Chapter 42: Daylight Robbery?!

Judging from its interior decoration, this candy shop had quite a long history.

However, the owner sitting beside the counter was a very young maiden.

Upon seeing Chu Jiu, the girl greeted him enthusiastically: "Sir, what would you like to buy?"

"We have the finest preserved fruits here, both apple and orange flavors, all extra-infused with honey. They are exceptionally sweet and fragrant!"

Chu Jiu gazed at a still-life painting on the wall—one that was long faded, yet obviously preserved with extreme care and even fitted with a custom frame. "I would like candies just like the ones in the painting."

In the dimmed canvas was a bowl of colorful candies served in some kind of transparent vessel.

Red, yellow, blue, and green, brilliant as gemstones.

Accompanied by a bowl beneath it—crafted in the shape of a seashell, made of crystal or glass—it was not hard to imagine how dazzling this painting must have been back in the day.

The girl was stunned for a moment, then turned to look at the painting on the wall, shaking her head with a smile: "This is just a decorative painting!"

"The things in it—well, not just our shop, nobody in the entire Moonsea City, nor even across the entire continent of Karrot, would sell them."

Chu Jiu paused for a few seconds, then tentatively asked, "Then do you know what specific candies these are in the painting, or how these candies are made?"

The girl continued to shake her head: "That I wouldn't know. After all, this painting is from who knows how many years ago..."

Just at that moment, a fit of coughing echoed from the inner room, and someone dragged their feet out slowly.

The newcomer was an elderly man with white hair and a white beard.

As soon as the young maiden saw him, she hurriedly said, "Great-grandfather! Great-grandfather, why did you get up? Wouldn't it be better for you to rest in the back?"

"Where in the world is there such a thing as sweet, pale-colored ice cubes? Isn't all our current sugar just honey?"

When they emerged from the lighthouse, Chu Jiu, who had been busy for the past two days, finally had some time to take Little Canned to look at the ocean.

"Even if honey solidifies, it doesn't take the shape of ice cubes."

Thinking that this reward was somewhat different from previous ones, the system prompt popped up once again:

He merely thought of another question and asked directly, "Then how does everyone know how much tax they should pay each year?"

"When you brought the tofu to me before, I still thought that such a fine good would surely captivate all the merchants of Moonsea City."

According to the terms within the license, the Association could select a category of products and requisition them without compensation under the guise of "serving the True God."

That is, 15,000 copper coins.

Yet there was no one behind the door, only a letter accompanied by two parchment books.

Marco, standing behind Chu Jiu, naturally heard the words of Aman and the others.

Just as he was wondering, the system prompt arrived:

*

"Alright, alright, please go rest quickly."

[The host can obtain 300 pioneering points for this event.]

"The candies in the painting were made from something hard, very, very sweet, resembling small pale-yellow ice cubes, combined with various fruit colors."

Marco guessed this was because books were exceptionally expensive—after all, parchment itself was scarce, and copying them required immense effort. A thick volume of *Codes and Decrees* would cost at least 100 silver coins. Who could afford that?

[Traveling Merchant Marco's favorability toward the host has greatly increased!]

"Even if my brain had been caught in a door, I would never agree to such a condition!"

Ah, there was such a reward mechanism as well?

Upon hearing Erin's words, Marco, who had been in high spirits on the way back, instantly turned ashen, collapsing almost limply against the carriage: "Requisitioned? Requisitioned? They, they could actually... actually resort to such tactics for this honey?"

[Note: The apiary in Bean Village must fulfill the delivery using its own yields, and no substitutes of any kind may be used, including but not limited to honey gathered by the host from outside Bean Village.]

Let us see, what grand dreams could a little cat possibly harbor?

At this, Little Canned's clear eyes clouded over with a misty haze.

Such an expensive book, and Elder He was actually willing to let him just take it away?

Hearing this, it seemed that books were so scarce simply because parchment was too expensive.

"That was my great-grandfather. He is too old now and occasionally speaks nonsense."

"Please don't take the old man's words to heart."

With that, his eyelids grew heavier and heavier. Just as the carriage began to move, he fell fast asleep alongside the kitten in his pocket.

[The host can extract 300 pioneering points from this!]

"Besides, what does this have to do with age? Even at seventy or eighty, one can still have dreams."

A sudden wave of premonition washed over Chu Jiu.

It seemed that in this world, people had once discovered "cane sugar" and used it to make various kinds of candies.

Stepping out of the candy shop, Chu Jiu whispered to Little Canned:

However, this time the "favorability greatly increased" came without corresponding pioneering points?

He had figured out what the "gemstones" truly were, and successfully promoted the "honey" as well.

[Each related event has a corresponding reward. The host may claim the reward immediately after triggering a related event, or accumulate them to claim all together once all related events are triggered.]

Therefore, nowadays only organizations like the royal family, the church, and the newly rising Association would spend a fortune to produce parchment books and place them in bookstores.

Little Canned pressed against his cheek and said, "'Really want to see the ocean'—is this your 'dream'? Just like Marco wanting to become a famous traveling merchant?"

...A robed man? Requisition?

