The Star Train's Journey Through the Heavens

Chapter 188 Himeko's Teachings: The Starry Sea is Also a Sea

The two soon arrived at Cocoa West Village.

Ah Jian, the police officer stationed in Cocoa West Village, spotted the two immediately.

The young men and women, unarmed and dressed in fine clothes, showed no trace of the ferocity of pirates.

Ah Jian felt relieved and asked as usual, "Outsiders, what brings you to Cocoyasi Village?"

On March 7th, I was immediately drawn to the windmill above Ah Jian's head, and my gaze involuntarily drifted towards it.

That seemed a bit impolite. March 7th withdrew his gaze.

Why is he wearing that thing on his head?

It's weird, take another look.

"We are adventurers who have been traveling around this island. We've heard that your oranges are very famous?" Meng Huaifeng said.

“That’s right, this is the best orange-producing area in the East China Sea. Would you like to buy some? They’re definitely much cheaper than what you can buy on other islands, and they’re fresher too,” A-Jian promoted.

"Buying some is fine too, but whose oranges are the best?" Meng Huaifeng asked.

Take another look.

“Girl, is it strange? This is used to amuse the children in the village.” A-Jian touched the little windmill on his head.

"No, no." Caught red-handed, March 7th shook his head awkwardly.

"There's a family on the far east side of the village whose oranges have just ripened. You can go take a look; I can guarantee that their oranges are absolutely top-quality," A-Jian introduced.

Although the oranges on this island are very good, there are many people growing them, and the number of merchant ships coming to buy them is limited.

Therefore, not all of the oranges produced can necessarily be sold.

Bellemere supports two children on her own through her orange grove, living in dire poverty. Ah Jian hopes to help her sell as many oranges as possible.

"Okay, thank you very much." Meng Huaifeng said his thanks and entered the village with San Yueqi.

Following the directions given by the police officer, the two arrived at an orange grove, in front of which was a small hut.

"Is anyone home?" March 7th knocked on the door and asked.

The door opened, and a woman with a somewhat rebellious, teenage-girl vibe stepped in.

"Who are you?" Bellemere asked, puzzled.

“We’d like to buy some oranges. Someone recommended your oranges, saying they’re quite good and just ripe,” Meng Huaifeng said.

"Oh, who introduced you? That's right, please come in." Bellemere warmly invited the two into the house; she was just worried about how to sell the oranges.

If the wait is too long, the quality of the oranges will decrease, and the price will drop significantly.

“A policeman at the village entrance with a small windmill on his head,” said March 7.

So it was him. A touch of emotion appeared in Bellemere's eyes.

Ah Jian is a good person; he always helps her in various ways. If only he were a little bolder.

"These were just picked this morning. Try them and see if you like them." Bellemere handed the two of them a few oranges and then squeezed two glasses of fresh orange juice.

A cute little blue-haired girl thoughtfully served the food to the two of them.

"Fresh orange juice without any additives! It smells so refreshing." March 7th took a sip of the juice and her eyes lit up: "Delicious!"

Meng Huaifeng popped a segment of orange into his mouth. It was juicy, sweet, and delicious with almost no sourness. He nodded in satisfaction.

"How is it?" Bellemere asked confidently.

"very nice."

"So, how much does the customer plan to purchase?"

“All of them,” Meng Huaifeng said.

The oranges did taste really good, so Meng Huaifeng didn't mind buying more, since they could be kept fresh in the train tickets anyway.

"All of them? Are you sure?" Bellemere asked, her eyes wide with disbelief.

One mu (approximately 0.16 acres) of land can be planted with about fifty to eighty orange trees, yielding two to three thousand jin (approximately 1,000 to 1,500 kilograms) of fruit.

Excluding a small portion of unripe oranges, the entire orange grove yields approximately 20,000 jin (10,000 kg).

If they were to sell them all, they would earn around one million Berries, enough to cover their family's expenses for almost a year.

Little Nuoqi also looked at Meng Huaifeng with shining eyes.

"Yes, as long as they're ripe, I'll take as many as you can get," Meng Huaifeng confirmed.

"Haha, a big client! I'll get someone to pick them right away. It'll probably take a... half a day. Is that alright?" Bellemere said excitedly.

Seemingly afraid that the two might change their minds if the wait was too long, Bellemere suggested a shorter time.

If all else fails, we can just ask more people for help.

“No problem,” Meng Huaifeng said.

After agreeing on the purchase price and leaving a deposit, Bellemere immediately went to the village to find people to pick the fruit.

Little Noki wanted to help, but Bellemere persuaded him to stay home and entertain the two of them.

"Is it just the two of you in your family?" Meng Huaifeng asked knowingly.

"And my sister Nami, she went to the library to read," Little Noki exclaimed.

"Are they the mother and daughter from that family?" March 7th asked in a low voice.

