Chapter 218: A Market Worth Exploring

The following morning, Lily arrived at breakfast with the Golden Coast Leisure Guide already open.

"Today, we’re winning the sunpear pastry challenge."

Reinhard glanced at her. "Is there a prize worth winning?"

"Victory!"

"An invaluable commodity."

"The guide says the winner gets a Golden Coast Market Token," Lily explained. "It unlocks special experiences and priority registration for selected beach activities tomorrow."

That earned Reinhard’s attention. "Now we’re talking."

Emily laughed. "You went from questioning the reward to supporting the challenge in three seconds."

"I believe in recognizing a worthwhile investment."

Maki closed her guide. "I also want to visit the craft stalls and examine some enchanted objects."

Emily glanced at her. "Do you have a schedule?"

"No. I’ve decided to leave room for unexpected discoveries."

"I’m proud of you."

"Please don’t congratulate me as if I’ve recovered from an illness."

Lily pushed her chair back. "Can we go now? The pastries won’t eat themselves!"

Reinhard stood. "A tragic possibility. We’d better hurry."

...

The market stretched across several lively streets near the coast. Colorful awnings shaded stalls filled with handmade jewelry, enchanted glass, unusual clothing, magical trinkets, and freshly prepared food.

The shoppers were almost as entertaining as the merchandise.

A woman in an enormous feathered hat was negotiating a shopping allowance for her pet familiar. A muscular Awakener in formal robes carefully inspected decorative spoons. At another stall, a wealthy old man was arguing over the price of his thirty-first souvenir.

"But I’ve already purchased thirty!"

"And I’ve given you the bulk discount," the merchant replied. "At this point, I recommend finding another hobby."

Lily nudged Reinhard. "You could learn from that man."

"I would never buy thirty spoons."

"Because you’d buy a hundred and negotiate a better price."

"I dislike how well you understand me."

The Ashcrofts attracted a few glances as they moved through the market, but nobody interrupted them. Solmara was accustomed to famous Awakeners visiting its streets.

Maki stopped at a stall displaying enchanted glass ornaments. One palm-sized piece contained shifting blue lines that responded to nearby Mana.

"How far can it detect a Mana source?" she asked. "And does the pattern indicate direction or intensity?"

The merchant brightened. "Both, within a limited range. Most people only ask how it looks."

He hid the ornament beneath a cloth and moved it around the counter. Maki correctly identified its position by watching the changing patterns.

"Useful for locating hidden Mana sources," she concluded.

Lily peered at it. "Can it find treasure?"

"It detects Mana, not wealth."

"Then Reinhard doesn’t need one. He already knows where all the expensive things are."

While Reinhard defended his reputation, Lily wandered to a neighboring stall and discovered a furious-looking sea monster mask. She immediately put it on.

The merchant’s display of tiny mechanical birds reacted to the sudden Mana fluctuation around her mask. Every bird began chirping at once.

Lily froze, then leaned closer.

The birds chirped even louder.

"Wonderful!"

"Please stop testing them!" Maki called.

"I’m not testing anything!"

As Maki hurried to adjust the birds’ sensitivity, Reinhard quietly purchased one.

"Why did you buy that?" Emily asked as they moved on.

"I thought it would make you smile."

Emily approached the little bird. Its wings fluttered, and she smiled in return.

"Then your investment has paid off."

Nearby, Yuna found a handmade charm decorated with a curling wave. The merchant explained that it represented safe journeys and returning home.

She bought it for herself, pleased with the choice. Emily noticed but didn’t interrupt.

...

At a jewelry stall, Reinhard helped Emily inspect several coastal ornaments made from colored glass.

The young merchant recognized him and grew noticeably flustered as she explained how the glass reflected sunlight. Another customer blushed when Reinhard smiled in her direction.

Emily noticed and hooked her arm through his.

Reinhard looked down at her. "What’s wrong?"

"Nothing."

"That’s a suspicious nothing."

Emily turned away.

He leaned closer, gently brushing his cheek against hers.

"Don’t worry. Your husband gets very jealous that other men can see his stunning wife."

Emily stared at him, then shoved his shoulder lightly.

"That’s not what I meant!"

"Then I must have misunderstood."

"Reinhard!"

