Chapter Sixty: Even the Wealthy Are Food Lovers

Heath calmly met the curious gazes around him; he wasn’t particularly bothered by them. After all, in his previous life, Heath had worked part-time as a delivery driver during university, interacting with many people, which had long since erased any feelings of embarrassment.

Food lovers were an honest breed—if something tasted good, it was good; if it didn’t, no amount of argument could change that. However, price was undeniably the key factor limiting many food enthusiasts from indulging freely. In Heath’s eyes, the price of eight thousand Alliance credits was enough to deter many after a single taste.

Heath had considered lowering the price, but the Purple Crab was genuinely rare, and customer satisfaction had to be exceptionally high—at least five hundred points, a figure Heath himself could hardly reach. Each crab was truly a one-of-a-kind delicacy.

If something good was sold too cheaply, it wouldn’t signify quality but rather invite complicated problems. Therefore, Heath decided not to alter his price. Despite the hefty sum of eight thousand credits, he believed that in the headquarters of the Quartz and Chengdu Alliances, there would be no shortage of people willing to pay a premium to sample such a delicacy.

Soon, Heath welcomed his first customer.

“Hey there, little brother, is this Purple Crab Soup Dumpling... really big?” A mature woman with an impressive figure approached curiously. Though her outfit’s brand was unrecognizable, the handbag she carried spoke volumes—Heath was certain she was a wealthy woman.

Back in Evergreen City, Heath had once encountered a Miss Junsha Ye in the Junsha dormitory—a young lady well-versed in luxury goods who saved her salary meticulously to purchase her favorite bags. Junsha Ye was fond of sharing stories about designer brands, and this handbag was mentioned as one of the finest, reserved only for top-tier members who spent upwards of ten million credits annually at exclusive boutiques.

The voluptuous, striking woman before Heath carried such a bag.

“It’s not very big, but it tastes wonderful,” Heath replied calmly. Despite her size, he felt his dumplings were relatively modest in size.

“Oh?” The woman’s interest piqued instantly. A small dumpling, yet priced at eight thousand credits and limited in quantity—why?

She studied Heath’s composed expression, then reached into her small handbag, counting out eight thousand-credit bills—eight notes of one thousand credits each—the largest denomination in the Pokémon world.

Eight thousand credits was no small amount, but judging by her demeanor, it was as if she were handing over eight dollars. Clearly, the woman valued flavor above all else.

“Here, try one, sister,” she smiled warmly. Heath took the money, placed it in the drawer, then retrieved a crab roe soup dumpling from the steamer, placing it carefully in a bag and handing it to her, reminding her to be cautious of the heat.

The woman glanced at the plastic bag—a simple, ordinary one—which made her slightly uncomfortable. When she went shopping, she always received exquisite paper bags, crafted like works of art, hardly comparable to the cheap-looking plastic before her.

Nonetheless, the rich aroma of the crab roe soup dumpling made her swallow involuntarily. She gently blew on the dumpling several times before taking a tentative bite at the dough.

Her eyes widened in surprise. She opened her mouth wide, as if trying to spit out the hot broth, yet the delicious flavor made her reluctant to do so. This was her way of easing the burning sensation inside her mouth.

Watching the woman finish a dumpling before him, Heath ruffled the head of his green onion duck companion beside him. He could tell this wealthy lady was quite fond of his soup dumplings. If all went well, he would sell out soon.

“This is truly amazing... May I take the rest to go?” The woman pulled out a handkerchief bearing a brand Heath hadn’t seen but guessed was another pricey luxury item.

Heath nodded. He had no desire to enforce purchase limits. Selling out before returning to the Junsha dormitory to cook was more than satisfactory. He didn’t mind whether the same person made all the purchases.

“Can I pay with card?” the woman asked with a smile, holding a bank card between her fingers. Though she carried some cash, she preferred the ease of card payments for shopping.

Heath was momentarily stunned. He did have a bank card, but no card reader—this posed a problem. Surely he couldn’t go out now to get a card machine.

Just as Heath was puzzled, a slot suddenly opened automatically on his food cart counter. A card reader rose smoothly from within. The woman watched in surprise but proceeded to swipe her card. Forty-eight thousand credits were instantly deducted.

“Tastes great. By the way, little brother, where did you find this Purple Crab?” she asked curiously. She was a fan of crab, and the rich aroma had drawn her over. She hadn’t expected to discover such a hidden gem.

“It was a chance find. This crab is very precious; otherwise, I wouldn’t price it this way,” Heath smiled as he explained. Though she was a valued customer, Heath truly had no idea how the Phoenix King had obtained it. If he said it came from the Phoenix King, she probably wouldn’t believe him.

“Is that so?” The woman smiled, clearly interpreting Heath’s ignorance as reluctance to share. After all, anyone who discovered such a delicacy wouldn’t easily reveal its source—especially since it was so profitable.

As the woman left with a smile, Heath packed away the blackboard outside and wiped the words “Purple Crab Soup Dumplings” clean. The crabs had sold, but when he could offer them again was another question—at least not anytime soon.

As the lunch hour approached, Heath grew busy attending to office workers and shoppers stopping by. The bustling work made him call over the green onion duck for assistance. He needed help to manage the rush.

Otherwise, Heath couldn’t handle it all alone.