — It is. — A strange smile appeared on Nexha’s face.

  Seeing his expression, Lilay shivered.

  — Nexha… don’t make that face! Dad said that if you make faces and a fish passes by, you’ll stay like that forever!

  — I’m not making a face!

  — Then look in the water, Nexha.

  He looked—and was startled.

  — Okay, okay! I’ll try not to do it again… But their idea was so brilliant I couldn’t help it.

  It was only then that Nexha realized something important. From the beginning, he had always been used to carrying the weight of projects alone. But now, being part of a community, he finally understood that he didn’t have to solve everything by himself.

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  The people around him had skills, needs, and—most importantly—they were willing to contribute. Gradually, what had once been his sole responsibility could become part of the collective dynamic, making everyone’s lives more efficient and balanced.

  — For progress, this is very important.

  — Progress? Is someone else going to turn into an egg like Neblina?

  — No, Lilay. I’ll explain later. Right now, I need to see Nalu and Helen.

  Leaving Lilay confused, Nexha dove into the water and quickly swam toward the old nest, which had become a temporary home for Nalu and Helen since they were waiting for their eggs to hatch. The nest had perfect conditions for that.

  Upon entering, Nexha saw the two of them talking.

  — I thought last night’s dinner was great. — Helen said, resting her chin on her hands and happily swaying her tail.

  — I liked it too. I hope Nina did as well. — Nalu agreed calmly.

  — Yeah, I hope it was useful too. After all, we need to thank her for bringing that delicious food here.

  — Mhm.

  Nexha smiled a little, already knowing what his bargaining chip would be.

  — Good morning!

  — Oh, Nexha! We didn’t see you there. How are you? — Helen greeted.

  — I’m fine. And you?

  — We’re well, and the eggs are too. — Nalu smiled.

  — Great. I have a proposal for you. The wheelchair you made for Nina turned out really well. So, I’d like to ask you to make more. In exchange, I’ll have the people learning to cook bring you delicious food. What do you think?

  The two, impressed, nodded.

  — That would be a great help! We’ve been guarding the nest for so long that we haven’t been able to eat with the others.

  — Yeah, it’s a good deal, Nexha. Staying here doing nothing is so boring.

  — Hehe, you’re welcome. I appreciate it too. Everyone’s going to love this.

  After a few more minutes of conversation, Nexha returned to the platform to continue his lessons. Within a few days, thanks to the deal with Helen and Nalu, everyone had a wheelchair. Some came with minor defects, but nothing Nexha couldn’t fix. The new artisans were still learning to perfect the design.

  Using this same idea of dividing work, Nexha gave nails to Ayla and others who enjoyed building. As payment, he offered more delicious food in exchange for reinforcing some structures with nails. He wasn’t too worried since he insisted that Ayla was in charge and that they should listen to her.

  Of course, all the food used as payment wasn’t cooked by Nexha alone. He traded ointments with the cooking students for prepared meals. The initial goal was to teach that food could be exchanged for services, and they learned quickly.

  All of those Nexha taught to cook stopped hunting or gathering to dedicate themselves entirely to cooking. In response, several hunters began hunting more, and gatherers started collecting more moray algae and mother-algae fruits, all in exchange for ready-made meals.

  krahs, observing how the trading system was developing, gave an order to the rice collectors: part of the harvest had to be stored for the entire tribe, while the rest could be traded however they wished. This measure was taken to prevent all the rice reserves from being traded away too quickly, leaving nothing in stock for emergencies.