Meng Huaifeng nodded.

On March 7th, she inquired with great interest about the lives of Xiao Nuoqi and the others.

Perhaps due to March 7's harmless nature, Little Nokiko had no defenses or reservations and told everything she knew.

Bellemere was a former Marine who was severely wounded in a battle to hunt down pirates and was prepared to die.

Amidst the ruins, little Nojiko appeared before her, holding the infant Nami. The child's innocent smile ignited Bellemere's will to survive.

Then Bellemere adopted the women whose homes had been destroyed by pirates. Because she wanted to take care of them, she left the Navy and returned to her hometown.

Because of financial constraints, Bellemere would alter Nojiko's old clothes for Nami to wear, but she would do her best to ensure that her daughters did not suffer any losses.

When the orange business was slow, she would even use dieting as an excuse to skip meals and only eat oranges, but she never let her daughters go hungry.

The sensible Nojiko and the mischievous Nami actually knew all this, but there was nothing they could do.

……

Himeko happened to pass by the library and went inside.

Books from other worlds are very worth reading, especially those related to human geography.

Summary of the Kingdom of the East Sea

Special Races in the World

What are the customs of Maria Island?

"..."

Himeko's fingers traced across the books one by one, occasionally pulling out one that interested her and quickly flipping through it, finishing a book in just a few minutes.

"Hey~ Hey~ Hey~"

A ladder not far away was teetering on the edge of a wall. A little girl of seven or eight years old was struggling to maintain her balance on the ladder, trying to stabilize herself, but to no avail, and was about to fall to the ground.

Himeko slightly raised her head and appeared beside the ladder with lightning speed, catching the little girl.

"Little sister, be careful," Himeko said gently.

"Thank you, Auntie," the little girl said gratefully.

"Which book do you want? I'll get it for you," Himeko asked.

"That book, 'Naval Chart Surveying and Observation'," the little girl said, pointing to a book.

Himeko reached out and took the book, slightly surprised, and asked, "Can you understand it?"

Even in a world where education is widespread, it's rare for children this young to learn such complex knowledge. "I can understand some parts, and not others, but if I read a few other books and then read it again, I can understand a lot more," the little girl said proudly.

"Oh, what parts don't you understand?" Himeko handed the book to the little girl.

"Here...and here..." the little girl said, flipping through the book.

Himeko explained everything to the little girl one by one.

"Auntie, you're so amazing." The little girl looked at Himeko with admiration.

"You're amazing too, knowing so much about the ocean at such a young age. What's your name?" Himeko patted the little girl's head.

"My name is Nami, and what's yours, Auntie?"

"Himeko."

"Aunt Himeko, you know so much, you must be a very skilled navigator, right?" Nami asked.

“Navigator? You could say that, the Star Sea is also a sea,” Himeko said.

"Starry Sea?" Nami tilted her head.

“Look up at the sky, and you’ll see countless stars forming a sea of ​​stars. Each star is an island in this sea of ​​stars. The sea of ​​stars is far more magnificent and captivating than any ocean,” Himeko remarked.

"Can people go up to a sea made of stars?" Nami's eyes sparkled with curiosity.

"Of course," Himeko said decisively.

Nami had been learning on her own through books, without a teacher, and her doubts went far beyond this.

Next, Himeko acted as a teacher, answering Nami's questions.

The more Himeko taught her, the more she could sense Nami's talent for navigation.

As dusk approached, Bellemere, Nojiko, or Ken would usually have come to call her home by now. Strangely, no one came today, but it was time for her to go back anyway.

"Aunt Himeko, it's getting late, I have to go home," Nami said with some reluctance.

“Then, goodbye,” Himeko said.

"Will you come again tomorrow?" Nami looked at Himeko expectantly.

"I'm sorry, I'm leaving this island tomorrow," Himeko said.

Nami's eyes dimmed; heaven knows how difficult it is to find a skilled navigator who is also willing to teach her.

"These books are for you, Nami. You're very talented, keep up the good work," Himeko encouraged.

He took out several books about navigation from the train ticket, among which was a book about the starry sky.

After all, you need to use astronomy to determine direction when you're at sea.

"Thank you, Auntie." Nami was a little embarrassed, but her thirst for knowledge made her accept Himeko's gift.

Nami, clutching the books, glanced at Himeko one last time before leaving. In her heart, Himeko had become her teacher, and she would always remember her.

Himeko continued reading her book, seemingly unconcerned.

The librarian came over and said it was closing time. Himeko took out a 10,000-beli note and waved it. The librarian immediately beamed and brought Himeko an oil lamp.

……

Bellemere said it would take most of the day, and Meng Huaifeng and March 7 originally planned to wander around the village.

Who knew that after chatting with Nokigo for a while and just finishing exploring the village, someone came to inform them that the oranges had all been picked.

