“For a bit, yeah. I’m probably going to ask around to see the  local market and decide on what to do business-wise.” Basilio perked up and began waving to the waitress to pay for his meal and drinks.

“I can escort you, I know every nook and cranny of this place. A perk from my previous job.” 

“Sure, lunch and snacks will be on me then.” Basilio gave an exuberant cheer, fist-pumping grabbing Xiao’s wrist. They left the inn and into the busy streets. A dark shadow passed over them and Xiao looked up and saw a faintly glowing winged-shark creature with packages strapped on their back. From how high it was and the large shadow they cast, Xiao was glad that there was some distance between him and that thing.

“Basilio, what are those?” He asked bewildered, slowly inching back to the safety of the inn but Basilio’s steady grip wouldn’t let him. 

‘How is he this steady, he drank 7 glasses of strong alcohol?’

Basilio looked upwards disinterestedly, “Oh those? They’re Tiburones. They usually prefer dense foliage because they can’t handle the heat but they’re typically only found in areas where there’s a large body of water and forests.” He looked at Xiao’s pale face and was quick to reassure him. “Don’t worry, they aren’t aggressive at all… unless you meet them in large groups, then worry because that signals that it’s feeding time.”

Xiao paled even further and looked like a dead man walking, but let Basilio tug him along. The road that was lined with market stalls was full to the brim of people so Xiao followed Basilio as they traversed on top of the roofs and weaved through Balete branches. Though the thought of going higher near those Tiburones sent shivers down his spine. Despite the rough terrain, there were surprisingly a lot of hidden shops that most travelers didn’t realize. One of them was an alcove confectionary store, that was beside a for-sale building. 

The colorful and playful design of the shop was certainly akin to that of a hidden gem. Vivid shades of primary contrast to the shimmery white paint evoked a saccharine feeling.

“Hello po mga Kuya! Want to try some stardusts?” The young girl asked. Her slim tan fingertips were stained in colors as well despite the rest of her immaculate appearance. The smell of the goods was cloying and Xiao was weak to such fragrances.

“Sure, we’ll try some,” said Basilio, answering for both of them. “I haven’t tried some in like forever and I’m sure you haven’t tasted anything like this Xiao!” 

Xiao took his portion of stardust that came with a straw. It looked like silver glitter powder and Xiao wasn’t sure if this was a prank they did for the foreigners who visited. He looked to Basilio for guidance on how to eat it. Basilio on the other hand started sucking on the straw with gusto, so deeming it safe Xiao followed.

It was a mistake.

The powder was deceptively sweetly soft, like regular powdered sugar but once it melted in your mouth, tiny explosions danced on Xiao’s mouth full of mango zest. The flavor was persistently stuck at the roof of his mouth  Though he ingested a larger amount that resulted in him nearly coughing out the candy.

“What was that!” 

Basilio muffled his laugh, finished his stardust, and purchased 2 sorpresa boxes from the vendor. Xiao paid for those of course. Despite muttering under his breath to rescind his offer of paying for the snacks that Basilio wanted.

“Stardust’s a favorite candy in Bahandi, the northerners have a similar one but it’s not in powder form.”

“Is Stardust only one flavor or can you make different ones?” Xiao asked. 

“Actually there are different flavors, but mangoes are the pride and joy of Bahandi so the default flavor is mango. Though I have heard that Ube’s slowly gaining popularity due to Countess Goetia buying a lot of Ube-flavored food so much so that it’s considered a gourmet flavor. Which is why it costs nearly 250 Aure for a half kilo of it.”

Xiao was stunned at the inflation rate, sure he’d seen some crazy cryptocurrency bullshit pop up every now and again and their seemingly endless controversies of bankruptcy. He had to persuade his boss to not stake the company in such an unstable and unregulated market. But considering where he is now if he played smart he could tap into that market, with the cornucopia he can easily produce a handful of Ube and process it himself in order to ensure that the magic wouldn’t make it disappear and be wasted. 

‘I won’t be able to sell rare Ube in large quantities but I can use them to enhance my baked goods and products. Thus ensuring not needing to sell them as unprocessed goods.’

“Are you planning on making your own shop?” Basilio inquired, sucking the remnants of the stardust from their packet. 

“Right on the mark,” Xiao said. “At least that’s the long-term plan.”

They moved on towards a wider space, it was relatively empty though there was a shop called Trigon Machinists. The window showcased rather interesting devices. To Xiao, they were akin to the steampunk aesthetic, copper gear, emphasis on steam but Asian. Though that was nothing but a crude descriptor for the technology.

A man was thrown out of the door, their scrawny figure tattooed with glowing lines. From the nape of their neck to the tips of their fingers. It was decorated with bold lines and interesting symbols of this world’s country. The man scoffed and collected his dirtied canvas bag and scattered papers.

PROJECT ILEX BALANGAY

Was all that Xiao could glean from the papers before the man collected them all. He exchanged glances with Basilio and they slowly moved past the grumbling man and enjoyed the view from the open terrace. It overlooked two waterfalls from a distance. He noticed that this area was very quaint but lacking in foot traffic, glancing across the decrepit and vandalized buildings really made the situation clearer. Foreigners think it’s the slum area of the capital and think of it no further. But for the locals, he wasn’t quite sure of the history. Luckily he had a self-proclaimed expert tour guide to enlighten him.

“Basilio, why’s everything here, abandoned? Isn’t this still part of the market hub of the capital?” Xiao inquired, observing Basilio’s microexpressions. “Did something happen here?”

“Yeah, Lobong Gubat upstarts tore this place apart a couple of years back. Each business ended up leaving because of that. Only the persistent, financially strained, or whatnot are the only ones that stayed here.”