It was a new day.
"Sigh ….."
Billy stomped his feet as he walked out of the room. The cold air made him shiver uncontrollably. He blew on his hand and walked out of the door.
As a noble's servant, Billy had already gotten used to his daily routine of working and living a monotonous life. In the eyes of others, working for a noble meant that he was superior to others, dressed in fancy clothes, and spoke arrogantly. But Billy knew that this job was far from being as leisurely as it seemed.
As the head of the kitchen, Billy was under a lot of pressure during this period. No, it should be said that every winter, he would feel a mountain of pressure on him. During this period of time, his master would complain that the dishes were all the same and there was nothing new. But Billy couldn't do anything about it. There were only a few kinds of vegetables every winter. It was impossible for him to make a flower out of them.
The only thing Billy could do now was to go to the morning market early every day to see if the hunters in the mountains could catch some rare delicacies or catch some big fish. If that was the case, he could still change the dishes in the kitchen. Otherwise, sooner or later, his master would complain that he was tired of these dishes. If his master couldn't do it, he would change the head of the kitchen. Although his master only said it for the sake of it every year, but … .who knew if he would be serious this year?
"Sigh ….."
Thinking of this, Billy sighed again and quickened his pace towards the morning market. The sky had just brightened and the city gates had just opened. If he wanted to buy some good stuff, he would have to hurry up … .it must be known that his master's family was not the only noble in the entire city of Kha. Similarly, Billy was not the only head of the kitchen who was threatened by his master to be fired.
Billy still remembered that two days ago, a hunter managed to hunt a wild boar with great difficulty. In the end, the boar was sold out as soon as it entered the market. Thanks to Billy's cleverness, he managed to snatch one of the boar's legs. But there were also some idiots who didn't manage to snatch anything. Take that unlucky fellow next door for example. When he heard that his master was invited for lunch by his master, he broke the fellow's leg and threw him out.
That poor idiot didn't manage to snatch a piece of boar meat.
Billy shuddered at the memory. Then he quickened his pace again. The market was just around the corner.
At this moment, the sun had not completely risen from the horizon, and the market was still shrouded in the shadow of the city walls. Only a few fires were faintly lit. By now, the merchants had already started setting up their stalls. To prevent any accidents, Korha's rule was to allow outside merchants to enter the city an hour earlier and prepare for business. When Billy and the other residents woke up, the morning market was almost open for business.
But...
"There doesn't seem to be anything good …"
Looking at the fresh vegetables on both sides, Billy lost interest for a while. It seemed that there were no more lucky ones today, so after a short glance, Billy turned around and planned to leave.
But at this moment, Billy's sharp nose caught a trace of a strange fragrance.
It was an aroma that Billy was very familiar with, but he could not remember where he had smelled it before. However, Billy immediately turned around and looked at the source of the smell. He was very confident in his nose. The reason he had not been fired by his master for so many years as a kitchen supervisor was because of his nose.
Therefore, Billy was sure that what he smelled just now was not perfume, nor was it any other aroma, but the aroma of food. The aroma of fruit!
Where is it?!
Billy was like a guard searching for a suspect. His eyes were wide open as he scanned the surroundings. If he were to put on a suit of armour, he would be even more responsible than the guards.
Soon, Billy found a strange stall.
It was located at the end of the morning market. Judging from its position, the stall should have been added not long ago. An old man was standing behind the stall with his eyes half closed. Unlike other stalls, there were no food ingredients or meat products for sale here. On the contrary, there were only paper boxes on the trolley. They looked a little bigger than the cake boxes, but it was impossible to tell what was inside.
Could it be that the pastry chefs came up with something new?
With this thought in mind, Billy walked to the stall and looked at the old man in front of him. Soon, he found a card hanging next to the trolley. On it was written, "One box per person, one gold coin per box."
What the hell, one gold coin?
Are you kidding me?
Looking at the cake-box-sized paper box in front of him, Billy felt like ten thousand alpacas were galloping in his heart. What's inside? It's so valuable, one gold coin?
"Old man, may I know what's inside?"
However, Billy could not suppress the curiosity in his heart and asked. The old man opened his eyes, looked at him, and gave an answer.
"You'll know after you buy it."
You'll know after you buy it …
Hearing this answer, Billy almost choked. How can you do business like this?
He finally understood why the stall had no business. It was located in such a remote location, and the customers were not interested in doing business at all!
But …
Should I buy it?
Looking at the paper box in front of him, Billy was a little hesitant. As a kitchen manager, he could afford to pay one gold coin. And he was sure that if he didn't smell wrong, the fragrance should have come from this stall. After all, he saw that there was nothing else for sale nearby. But … what if there's something inside … Forget it, I'll take a gamble!
Thinking of the unlucky guy whose legs were crippled, Billy gritted his teeth, took out a gold coin, and handed it to the old man.
