Chapter 18: Exclusive Agreement

“Chi Sui, don’t buy any more. If you keep buying, you won’t make it to the competition on time.”

“Friend, even if I buy more, I’m afraid I won’t be able to win.”

“Ah? Alright then...”

Chi Sui reluctantly withdrew her hand from the red fruit cake—the first dessert she had ever seen on Sky Island.

Fengling Town, unlike Fufeng Town, was a place with professional ranchers and a long history. It boasted a variety of shops—tailors, jewelers, weapon stores, inns, all there. When it came to food, there were several restaurants, and perhaps because of the festival, even snack stalls lined the streets.

What struck her most, however, were the flowers—vast flowerbeds enveloping the entire town: tulips, roses, and wild roses. Compared to Fufeng Town, the variety was far richer, though the colors were mostly shades of pink.

Not only butterflies flitted among the flowers, but bees were everywhere. The residents clearly lived in harmony with the bees, showing no alarm even when a bee flew right before their eyes; no one waved them away. The diligent bees, busily gathering nectar, showed no hint of aggression and sometimes even rested atop residents’ heads.

It was a perfect picture of man coexisting peacefully with nature.

At first, Chi Sui was a little scared of being stung, dodging here and there, but seeing no danger, she relaxed and began to enjoy shopping.

Clothes—buy!

Short sleeves, summer was coming; she needed several.

Shoes—buy!

Summer was near; rain boots, sandals, she wanted them all!

Wait, they even sold animal stethoscopes here?

Buy... five gold coins? Too expensive, she couldn’t afford it.

If not for the lack of money, Chi Sui would have loved to stay in a Fengling Town inn for a couple of days.

It was only when Momo and Mr. Shi spoke up that she reluctantly stopped.

Mr. Shi hung the bag he was carrying on himself and, seeing his front limbs finally free, sighed in relief. If she kept buying, he wasn’t sure if he’d even be able to fly back.

“Mr. Shi, is the difference between Fengling Town and Fufeng Town really that big just because Fufeng has no professional ranchers?” Chi Sui couldn’t help but ask after witnessing Fengling’s prosperity.

“It’s true that Fufeng Town was once much more prosperous. But without ranchers, people couldn’t stay,” came a voice—not from Mr. Shi, but from Mayor Aila, who suddenly appeared from the side.

Startled by her sudden appearance, Chi Sui had been quietly asking questions behind their backs—now she was confronted head-on.

Ignoring Chi Sui’s shock, Mayor Aila grabbed her arm and pushed her into the crowd.

“Forget all that, hurry up. The competition is about to start, the reporters have arrived. Come with me!”

“Okay.”

Feeling the mayor’s urgency, Chi Sui dared not say much and followed her.

As they walked, she listened to Mr. Shi’s explanation in her mind.

“Friend, before your grandfather arrived, Fufeng was just a village with no real foundation. After Chi Yu made a name for himself in the Windward Territory, tourists started coming, merchants opened shops, and the village gradually became a town.”

“For a while, Fufeng Town experienced a brief prosperity, centered entirely on Chi Yu’s ranch. But when he left due to illness, it was like pulling the unstable root out—the prosperity vanished like foam. Tailors and jewelers closed shop, no ingredients were supplied, travelers stopped coming, restaurants left, followed by inns and trade guilds. In the end... only those old-timers who couldn’t leave their homeland remained.”

“Chi Sui, I hope you can help them. If things continue like this, even the original Fufeng Village might disappear. That’s the last thing Chi Yu would want.”

Listening silently to the voice in her mind, the brief words painted the history of a town’s rise and fall—a process all too swift.

No wonder Mayor Aila always seemed anxious, carrying a hope that unsettled Chi Sui. Without witnessing it, there is no expectation, but having seen it, the unwillingness to let go grows stronger.

Pushing through the dense crowd, Chi Sui finally caught sight of the venue.

A massive banner read: “Summer Festival – Culinary Duel.” Nearby a smaller banner, highlighted in bright colors, declared: “This competition is jointly hosted by Fengling Town and Fengling Ranch.”

What excellent advertising.

“Is the Fufeng Town rancher Chi Sui here?”

“Here, here!”

Hearing her name, Chi Sui hadn’t quite reacted before Mayor Aila raised her hand in response.

The staff member who had called out sighed with relief and jogged over.

“You’re finally here. Rancher Chi, come with me backstage. The registration deadline is soon.”

“O-okay.”

“Did you bring your ranch’s produce? The competition requires all ingredients to be from your own ranch. There will be inspectors before you enter backstage.”

“I did.”

Being hurried along again, Chi Sui was relieved she hadn’t eaten that cake earlier.

Soon, she met the inspection officer backstage.

Chi Sui: “...You have quite a few side jobs, don’t you?”

Hector laughed, eyes crinkled in mirth: “No choice. The big merchants nearby are the judges, so only someone like me, who travels to every town to deliver goods, can serve as inspector.”

“Impressive. Is this job profitable?”

“Inspectors only work during competitions, so no, it doesn’t pay much.” Hector cleared his throat and continued, “Rancher Chi, what’s your main ingredient this time? Show it for inspection.”

Chi Sui nodded and took out the cleaned main ingredient from her bag.

“Peaceful Ranch already produces crops?” Hector was surprised by the ingredient.

“Of course. Look forward to it; our ranch will offer more specialty dishes in the future.”

“Haha, I’m definitely looking forward to it. After all, Rancher Chi was able to sell two-star dishes right from the start. Maybe after this competition, I’ll have to queue up just to visit your ranch.”

Chi Sui smiled the perfect merchant’s smile and said, “Not at all. Hector, you’re the first customer of the ranch, and you have too much confidence in me.”

But Hector’s expression turned serious: “Don’t underestimate yourself, Rancher Chi. Being able to make two-star dishes with ordinary ingredients already surpasses most ranchers. I believe that with high-quality ingredients, you can make three-star dishes.”

“This competition only has two other professional ranchers besides you: Rancher Maeve from Windpipe Town and Rancher Malik from Warmwind Town.”

“Windpipe Town is known for its textile industry. Rancher Maeve excels at raising sheep. The magical creature she contracts, the Flash Golden Sheep, produces golden wool famous throughout the Windward Territory. Her ranch’s annual revenue equals the combined total of the three ranches around her.”

“But in cooking, she specializes in soups. It’s surprising she’s competing in the dessert category this time.”

“Warmwind Town has a geographical advantage and developed transportation. The ranchers there are skilled at breeding horses and run the largest horse ranch in the Windward Territory. I usually buy the horses for my delivery carts there.”

“Rancher Malik, the competitor from Warmwind, is a newcomer from the past two years and not yet well-known. So, Rancher Chi, in my mind, you are the favorite to win.”

Hearing Hector share so much information and place such faith in her, Chi Sui felt a touch of emotion. Just as she was about to thank him—

Hector pulled out a prepared contract from somewhere and thoughtfully picked up a pen from the registration table, smiling sincerely:

“So, Rancher Chi, how about signing this exclusive supply agreement for desserts first?”