When Meng Huaifeng and Sanyueqi arrived at the orchard, they immediately spotted Xing, who was mixed in with the fruit farmers.

"Ah Xing, what are you doing here?" Meng Huaifeng asked curiously.

"I was chasing rabbits in the woods when I saw this orange grove, so I picked a few to taste, and then I got caught." Xing scratched his head, not embarrassed at all.

"And then?" March 7th asked curiously.

“Belmel didn’t make things difficult for me. She said if I wanted, I could help her pick oranges, and she would give me some oranges as payment afterward, so I helped her,” Xing said.

No wonder it's so fast, it turns out it's because of Ah Xing, that bastard.

“You know each other? I’m sorry, I don’t. I can ask for a smaller amount of money,” Bellemere said somewhat nervously.

"It's alright, just take whatever amount is due," Meng Huaifeng said nonchalantly.

"But you have to pay the reward you promised!" Xing said hurriedly.

“Of course, thank you. It’s 23,100 catties in total. 100 catties will be Miss Xing’s payment, and the remaining 1,150,000. Where is your ship docked? We’ll transport it to you,” Bellemere said.

This year is a bumper harvest year with a relatively large output, but a large output does not necessarily mean a high income. With more output, the number of merchant ships remains the same, which will only lead to a large number of oranges not being sold and rotting on the trees.

In order to sell their oranges, many fruit farmers will lower the price, which may result in many people earning less than in ordinary years.

The fact that they were all sold out immediately brought Bellemere a great sense of relief.

Ah Jian, how can I repay you? Bellemere revealed a lewd smile.

"No need." Meng Huaifeng scanned the oranges with his mind, and all the oranges were put into the train ticket.

The ordinary people on the remote island had never seen such an ability before, and their eyes bulged out as they stared in disbelief.

But faced with such a miraculous thing, they dared not ask too many questions.

Only Bellemere, a seasoned naval officer with extensive experience, raised an eyebrow slightly.

Devil Fruit?

"Hey? My hundred pounds! Huaifeng, you embezzled my reward! Give it back right now!" Xing grabbed Meng Huaifeng's shoulder and shook him.

"Think it through. I have over 20,000 jin (10,000 kg) of food, which I'm definitely going to share with everyone. If you're going back, I won't share with you," Meng Huaifeng said.

Xing's clever little brain quickly figured out the calculation.

Even if you include Abe, there are only thirteen people on the train. Each person weighs nearly two thousand kilograms, enough to feed them for several years.

Two thousand to one hundred...

"No need to return it, my share should be kept with you first." Xing was flexible and even helped Meng Huaifeng straighten his collar.

The fruit farmers dispersed, and Meng Huaifeng handed over 1.2 million Berries to Bellmere.

"Keep the change, consider the extra as clothes for the kids," Meng Huaifeng said generously.

“Thank you,” Bellemere said gratefully after a moment’s hesitation; she really needed the money.

Meng Huaifeng took out a Devil Fruit and tossed it in his hand.

This is the Horned Dragon Fruit. After Himeko finished studying it, she gave it to March Seven.

Hoshi was originally going to give the treasure chest containing the Devil Fruit to March 7 by hanging it on her fishing hook, so theoretically the Horned Dragon Fruit belongs to March 7.

However, on March 7th, he disliked the Horned Dragon Fruit because it was too ugly, and gave it to Meng Huaifeng instead.

"Here you go." Meng Huaifeng tossed the Horned Dragon Fruit to Bellemere.

"A Devil Fruit?" Bellemere, who had remained calm even after seeing Meng Huaifeng use what appeared to be a Devil Fruit ability to take away the orange, was now completely flustered. She hurriedly caught the Horned Dragon Fruit, looking on in disbelief.

“Yes, Dragon Fruit, Ancient Zoan, Horned Dragon Form,” Meng Huaifeng said.

“This…this…why…why give…to me?” Bellemere stammered.

Do you like yourself?
That's impossible. Aren't the two girls next to him countless times younger and prettier than him?
"There's no reason why, I'll just give it if I want to," Meng Huaifeng said.

reason?

No need, absolutely no need. They can do whatever they want.

“I’m sorry, this is too expensive, I can’t accept it,” Bellemere said through gritted teeth.

“Alright, then I’ll give you a reason. We can know the future. In the future, this place will be invaded by pirates, and you will die at their hands, leaving behind only two little girls. Oh dear, how pitiful,” Meng Huaifeng said.

Xing suddenly realized why Huai Feng wanted to give her the Devil Fruit. She coughed twice and said, "Madam, you don't want your two daughters to be helpless and bullied, do you?"

"Predicting the future? Really?" Bellemere's mind was in turmoil.

“You can pretend it’s fake, but if it really happens…” Meng Huaifeng’s meaning was already self-evident.

(End of this chapter)