Chapter 36: Hallownest Bargaining
Queen Roland has been dead for many years.
Darion had seen Queen Roland and her Hallownest. The Bee Queen and her swift bee guards were a formidable presence.
The 20 gold coins of Queen Roland are a long-lost legend.
The 20 gold coins represent the queen's authority. Each one has a different pattern. If they are placed in a special order, they can be connected to form a special treasure map.
Legend has it that if you get 20 gold coins from Queen Roland, piece together the map above, and follow the route above, you can find the secret treasure of the lost kingdom.
It was impossible for Miss White Stork to exchange a set of cabinets inlaid with gems for Queen Roland's 20 gold coins.
"Okay, I knew I couldn't hide it from you. Name a price. How much should I pay to get those 20 gold coins?" Miss White Stork smiled very flatteringly.
"Everything in here belongs to me." Darien tapped the booklet.
"You are robbing me!" screamed Miss White Stork.
Darien covered his ears with an innocent look on his face. "I know you have more than this. You've made a killing by exchanging Queen Roland's gold for the items in this book."
Miss White Stork put away her distressed expression and shrugged. "Alright, alright. You're Darien after all, so you're not easy to fool... Then could you help me find Queen Roland's gold coins? I'll pay you with the contents of this entire book."
Darien said, "I have to inspect the goods first."
Many past experiences taught him that before making a deal, he had to make sure that the other party did not include anything worthless in the compensation.
He patiently flipped through the entire book from beginning to end. The little figures were turning one object after another. By the time he turned the last few pages, they were all staggering and almost dizzy from spinning around.
"How is it? The things I brought are all good things. I think you will be very satisfied." Miss White Stork said with a smile.
"It's just so-so." Darien said stubbornly, but the smile on his face betrayed him.
Miss White Stork tutted him on the spot.
Sewell took out the special parchment used for making contracts from the bookshelf at the back. The ink and quill were ready.
"Ahem." Darien coughed lightly and looked over.
Miss White Stork immediately put on a flattering smile.
"As my most important customer, Darien, please give me a chance to become your customer. I know that only you can help me find Queen Roland's gold coins. No one else can do it." She tried to play the emotional card and did not mention the extra money at all.
"Your compliments make me happy, so I reluctantly agree to help you find Queen Roland's gold coins. Seville, give her the contract, we are going to a new place again." Darien said.
"Let me see, hmm, all the products in this brochure, this is very reasonable... eh? All products will be 20% off in the future? No, no, no, this is totally impossible! I will lose so much money that I will have to go back to my hometown and become a fisherman!" Miss White Stork is as shrewd as all businessmen. She cannot tolerate a continuous decrease in financial profits.
"15% off." Darien made a slight concession.
"No, no!" Miss White Stork shook her head so hard that it almost flew off her neck.
After several rounds of discussion, they finally reached an agreement that all goods sold to the tower would be permanently discounted by 95%.
Both parties signed and sealed the agreement, and the business officially began.
"When do we leave?" Darien asked Miss White Stork.
Of course, you should start making money as early as possible.
"Let's do it one day later. Now I'm your guest. Let me enjoy your hospitality before I leave, otherwise I'll feel cheated." said Miss White Stork.
The little figures in the product brochure, lying on the side in exhaustion, nodded repeatedly.
"Well, dear guest, what would you like for dinner tonight?" asked Darien.
"Gold foil caviar!" Miss White Stork said with full energy.
"No," Darien said.
"Smoked golden sea bass from Page Island!" Miss White Stork continued to order.
"No," Darien said.
"The pike from Naya Bay." Miss White Stork asked uncertainly.
"No." Darien spread out his hands.
"Neither this nor that! What do you usually eat?" Miss White Stork said angrily.
"Pork, beef, mutton, chicken, pigeon meat, fish... We also raise rabbits and chickens. The eggs are free, and we eat rabbit meat occasionally." Darian counted.
The variety is still very rich.
"Stop, stop, stop!" Miss White Stork called out urgently. "You make so much money, shouldn't you be enjoying a better quality of life? Just ordinary pigs, cattle, and sheep? Shouldn't you be getting black pigs from Ilia, brown sheep from the Isaacs steppes, or something like that?"
"Anything else?" Sewell took notes in his notebook.
It was obviously a dereliction of duty for him as a butler to fail to let his master enjoy a high quality of life.
"Hey, hey, hey! I'm a rare goods merchant! Not a food supplier!" Miss White Stork shouted. "Darian, what's wrong with you? Don't tell me you don't even know these delicacies exist!"
Darien coughed lightly and turned his head away, pretending not to hear.
When the debt is too much, it's either barley porridge or boiled potatoes. The prices of those delicious ingredients from all corners of the continent are also very attractive. For Mr. Mage, they are like a goose feather pressing on a precarious attic. It can fall, but it is best not to.
However, the ingredients used in Gaota's desserts are the best. The vanilla pods, cocoa powder, brandy and all the other ingredients used in the desserts come from the best places of origin.
