The Martial Unity

The focus was on the identity of the people selling the product rather than the products themselves, which, while plentiful, were not out front and center the way the dwarves presented their weapons and crafts.

A faint animalistic odor hung in the air, distinct to the district that they were in, while therianthropes of various clans stood out in the very front proudly, interacting with clients and customers who had flocked to purchase products that could only be produced by certain clans on one continent.

Rui spotted a species different from the ones that had attacked the Panama Continent after the Unfolding had occurred.

He spotted many winged therianthropes with different kinds of wings, feathers, and wingspan. They were from clans that were centered around different kinds of birds that they staunchly cultivated with. They sold jewelry and even textiles made from a variety of feathers stitched in unique methods that bound feathers together without damaging them.

They were clothes that resembled the wings of birds and were the ethnic and traditional attire of many clans of therianthropes centered around birds, using their own feathers to weave their own clothes together.

Amare’s eyes lit up with delight at what she saw. “Their clothes are so beautiful!”

She was thoroughly mesmerized by the colorful beauty of the textiles that the clothes were made of. Rui found it curious that they not only possessed the ability to supply such clothes, but also the ability to mass-produce them. Meaning that they likely used all the feathers that they produced biologically before weaving them into clothes en masse.

“I want to get this one.” Amare picked up a dress woven from a myriad of gorgeous blue and green feathers that checkered every square inch of the cloth. “It’s so pretty!”

“It suits you.” Rui nodded as he studied the clothing up and down with an intrigued expression, before directing a sweeping gaze across the various other aisles of the market with a curious expression.

What he saw, however, surprised him. ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴀɴᴛ ᴛᴏ ʀᴇᴀᴅ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs, ᴘʟᴇᴀsᴇ ᴠɪsɪᴛ NoᴠᴇFɪre.nᴇt

He saw humans with insectile wings that were short and stout.

Like those of a bee.

The crest on the flag that hung above their store contained the simplified figure of a bee, confirming his suspicions and leaving him stunned.

“The Beast Path…” he murmured with an amazed tone. “…includes insects?”

If it did, then there were too many insects for each species to possibly have its own clan. There were far too many species of insects in the world, even for a population large enough to occupy all of Kiriket.

The Bee Clan sold two products.

Honey and wax.

Their store contained massive tanks filled with honey as well as a wide shelf of jars of honey of various flavors and other minute preparation differences that Rui didn’t understand.

All he could see was that the honey was beyond popular; it was a massive hit with the residents of the town and the many visitors who came to buy, sell, or simply tour in the Hlakaschken Trade Empire.

People of all races clutched at bags filled with the honey with paranoid expressions, as if they feared that others would try to steal it from them.

“Would you like a sample, sir?”

An employee outside the shop addressed him with a strange buzz to his voice. Rui studied the therianthrope with a curious expression. He didn’t appear to be too deep down the Beast Path, given that he only had bee wings and antennas.

Most therianthropes didn’t have any animal features simply due to the fact that they weren’t pathwalkers at all in the first place.

“It’s entirely for free, sir.” The employee smiled at Rui pleasantly, offering him a small sample in a minute mini-bowl with a small straw sticking out from it.

“…Thanks.” Rui accepted the gesture before cautiously tasting some of the honey in his mouth.

His pitch-black eyes lit up with amazement at just how perfectly sweet, rich, and deep the flavor was.

“This…” he gazed at the honey with a stunned expression. “This is incredible!”

“Hahaha! I’m glad you like it, sir. Our honey is made from a special, evolved process of natural honey-making that bees engage in around the world. Our patented process produces a much richer and deeper flavor than anything you can find in the wild!” the employee proudly informed Rui.

“…I see, it makes sense if this was produced by therianthropic bee-workers,” Rui murmured to himself. “It’s flavor is truly profound.”

“I want to taste it as well,” Amare plucked a sample for herself, quickly consuming it all in one go.

Her amber eyes dilated with pleasure and amazement. “This…! This is just divine!”

The employee, encouraged by the positive reactions, went into a long diatribe as he explained the heritage of the Bee Clan’s age-old, growing mastery of honey that allowed them to produce the flavors that no other honey enterprise in the world could.

“However,” he added. “It’s not just our honey that we’re proud of; we’re also proud of our wax products. Wax is used in countless different industries and sectors, and we produce all manner of products that can be used for many purposes! Could I interest you in purchasing them?”

“I want the honey to eat when we get back to our room,” Amare insisted as Rui heaved a sigh, pulling out the money that he had stolen from the gang members who had attacked him before buying Amare a jar of honey that he carried for her, of course.

They moved on to the other stores with curious expressions as they grew exposed to goods and products that simply didn’t exist anywhere else in the world. They ran into the Arachnid Clan that produced a myriad of goods and services with their webs, including spiderweb textiles, rope, and even weapons, the former of which Amare gladly partook in, buying her own spiderweb clothes.

What really surprised Rui the most was that there were even clans, mostly clans centered around apex predators that sold actual animal meat, which made up a large portion of the goods that therianthropes sold to the rest of the world.