Chapter 3-5: Silk City's Produce
The group begins to look around the bazaar to check out on the products and produce.
"...And that's the skinny on Jamil's friends!" Cater says.
"Thanks for that! I feel like I know you guys better already," Najma says.
Jamil turns to Cater, "You're good at introducing people, Cater. I'm impressed."
"Makes sense. He's very observant," Trey says.
"I never knew you had so many friends, Jamil. You never mention anyone when you come home, so I get worried sometimes," Najma says.
"They're not actually friends. They're schoolmates. There's a difference," Jamil points out.
"Uh-huh. Whatever you say," Najma says.
Then Malleus asks, "Shall we get back to sightseeing now?"
"At least Cater's overview gave us time to finish our shawarma. Those were great, by the way," Trey says.
"It was savory, yet refreshing. And the lamb was so tender and juicy!" Cater happily says.
"Well, I ain't nowhere near full," Grim says and looks at all the food, "Ooo! Lookit all them fruits and veggies!"
"They're all local and freshly picked, you know! Colorful AND flavorful," Najma says.
Cater looks at the items and says, "This place used to be a desert, right? I'm amazed you're able to grow produce."
Then Jamil says, "Actually, from what I understand, the arid climate helps cultivate high-quality crops. Growing food with less water concentrates the flavor and produces a higher sugar content."
"Ah, right. I've heard that's how fruit tomatoes are grown," Trey says.
"Exactly," Jamil responds. He then explains, "Back in the old days, water was an extremely valuable resource here. Because of that, people could only use a limited amount of water for irrigation. Some tried to produce crops for years, but they never succeeded and eventually gave up. But our forebears insisted it was possible. They worked hard to cultivate the land and make it more fertile. Their efforts eventually bore fruit, as it were, and now we can grow our own crops in Silk City."
"That does sound like a most fruitful endeavor on your ancestors' part," Malleus says.
"Those crops were a hit once they came on the market, because of their freshness and rich flavors. Nowadays, Silk City's produce is prized by top chefs all over the world," Jamil adds.
"It's nice to see that something so highly valued still goes for affordable prices in the market," Trey responds.
Soon, Cater notices, "Oh, whaaat?! Check this out! I've never seen a star-shaped fruit before! Gotta capture this for sure!" and take pictures of it.
Seeing the fruit, Trey says, "That's a star fruit. Their shape is pretty distinctive, so people like putting them in salads and such."
"You really know your stuff, Trey!" Cater says.
"Tropical fruits like dragon fruit are also popular in the Scalding Sands," Jamil says.
"Dragon fruit, you say? Which one is that?" Malleus asks, looking around.
Trey points out, "It's the pink, spiky one. They're refreshing and also very good for you."
"It's this one," Briar says and presents the pink and green fruit.
"Something wrong?" Trey asks.
"It's not what I was expecting. I thought something named after the noble dragon would belch searing flames or some such," Malleus says.
"Huh? Flames?" Briar questions.
"There would be chaos if a fruit did that…" Trey says.
Malleus then asks, "Was it named thus because its shape resembles that of dragon fire?"
"I'm pretty sure it's because its spikes are evocative of the scales of longs," Trey says.
"...Dragons and longs are entirely separate creatures," Malleus says.
"Look, uh... I'm not exactly an expert…" Trey says.
Then Najma says, "They're really good with honey. Hey, I'd like to buy these!"
She then makes her purchase.
"Great! Thank you very much!" The vendor says.
Najma says "Okay, you cut the dragon fruit like so, then drizzle honey on top... And, here! Try some." And presents the cutted fruit with honey on it.
"All right…" Malleus says.
Soon, everyone begins eating it.
Grim says, "Mmm, that's good stuff!"
"It's delicious," Sereia says.
"It's so refreshing AND pleasantly tart," Cater says.
"Interesting. Since it's this good, I'll concede to its draconic name," Malleus says.
"...As long as you're satisfied, I guess," Trey replies.