"Yes. Why are you sitting out there in the rain crying? Where's your family?"
Amon put on a fake curious expression.
"M… my family. Mister, why are you asking that?"
The moment he mentioned her family, Nami's eyes sharpened with caution as she looked at him.
She might be young, but she was clever.
Toward a stranger like Amon, she was still on guard.
Amon scratched his nose awkwardly. He had not expected the little girl to be this wary.
"It's nothing, really. I just saw you crying and got curious. You probably had a fight with your family, right?"
"Also, the rain's coming down hard. Want to come on board and take shelter?"
He smiled and invited her onto the ship.
Boom!
Nami had been about to refuse, but another thunderclap exploded overhead. She shivered, her whole body trembling.
"Is… is it okay?"
After taking another look and deciding Amon did not seem like a bad person, she asked carefully.
"Of course."
Amon wanted her to help him open a Jar later, so there was no way he would turn her away.
Besides, little Nami was unbelievably cute.
"Thank you!"
"By the way, are you from our village? How come I've never seen you before?"
After boarding, little Nami still sat warily beneath the deck's awning, not daring to enter the cabin.
Amon did not force her. He understood she was still cautious.
Right now, the more overly friendly he acted, the more she would suspect his intentions. It was better to let things flow naturally.
Let her shelter from the rain first, let her inner guard lower on its own.
Besides, he was not in a rush.
Amon went back into the cabin and looked at the weather. It did not seem like the rain would stop anytime soon, so he started a fire and began cooking.
It did not take long before the fragrance of hot food drifted out.
Nami's stomach had already been empty, and the moment she smelled that aroma, it became even harder to endure.
Her belly growled loudly, again and again.
That sound alone softened her wariness toward Amon a little. Right now, she was only thinking about how to somehow get herself a bowl of food.
She quickly wiped away her tears. Her little eyes began to dart around, sly and calculating.
"Mister… are you cooking?"
After gathering her courage, Nami walked toward the cabin.
"Yes. What is it?"
Amon looked at her with a mild expression, unhurried.
He did not immediately invite her to eat. If he did, she would become suspicious instead.
"Um… um… my name is Nami. What's your name? And… those dishes look really delicious!"
Little Nami stared at the steaming, fragrant food on Amon's table, her eyes spinning like little gears. She wanted to ask for food, but she felt too embarrassed to say it outright, so she tried to start a conversation instead.
Hoping he would invite her to eat on his own.
But Amon did not seem "perceptive" at all.
He shamelessly started eating right in front of her, all by himself.
And while he ate, he even kept smacking his lips, wearing an expression that screamed how unbelievably tasty it was.
Nami, standing beside him, was so hungry she nearly drooled. She was already starving, and watching him eat so happily made her even hungrier.
Only after taking a few bites did Amon finally stop, looking at little Nami's greedy expression with an amused half-smile.
"Oh, so you're Nami."
"My name is Amon Nagi. I'm a Jar merchant. I travel the seas selling Jars."
"I heard the oranges in Cocoyasi Village are pretty good, so I came to buy some, and also to see if I can sell a few Jars here."
As he spoke, he casually brought out a Jar he had carried.
Seeing that Amon still did not understand her hint, Nami grew anxious. She puffed out her cheeks, sulking.
"You are hungry, huh? If you don't mind, come eat with me." As he spoke, Amon took out the bowl and chopsticks he had prepared earlier.
"I don't mind, I don't mind!"
She was already hungry to the point of desperation. Now that food was finally offered, how could she mind?
She grabbed the bowl and chopsticks and immediately started shoveling food into her mouth.
"Slow down. There's plenty."
Seeing Nami wolfing it down, Amon gently patted her head, signaling her to eat slower.
"Mm mm!"
Nami nodded with her mouth, but her mouth did not slow down at all.
Besides being hungry, the main reason was that Amon's cooking was simply too delicious.
Double stimulation.
She ate with zero elegance, not caring at all.
After the meal, Nami rubbed her round belly and set down her chopsticks with deep satisfaction.
That meal had been so comfortable.
Because the orange harvest was poor, her family could only afford two meals a day, morning and evening. They did not eat at noon.
"By the way, Mr. Amon… just now you said you're a Jar merchant?"
After eating her fill, Nami became afraid Amon might ask her for money. Her eyes shifted, and she quickly grabbed onto a new topic.
"Yes."
Amon smiled.
"How about it? Want to buy one? My Jars are very magical."
The moment he saw the sly glint in Nami's eyes, he knew exactly what she was thinking. But he did not expose her. Since she brought up Jars, he naturally took the chance to sell them.
"Really? Let me see?"
Nami pretended to be interested in buying. She put on an act and examined them as if she were a serious customer.
"Hahaha, yes. Actually, the reason my food smells and tastes so good is because the ingredients came from a Jar."
"Also, I heard you talking by that rock just now. You said the orange harvest is bad this year, right?"
"Don't worry. Inside these Jars, there are things that can increase orange yields."
"Just these… jars?"
She almost said "these crappy jars," but stopped herself. Saying that felt rude, especially after she had just eaten his food.
"Hahaha, yes. I can guarantee it. If you open this Jar, your family's orange harvest will skyrocket."
"Then you'll be able to sell for tons and tons of berries."
"After that, you'll have money to eat, buy new clothes, and with what's left, you can even expand your orange grove!"
Seeing Nami beginning to waver, Amon intensified his "sales pitch."
Listening to him describe it so magically, Nami really did feel tempted.
Especially when she heard there might be a treasure that could increase orange yields.
She hesitated, then finally asked the question she cared about most.
"Then… how much Beli does one Jar cost?"