Another day dawned.
“Sigh...”
Stepping out the door, Billy stomped his feet, the oncoming cold making him shiver involuntarily. He breathed on his hands and then headed outside.
As a servant of nobility, Billy had grown accustomed to the monotonous work and life he led each day. To others, working for the nobility meant a higher status, dressing in bright and fancy clothes, speaking with an air of arrogance. But Billy knew that this job was far from as leisurely as it looked.
As the kitchen manager, Billy felt tremendous pressure of late. No, it was every winter that he felt this mountain of stress. Recently, his master had been complaining about how the meals were always the same, lacking in novelty. But there was nothing Billy could do; the range of vegetables available during the winter was limited, and it was impossible for him to conjure up a flower out of thin air.
The only thing Billy could do was to go to the morning market early every day, to see if any of the hunters from the mountains had managed to capture any rare delicacies or catch some big fish. If that were the case, he might be able to change up the menu in the kitchen. Otherwise, sooner or later his master was bound to grumble that he was growing tired of eating the same things and that if Billy wasn’t up to the task, he would find a new kitchen manager. Although his master said this every year, who knew if this year he might be serious?
“Sigh...”
With these thoughts in mind, Billy sighed again and quickened his pace toward the morning market. Dawn was just breaking and the city gates had just opened. If he wanted to snag some good buys, he needed to be early... After all, there was more than one house of nobility in the City of Korhal, and likewise, more than one kitchen manager threatened with dismissal by their masters.
Billy clearly remembered, just a few days ago, how a hunter had barely managed to bring a wild boar to market when it was promptly snapped up. Fortunately, thanks to his quick thinking, he had managed to grab one of its hind legs. But there were some fools who got nothing. Like the unfortunate neighbor, who, after his master had been invited over for lunch by Billy’s master, was beaten, his legs broken, and then thrown out.
All because the poor fool hadn’t managed to secure a piece of wild boar meat.
Thinking of that scene made Billy shudder, and once again, he quickened his pace—the market was now in sight.
At this moment, the sun had not fully risen above the horizon, and the market was still enveloped in the city wall’s shadow, with only a few faint lights burning. By now, the merchants entering the city had started to set up their stalls. City of Korhal’s regulations allowed external merchants to enter the city an hour early to prepare their businesses. By the time residents like Billy woke up, the morning market would already be open for business.
Only...
“It doesn’t seem like there’s anything good...”
Looking at the fresh vegetables on either side, Billy momentarily lost interest. It looked as if there wasn’t a lucky break today, so after a quick scan, he turned to leave.
But just then, Billy’s keen nose caught a whiff of an unusual aroma.
It was a scent Billy found very familiar, but he couldn’t immediately recall where he had smelled it before. Nevertheless, Billy immediately turned around and looked in the direction from which the scent was emanating. He was very confident in his nose; what had kept him from being sacked as a kitchen manager all these years was his nose.
So, Billy was certain that what he had just smelled was not perfume, nor any other sort of aroma, but the scent of food, the fragrance of fruit!
But where exactly was it!?
At that moment, Billy scanned the surroundings like a guard searching for a suspect, his eyes wide with focus. If he were wearing armor, he would appear even more dutiful than the guards.
Soon, Billy spotted an unusual stall
It was located at the very end of the morning market and, from this spot, it looked like the stall had only recently joined. An old man stood behind the stall, his eyes half-closed. What set this stall apart from others was the absence of food ingredients or meat products for sale. Instead, on the cart were only boxes made of paper, seemingly larger than those used for cakes but completely hiding the contents within.
Could it be that the pastry chefs had concocted some new novelty?
With that thought in mind, Billy approached the stall, took one look at the old man before him, and soon noticed a sign hanging next to the cart that read, “One per person, one gold coin per box.”
This is crazy, one gold coin?
Are you kidding me?
Looking at the paper box, the size of a cake box in front of him, Billy felt as if a herd of llamas had stampeded through his heart. What on earth was inside? Worth a gold coin?
“Old man, what’s inside this?”
Unable to suppress his curiosity, Billy asked. The old man then opened his eyes, glanced at him, and replied.
“You’ll know once you buy it.”
You’ll know once you buy it...
Hearing this response, Billy nearly choked. Was this really how business was done? No wonder the stall had no customers. Its location was already so out of the way, and this sales attitude seemed completely disinterested!
But...
Should he buy it?
Looking at the paper box before him, Billy felt genuinely hesitant. As a kitchen manager, he could afford a gold coin. And he was also sure that if he hadn’t misheard earlier, the scent must be coming from this stall. After all, he had looked around, and there was nothing else for sale nearby. But what if... No, let’s take a gamble!
Remembering the unlucky fellow with broken legs, Billy grit his teeth, took out a gold coin, and handed it over.
“Give me a box.”
“No problem, pick one and take it.”
The old man reached out for the gold coin, then gestured to the boxes with a nod of his head. Seeing his attitude, Billy sighed helplessly, randomly picked a box, and then looked back at the stall owner.
