Every market assigns a unique price to each good, anchored in the selling price set at the market center. This price is dictated by the balance of supply and demand: scarce goods under high demand can climb to as much as 500% of their base cost, while oversupplied goods with little demand may fall to –90% of their base cost.

Over time, prices adjust toward a target price — the predicted value based on shifts in supply and demand within that market. Because no two markets are identical, the same goods can carry vastly different values across regions.

A huge difference between the price of Fish and the price of Chili in Constantinople in 1781

Market owners are not limited to their immediate sphere of influence — they can project their market outward, competing directly with rivals in what amounts to trade wars. At the heart of these struggles are two opposing forces:

Market Attraction, which measures how strongly a market center can pull nearby locations into its orbit.

Market Protection, which shields Locations from being absorbed into competing markets.

When two markets collide, Attraction and Protection are set against each other in a tug-of-war. The outcome decides which market ultimately claims control over contested Locations, redrawing the boundaries of economic influence.

If neglected, a market can quickly be overshadowed or absorbed by a competing market, diminishing its size and reach.

The Vijayanagar market is dominating its neighboring markets of Kozhikode and Pazhaverkadu - 1493