As the group arrived at the market, they noticed it was as crowded as ever. The double ascent had caused the market to be bursting at the seams in recent years. It was normal to see congested aisles and long queues to enter the candy store. Luckily, money wasn't an issue for Adam, so he could go to the most expensive candy store in the entire market just to avoid wasting time in line.
On the way, quite a few people cast curious and suspicious glances at the children in gray robes. However, the guards were not concerned; they had known Adam for a long time, so they were more worried about the outsiders who coveted the opportunity to participate in the war of the bookshelves on the fourth floor.
While the bookshelves in control of these areas could handle the problems caused by the greed of the librarians, they found it bothersome to do so. Therefore, they often ignored their rules when too many librarians crowded around a hexagon. That's why there were guards on the floors with a high population of librarians, and being a guard must have some secret benefits that Adam was unaware of.
Swimming through the sea of people, Adam finally found the store he was looking for. Fortunately, there wasn't much of a line, and after a short wait, he could enter the candy store.
The store was made of brown wood and had a very luxurious decoration. There were counters everywhere, displaying cakes, pastries, chocolates, and candies. Since there weren't many children around, the real business of the candy store was the bakery, selling chocolates and pastries, but there were also candies in various barrels scattered throughout the store.
The store had two parts: the customer reception area and the kitchen where the food was prepared. However, the aroma of delicious pastries being baked always filled the reception area, encouraging customers to buy more.
Adam knew this store from his childhood; when he was a child, he used to come to get something that didn't taste like the mushrooms in the cave, trying to avoid the monotonous taste of the mushrooms.
Stolen novel; please report.
When Adam entered, a reception greeting came from the back of the store:
—Dear customer, welcome to Don Pastore's bakery. What do you want to celebrate on this occasion?
Immediately after, a plump man with brown hair emerged from the kitchen area. The man was dressed in a somewhat stained black robe and wore a baker's hat. He had a friendly look and a neat, well-kept English-style black mustache on his mouth. Noticing Adam, Pastore smiled and said:
—Well, well, if it isn't Adam. It's been a while since I last saw you in my store, young man. Don't tell me I'm finally going to bake you a cake as a gift for obtaining the black robe?
Adam blushed with embarrassment. He couldn't believe that the baker actually remembered his name; he didn't even remember the store owner's name. What Adam didn't know was that there weren't many children on these floors, and the few that were couldn't afford to buy candies as frequently as he did, making it easy for Don Pastore to recognize him. Besides, being a redhead, there weren't many redheads on these floors.
—No, but it won't be long now: it's not yet time to celebrate...— Adam replied with embarrassment. He knew that the librarian tradition was to buy themselves gifts every time they reached a truly important milestone in their lives —Actually, I came to buy candies for my distant descendants.
—Ah, I see. Help yourselves to whatever you want...— the baker replied with a kind smile —Take one of those boxes and fill them with the candies you desire.
The baker pointed to some not very large square boxes that contained several glass jars. The customers were supposed to take just one jar, but Don Pastore knew that Adam would always take an entire box full of candies every time he came.
Remembering the past, Adam took three boxes and gave one to each of the two children. The boxes had space for nine jars, and it was easy for Adam to carry a full box, but it might be a bit challenging for the children to do the same... but they would do it for the candies.
—Can we put whatever we want in the jars?— Hermes asked, looking at the barrels full of candies all around the store.
—Sure thing...— Adam replied, proceeding to pick his favorite candies —I'm getting a box too, so just take whatever you want and put it in the jar.
It had been a while since Adam last came, so he was feeling a bit excited—maybe it was seeing the children running around the store like crazy—but it truly felt like he had returned to a happier past as he walked through the aisles filled with barrels of candies.