One-Eyed Monster

Igor’s tangled question made Perkins laugh, finally breaking the awkward silence.

For Perkins, this was a very good sign, at least among these people, someone was willing to listen to his sharing.

Perkins was excited, knowing that in the past when he shared his experiences and thoughts in a similar fashion, others quickly grew impatient. Those who traded with him didn’t want to listen to his ramblings, while those who listened seriously often thought he was a fraud.

Perkins wasn’t entirely to blame for this; the experiences he had gone through were too shocking for others to understand. The places he had visited were not places the average person could go, the people he met were not people the average person could encounter, and the things he experienced were even less believable to the average person…

Many times, after sharing, Perkins found himself feeling disappointed because most people considered him a fraud, just like today, Hustace also thought of him as a fraud, though he didn’t say it, Perkins still could feel it.

Despite Perkins’ smiling face, the inner pain persisted, but he just hid it away.

Things were different now.

He had spoken so much and finally got someone to somewhat believe in his experiences, which made him very happy. And now this young man named Igor was willing to delve deeper, making him feel even more thrilled and elated.

That was Perkins’ current feeling; he didn’t have any complicated desires, he just hoped his experiences could be shared.

If someone was willing to listen to his sharing, he was very satisfied.

This time returning to Luona, one reason was to talk to Tobin about apothecarists, and the other was hoping to find a position at Yonder Travel Academy through his foster father’s connections, as he truly wanted to share his earnings and experiences.

Now with Igor being the first to accept his sharing, Perkins was very excited. This had never happened before, so he was thrilled.

The excitement made Perkins absentmindedly silly, forgetting to respond to Igor. He stood there with a foolish grin on his face, unable to utter a word.

This was quite an amusing scene.

”Um, Senior Perkins?” Igor waved his hand in front of Perkins.

”Uh, sorry, I got distracted. My apologies.” Perkins quickly apologized to Igor, his attitude toward Igor had now completely changed.

Hustace shrugged, not knowing what was going on, but he was glad he now understood his brother wasn’t lost in his own world, so he felt relieved.

Regarding what his brother said, Hustace thought it was purely enlightening.

He decided not to argue with his brother anymore, as those were things he didn’t know about. Instead, he felt an urge to record everything his brother said carefully.

That’s what he most wanted to do now, especially when he saw his brother take out that parchment book.

After organizing his thoughts, Perkins wanted to talk to Igor about trading, which had been his way of surviving through many years of travel. Although being an apothecarist was part of his identity, knowing how to trade with people was the real reason he could protect himself.

Some things are just so magical, and many don’t understand them. The simpler things are indeed the most precious; only by understanding the other party’s needs can one trade well with them. Trading for the sake of trading is always passive, but when you trade to gain something for others, the situation reverses.

This principle is simple, but many people can’t understand it. They believe trading is just about equal exchange between both parties.

Actually, that is not very wise.

”Trading is indeed equivalent exchange, but what you’re exchanging affects how the trade proceeds. You might not grasp this.” Perkins said.

”I don’t really understand because I always thought only gold coins could be traded.” Igor scratched his head, honestly stating his thoughts.

”Oh, like that, then I guess you haven’t been to Dusk Market or Dark Night Market.” Perkins resumed his warm smile.

”Indeed not, students from Yonder Travel Academy are not allowed into Luona’s Dusk Market.” Igor said truthfully, and as for Dark Market, he wouldn’t even think of going there. Those were dark things not aligned with his values, so he wouldn’t venture there.

”Oh, that’s it. Dusk Market and Dark Night Market are closer to ancient trading methods, where you can trade as long as you fancy the other party.”

Igor was completely baffled; he couldn’t understand.

”Take gold coins, for example. Now, they are considered universally valuable, and people think they can exchange for many things. But did you know there are places where gold coins are not valued at all?” Perkins said.

”Because that place is full of gold and silver mountains?” Igor asked curiously.

”Of course not, because Tree Spirits simply don’t need gold coins.”

…

This joke wasn’t funny to some, Igor thought.

But what Perkins said was normal; Tree Spirits indeed disregard gold coins. Every time Vero Realm falls under Tree Spirit rule, large quantities of gold coins would flow out, as Tree Spirits love trees. Those gold coins they didn’t value were all spent to exchange for trees.

When Tree Spirits were in power, the Wensi Empire would often have a human team maintain trade because humans knew how generous Tree Spirits were. To ensure the Empire’s longevity, they managed these gold coins for Tree Spirits, yet many still flowed out.

That’s why people in the Kayne Realm always hoped for reincarnation during Tree Spirit rule because not only was there less war, but also gold to earn.

It really was quite an intriguing matter.

Perkins gave Igor a thorough explanation of the Vero Realm’s gold coin situation, leaving Igor bewildered, while Hustace was rendered speechless with amazement.

However, these rumors were not the main point; they were just examples Perkins used, hoping this would make it easier for Igor to understand.

”Senior, is this how you trade with Tree Spirits?” Igor asked, thinking it unfair to trade with Tree Spirits that way.

”Of course not. How could I do something like that? I trade with Tree Spirits sincerely; otherwise, I wouldn’t have received the potions they gave me!”