"Isaac, should we go over and talk to Lucas now?" Gini asked, placing two boxes of dried fish from the shelf into his bamboo basket. These would make excellent gifts for his children back home.
"Isn't the banquet still seven or eight days away? No rush," Isaac replied calmly.
"Are you playing dumb, or are you actually stupid?" Gini stared at him blankly. "Don't you realize that the sooner we make contact with Lucas, the greater our future interests will be?"
"Then by all means, go over there now," Isaac said indifferently, pointing a finger toward the counter.
"Uh..." Gini looked over and his jaw dropped. Lucas was already surrounded by a sea of people. He rolled his eyes. "It seems quite a few people share my line of thinking."
"You'd better hurry up and buy what you want before it's all gone," Isaac chuckled. He was beginning to enjoy the thrill of shopping; the prices were clearly marked, you took what you wanted, and there was no haggling involved.
"Oh? They actually have novels for sale here. This is my daughter's favorite series—I'll take a copy back as a gift for her," Gini said with a smile. He was a notorious doting father and spent most of his time picking out items for his children.
"They have tea here! And high-grade tea at that—can't miss out on this," Isaac laughed heartily, placing a box of tea priced at three gold coins into his basket. He noted the sign: Limit one box per person. For bulk purchases, please visit the Tea House. He decided he'd head to the Tea House right after this.
"Isaac, you've taken a liking to Sedona City's tea too?" Gini asked, surprised.
"What of it? The new tea Lucas invented is highly sought after by the nobility," Isaac said, casting a lingering glance at the remaining tea on the shelf. "It's just a shame the production is so low. Last time I bought some from another noble at a premium, I had to ration every cup."
The new tea produced in Sedona City had exploded in popularity, spreading from the city throughout the entire Western Lands. Nobles everywhere were clamoring for it. Isaac had found that after drinking it, his body felt much lighter, and he no longer suffered from chest tightness after eating heavy meats.
"The sign says 'Tea House,' doesn't it? We'll go there later and buy plenty to take back," Gini suggested.
"That is exactly my plan," Isaac chuckled.
"Wait, is this tea too? Milk tea?" Gini tilted his head, spotting yet another novelty.
"A new product?" Isaac read the description on the wooden plaque: "A new Sedona City research product. One silver coin per packet. Mix with water to drink; an excellent supplement for nutrition."
"One silver coin per packet? So expensive?" Gini gasped.
"Excuse me, could we get through?"
A voice from the side made Gini and Isaac turn. A round, plump man was looking at the shelf beside them.
"Please," They both stepped aside to give him room.
"Thank you," Bryan said politely. His eyes lit up as he saw the milk tea on the shelf. He quickly grabbed two boxes and sighed. "Milk tea is finally on the market, though there's so little of it."
A box contained ten packets, and the limit was two boxes.
"Bryan, you're too fast!" Joe grabbed two boxes as well.
"If I'm slow, it'll be gone. I heard large-scale distribution won't happen until next month, and I don't want to wait that long," Bryan said helplessly.
"Fair point," Joe replied, moving forward with his basket.
"Joe, look! There are biscuits here too—another new product!" Bryan shouted happily.
As a dedicated foodie, the Gold Coin Supermarket was a treasure trove where he could find endless things to eat.
"Biscuits? Aren't those military rations?" Joe asked in surprise. He had lived in Sedona City for long enough and knew a bit about the local setup—for instance, that the knights were called soldiers and there were no knight orders, only the Army.
Snippets of military intelligence often leaked out, like these biscuits. Rumor had it they were incredibly crisp and slightly sweet, used to keep the soldiers full.
"Maybe it's a refined version," Bryan said, putting a box into his basket. "Items for the army aren't likely to be exactly the same as what's sold to the public."
Soldiers had leave once a month, and they were allowed to bring certain non-essential items home. This led to a public consensus that everything the army used was of top-tier quality. Bryan had even heard of people trying to buy military gear on the black market at high prices, though the buyer was promptly hauled off to the Security Bureau and hadn't been seen since.
"A refined version is even better," Joe said, taking a box. If it was a Sedona City product, it was bound to be good.
"..."
"It seems our intelligence is severely outdated," Gini said, holding two boxes of milk tea with a dark expression. "There is so much we don't know."
"There are too many advanced things here. I'd give anything to know even a fraction of their manufacturing processes," Isaac mused.
"Do you think we should try to negotiate a partnership with Lucas for the manufacturing rights?" Gini eyed the biscuit shelf.
"Do you think that's possible?" Isaac rolled his eyes and said. "What do you have that he would want? The only thing you own of any value is your land."
"You... you're in the same boat!" Gini snapped.
"My territory is larger, and my population is greater," Isaac said, lifting his chin.
"I..." Gini was so incensed that if he hadn't been wearing his hat to cover his bald spot, he would have thrown it at the old man.
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