Chapter 13: The Market for Durian Candy

In the light cluster, it appeared lonely and pitiful. Moreover, there was no opportunity to restock today, so he could only sell what he had.
Cola was the most popular item; it was the first to gain fame. Although there were many restrictions, it could only be used once, most customers were attracted to the shop for the purpose of leveling up, so cola still had a market.
Next were band-aids. As warriors fought against demonic beasts daily, injuries were inevitable. Perhaps just having a band-aid could save a life, so keeping one handy wasn’t a bad idea—even if it seemed temporarily useless, buying one was a must.
The hardest item to sell was undoubtedly the durian candy. Even chips had some wizards purchasing a bit, but the durian candy, with its foul smell, successfully repelled everyone, leaving it virtually unsold for days.
Gus decided he absolutely had to break into the durian candy market and help customers gradually adapt to its taste!
A light chime rang, signaling a new customer.
Within Vistara City, this grocery store was quite well-known. The most effective form of advertisement was the promotion of those around him. As more people began purchasing cola, even the skeptics started to waver.
Gus was one of them. A seasoned warrior who carved out a place for himself in the beast tide purely through sheer determination, he sneered at such rumors.
He would say that those who believed such claims were fools, trying to take shortcuts to ascend; it was utterly ridiculous.
But he watched helplessly as a friend, a rookie warrior, came back from the Abyss and directly ascended to a mid-level warrior.
Having successfully advanced to a high-level mage years earlier, Gus had given up hope for further ascension and focused on his family. Over the years, he had worried excessively about treating his ailments.
Due to his early choices to consume demonic beast meat to forcibly enhance his magic, his magic core had developed subtle cracks, sometimes causing feelings of rage that he couldn’t suppress, losing control of his temper.
This was a common occurrence among mages who consumed demonic beast meat, but its severity varied. While the beast’s body was rich with magic energy, the impurities were excessive; if not treated afterward, toxins would accumulate in the mind.
The potion that could cleanse the mind, the Magic Dissolution Balm, was simply too rare and expensive, and in little Vistara City, it was hard to come by. His toxins were worsening by the day.
If it weren’t for his wife hearing about this grocery store’s miraculous capabilities, pleading with him to go into the Abyss to find the Magic Dissolution Balm, he would never have come.
Remembering his kind wife and their lovely daughter, Gus ultimately couldn’t bear to let them down and chose to make the trip into the Abyss.
He fell into the abyss and took the elevator down to the grocery store.
As the elevator doors swung open wide, Gus immediately spotted the legendary demonic shopkeeper.
He casually tossed aside his staff and, showing great interest, asked Gus, “So you’re the shopkeeper? What good stuff do you have to show me?”
Just in time, Gus was preparing to push the durian candy market hard, and here it was.
He took a piece of durian candy from the light cluster, its colorful wrapper immediately filling the shop with an indescribable stench the moment it was unwrapped.
Gus’s face changed dramatically, stepping back several paces, almost wanting to flee immediately.
Gus skillfully held his nose and handed the candy to him, persuasively saying, “Don’t let the smell deter you; once you get used to it, it’s quite good. Don’t despise it—give it a try?”
Gus grimaced in disgust, clearly reluctant to come any closer.
However, since he had come all this way, it wouldn’t be good to go home empty-handed.
Thinking about the wife and daughter waiting at home, if he left like this, they would certainly worry.
Even faking a gift for them would suffice; he couldn’t go back empty-handed.
Gus gritted his teeth and said, “I’ll take it. How much?”
Without hesitation, Gus quickly shoved the candy into the man’s hand and stepped back, smiling as he said, “Six gold coins.”
Gus was taken aback, frowning, “Isn’t that too expensive? It’s just a piece of candy!”
Remembering his wife and daughter, he didn’t bother to argue further with this shifty dealer. He simply tossed down some gold coins and tossed the candy into his mouth.
The moment the candy hit his tongue, the foul stench intensified, filling his chest and lungs with the odor.
The taste was a hundred, if not a thousand, times worse than what he had just encountered, nearly making Gus gag.
Internally, he chanted, “Six gold coins, six gold coins,” forcing himself to hold back the urge to vomit. He couldn’t take it anymore and ground the candy between his teeth.
At that moment, he felt as if his entire body was infused with that stench, with his mouth plagued to the point of suffocation.
Indeed, he could not trust such a trickster; he didn’t even care about the money anymore but was preoccupied with how to address his wife’s inquiries upon returning home.
Just as he stepped out of the store, a refreshing feeling washed over his mind, like a gentle breeze stirring his mental sea.
His previously restless magic energy, akin to a volcano ready to erupt, was suddenly soothed.
The cracks in his magic core showed signs of healing. Though it was a negligible change, Gus keenly sensed it.
He was incredibly familiar with his magic core; over the years of careful maintenance had merely prevented the cracks from worsening, but healing it was unheard of.
Even that precious Magic Dissolution Balm probably couldn’t achieve it, right?
His mental energy suddenly quieted, no longer raging wildly or provoking his ire as it had done before.
Undoubtedly, these changes were brought about by that revolting piece of candy.
Gus abruptly turned around, unable to contain the delight within him, almost wanting to rush forward and hug the shopkeeper tightly, thanking him for saving his life.
As for what he just said about those who believed in this shop being fools?
Yes! That’s right; I was the fool.
In a store as magical as this, possessing items that could calm one’s mental energy and heal their magic core, how could it be anything but a miracle?