Heir to the Kingdom of 1.4 billion people

Chapter 124 The First Day of the Tea Ban

The first day of the tea ban.

Twilight Merchant Guild.

Clang!
Ekus, who wanted to go out for some fresh air and buy a cup of Twilight Tea, was stopped by the guards at the entrance of the merchant guild, who were armed with swords.

"What are you doing?" Erkus asked, frowning slightly.

"By order of the Lord, merchant Ekus Clay is not permitted to leave the Twilight Merchant Guild during the period of the ban on Twilight Tea."

The guard replied expressionlessly.

"Am I, a free citizen of this kingdom, not even allowed to leave my home? This is a violation of the laws of the Kingdom of Sosia!" Ekus demanded angrily.

In the Kingdom of Sosia, there is a category of commoners called free people. Legally speaking, the lord has no right to try or kill free people; he can only expel them.

"I don't know what a free man is, I only know that in Dusk City everyone must obey the lord's will," the guard said coldly.

That's what the law says, but if everyone obeyed the law, Sosia wouldn't only have the southern region as its paradise.
Knowing that arguing was pointless, Ekus could only return dejectedly.

"If it were just to accept bribes, Countess Martha wouldn't have gone to such lengths. Perhaps she's suspected something?"

Ekus became uneasy.

Before he advances to the Crescent Moon rank, even if he launches a bewitching calamity, it will be difficult for it to affect the entire city.

"I must advance to the Crescent Moon realm as soon as possible, no matter the cost!" the merchant Clay thought through gritted teeth.

He will never encounter such a precious opportunity again in his life, because this is a perfect situation that can only be achieved with the right timing, location, and people.

The Southern Territory was in the eyes of too many people, which is why he was able to arrive.

Twilight City, a dilapidated house in a bustling neighborhood.

in the living room.

"Garbage! It's not even one percent as good as Dusk Tea!"

Harris, sipping the tasteless liquor, angrily smashed the terracotta bottle in his hand onto the floor.

After getting used to drinking evening tea, even the wine he once cherished as his life seemed as bland and tasteless as plain water.

Snapped!
The bottle made a crisp cracking sound the moment it hit the floor, scattering red clay shards and wine everywhere.

"Could you please keep your voice down? Elisa isn't feeling well right now."

Not long after, the bard Damien came out of his room into the living room. He skillfully cleaned up the broken pieces on the floor, looking tired.

The poet's life has been quite difficult lately. On the one hand, the low price of evening tea has severely impacted the liquor market, causing his salary at the tavern to drop significantly.

On the other hand, the tea that was originally stored with high hopes and intended to be sold after the price rose was completely consumed by Harris, the newly born tea addict, in just one week. Even his sister, Elisa, had taken a liking to the evening tea and would drink one or two cups a day.

Twilight Tea has only been banned for a day, and I've heard it's already being sold for ten copper sols a tea bag on the black market.

If those tea leaves were still there, one could make a small fortune.

Sigh. It seems like he's never had any good luck.

"Damn Martha, she's always causing trouble, fuck."

Upon hearing that his daughter had health problems, Harris muttered a curse and went back to his room, where he remained inside.

Without tea, he always felt something was off about his body, like a tickling sensation as if many ants were crawling on him.

bedroom.

The silver-haired girl lay weakly on the bed, her pretty face flushed with an unnatural redness, like rouge spreading on white porcelain.

Her nightgown was stuck to her body with sweat, and with each labored breath, fine beads of sweat appeared on her collarbone.

Damien reached out and touched the girl's forehead; the burning heat made his eyes redden with heartache.

"Brother..." Elisa called out in a faint, almost inaudible voice.

"I'm here, don't worry, you'll be alright," Damien said softly, holding his sister's hand tightly.

That's what he said, but he was actually filled with fear and unease.

The pharmacist who saw her said that Elisa had a severe high fever, and that three or four out of ten patients would die. The only way to lower the fever was with a medicine made from sage.

Perhaps this is the girl's last moment.

Thinking of this, the sensitive and melancholic poet's eyes became even more moist, and he could only suppress the overflowing tears by blinking repeatedly.

"Elisa, is there anything I, as your older brother, can do for you?"

"Brother, I feel really unwell. I really want to have another cup of evening tea!"

