The rather leisurely saturday came to an end, and time reached the second-to-last day of Sunlight Month. After breakfast at home that morning, Shade considered that he still had to meet Witches in the afternoon and might not return at noon, so he asked Dorothy to look after the cat for him.
That morning, Shade made some gains in Moon Bay City's black market.
A major city like Moon Bay City naturally had more than one trading venue for Ring Arcanists. The black market introduced by Mr. Albert, the Bloodkin coroner, was likewise located in the Lower District by the Tatton River. Walking south along Herring Street, he entered Milly Alley at its intersection with Herring Street—the alley had been named in memory of a kind woman who had lived there a century ago and adopted dozens of orphans. After passing through the alley, at the complicated Five Intersection in the Lower District, he chose the uphill road and continued onward. Before long, he saw the utterly unremarkable "Honeycomb Duke Shop."
The Moon Bay Area had many hills, so the honey produced by bees raised by local beekeepers counted as one of the region's specialties. The "Honeycomb Duke Shop" specialized in selling honey. At a time when refined sugar was still an expensive and scarce commodity, the honey business was profitable even in the Lower District. Of course, honey was not only a premium condiment; it was also considered a fairly versatile medicinal ingredient.
Shade entered the shop, which was filled with a cloyingly sweet scent. He first spent the high price of half a pound to buy the most expensive jar of honey there, intending to take it home and share it with Little Mia. But after the jar had been sealed and tied with string, Shade said that