Chapter 18: Anecdotes of Parting

Just as the two sides were about to clash, they were intercepted by the Vice President of the Haiyue City Bounty Guild. Under the Vice President's persuasion, both sides backed down, and the dispute dissolved without beginning or end.

Anger felt a pang of regret in his heart.

Once the Hailan Merchant sat down, he spoke in a cold tone: "I just said it is impossible for the Radiant Golden Sparrow Knights to be the perpetrators of the Hailan Tragedy, because the Hailan Tragedy was not man-made at all!"

After saying this, the Hailan Merchant fell silent.

Not man-made? Could it have been an evil spirit? Although the crowd was puzzled, no one was so impudent as to question him directly.

Anger was curious as well, but he thought to himself that he would be leaving the Old Continent soon. By the time he returned from the Prosperous Continent, the war between the two nations might already be over. Giving up his curiosity, Anger finished his roasted meat and left the guild.

Due to the flourishing maritime trade, the prosperity of Haiyue City was second only to the capital. In his fourteen years of life, the largest city Angler had ever seen was Waterford, under the jurisdiction of Gru Town. The land area of Haiyue City alone was comparable to four Waterfords, to say nothing of its other infrastructure.

Angler’s eyes grew dizzy from the sights along the way. When he viewed the cityscape from a hotel terrace, he saw a panorama of grandeur and prosperity. Now, experiencing it up close, he discovered that Haiyue City was not only magnificent in its overall scale but also exquisite in its details. Compared to Gru Town, where one saw nothing but stone houses as far as the eye could see, this was several tiers higher in class.

Angler walked and paused, observing the joys and sorrows of the masses and contemplating fragmented humanistic truths. By connecting these to the classic novels his former mentor had described, he actually gained some insights through association.

Mentor Jon had taught him the principle of the unity of knowledge and action. Previously, Angler had found it difficult to grasp, but now that he was truly out in the world, away from the protective circle of his kin, he began to combine the details he saw with the truths he pondered. In doing so, he finally began to understand the concept.

Angler soon reached his destination for this trip—the Sabina Trade Street.

Sabina Trade Street was precisely the famous street in Haiyue City that Irene had mentioned a few days ago. Its fame stemmed from the fact that everything sold there was transported from other countries via maritime trade; many specialty goods simply did not exist in the Golden Sparrow Empire.

That day, Irene had bought a large haul of items from Sabina Trade Street, including several books of unknown origin such as *The Painting of Courtal Gemstones*, *Tones*, and *The Language of Fans*. Despite their flamboyant titles, the contents were actually about the makeup techniques of noble ladies and recommendations for color coordination in clothing.

Angler had glanced at them briefly before putting them down, but Irene had enjoyed them immensely. She had even followed the instructions in the books to buy gemstone materials to grind into powder for facial applications. At such a young age, she had already begun to form her own interpretation of "beauty."

Inspired by Irene, he had come to the trade street this time specifically to buy a few books. If he found suitable ones, he also wanted to send them to his mentor to enrich his compilation of historical materials.

Upon entering Sabina Trade Street, he immediately saw a statue of a gentleman in formal attire standing in the center of a fountain. It was a carving of Sabina Princy, an imperial high official who had initiated maritime trade two hundred years ago. To commemorate this nobleman, the trade street was named after him, showing the respect held for him by later generations.

The buildings on both sides of the street were mostly low but spacious, with a rich variety of brick and tile colors. Every shop strove to stand out visually. The shop signs and promotional methods were equally eye-catching; Angler even saw a dessert shop that had hired circus clowns to perform ball-juggling at the entrance, drawing a clamorous crowd. Some unruly children even pulled at their parents, throwing themselves on the ground and wailing if they weren't given sweets.

The entire street was incredibly lively. Although Angler tried his best to maintain his noble decorum, he was still a youth at heart; his eyes sparkled, and his head turned this way and that, finding everything curious.

Ultimately, Angler's first purchase was not at his original destination—the bookstore—but at... a fresh milk shop with a Holstein cow mascot at its door.

After drinking a large, brimming cup of sweet milk, Angler smiled so widely in a secluded spot that his eyes narrowed into slits.

However, the moment he stepped out of the shop, Angler immediately regained his composed demeanor. Taking a bag of packaged sweet milk from the shopkeeper, he feigned helplessness, saying, "Sigh, my sister prefers a stronger milky and sweet flavor. I've truly troubled you."

Angler wiped the remaining milk residue from the corner of his mouth and left, satisfied.

Before long, Angler found a bookstore adorned with the image of the ancient God of Wisdom, Sothe. Upon entering, he found that most of the books here were paper-bound; rare leather-bound volumes were hard to come by.

Angler picked up several books at random to flip through. The shopkeeper, standing not far away, had originally intended to scold him, but seeing Angler's attire and appearance, combined with the refined etiquette he displayed while browsing, the insults the owner had been about to hurl were slowly swallowed back down. Although he disliked customers browsing books casually, he didn't mind if it was a well-mannered young noble.

The stories were interesting, and sometimes he could discern a bit of profound meaning from them, which felt like a worthwhile endeavor.

Angler was not stingy with books; before long, his bag provided by the shopkeeper was full.

"Young master, I see you have a wide range of interests in books. I used to collect some miscellaneous scrolls myself. If you are interested, why not stay a while longer?" Seeing Angler buy such a large bag at once, the shopkeeper was overjoyed. Such big customers were rare, especially now when people who loved books were so few! He also noticed that the types of books Angler bought were very diverse, seemingly willing to buy anything, which immediately piqued his interest.

Over the years, he had acquired many books from various national fleets, but unfortunately, many were too ancient—not only were they damaged or missing words, but some were even written in languages other than the common tongue. They had sat for years without selling, eventually accumulating in the warehouse, ignored by all. Having finally encountered a non-picky big customer, how could he not be tempted?

"You have more collections?" Angler's eyes lit up. Without asking for the details, he accepted the shopkeeper's proposal.

Upon hearing this, the shopkeeper excitedly led Angler to the second-floor reception room, poured him a cup of fruit wine, and then rushed off to the warehouse.

After a while, the shopkeeper returned with two assistants, carrying up three large wooden crates that emitted a musty smell.

The pungent smell of mold made Angler frown. Just how damp a place had these been stored in to produce such an odor?

"Uh... recently, no caravans from the Desert Kingdom have come by, so there's no dry stone powder. Since Haiyue City is by the sea and quite humid, these books have become a bit damp after sitting for a while. But don't worry, I've given all the books internal seals; no matter how humid it gets, it won't penetrate," the shopkeeper promised, patting his chest.

Angler didn't make a fuss; he simply nodded and signaled for the crates to be opened.

Before Angler could even examine the contents of the crates, a deafening blast of horns suddenly echoed across the sky of Haiyue City.

(End of Chapter)