He laughed and kissed her cheek. She tried to maintain her pout, but the corners of her mouth betrayed her.

Reinhard selected the ornament Emily liked and paid the stated price without bargaining.

She raised an eyebrow. "No negotiation?"

"It’s fairly priced, and you like it. What is there to negotiate?"

Emily slipped her hand into his.

"Good answer."

He glanced at their joined hands. "Does that mean I’ve earned a reward?"

"You may continue holding my hand."

"How generous."

...

The pastry challenge had attracted a small crowd by the time the family arrived.

Golden pastries rested beneath a glass cover, their crisp shells filled with warm fruit and fragrant spices. A board displayed the rules.

Six pastries. Six guesses. Three minutes.

Each correct answer earned one point. The final pastry contained a regional filling worth two points, and identifying all six fillings earned a bonus stamp. The highest score would win the Golden Coast Market Token.

Lily rolled up her sleeves. "Six pastries, six victories."

"Those are different things," Maki pointed out.

"Not today."

Emily, Yuna, and Reinhard joined them. The vendor started the timer.

The first pastry was easy. Lily recognized sunpear immediately and raised her fist in triumph.

"One point!"

The second contained apple and coastal honey. Lily identified both, while Emily correctly named a mixture of sunpear and cream. Yuna recognized the mild spice in her pastry, and Maki carefully analyzed the texture of hers.

The challenge was going well.

Then the fourth pastry arrived.

Its sweetness was familiar, but a faint herbal flavor lingered beneath the fruit.

Lily frowned. "Sunpear and honey?"

"There’s no honey," Maki said. "The sweetness comes from the fruit."

"Then why does it taste like honey?"

"Several ingredients can produce similar flavors."

"That’s a terrible design for a pastry."

The timer continued ticking.

Emily took another bite. "Sunpear, cream, and toasted coconut."

The vendor checked her card. Correct.

Reinhard gave her an approving look. "Impressive."

"Don’t sound so surprised."

"I was admiring your talent."

"You were surprised."

"I can admire several things at once."

Emily’s cheeks warmed, and she returned to the challenge.

By the fifth pastry, Maki narrowed her answer to two possible seasonings but chose the wrong one. Lily correctly identified her filling, putting herself back in contention.

Then the final platter arrived.

"This contains a traditional Solmaran filling," the vendor explained. "Its ingredients aren’t listed on the menu."

Yuna tasted hers. "Smoked sunpear, sea salt, and emberleaf."

The vendor’s eyebrows rose. "Correct. The emberleaf grows farther south. Most visitors mistake it for ordinary coastal thyme."

Yuna smiled at her two points.

Lily tasted her pastry twice. "Sunpear, honey, and... something green."

"That’s not an answer," Maki said.

"It’s an honest answer!"

The timer sounded.

The vendor collected the cards and announced the results.

"Maki, four points. Lily, four points. Yuna, five points. Reinhard, five points. Emily, six points."

Lily’s shoulders slumped. "I lost by one point!"

"You identified four fillings correctly," Emily said. "That’s a good result."

"I also spent too long arguing about one of them."

"Then next time, argue less."

Lily looked offended. "You make it sound so easy."

Emily accepted the golden token from the vendor. "Perhaps we should have another competition tomorrow."

"Deal!"

Reinhard leaned toward his wife. "A perfect score. Should I be concerned about my competition?"

"Only if you plan to challenge me again."

"I’ll have to train my palate."

"You can start by not ordering every dish on the menu."

The vendor presented Emily with the Golden Coast Market Token. Its surface shimmered, and a golden emblem appeared on the family’s Grand Passports.

MARKET ACHIEVEMENT RECORDED

Reward: Golden Coast Market Token

Unlocked: Priority Registration for One Featured Public Beach Activity

Additional Benefit: Access to Selected Market Experiences

A new registration window appeared in their guide. The token gave them first choice among selected beach activities before the remaining places opened to the public.

"The reward doesn’t promote our passports," Maki observed. "But it gives us an advantage for tomorrow."

"Now that’s a worthwhile reward," Reinhard said.

Lily pointed at him. "You doubted my victory!"

"You were the one who lost."

"That’s irrelevant!"

Yuna laughed, and even Maki couldn’t keep a straight face.

...

