"Try it. It's ready."
Adrian handed Levi a small, glossy brown piece.
Levi hesitated only for a moment before popping it into his mouth. His eyes widened instantly.
"This… it's so sweet!"
He licked the syrup from his lips, stunned. "Boss, how did you do this?"
Adrian chuckled. "Maltose."
The syrupy sweetness was something Levi had never tasted before. In the Underground, and even in much of the surface world, sugar was a rare luxury—something most people would never enjoy in their entire lives.
Yet here it was, melting on his tongue.
Adrian's experiment had worked. The hulled wheat he'd bought was transformed into golden maltose, the one product he could make that would fetch staggering profits. Looking at the barrel half-filled with syrup, he allowed himself a rare smile. For a first attempt, it was more than he had hoped for.
Carefully, he poured the thick syrup into small wooden molds to cool.
…
"Your shoes are broken too?"
Adrian glanced at Levi's feet. The boy's big toe poked out through the worn leather.
Levi ducked his head quickly, pretending to busy himself with cleaning. "They still work. I'll fix them later, the way you taught me."
Adrian didn't press. He leaned back in his chair, gaze sweeping the cramped room, the dim light filtering through the single window, and Levi's thin shoulders.
A goal, he thought quietly. One day, I'll take him out of this darkness. Out of the Underground. To the sun.
A sun he himself had never seen.
…
Three days later.
Adrian walked slowly down the street, a new pair of leather shoes on his feet. They were crude—made by old Coric, the Underground's cobbler—but warm and sturdy. For the first time in years, heat and comfort spread through his soles.
He carried another, smaller pair in his bag.
When he pushed open the door, the scent of boiled syrup greeted him. Levi was crouched by the fire, stirring.
"Big brother's back!" Levi called. "I saw a little girl sneaking around today."
Adrian set the bags down. Levi hurried over to help, but Adrian simply pulled out the second pair of boots.
"Here. Try them on."
Levi froze, staring at the shoes in disbelief. He didn't notice Adrian ignoring his comment about the sneaky girl. People had been spying on him for months, but those who pried too deeply never lasted long.
What mattered now was survival. And maltose was the key.
He had already tested the waters, trading a single piece of candy to Els for two steel coins. From the ten-coin investment in wheat, he had made fifty candies. The profit margin was staggering.
Ten times return in days.
But Adrian wasn't reckless. He never sold too much in one place, never let the source be traced. Even with Els, he had claimed the candies were a gift from Levi's uncle.
With ten new steel coins in hand, he had donned his cleanest clothes and paid the toll—five coins for passage to the surface shopping district.
For the first time, Adrian Leonhart stepped out of the Underground. For the first time in eight years, he saw the sun.
It was blinding. Beautiful. Terrifying.
He didn't linger. He sold his candies in dozens of places across the capital, one or two pieces at a time, each for the price of a copper coin—ten steel coins each.
Forty-nine pieces. Nearly fifty times profit.
By the time he returned to the Underground, his pockets were heavy with wealth.
…
"Thank you, big brother."
Levi clutched the boots, almost too afraid to wear them. He knew how much food they could have bought instead. His throat tightened.
Adrian tossed a small bag onto the table. It hit with a heavy clink, steel coins spilling across the wood.
Clang.
"These are the earnings." Adrian leaned back casually. "If those boots wear out, we'll just buy new ones."
Levi stared, eyes wide. "Is… is this real?"
Hundreds of coins glimmered before him. Just days ago, they had been counting scraps of bread. Now, Adrian had secured enough to feed them for years if they chose.
"Big brother, you're amazing…" Levi whispered, overwhelmed.
Adrian only smiled faintly.
Then, as if remembering something, he pulled a small paper package from his pocket. He unwrapped it slowly, and a rich aroma spread through the room.
Levi's eyes went round.
"Is that… meat?"
Adrian placed the warm piece into his hands. "Eat."
Levi's fingers trembled. He hadn't tasted meat since the day his mother died, when Kenny Ackerman had begrudgingly given him a single piece.
Now, once again, he felt the long-lost taste of life itself.
For a boy who had lived in nothing but hunger and despair, the sweetness of maltose and the richness of meat were not just food.
They were hope.