The bustling Grand Market Square of the Dragon Kingdom's capital swallowed them whole the moment they arrived. Merchants shouted prices, colorful stalls overflowed with goods from every corner of the realm, and the air smelled of spices, fresh bread, and sizzling street meat. Luo Feng, Miya, Kael, and Lin Wang found a clear spot near the edge of the square, unhitched the oxen, and began unloading the cart—sacks of golden maize, beans, roots, and the heavy purple clusters of grapes arranged neatly on clean mats. The barrels of grape wine they left wrapped and standing upright at the back.
Before they could even call out their first price, a small girl—no more than seven years old, dressed in a fine silk dress with golden embroidery—skipped past. Her eyes locked onto the grapes. Without a word she snatched a fat purple cluster, bit into it, and her face lit up like the sun itself.
"It's too good!" she squealed, juice running down her chin. "Give me all of them! I'm a noble daughter—I don't need to pay!"
Miya's eyes widened in shock. Kael stepped forward protectively. Luo Feng opened his mouth to speak gently, but before he could say a single word, a tall, richly dressed nobleman hurried over, flanked by two armored guards. The man's face flushed with embarrassment as he saw his daughter chewing happily.
"Lily!" he scolded softly, then turned to the four travelers and bowed deeply. "I am truly sorry. My daughter is still learning manners. Please forgive her rudeness." He looked over the piles of fresh produce, eyes widening with genuine surprise. "Everything looks so fresh… and these grapes are unlike anything I've seen in the capital markets. Will you sell it all to me? The entire harvest—maize, beans, roots, grapes—everything on your cart?"
Luo Feng bowed respectfully, his calm farmer's smile never faltering. "Yes, my lord. We would be honored."
The nobleman didn't haggle. He simply snapped his fingers. One of his guards produced a heavy leather pouch and counted out a fortune in gold coins—more than the entire village of Eden had seen in a lifetime. The guards quickly began carrying the sacks and grape clusters away toward a waiting carriage, the little girl still happily munching another bunch.
As the last sack left the cart, the nobleman's gaze fell on the four large barrels still standing at the back. "And what is inside those barrels?"
Luo Feng answered simply, "It is wine made from these same grapes, my lord. We prepared it ourselves in our village."
The nobleman's eyebrows rose. "Wine? Let me taste a sample."
Luo Feng carefully opened one barrel and poured a small cup of the deep purple liquid. The nobleman sipped, then drank again, eyes closing in pure pleasure. "This… this is exceptional. Smooth, rich, with a sweetness that lingers like sunlight. I will buy all of it."
Luo Feng nodded. "You may drink all you wish, my lord. The rest you can keep sealed. The longer it remains inside the barrel, the better it will taste—richer, deeper, more valuable with every passing year."
The nobleman laughed with delight. "A wine that improves with age? Then I must have every drop!" He signaled again. Another, even heavier pouch of gold changed hands—enough to buy new tools, clothes, medicine, and livestock for every family in Eden Village ten times over.
The guards loaded the barrels onto the carriage with careful hands. The nobleman bowed once more to Luo Feng. "You have done me a great service today, young traveler. If you ever need anything in the capital, ask for Duke Harlan. Your village's name will be remembered."
As the carriage rolled away, Luo Feng stood beside the now-empty cart, Miya's hand slipping quietly into his. Kael and Lin Wang stared at the two heavy pouches of gold, mouths open in disbelief.
Miya whispered, voice full of wonder and love, "You did it, Luo Feng… You really did it."
Luo Feng looked down at her, his young, handsome face calm and warm. The capital buzzed around them, but in that moment it felt as if the whole world had grown quiet—just the two of them, the girl he loved, and the quiet knowledge that Eden Village would never go hungry again.
The trading had only just begun, yet already their simple cart from a forgotten border village had changed everything