"" Li couldn't answer the question for a while. Obviously this answer was too shocking for her.
"Then why don't you prepare an umbrella for me?" Xia Fan protested.
"You are a man. Holding an umbrella will lower your demeanor." Olina suppressed the rising corners of her mouth and replied in a serious manner, "Isn't there a saying in Qi State that when you are in the country, do as the Romans do? You can wear a high felt hat and A cloak to prevent accidents, but I am not prepared for this kind of clothing."
Suddenly an umbrella came over.
Li stretched out his hand and raised the handle of the umbrella to cover Xia Fan, "Why don't we share one?"
"This" Olina was speechless for a moment. Before she could think of how to dissuade her, Xia Fan had already taken the umbrella from the fox demon's hand openly.
No gentleman would do such a thing!
This umbrella is only about the size of one person. If two people share it, wouldn’t it mean that no one can cover it
He is indeed a person with no grace!
Olina cursed endlessly, but Li's expression showed no reluctance, and she was obviously happy to do it. Her forcible stop was inconsistent with the atmosphere, so she could only hold her words in her stomach.
The two people holding an umbrella together attracted many people's attention on the street.
Low voices and whispers could be heard for a while.
Not only was Xia Fan not embarrassed at all, he also took the initiative to look at each other and did not avoid eye contact at all. This move also made many women's eyes light up.
As a rare oriental, Xia Fan's dress and appearance have a distinct exotic style. His height and appearance are also there. Coupled with the momentum bonus brought by being a Qi sensor, he is obviously different from the surrounding same-sex competitors. Opened the gap. They covered their mouths and snickered while looking up and down without hesitation, the curiosity in their eyes was self-evident.
This time it was Olina's turn to feel stressed.
After all, it wasn't embarrassing for others, but she was the one who was embarrassed. There were three people traveling together, but two of them were very close to each other. Doesn't this mean that the remaining one became superfluous
The fact was as she expected, the focus of passers-by quickly shifted from Xia Fan to her.
Some people are already speculating on the relationship between these three people.
After all, Long Nu's face was not as thick as Xia Fan's.
Despite a hundred reluctances in her heart, Olina could only choose to get closer to Xia Fan, pretending to be casual and covering his other shoulder.
"So, where do you want to visit?" she asked coldly.
Xia Fan was quite puzzled. The other party was in a very good mood before going out, so why did the weather suddenly turn from sunny to cloudy? "Uh, are you feeling uncomfortable? Why don't you go back and rest."
He noticed. Olina sighed secretly and softened her tone slightly, "I'm very good, you don't need to worry about me. I have been to Azure Castle several times before, and the places worth seeing include the dock, market, auction house and lord's castle. However, Auction houses usually don’t open until evening, so you can go shopping elsewhere first.”
"Auction house? What is that?" Li curiously asked.
Facing the fox demon, Olina's attitude was obviously much better. "Some rare things do not have a fixed price and are not suitable for sale in the market, so everyone gathers together to bid for each other, and the one with the highest price finally gets it. Because it is often Each item has one price and requires a dedicated person to preside over it, so it evolved into an auction house.”
"This kind of transaction generally has entry barriers, so not everyone can go, right?" Xia Fan interjected.
"You know a lot." The dragon girl glanced at him, "Even the auction house has multiple subdivisions within it. The top level naturally has to be recommended by wealthy businessmen or nobles, and is open to ordinary people. There are not so many requirements for the auction, you only need to buy a ticket. Of course, if you want to participate, you need to do a simple property certification."
"Sounds interesting!" Li couldn't help wagging his tail.
"Of course, even though Azure Castle is only the third largest port, the volume of goods traded is not lower than the other two cities at all. It is connected to the border of the royal capital Shila, and there are spacious inland waterways directly there, and some fleets that shuttle through the Sea of Tranquility Even if they choose to go half way around the archipelago, they will still come to the Côte d'Azur to unload their cargo, let alone the expedition team that chooses to go eastward."
