CHAPTER 36: HONEY

’Where does one go to buy honey in a medieval world?’

That was the question Wade pondered as he walked down the street.

More specifically, what kind of shop does one go to buy honey? That wasn’t something he’d been taught in school.

However, he had an idea of where to go. First was the apothecary.

He retraced his steps, eventually ending up in front of a familiar shop, with the hanging sign above the door shaped like a leaf.

He walked towards it, and just like before, the faint smell of herbs hit him. He inhaled softly, taking it in.

If he was able to find Emberleaf here, then he definitely had to be able to see honey here too. After all, people sold things in pairs. Wherever there are tea leaves on sale, there should be honey being sold too.

He pushed the door open, the bell jingling over his head.

Behind the counter were shelves holding different herbs and salves, but Wade paid them no mind, looking this way and that, searching for honey on the shelves. He didn’t see.

"Good morning." The older woman’s voice filled the air, right before she burst out of the backroom, a pleasant smile on her face.

She still looked the same with grew streaks in her hair, and a few wrinkles around the laugh lines on her face.

The moment she saw Wade, her smile grew. "Oh, it’s you, right? The young man that bought my emberleaf."

"Yeah." Wade smiled. "It’s me. How have you been?"

"Me? Same old. But don’t worry about me. What about you? How was the salve? Did it help?"

Wade was confused for half a second, before he remembered he’d also bought a jar of mid-grade healing salve from her.

A smile bloomed on his face as he remembered using the salve on his bruises, particularly under his armpit, where his breastplates had irritated the skin, before going to bed after their dungeon run.

The salve had worked fast, and by morning, the swelling was gone.

"Oh, the salves!" He laughed. "I loved them!"

"Good. Good." The woman nodded, walking to the counter. "Should I bring another jar for you? Or do you want the high-grade salve?"

"No need, ma’am." Wade immediately shook his head. "I’m actually here for something else."

The woman tilted her head slightly in question.

"Do you sell honey?" Wade asked.

"We do," she nodded, "but you’re late. I just sold my last stock a few minutes ago."

Wade exhaled, as if he had been expecting it. He was not that lucky that everything would simply go his way.

"When will you get another supply of honey?" He asked.

"I don’t know." The woman shrugged. "Nobody knows. Our supplier hasn’t been in the city for a few days."

She looked this way and that, as if wanting to verify they were alone, before speaking. "If you ask me, I think he’s in trouble. He might have stepped on the toes of someone powerful, or stolen the wrong man’s wife."

"Either way, I wouldn’t expect to see honey on the market for at least another week. Almost everybody has sold off their stock, and the beekeeper won’t be supplying for a few days."

Wade sighed. "So, I can’t get honey anywhere right now?"

"I wouldn’t count on it." The woman shook her head. "Although..." She trailed off.

"What?" Wade asked, immediately picking up on it. "Is there another person that can sell me honey?"

"Not really." The woman said, eyeing Wade. "But since you’re an adventurer, I’m sure it’ll be okay for you to visit the beekeeper yourself and see if he has any honey available. I heard you guys are strong, so you won’t be roped into whatever is happening to him."

"Is that so?" Wade grinned. "Then would you mind telling me where I can find the beekeeper?"

The old woman gave him the directions, and after thanking her, left the shop.

Without thinking twice about it, he made his way to the city gate. He headed to the stable sitting behind it, and soon, money changed hands as he rented a horse, showing his badge in case of any mishaps.

If he disappeared, the owner of the horse would be able to find him through his guild.

It took him a while to properly saddle the horse, as he worked with the fear of the horse suddenly kicking him. He’d seen videos back on earth. A kick from a horse looked really nasty.

But by the time he was done, the fear had faded slightly. To him, horses were pretty chill. But that didn’t mean he was going to stand directly in front or behind it.

Mounting the horse, he made his way to the gate. After a few checks, he was let through.

His horse cantered down the road, along with the sparse stream of people moving to and away from the city of Hiving. Among them were other adventurers too.

Before long, he arrived at the crossroads. Double checking the signs on the boards placed on a pole beside the road, he chose the left lane.

A few minutes later, he was the only one on the road.

The muscles in his thighs were working overtime as he got used to riding a horse, but he didn’t mind. The view made it worth it.

Around him were rolling hills, vibrant green grass covering them. If this was back on earth, this place would’ve been bought for a golf course or something.

On either side of him, far in the distance, were trees. They stood tall, their branches reaching up into the sky.

He knew that on the other side of the woods to his right was where the Mirewood Swamp was. But as for the woods on his left, he had no idea what was on its other side.

He forced his horse into a run, laughing as he felt the breeze rush against him. This was what it meant to be free.

A minute later, he slowed to a canter.

After a few more minutes of riding, he arrived at his destination.

The town of Crowhill.