When Jon reappeared on the deck, everyone was dumbfounded.
Although there were changes in his face, they weren't significant.
But…
The height difference was just ridiculously off the charts!
Linby's wine bottle slipped from his hand and fell to the ground, but he didn't even look at it, his eyes wide with astonishment as he stared at Jon.
A few days ago, when he saw Jon, he could look at him straight, both of them around 1.8 meters tall.
How come now… what did this kid do to grow so fast?
"Uncle Linby, thank you for your care these past few days. See, I've grown quite a bit taller."
The young man in front of him proactively changed the subject, then shifted his tone, "By the way, are we almost at Dawn Island?"
"..."
Linby twitched his mouth. Although it was normal for people to grow taller in this world, Jon was a little too abnormal.
But he didn't ask further, lighting his pipe and responding:
"We were supposed to reach Dawn Island today, but the merchant suddenly requested to unload at Shimotsuki Island. After unloading, we should arrive there by tomorrow morning."
Jon nodded at the news, not showing much emotion.
Shimotsuki Village on Shimotsuki Island was the location of Koshiro's Isshin Dojo.
Since he was already here, he naturally had to go and see.
"Uncle Linby, just drop me off at Shimotsuki Island. I have something to do here anyway."
Jon's tone was casual, yet he didn't give Linby a chance to refuse.
Seeing that he couldn't stop him, Linby smiled helplessly, "As you wish. When you return to Cocoyasi Village, we'll visit you. All these old guys on the ship are waiting for a chance to thank you."
"Haha, then it's a deal."
Jon wasn't a spoilsport. He grinned and said:
"If it's gratitude, then show some sincerity. I have two younger sisters to raise at home. If you don't send Belly, you'll have to send food."
"Don't worry, there'll be plenty of wine and meat."
The two exchanged smiles, but the young man suddenly thought of his family. He had been away from home for almost a week.
It would still be a while before they reached shore, so he should take this time to chat with them.
......
Shimotsuki Island, the dock.
Jon bid farewell to the crew unloading the cargo, with Linby seeing him off the ship.
While chatting with Linby, Jon noticed many people disembarking and heading towards the town.
He couldn't help but ask:
"Are these people here for sightseeing? I remember Belle-mère saying that Shimotsuki Island doesn't seem to be very wealthy."
"Not just not wealthy, it's famously poor here."
Linby puffed on his cigarette, "But precisely because it's poor, the prices here are very low. Many people from neighboring islands come here to buy goods and then sell them on their own islands."
"See the woman with the big basket in front? Earning a price difference like that isn't uncommon."
"Alright, I'll see you off here. I'm leaving."
As they neared the town, Linby patted Jon's arm, turned, and puffed on his cigarette, heading back towards the dock.
Jon watched him leave until his figure became a small black dot before turning and entering the outer district.
It was already afternoon, and the sunlight was so bright it made it hard to open one's eyes.
Passersby hurried along, seemingly purchasing the goods they needed.
With these people buying goods, even poor Shimotsuki Island wasn't without a way to survive; at least, it looked quite lively.
"Koshiro, a true master hidden in plain sight."
Lost in thought, Jon's attention was suddenly drawn by a graceful figure.
"Miss, I know my price is high, but my brother really needs this money to save his life. How about you give a bit more this time, and next time you come to buy goods, I'll give you a lower price…"
The merchant's shifty expression clearly showed he was lying. Jon didn't bother looking at him, his gaze fixed on the back.
He saw a beautiful girl with short, dark green hair, wearing a checkered headscarf, silently taking out her wallet and carefully extracting over a thousand Belly from the cloth pouch.
The merchant was clearly unsatisfied, frowning as he stared at the remaining coins in the wallet.
"I… I only have this much money for goods."
The green-haired girl's face was flushed with embarrassment. She put away her wallet and said, "I need to save a little for food and to buy a return boat ticket. Sorry."
After the merchant grumblingly packed a dozen bottles of alcohol, she quickly put them into her basket and hurried towards the town.
Jon looked at the merchant.
Sure enough, the fellow curled his lip, disdainfully counting the money in his hand, and even spat:
"I originally wanted to extort more from her, but I didn't expect her to be a poor girl. Bah!"
Jon frowned, then turned to call out to the girl.
But she had already ascended the steps and disappeared into the crowd in a blink of an eye.
He walked towards the merchant, looking down at him. The merchant, squatting on the ground, looked up at him.
"What if I say that girl was my girlfriend? What are you going to do?"
Jon suddenly threw out the question.
"Here, here, take the money back!" The merchant said indignantly, "I've never seen anyone so cunning. A honey trap to buy alcohol? If I don't return the money, are you going to hit me? You're just freeloading my alcohol, how despicable."
Jon hadn't expected him to return the money so readily, and couldn't help but look aggrieved:
"Couldn't you be a bit tougher, or call someone to beat me up?"
"Shut up, brother." The merchant's face was ashen, "With all that muscle on you, all of us merchants combined wouldn't be enough for you to fight, and there are no Marines nearby. Can't I just admit defeat?"
"..."
How disappointing!
Jon squatted down boredly, and in the merchant's utterly bewildered gaze, he snatched the bulging wallet from his hand, spat on his face, and turned towards the town.
It could only be blamed on the merchant's bad luck. If the girl hadn't left, he wouldn't have hit him so hard.
But to beat someone half to death for such a small amount of Belly…
I truly shame Belle-mère's Marine teachings!
......
"Here's your money, take it."
The girl, standing idly by the roadside, suddenly had a thousand Belly shoved into her hand. She was slightly startled and looked up at the young man bathed in sunlight, unable to snap out of her daze.
A twenty-year-old girl had already passed the age of infatuation, but looking at this young man, she couldn't help but feel a flutter in her heart.
Prince Charming?
He was even more handsome than in her dreams.
It was fortunate that Jon didn't know what she was thinking, otherwise, he would have scoffed.
Why must it be Prince Charming?
High monks also ride white horses!
Hmph~ Women, how superficial.