Hearing Marco's question, expressions of sorrow and abhorrence crossed her face, and suppressing her anger, she began to explain in meticulous detail.

*

The old man looked up at the painting and muttered:

The young shop assistant sobbed and said, "Master... Master Marco... actually gambled his entire livelihood on this!"

After a short while, the young maiden hurried out and apologized:

Then, what were the people from the Association doing running into this inn?

"It seems I have never had any grand ambitions."

"On behalf of the villagers of Bean Village, I thank you."

[Note: If the apiary in Bean Village fails to deliver on schedule, for any reason whatsoever, "The Traveling Merchant's Little Dream" will be declared shattered, and Marco's career as a traveling merchant will come to an early end.]

And he was doing it with his beloved little kitten, no less!

He hurried back to his room in two or three strides and sure enough saw Marco sitting in a chair with a furious expression, Regis standing by the window looking gloomy, and Marco's young assistant cowering in the corner, looking terrified enough to cry.

Little Canned first let out a puzzled "meow," then nervously meowed a second and third time—"Earn an entrance fee? How do you plan to earn it?"

However, upon truly searching, Chu Jiu discovered that books of this category were entirely nonexistent in the city's bookstores. For a city as renowned for its diverse commodities as Moonsea City, there were only two bookstores in the entire place, and the books sold within them consisted solely of religious canons, royal legends, and Association miracles.

Chu Jiu shook his head: "What is so funny about that?"

"As for me, I suppose I have never completely given up on this... this 'dream' of wanting to become a renowned traveling merchant."

At this moment, Erin, who had followed the two children, also arrived at the entrance of the village.

"When I don't need to work, being able to take my little cat to look at the clouds and the flowers is already wonderful enough."

When Marco excitedly said he would wait for Regis to return so they could go out for a nice meal to celebrate, the young assistant finally could not hold it back and burst into tears with a loud wail.

It turned out that this bunch from the Association had actually compelled the Association President to sign a "Special Requisition Permit" overnight.

"I... I always cannot help but imagine such a scene."

Chu Jiu had not expected Little Canned to ask such a question.

"With sugarcane, we can make hard cane sugar and then turn them into all sorts of colorful gemstones!"

"When I first came to Moonsea City in my early years, I also worked hard, wanting to become one of those renowned merchants who could do business with those great tycoons."

Regis said, "The Association may not openly rob people, but they certainly resort to endless petty tricks."

Having slept for the better part of the day, Chu Jiu felt much more clear-headed.

At the thought of this, the corners of Chu Jiu's eyes curved upward involuntarily, and he stroked Little Canned's furry head once more.

Following that, Marco pulled Chu Jiu to a quieter spot and whispered the amount of Bahat's order to him: an order for 100 portions of honey, amounting to a full 150 silver coins.

A matter of such great importance concerning reputation and credibility could not simply be resolved by a casual "no prepayment" or "payment upon delivery."

...Could it be...?

Saying this, Marco laughed out of sheer exasperation:

For some reason, Little Canned's bewildered look made Chu Jiu feel somewhat uneasy.

Aman could not distinguish between one association and another, but Mary, who had lived long-term in Emerald Town, nodded continuously: "Yes! Yes! Yes, those Association people are the ones Mommy and Daddy hate the most!"

Indeed. Unlike ancient China—which possessed honey, maltose, and later on, sugarcane—ancient Europe on Blue Star, due to the absolute absence of the "sugarcane" plant, relied for a very long period solely on "honey" as its singular natural sweetener.

Chu Jiu's heart skipped a beat right then and there.

"My... my shop, my carriage..."

"I'll help you inside."

Little Canned's kitty paws patted Chu Jiu's shoulder firmly: "Extraordinary."

Chu Jiu pondered for a moment, retrieved two jars of honey from his backpack, placed them on the staircase near the entrance, and left a note saying that this was a local specialty of theirs, hoping the old gentleman would enjoy it.

Taken aback, Chu Jiu hurriedly asked what had happened.

Little Canned: "I want to ask what it is the roaring-roaring rabbits want to do..."

It stared blankly for several seconds before whispering softly, "I... I remember I wanted to kill bugs... The rest... I don't remember."

"That pale-yellow ice-cube-like thing... is gone. Used up, gone..."

Of course, as a commendation for Marco, they were willing to introduce him into the guild.

When speaking the word "dream," Marco's voice grew exceptionally soft, as though uttering something shameful to speak aloud.

[The "Traveling Merchant's Little Dream" triggered by the host this time is one of a series of related events.]

"Plus... I genuinely enjoy doing business with small villages, and seeing everyone happily trading back rice, flour, oil, and salt makes me happy, too."

"As time went on, I simply told myself that I came to Moonsea City merely to watch the bustle."

In this manner, Marco introduced an old scholar to Chu Jiu.

Gazing into the distance at the ocean, Chu Jiu said softly, "I used to want to see the ocean very much... I never expected to actually see it here."

Looking at Little Canned's earnest expression, Chu Jiu asked jokingly, "What about you? Is there anything you want to do?"

Their purpose was equally simple—to force Marco to breach his contract and sell the honey to them.