"Give me a box."
"No problem. Pick one and take it away."
The old man stretched out his hand to take the gold coin, then pouted at the box in front of him. Seeing his attitude, Billy sighed helplessly. He randomly picked a box and looked at the stall owner in front of him again.
"So, can I open it now?"
"Of course, it's yours since you bought it."
"Very well, I'd like to see what's inside for you to be so mysterious."
After glaring at the old man fiercely, Billy opened the box and was stunned by what he saw.
The first thing that greeted him was the fragrance of fruits. The fragrance was mixed with the cold air, making Billy feel refreshed. But soon, his eyes focused on the five bright red fruits in the paper box. Their smooth, bright red surface was even stained with a few drops of dew. They looked as if they had been picked not long ago. More importantly, they were … oranges!!
Billy's eyes widened, and for a moment, he almost shouted out loud. But soon, his rationality forced him to shut his mouth. He couldn't believe his eyes. He even stretched out his hand and touched the fruits in the paper box. Yes, they were oranges. But why were there oranges here? And such fresh oranges too? Wasn't it winter now?
Previously, Billy thought that one gold coin per box was too expensive, but now, he only felt that it was too cheap! He knew that his master loved oranges the most! Not to mention, these oranges were so fresh. They were obviously picked not long ago. If he could, let alone one gold coin per box, even if it was a hundred gold coins per box, he would still buy them!
"I … I want all of these!!"
Billy suppressed his excitement and nervousness and said in a low voice. He did not know where these oranges came from, but to be able to see such fresh oranges in the middle of winter …. This kind of thing would only happen in a dream!
"I'm sorry, it's clearly stated that each person is limited to one box."
But the old man was not moved at all. He just looked at him indifferently and said. But when he heard the old man's answer, Billy couldn't stay calm anymore.
Only one box per person? How could that be enough?
"Do you know who I am? I'm … "
"Oh my god, oranges!!"
However, before Billy could finish his sentence, he heard a scream in his ears. Hearing this voice, Billy's heart skipped a beat. He turned his head and saw a man standing beside him, staring blankly at the oranges in the box in his hand.
Damn it, I was so focused on talking to the old man that I forgot to hide the oranges in my hand!
Thinking of this, Billy hurriedly closed the box and tried to take it back. But the man suddenly stepped forward and interrupted. He glanced at the sign hanging on the side, then waved his hand.
"I want all of these. Send them to the tax official's mansion immediately!
"Wait, I was here first!"
Billy didn't even have time to get angry. When he heard that the other party dared to steal his business, he hurriedly rushed over. 'I was the one who came first, I can ask or buy …'
"I want you to send these to the law enforcer's mansion! Double the price!! "
At the same time, the others also gathered around. Many of them were even more surprised when they saw the oranges in Billy's hand. When they heard that these two people wanted to buy all of them, they couldn't take it anymore!
"I'll pay three times! Send these to the mayor's mansion! "
"I'll pay five times. The Barbarov Chamber of Commerce is willing to buy all of them!!"
For a moment, the scene became a mess. The old man stood there calmly until the others stopped talking. Then, he coughed.
"The rules are there. One box per person. First come, first served."
"Wait, you old man. Do you know who we are?"
The customers were displeased to hear the old man's reply. They were the subordinates of various nobles and officials. How dare an old man like you give them a hard time?
"I don't know who you are, but I want to make it clear that these are the property of the Alchemist Association."
"What?!"
The people who originally rushed forward to take the stall away hurriedly stepped back. Only then did they realize that the stall had the symbol of the Alchemist Association on it!
If the old man was just an ordinary person, they might have already taken action. But the Alchemist Association was different. They had a huge influence on the entire world, even more so than Mages. After all, Mages needed talent, and the Alchemist Association had a huge influence on people's lives. You couldn't possibly let people without talent in magic cast an ice spell to feel the cold wind in the summer, could you?
After all, these people were just lackeys. If they provoked the Alchemist Association, they would be the ones to suffer. But even so, they wouldn't let go of this opportunity. These people looked at each other and rushed forward without hesitation.
"Give me a box!"
"Me too!"
"This is mine. No one is allowed to snatch it from me!"
As the crowd rushed forward, Billy hugged the oranges and left quickly. All he wanted to do now was to head back and mobilize more followers to buy more oranges. Anyway, the old man said that each person could only have one box, but he didn't say that each family could only have one box, right? He believed that as long as his master saw these fresh oranges, he would surely praise him!
More and more people heard the news and rushed over. Soon, the entire market was packed to the brim. Not long after, the cart of oranges was sold out. As a result, the people at the back could only look at the cart and sigh helplessly.
At the same time, those who were as fortunate as Billy returned to their masters with the oranges they bought.
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