"What is the Carefree Assembly? A trading convention? How can I attend?"
Chen Lin had heard yet another unfamiliar term.
Ever since entering Gourmet Island, he had felt painfully ignorant, truly like a frog at the bottom of a well.
The elderly shopkeeper nodded. "Indeed, it's a trading convention, but a very high-end one. To attend, you need someone to bring you along, or an invitation letter. I used to attend because a senior took me there. Now that senior has passed away, so I no longer qualify."
Chen Lin frowned at this.
These invitation-only trading conventions were the most irritating kind. Even if you had money, you had nowhere to spend it. Yet the truly good things often appeared at precisely such gatherings.
"From what you're saying, the Carefree Assembly doesn't have a fixed venue?"
The elderly shopkeeper nodded again. "Correct. Not only is the venue unfixed, the timing is uncertain as well. For insignificant people like us, getting in is harder than climbing to heaven. You shouldn't entertain such fantasies, Boss Chen."
Then he glanced at Chen Lin and said, "After talking for so long, my mouth and throat are parched. Do you have any Drunken God Brew left, Boss Chen? Could you bring out some to wet my throat?"
"Of course!"
Chen Lin readily agreed, took out a pot of Drunken God Brew, and personally filled a cup for him.
Giving the man a pot of wine on this island cost him a fair amount, but the information he had provided made it worthwhile.
Besides, he wanted to befriend the man. This person was mysterious and knowledgeable; forming a connection with him could only help.
"Excellent wine!"
The elderly shopkeeper drained his cup and exclaimed in admiration.
Then he filled his cup again and looked at Chen