For lunch, the family chose a local restaurant with open windows overlooking the market streets. Its menu featured regional seafood, fruit, and coastal herbs.

Reinhard began selecting several dishes, but Emily stopped him.

"Everyone chooses for themselves first."

"I was going to order for everyone."

"That’s precisely what I’m worried about."

He surrendered the menu.

Yuna recommended a regional seafood specialty she’d noticed at a stall. The dish arrived with fragrant herbs and a lightly sweet sauce, and everyone agreed it was worth trying.

Maki asked the server one question about the sauce before returning to her meal. Lily tried to argue that completing the pastry challenge entitled her to dessert before the main course.

It did not.

When the meal ended, their Grand Passports recorded the regional dining experience. Reinhard checked his entry, closed the passport, and returned to the conversation.

This time, he didn’t need to remind himself to enjoy the day.

...

That evening, the family gathered at Celestial Shore with their purchases.

Lily put on the sea monster mask and approached the mechanical bird. It chirped furiously.

She burst out laughing.

Maki adjusted its sensitivity. "You are never allowed to touch this thing again."

"Then why does it react to me so well?"

"That’s exactly the problem!"

Yuna placed her coastal charm beside her belongings.

Emily then approached Reinhard with a handmade glass ornament. Its surface reflected gold and blue when the light caught it.

"I thought you’d like this."

He recognized the colors from the Tideglass formations they had explored the previous day.

"You bought this for me?"

"You spent so long looking at those colors together. I thought you’d like something to remind you of them."

Reinhard drew her close and kissed her forehead.

"I do."

It wasn’t an expensive gift, but Emily had chosen it because she’d paid attention to what he enjoyed. He treasured that more than another costly purchase.

Maki opened the leisure guide to review the next day’s beach program.

"There’s enchanted surfing, beach volleyball, floating obstacle courses, coastal relay races, and a public sandcastle competition. There are also paddle excursions and demonstrations where visitors can try harmless versions of Awakener techniques."

Lily crowded beside her. "I want the obstacle course, the relay race, and the sandcastle competition!"

"You can’t participate in everything at once," Maki said.

"Then we’ll have to be faster."

Yuna laughed. "That’s not how registration works."

Emily leaned against Reinhard while Maki scrolled through the options. Their market token had secured priority registration for one featured activity, but they could still join other events if places remained available.

Reinhard studied the choices, initially looking for activities that offered the best passport recognition.

Then he noticed another section.

The resort was hosting a summer showcase, inviting visitors to wear local clothing and swimwear for photographs along the coast.

He stopped scrolling.

Then he scrolled back.

Emily noticed. "What are you looking at?"

"Nothing important."

She leaned over his shoulder and read the entry. Her lips curled into a knowing smile.

"You want to see me in a swimsuit."

Reinhard considered denying it, but there was little point.

"I believe that would be an excellent use of our vacation."

"An excellent use?"

"Potentially the highlight."

Emily burst out laughing and lightly struck his arm.

"You could at least pretend to be subtle!"

"Why would I hide my appreciation for my wife?"

Her cheeks warmed. "And what if I choose something you don’t expect?"

Reinhard closed the guide with exaggerated seriousness.

"Then I shall approach tomorrow with an open mind."

"You’re hopeless."

"Yet you married me."

"Unfortunately."

She kissed his cheek before returning to the others.

Reinhard watched her go with a satisfied smile.

Across the room, Lily was already planning how to win three competitions, Maki was comparing registration times, and Yuna was trying to convince Lily that the beach didn’t need a tournament for every activity.

Emily glanced back at Reinhard. "You’d better remember that we’re going to enjoy the beach, not spend the entire day staring at the guide."

"Of course."

"And not just staring at me, either."

Reinhard paused.

Emily’s smile widened. "I knew it."

"I was going to say that I’ll try to divide my attention fairly."

"Between the activities and me?"

"Between you and the activities."

She laughed and walked away.

Reinhard reopened the guide and selected their priority registration.

Tomorrow offered competitions, new experiences, and opportunities to advance their Grand Passports. But as he reviewed the beach program, one thought kept returning.

He could optimize their schedule, secure the best places, and choose the most rewarding activities. Yet none of those decisions would matter nearly as much as seeing Emily enjoy herself on the beach.

And he was already looking forward to it.