“So, can I open it now?”
“Of course, once you’ve bought it, it’s yours.”
“Good, I want to see what exactly is inside that’s made you so secretive.”
Glaring fiercely at the old man, Billy went straight to opening the box, and immediately after, he was dumbstruck.
The first thing that hit him was a fragrant scent of fruit. Mixed with the cold air, it even gave Billy a refreshing feeling. But quickly, his focus was drawn to the five bright red fruits inside the paper box. Their smooth, reddened appearance, still adorned with a few dewdrops, looked like they had just been picked, and most importantly, these were... Tachibana Fruits!!
Billy’s eyes widened, and for a moment, he almost cried out in surprise. But quickly, reason urged Billy to shut his mouth tight. He couldn’t believe his eyes and even reached out a hand to touch the fruits inside the box—Yes, these were Tachibana Fruits. But why were there Tachibana Fruits here? And why such fresh ones? Wasn’t it winter now?
Previously, Billy thought that one Gold Coin per box was too expensive, but now, he felt it was too cheap! He knew his master loved Tachibana Fruits more than anything! Not to mention how fresh these fruits were, they obviously had been picked recently. If possible, he would buy them even if they were a hundred Gold Coins per box, not just one!
“I’ll take them all!!”
Forcing down the excitement and tension, Billy said in a lowered voice, unaware of where these Tachibana Fruits had come from, but to see such fresh fruits in the dead of winter... such things could only happen in dreams!
“I’m sorry, but it’s clearly marked here, limited to one box per person.”
However, the old man was unmoved, just giving him a bland look before responding. Upon hearing the old man’s words, Billy could no longer keep his composure.
One box per person? How would that be enough?
“Do you know who I am? I am...”
“My god, Tachibana Fruits!!”
But before Billy could finish his sentence, a scream rang out beside his ear. Hearing this, a sudden dread filled him, and as he turned around, he saw a man standing beside him, staring dumbfounded at the Tachibana Fruits in the box in his hands.
Damn it, he had been so focused on talking to the old man that he’d forgotten to conceal the Tachibana Fruits in his hands!
Realizing this, Billy quickly tried to cover up the box, but the man suddenly stepped forward and barged in, glancing at the sign next to them before waving his hand grandly.
“I’ll take all of these, have them sent to the Tax Officer Master’s residence immediately!”
“Wait, I was here first!”
Before Billy could burst into anger upon hearing the other person daring to snatch his deal, he rushed forward, insistent that he was first, whether in asking or buying...
“I want these sent to the Law Enforcer’s Office! Double the price!!”
Meanwhile, others had crowded around, many of whom had seen the Tachibana Fruits in Billy’s hands, and were incredibly surprised. The moment they heard these two people were planning to buy the entire stock, they couldn’t contain themselves!
“I’ll pay triple! Send these to the City Lord’s Manor!”
“I’ll pay five times the price, the Babarov Trading Company is willing to buy them all!!”
For a moment, the scene descended into chaos, while the old man stood there calmly until everyone else fell silent. Then he coughed.
“The rule is there, one box per person, first come, first served.”
“Wait, you old man, do you know who we are?”
Upon hearing the old man’s words, the customers became irate. They were the subordinates of various members of the nobility and officials. You, an old geezer, dare to show us such attitude?
“I don’t know who you are, but what I must clarify is, these are the property of the Alchemists’ Association.”
“What?!”
Upon hearing this, those who were about to forcibly take away the stall hastily backed away. Only then did they notice the mark of the Alchemists’ Association on the stall!
If this were just a regular person, they might have been bold enough to take action, but the Alchemists’ Association was different. Their influence on the whole world was immense, even greater than that of Mages. After all, Mages needed innate talent, while the Alchemists’ Association influenced every aspect of peoples’ lives—you couldn’t just expect those without magical talent to cast a Frost spell to cool themselves off during summer.
These were just lackeys after all. Should they provoke the Alchemists’ Association, they would be the ones to suffer. Nevertheless, they weren’t going to let this opportunity slip by. They exchanged glances, then once again charged forward without hesitation.
“I want a box!”
“Me too!!”
“This one’s mine, no one else is allowed to take it!”
Amidst the commotion, Billy, clutching his purchased Tachibana Fruits, promptly turned and left swiftly. Now all he could think about was getting back and sending more of his attendants to buy. After all, the old man had declared a limit of one box per person, not one per household, right? He was confident that once his master saw these fresh fruits, he would be highly pleased with him!
More and more people flocked to the news, and soon, the entire market was packed to the point of bursting. Before long, the cart of Tachibana Fruits was sold out. Those who came later could only gaze longingly at the empty cart and sigh, powerless to change their situations.
Meanwhile, those who had been as fortunate as Billy had already returned to their masters with their Tachibana Fruits.
And when those fresh and sweet Tachibana Fruits appeared before the officials and nobility, the entire City of Korhal was shaken!

Comments

Loading...