"What did these expeditions find?" Xia Fan asked.
"The main thing is to search for new land and sea areas, such as the Eastern Continent and the Dawn and Dusk Sea, which have been popular areas in recent years. As for the spices, ores, treasures and puzzling lost treasures brought back, they are all by-products .”
"Lost treasure?"
"It's like a gimmick. Especially gold and silver utensils and currency, ten of them are counterfeit." Olina sneered at this, "With the same materials, as long as it can be labeled as a lost treasure, the price will go up. Several times. Ultimately, it is people's desire for the Holy Grail that fuels this trend. According to the church's records, the Holy Grail itself is a lost treasure given to the world by God."
Xia Fan's heart suddenly trembled, "So, could the ancient coin in Qian Yan's hand also be a forgery?"
As early as on the road, Qianyan asked Olina to look at the coins carefully, but the latter could not understand the meaning of the words on them.
"I can't rule out this possibility." The dragon girl nodded slightly, "If that thing means a lot to her, maybe it's not a bad thing to keep it as a mystery. But when you mention it like this, I think about it. When it comes to appraising antiquities, no one should do it. She is more knowledgeable than the experts at the top auction houses. If she just wants to find the truth, maybe she can try there."
Have it appraised by an auction house
This might be a good choice.
However, the auction house would not open until evening, and Qian Yan was not interested in accompanying them on the road, so Xia Fan did not make an immediate decision, but said to Olina, "In that case, let's go to the market area first."
As the saying goes, a city's market can indirectly reveal its prosperity, and this statement is equally applicable to the West Pole. The market area in Olina's mouth has already taken the form of a commercial street. There are only a few open-air stalls, and the vast majority are fixed shops, and use conspicuous signboards to describe their products and characteristics; looking around, a street The numerous signboards on the street are colorful, like flowers.
There are also a large number of customers and merchants who come and go here, including well-dressed rich people and plain-clothed sailors and civilians. Beggars in ragged clothes are also a common sight, and there will be a group of "beggars" gathering in almost every street.
"Watch your wallet and don't get close to those people." Olina warned, "Some of them are underground rats who often use sympathy to hide their true intentions. Foreigners like you are their top priority. Target."
Xia Fan didn't care about this. After being trained by Li for so long, most people wouldn't even think about getting close to him quietly.
"Xia Fan, I want to eat that." Li pointed to a glass can placed on a store shelf. The contents were clear and red in color, resembling top-grade fish roe.
But judging from the sign, this seems to be a pastry shop.
Now that the fox demon has spoken, Xia Fan will naturally not refuse. He took out a few copper coins exchanged from the receptionist and bought a can.
When he opened the lid, he realized it was jam.
Before you even start eating, a tempting aroma hits your face.
Li scooped up a scoop with the provided wooden spoon and put it into his mouth, his eyes instantly narrowed.
"How's it going? Is it delicious?"
"Yeah!" She nodded, "It's sweeter than sugar cane and has the fragrance of apples!"
"Good taste." Olina smiled, "Intoxicated jam is one of the specialties of Azure Castle. It looks like fruit when you first eat it. After being left for a while, it will develop a peculiar aroma of wine. It is the most popular dessert in the royal city. Condiments.”
"That store seems interesting, let's go and have a look." Li found a new target.
Xia Fan is capable of everything.
In other words, this was his original intention in bringing Li to the market area.
A month-long sea journey will inevitably make you feel bored and exhausted. Shopping is undoubtedly a good way to relax.
Of course, this kind of thing is not that attractive to him.
Compared to the dazzling array of goods in the shop, Xia Fan was attracted by a few chimneys not far away that were emitting billowing white smoke.
"What is that place?"
"It should be a factory." Olina followed his gaze and said, "Many of the goods shipped to the market for sale need to be processed in advance. There are many factories like this around the market area."