Elisa looked pained, feeling both hot and cold all over, her head spinning and heavy. She wished she had a cup of twilight tea to ease the pain. "Brother, I will definitely find you some twilight tea."

Damien lowered his head and gently kissed his sister's burning forehead, making a solemn promise.

This might be the last request his sister ever made to him; no matter how many months' salary it would cost, he was determined to buy her evening tea.

In a small wooden house on Sunset Street.

Anna curled up in a corner of the bed, her slender, pale back exposed to the air, bent into a fragile arc.

She hugged her knees tightly with both arms, her knuckles white from the excessive force, her nails digging into the flesh of her calves, leaving bloody scratches.

Her forehead was pressed against her knees, and her whole body was trembling uncontrollably, as if she were being invaded by an invisible cold wave.

I really want to drink tea.
She glanced instinctively at the bedside table, where half a cup of tea from yesterday was still sitting.

If I drink this now, I'll feel so good I'll be flying to heaven!
Gudong.

Anna subconsciously swallowed and licked her dry pink lips.

Her fingers unconsciously reached for the half-full cup of tea.

"Promise me you won't drink evening tea anymore. That's a request."

Just as she was about to touch the teacup, Lord Xinghuo's parting words flashed through her mind once again.

She still remembered the worry and sincerity in Lord Xinghuo's flawless, obsidian-like eyes when he said those words.

Ah! The man I love, admire, and revere is worried about me. How can I let him down?

Snapped!
The moment Anna touched the saucer, she forcefully slammed the teacup to the ground, splashing the rich, amber-colored tea everywhere.

"Phew, we can't let down Lord Starfire, Anna, you can't do this even if you die."

Suppressing the urge to lick the tea stains from the floor, the girl gritted her teeth and kept telling herself this.

Sunset.

The sky was dyed orange-red, and the gentle twilight spilled onto the ancient stone-paved streets, making the entire city look as beautiful as an oil painting.

Three vampires walked side by side down the street, carrying large and small bags of tea. Among them, the brother and sister Raphael and Ladis attracted the attention of many passers-by with their outstanding looks, but no one dared to approach them because of the tall, bald, burly man beside them.

"Erkus really knows how to enjoy life; he buys such expensive tea in one big bag."

The girl, carrying a heavy bag of Twilight Tea, pouted and said with a hint of dissatisfaction.

Because Ekus and his servants were confined to the Twilight Merchant Guild and forbidden from leaving, their identities remained unknown. Moreover, given their ability to scale walls and hide in the shadows, they naturally had a new mission.

Naturally, Ladis was quite unhappy about being forced to act as a porter.

“If it’s just for personal consumption, I wouldn’t need this much. Lord Simon also enjoys Twilight Tea, so he probably wants to bring some back as a gift for Lord Simon.”

Seeing his younger sister's sullen expression, Raphael thought for a moment and said...

Upon hearing that it was a gift for Simon, the girl, who had been angry, immediately calmed down, and even the expression on her pretty face became serious.

She seemed to have great respect for Earl Simon.

"Besides bringing gifts for Lord Simon, Lord Ekus probably also wants to stock up for future sales. After all, if our plan goes smoothly, the disaster in Twilight City will definitely affect the production of Twilight Tea."

The bald, muscular man, Lorne, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke up.

Although he didn't say everything, the vampire siblings instantly understood the meaning behind his words.

It's nothing more than taking advantage of the high price to sell tea and make a fortune. After all, the entire Western Continent knows that the Clay people are born merchants.

"Freshly baked wheat cakes, one copper coin each, the best snack in Dusk City!"

Just then, the aroma of wheat cakes wafting from a nearby stall, with their golden-brown surface and crispy edges, caught Ladis's attention.

"elder brother."

She tugged at Raphael's sleeve and tried to open her beautiful, crimson eyes wide.

"Okay, okay, I'll buy it for you," Raphael said helplessly.

"Don't open your eyes so wide next time, it looks silly." He poked his sister's forehead and said irritably.

"Hmph, back in the slave capital, I used this to make several noble young masters fall for me, and they wrote me love letters every day." Ladis snorted in dissatisfaction.

"Those people only lust after your body; how could they love you like I do?"

Raphael sighed softly and walked toward the stall in front of him.

(End of this chapter)