"Oh, why aren't you talking? Are you worried about something... Never mind, there's nothing I can do about you. I'll go call Raven over, and I'll pay for the ingredients myself this time." Miss White Stork rubbed her forehead helplessly.
"I want to eat gold-leaf caviar, smoked golden sea bass from Peggy Island, pike from Naya Bay, black pork from Ilia, and brown sheep from the Isaacs steppe," said Darien.
"Tsk tsk." Miss White Stork squinted at him, "Don't imitate my speech."
Darien smiled back.
The ravens quickly delivered the delicious ingredients to the kitchen in the tower. The quality of the ingredients made Mrs. Fitch exclaim in amazement. She waved her spatula and swore in her career as a chef that she would not let these delicious ingredients down.
Miss White Stork is visiting the medicinal garden and vegetable patch under the guidance of Darien.
Although Miss White Stork thought there was nothing interesting about it.
"Is this an eggplant? I've never seen a variety that's as round as a ball." She picked one at random and commented.
"This is a round eggplant. It tastes a little sweeter than ordinary eggplant and can be eaten raw," said Darian.
"Is this a beehive?" Miss White Stork turned to the wooden boxes under the cherry tree.
"Yes, do you want to try the honey? There is no winter here. They can produce sweet honey at any time." Darien introduced his outstanding employees.
"Then have a glass of mead," said Miss White Stork.
"Hmm?" Darien raised his eyebrows. "How did you know I made mead?"
"I guessed. Where is the next destination?" asked Miss White Stork.
"Do you want to go to the study or the kitchen? You've already seen the living room. I don't recommend going to the alchemy room." Darien replied.
"Thank you, I don't want to go to any of them." Miss White Stork said expressionlessly.
"Dinner is ready." Sewell appeared outside the fence of the herb garden.
"Thank God you are finally here. Otherwise I would have to experience how to grow herbs." Miss White Stork cried with joy.
Mr. Wizard smiled smirk and asked her to hurry to the restaurant for dinner.
Mrs. Fitch and Fitch put their utmost effort into cooking the dishes on the table today.
They know how to bring out the best flavor of good ingredients on your tongue.
Seville lifted the lid of the dinner plate, revealing a smear of gold-leaf caviar in the middle of the large white plate. It was only a small bite, but it came on a plate bigger than his face, with a small silver spoon beside it.
This bite is like chewing gold.
Darien held his breath, afraid that the gold foil on top would be blown away. He scooped up the brown-green fish eggs with a silver spoon and finally put them into his mouth.
Hmm... the gold foil is a bit sticky in my mouth, and the taste of the fish roe is a bit confusing. The fish roe is cracked open by the teeth, and it has a smooth and thick taste, slightly salty, a bit like nuts and a bit like butter.
I don't quite understand how to eat.
If it was his money, he would be heartbroken.
Miss White Stork gracefully ate a spoonful of caviar and smiled, with some gold foil fragments stuck to her teeth.
Darien immediately checked himself in the reflection of the knife and found the same thing.
Next he will finish his dinner without smiling.
Delicious dishes were served on the table one after another. The portions were small, the presentation was beautiful, and the taste was very delicious. Darien savored them carefully, afraid of missing any small details.
The beautifully textured pork and sage are used together to make deep brown fried pork chops. Golden gravy drips from every bite, repeatedly awakening the taste buds.
The lamb was simply braised, with the fat and lean ribs presenting a simple plain color, served with basil mint garlic sauce, so delicious that Darian almost bit his tongue.
The smoked golden sea bass was shredded into a salad, and the fish's fat had a rich, unique aroma. This fish seemed to have parsley cream soup flowing in its veins, giving it a unique flavor.
The pike is grilled, and the skin is simply wrapped with a thick layer of sea salt. When eating, just peel off the skin, squeeze on lemon juice, and you can use your tongue to taste the sweetness and freshness of the fish to the greatest extent.
Mrs. Fitch's cooking skills were fully demonstrated. When Miss White Stork was tasting the fish, she even accidentally revealed her true form, with her beak becoming sharp and loud, and she let out a cry.
Darien understood, this was so delicious it was crowing.
"This meal is absolutely delicious. Your chef is so capable. If they are willing to change jobs, I will offer you triple the salary and you can travel around the continent with me!" Miss White Stork collapsed in the chair, holding her stomach.
"Go away." Darien only replied.
In order to go search for gold coins in the ruins of Queen Roland's Hallownest together the next day, they went to bed early after dinner.
Darien dreamed all night long. In his dreams, he saw bowls of mead at Queen Roland's banquet, bowl after bowl, and he drank until he was dizzy.
When he woke up the next day, he felt a slight headache. He touched his head and found that he had hit the bedpost while sleeping.
I thought it was the aftereffect of drinking in the dream.
"I can understand that you brought a shovel, crutches and a picnic basket, but please tell me why you brought a bird's nest." Miss White Stork looked at the bird's nest in Sewell's arms and felt deeply suspicious.
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