The sea breeze lingered, and a beautiful seascape filled the eyes. As seagulls cried and skimmed across the water before spreading their wings into flight, the distant island by the sea entered a new day.
Early morning, mist churned.
The island's farmers rose early, shouldering hoes and driving oxen and horses as they worked among the fields. Although Earth had begun to enter the technological age, most places had yet to be touched by technology and remained in a very primitive farming era, where labor still basically depended on physical strength.
By a babbling stream, a frail figure with a backpack crouched at the water's edge, carefully washing her little candy jar.
April had been wandering around this island for over a month. After so long on the road, her once-clean clothes were covered in patches of dirt, with some places even torn open.
"Grrr~" The sound from her stomach showed just how hungry she was. Rubbing her belly, April pouted miserably. Still young, ignorant, and weak, she had no ability to find food and could only survive on the charity of the island's residents.
She clutched the little candy jar in her arms tightly. There was nothing inside; she had eaten the last piece of candy a few days ago.
"Dad, Mom, Cypriel..." April called out helplessly, tears welling in her eyes. Then she opened her backpack and carefully put the candy jar away. Seeing smoke rising in the distance, she pursed her lips and ran toward the village.
Knock, knock, knock!
A farming household heard the knocking. An old woman opened the door and found a timid little girl standing before her.
"Grandma, I'm so hungry. Could you give me something to eat?" April's face flushed as she shyly fiddled with the hem of her clothes.
At the sight of the exquisitely cute little girl in such ragged clothing, as though she had suffered some calamity, the old woman immediately felt pity. She led April inside and served her a simple meal. Food in the countryside was quite rough and could not compare to the city's, but April was starving. She wolfed it down, pounding her chest hard whenever she choked.
"What a pitiful child. How did you end up alone? Where are your parents?" the old woman asked as she watched April's miserable state.
"A lot of bad people were chasing them. They... disappeared..." April said between mouthfuls. When she reached the painful part, she could not help bursting into tears.
"Ah..." The old woman sighed. From the little girl's words, she could tell that her parents might already be gone. That was simply how the world was. Although the United Kingdom had been established for more than a century, many places still had rebel forces.
"Grandma, do you have any candy here? I want candy..." April lowered her head, her little face burning red. Yet at the thought of candy's sweetness, she seemed to recall the warmth of being with her family. She remembered that after finishing her candy a few days ago, she had seen her father and mother in her dreams.
The old woman paused, then said, "This is the countryside, not the city where candy is sold. But we do have honey. Why don't you try some?"
"Thank you." April thanked her politely.
The old woman smiled and thoughtfully brought out a jar of honey from the little house. It was all wild honey, highly nutritious.
"Here, give it a try."
"Wow, it's so sweet!" April dipped a drop into her mouth, and her eyes lit up.
"If you like it, you can have all of it."
"Really?" April was overjoyed. She took out her little candy jar from her backpack and carefully poured the honey into it, then screwed the lid on. "Thank you, Grandma!" she thanked her very politely.
"Mm-hm." Seeing how well-behaved the little girl was, the old woman could not help wanting to adopt her. But April shook her head. She did not want to stay on this island.
"Oh, what an adorable little thing."
Watching April bow to her before leaving, the old woman sighed emotionally.
Meanwhile, after filling her stomach, the ignorant April crept toward the harbor. Hearing the cries of vendors near the port, she blinked her eyes and slipped onto a merchant ship with her head lowered.
Elsewhere, after Mu Yang had seized all the gold, silver, and treasures from that band of robbers, he flew all the way to a nearby city. He casually found an exchange there and converted part of the treasure into common currency.
"Sir, you brought a total of 0.2 tons of gold and 120 pieces of jewelry. They are worth a total of 110 million Earth Currency. Would you like cash or a savings card?" After finishing the calculation, the exchange owner wiped his sweat and reported the price in a trembling voice.
Mu Yang smiled faintly. He had not expected that a little of the gold and silver treasure he casually took out could be exchanged for so much money. It showed just how many people that band of robbers had plundered.
"Exchange 2 million Earth Currency for me. Put the rest on the card."
"Yes, yes, yes, we'll handle it immediately." The owner agreed repeatedly, wiping away sweat as he had the staff bring out 2 million in cash from the vault. He had to serve such a major client well.
Mu Yang smiled as he accepted the savings card and an iron box filled with cash, then waved his hand. Earth Currency was issued by the United Kingdom and was accepted worldwide. Its purchasing power was about the same as the RMB from his previous life. With this money, he would no longer need to worry about finances.
Sure enough, the most profitable businesses were all written into the criminal code.
After leaving the exchange, Mu Yang gave it some thought and headed to the seafood market, intending to buy several hundred tons of sea fish to settle his debt with Korin. After all, he had taken more than ten thousand Senzu Beans from Korin. He had to show some appreciation.
With a generous toss of a stack of banknotes, the fishmongers immediately enthusiastically gathered 180 tons of seafood for him. This purchase nearly cleared out all the fresh goods in the market. They packed everything into large baskets and helped transport it to a secluded alley. There, Mu Yang opened Acceleration Space and loaded all the sea fish inside.
"Korin should be satisfied this time. Sigh, trading these sea fish for more than ten thousand Senzu Beans is simply a huge profit."
That was the advantage of information asymmetry. If it were the era after the story began, when Son Goku and the others all knew the importance of Senzu Beans, then even if Mu Yang spent a fortune, he would not be able to get a single one.
Humming a tune in high spirits, Mu Yang went back to the market to buy a stove and some fuel. Then he rose into the air and shot toward Karin Tower once more.
Before you continue