Although Zhou Kun couldn't be mad after thinking about it, he decided to purchase another batch of goods since he had already entered the other world. After all, his cold storage warehouse was still largely empty, and he was not worried about not being able to sell his dragon fruit.
Walking on the roads of Lan City, Zhou Kun found that something was very strange with the atmosphere on the street. The vendors of small stalls who had been peddling in the street previously were all gone, and the passers-by were all in a hurry. There was tension in the entire Lan City. Could it be that something major happened this month?
When he found the St. Birmingham Family's manor which he was rather familiar with, he saw that George was still in charge like before. However, the difference was that George recognized Zhou Kun immediately.
"Guest, are you here to buy dragon fruit again?" It was Zhou Kun's third time purchasing dragon fruit, and in the past, he would purchase dozens of them at one go. Hence, he was considered a reliable and important customer of George.
"Yes, how much do dragon fruits cost now?" asked Zhou Kun who got straight to the point after seeing that George recognized him. He immediately asked for the price of the dragon fruit.
"Recently, the price of dragon fruit has increased slightly. They're now priced at 12 gold coins each, but since you are a regular customer, I can give you a discount."
"Huh? The price has risen?"
Actually, it's been a month since I came and it's normal for the price to increase. However, how many can I buy with ten Dragon Crystals since they're now priced at 12 gold coins each?
"I'll get ninety," Zhou Kun answered after estimating the price.
"Sure, you're a regular customer. I'll make a decision and give you a discount. How does 10 Dragon Crystals sound?"
"That's great. You still remember the matter regarding the ordinary dragon fruits, right? Don't forget about it."
"That's not an issue, but..." George hesitated to speak.
"Why? Is there a problem?"
Zhou Kun thought that George was not going to sell the ordinary dragon fruit to him together in a bundle and that the deal would not be possible.
"You're also a regular customer, and you visit every once in a while to purchase a batch of dragon fruit. Look, why don't you stock up and get a little more? After all, this may be the last batch of dragon fruit."
"What? The sales of dragon fruit are going to be terminated all of a sudden?"
Zhou Kun didn't expect things to change so quickly in the other world after just a day of his absence. What does the last batch of dragon fruit mean?
Are they not going to run the dragon fruit business any longer?
George seemed to have become accustomed to Zhou Kun's ignorance. Hence, he explained, "The entire St. Lan City has entered a state of preparation for war. Soon, the golden dragon fruits will be handed over to the church as a strategic material. Golden dragon fruit will no longer be available for sale in the future."
"Wasn't everything peaceful before? Why did war break out again?" Is this world that tumultuous?
Wars seemed to break out rather often. He had only been there for a few days, and yet, there had already been two battles.
George suddenly felt that the customer in front of him was not entirely clueless about the news, and was merely ignorant and backward. It seemed that he was at best, an affluent country bumpkin.
"I have to start telling you about this matter from the arrival of the Great Botanical Genie that was shipped to Lan City more than a month ago," said George who began to tell the story after seeing that Zhou Kun was all ears.
"The team that was in charge of transporting the Great Botanical Genie was ambushed outside St. Lan City, and basically the entire army was destroyed. When the city guards of St. Lan City arrived, they only discovered corpses all over the ground. The Great Botanical Genie was nowhere to be found."
Upon hearing that, Zhou Kun suddenly became even more interested. He knew what happened very well. At that time, he was there to witness the matter. Besides, to George, that memory was a month old but for Zhou Kun, it had only been two days since the incident occurred.
"Accordingly, the church began to investigate the matter thoroughly. After investigating, it was revealed that the culprit was the Besius Empire, and the dragon fruit was the stem of the matter."
Zhou Kun knew that things were not simple, but he did not expect that to be the case. 'Once again, it's related to dragon fruit?'
"Everyone knows the role of a Great Botanical Genie. The Besius Empire had also been cultivating dragon fruits in bulk, and at the critical moment, the church sent a Great Botanical Genie to St. Lan City. Both nations have set their sights on the dragon fruit."
Zhou Kun realized that George had been mentioning the dragon fruit incessantly as if everything was caused by the dragon fruit. In that case, wouldn't he be the cause of everything since he was the one who brought dragon fruit to the city in the first place?
"The Besius Empire sent their people to hijack the Great Botanical Genie, and the church had no choice but to negotiate with them in a bid to have them return the Great Botanical Genie. However, the Besius Empire did not acknowledge the matter at all."
"What happened afterward?"
"What's the point in denying? The church nabbed a few members of the team that participated in the highjacking and forced them to spill the beans, which they did under pressure. Moreover, the Great Botanical Genie is special, and only the church knows how to communicate with it. People from the Besius Empire purely wanted to provoke the church by refusing to return the Great Botanical Genie. Hence, eventually, the negotiations between the two countries ended on a sour note. Two days ago, the church officially announced that we are to enter a state of preparation for war."
"Is it worth doing that for a Great Botanical Genie?" asked Zhou Kun who did not know how much a Great Botanical Genie was worth. He wondered if it was really that important.
'Two nations are actually preparing for war because of it?'
When George heard that, he rolled his eyes at Zhou Kun who didn't know that in George's heart, he had been considered illiterate.
"The Great Botanical Genie is a genie that had been cultivated by the church with the efforts of several generations. It's a unique darling of nature. The church could gather rich resources all because of the cultivation of the Great Botanical Genie. Be it the supply of magical materials or production of potions, they would be able to achieve twice the result with half the effort with the bonus of the Great Botanical Genie. Don't you think the Great Botanical Genie is important?"
"In this case, it's indeed very important," said Zhou Kun who felt that the Great Botanical Genie had similar features as the World Tree.
"What does the Great Botanical Genie look like?" 'Is it pretty?'
Does it have pointed ears, transparent wings, and large, watery eyes?
"Notices are pasted on the walls outside the manor about the church offering a reward for any news related to the Great Botanical Genie. You can go and take a look."
"Do you want the dragon fruit to be delivered to the same location as before?" asked George who suddenly changed the subject, clearly not wanting to continue talking about it.
"Yes, as usual."
After leaving the manor, Zhou Kun went to the place where the notices were posted as George said, in an attempt to see what the legendary Great Botanical Genie looked like.
Even if Zhou Kun couldn't read the local text, he managed to find the notice about rewards given for news regarding the Great Botanical Genie rather quickly.
There was an entire row of identical notices posted on the bulletin board, which was particularly eye-catching among the numerous tiny advertisements on the board.
However, that was not the main thing that attracted Zhou Kun because he saw the Great Botanical Genie shown in the notice. It had pointed ears, dark green eyes, and a look of disdain.
It was as if it were saying, "What are you looking at, fool!?!"
At this moment, Zhou Kun felt that he was being teased. He thought, 'Damn it, isn't this Two Thousand?'
This damned thing is the most beautiful genie in the world of nature? What's with the twisted beauty standards of this world?