The pure sweetness melted on the tip of his tongue, without a hint of any impurity besides a refreshing fruity aroma.
Corbin was stunned.
A glint of astonishment flashed in his eyes before quickly turning into sharp calculation.
He immediately understood that this was a type of sugar with a purity far exceeding anything they currently possessed.
The sugar they were using, whether it was maple sugar or extracted from sugarcane, inevitably had impurities. Yet this candy had none.
Any mood for leisurely enjoyment had vanished. Corbin slammed his wine glass down on the table, the liquid inside sloshing. He shot to his feet and, along with Vice President Duc, strode outside with a fiery intensity.
Seeing the aggressive way the two of them approached, Eric knew instantly that his item had caused a stir.
Max sensed it too. He shifted his feet slightly, silently shielding half of Eric’s body, the muscles on his shoulders tensing as his sharp gaze remained fixed on the two advancing men.
Corbin, however, put on an amiable smile, nodding at Max before turning to Eric:
"It tastes delicious. Did you make this candy yourself? How much do you want to trade with it?"
Eric hated dealing with cunning people like this the most. He adopted a firm stance:
"I traded for this previously. I want those barrels of spices. How many candies do you think is enough?"
A flicker of regret passed through Corbin’s eyes. He also thought it was impossible for a poor beastman to produce such pure sugar.
But the crude cut on the candy made him suspicious.
If it wasn’t made by a beastman, who would be so extravagant with such a precious type of sugar?
A plan quickly formed in the old merchant’s mind.
He just needed to bring this candy back, have it exquisitely cut and carved with a few patterns, and sell it to those flamboyant nobles. It would surely bring in a huge profit.
He calculated and said:
"If they’re of a similar size, ten pieces."
It was just a pity that he couldn’t trace the source of this sugar, nor could he press the matter, because the adult Snow Wolf’s gaze was like that of a tiger stalking its prey; that invisible pressure was almost overwhelming him.
Eric mentally counted the candies in the jar. Seeing that there would be quite a few left after buying the spices, he happily asked further:
"I’d like to trade for some cotton cloth as well."
Corbin raised an eyebrow, his interest piqued. A Snow Wolf wanted to trade for cotton cloth?
This was a first for him. Across this continent, beastmen almost exclusively used linen. The price difference between the two fabrics was enormous.
"No problem. Duc, go get the cotton cloth for our distinguished guest."
Duc quickly led some men to another wagon and flipped open the black tarpaulin. Eric glanced inside.
White cotton cloth made up the majority, with dyed fabric accounting for only about a third, and the colors were rather monotonous.
Duc took out a bolt of each type for him. Eric reached out to feel it. Although it was still rough compared to modern fabrics, the softness of the natural cotton fibers was far superior to the linen he was used to.
While the young man was engrossed in examining the fabric, Corbin was quietly observing him.
He had traveled this Illusory Dream Continent countless times, but this was the first time he had ever met a young beastman like this Snow Wolf boy. He didn’t have the usual intense wariness or cold attitude.
The way he looked at the goods wasn’t the craving of someone in need, but rather curiosity, and even a faint hint of disappointment. An old fox like Corbin, who was adept at reading people, couldn’t see through this young man.
"The white kind is one candy per bolt, the dyed kind is two," Corbin announced the price with a smile.
Eric, however, found the price very reasonable. To him, candy was easy to make, but cotton cloth was a rarity.
He decided to trade all his remaining candies for white cotton cloth; he could handle the dyeing himself.
After the transaction was complete, looking at the empty jar, he felt a pang of guilt, as if he had secretly spent his son’s lucky money.
Just then, the mercenaries began preparing dinner. A strange aroma filled the air, partly like milk, partly a distinct, strong, foul smell. Eric’s nose twitched.
His gaze fell on the source of the smell, where a mercenary was using a knife to cut a dark blue-green square block, eating it with dry bread.
Wasn’t that cheese? But then, a thought flashed through his mind. If there’s cheese... that means they have cow’s milk!
He had always wanted to develop animal husbandry, but since coming here, every creature he met was ferocious and terrifying.
The task of building sturdy enough pens had made him hesitate. But things were different now.
He could totally trade for dairy cows from the humans!
Eric suppressed the excitement rising in his chest and turned to Corbin with an expectant look:
"Can you trade live animals? For example... dairy cows?"
Corbin laughed at this strange request:
"To be honest with you, we’ve never brought dairy cows to this continent. The sea journey is very arduous, taking care of them is troublesome, and besides, they aren’t a popular item here."
Eric just shook his head silently after hearing this. Corbin’s reason sounded plausible, but he didn’t believe it.
In modern times, people could transport whole herds of pigs across the ocean; what were one or two dairy cows?
That tone, which wasn’t an outright refusal, was clearly paving the way for a different price. To put it bluntly, he just wanted to add a shipping fee.
As long as the price was reasonable, Eric was confident this wouldn’t be a problem.