Dream Delivery System: My Delivery Jobs Keep Changing History – CH56

Chapter 56

Parsons, oblivious to the teasing, left the hospital and noticed a beverage shop—C-Nation’s drink shops seemed to bloom everywhere, appearing on every street corner.

Almost instinctively, he walked in and ordered by name: “Fresh coconut latte.”

“Fresh coconut latte, ice level—regular, less, or none? Sugar level?”

Having never tried this before, Parsons didn’t understand at first. Fortunately, he remembered the Chinese characters on the cup from before: “Less ice, 30% sugar.”

“Alright, that’ll be seventeen yuan. Do you have a membership? Sign up now and recharge three hundred to get twenty free, plus other discounts.”

“No, thanks.”

While waiting, Parsons felt his fingers tighten—it was the Demon Sword, glowing red in protest.

Thinking of how Jiang Jitang cared for magical items, and recalling how the Demon Sword had grumbled all night, Parsons hesitated for a few rare seconds.

“…Wait, also add one drink, one bubble milk tea.”

“Eeek!” The Black Dragon Ring’s metal wings shivered.

A few minutes later, Parsons received his fresh coconut latte. It was the first cup of coffee he had ever bought for himself. Condensation on the cup dampened his fingers as he took a sip.

The taste was still that familiar bitter roast with milky aroma, but for some reason, it didn’t taste as good as that day.

Was it the preparation? The ingredients? Or because it wasn’t the same brand?

“Master, it’s Lord Illman.”

At the intersection, Parsons was studying his coffee when the Demon Sword alerted him. He immediately saw him.

Wearing a white T-shirt and jeans, helmet on, riding an electric scooter, Jiang Jitang—whom he had met just yesterday—was crossing a black-and-white zebra crossing and heading left.

“Classic bubble milk tea… customer? Customer?” A customer turned, but he had already disappeared. The shop assistant looked left and right, trying to spot the foreigner with a domineering aura.

Eventually, she saw him in the middle of the street, a handsome man holding a milk tea, trapped amid the morning crowd.

“Hey, blocked again. Lucky I’m smart,” Jiang Jitang said without looking back, having passed the intersection before the wave of commuters.

“Go around Yuguoyuan, third alley… ah, found it!”

The backstreet was a secret alley selling pirated bags and counterfeit jewelry.

From the main shopping street, lined with branded stores, no one would guess that just one alley over lay a tiny street of unofficial, high-quality fakes.

Jiang Jitang had walked across most of Jin City, but this was his first time here.

The narrow alley was lined with small shops, two people could fill each one. He could hear conversations about samples and placing orders directly with factories.

With his limited fashion knowledge, he couldn’t tell which brands the bags imitated. His target was a small shop selling various lab-grown gems.

Lab-grown diamonds were also sold online, but many stores substituted moissanite for diamonds, and time might be tight, so he sought help on local forums and found this hidden corner shop.

Forum locals said the shop owner was honest; the diamonds were genuine, suitable for young couples with limited budgets buying lab diamonds for weddings.

Lab-grown diamonds are chemically identical to natural ones; the difference lies in growth patterns.

Of course, for cost-effectiveness, moissanite is cheaper.

“Hello.”

“Hello.” Jiang Jitang entered. “Do you have lab-grown diamonds?”

The shopkeeper looked up: “What size, color, clarity? Don’t worry, our diamonds are real, not moissanite.”

Though both moissanite and diamonds can pass a diamond tester, they differ fundamentally: one is silicon carbide, the other carbon. Many unscrupulous shops use moissanite to fake lab-grown diamonds.

He showed Jiang Jitang samples. Seven-colored fire sparkled on the velvet backdrop, unlike moissanite’s gaudy shine.

Moissanite is doubly refractive, making it flashier than the singly refractive diamond.

[Verified as genuine diamond,] the system confirmed.

Jiang Jitang relaxed. Though moissanite is also hard, second only to diamonds, why choose it over a real diamond?

“I need a one-carat loose diamond, high clarity, no inclusions, any color or cut, budget under two thousand.”

The shopkeeper understood: limited funds, seeking highest cost-performance.

Lab-grown diamonds are cheaper than natural ones, but one carat costs over a thousand. Add 18K gold settings and mounting, maybe a few accent stones—at least three thousand.

“These may meet your requirements.” The shopkeeper displayed a black velvet-lined box, filled with cut diamonds like stars scattered across a dark sky.

Price tags were beneath: cheapest seven to eight hundred, most expensive three to four thousand.

Interestingly, flawless diamonds were sometimes cheaper than flawed ones.

Lab-grown diamonds are mostly flawless, yielding high clarity, but that makes them look “laboratory-made.” Recently, slight flaws or micro-cracks are preferred, closer to natural diamonds, hence more expensive.

“This one.” He picked a slightly yellow-tinted white diamond. Such diamonds are cheaper, so despite its size, it was priced around a thousand, far below other colors.

Even so, it cost 1,580—over budget.

“This diamond is 1.8 carats, creamy white-yellow, reducing fire, hence cheaper than similar diamonds. But it’s large and cut emerald-style, good cost-performance.”

The owner was honest, explaining pros and cons, even comparing with similar diamonds. It made bargaining hard.

“Can it be cheaper?”

The shopkeeper studied him: “Student? Budget?”

“One thousand two hundred.” Jiang Jitang gave the exact amount of his shopping credit.

The shopkeeper nodded: “Alright, the shop hasn’t officially opened today.”

A 1,200 purchase got a lab-grown diamond. Jiang Jitang thought about the remaining 120 gift budget—what to buy?

The Gem Snail liked items matching its stripe colors. Perhaps some synthetic cat’s-eye blue gems? Not identical, but close enough.

While thinking, he passed a small shop displaying butterfly specimens.

“Huh?” He stopped.

That brilliant blue glow…

He released the scooter, drifted inside.

A row of shimmering blue butterflies caught his attention—from Blue Flash Butterfly to Dawn Flash Butterfly to Light Goddess Butterfly, each like a living gemstone.

Their unique scales refracted light in blue-purple, deep blue, light blue, changing with angles, resembling the Gem Snail in the video.

Jiang Jitang couldn’t move; he asked the price.

The Light Goddess Butterfly started at 500 yuan, adjusted by quality; Blue Flash Butterfly at least 150.

Buying in bulk gave a 20% discount.

He understood the shopkeeper’s pricing mindset. Small alley shops were negotiable.

Just as he was about to order, he remembered—the Gem Snail is an animal. Giving it another animal’s corpse might be awkward.

“Gem…” He noticed a basket of synthetic amber, some made from Blue Flash Butterfly wings. Brilliant blue encased in resin, sparkling like gemstones.

He picked up a silver bracelet with three embedded Blue Flash Butterfly amber charms.

The amber and gemstone specimens went into a paper bag. Half the order was done.

In a good mood, he rode away on the electric scooter.

Halfway, his phone rang. He pulled over and saw an unknown number. “Hello?”

“Mr. Jiang, I am Zhu Jun’an, the new leader of the Dongying Society. I sincerely apologize for my former teammate Guo Jie harming you. He is now being returned to the country for official processing. May I have the chance to treat you to tea and formally apologize?”

The voice was gentle, with a suppressed cough, sounding pitiable. But Jiang Jitang filtered out useless info: “Do you need treatment, or does your organization need it?”

A low laugh came over the line: “Mr. Jiang, you’re direct. What price for the Sun Glory Organization’s treatment?”

Having just caused trouble, they now wanted VIP treatment—thick-skinned. Jiang Jitang wouldn’t refuse a fat target. He knew this was just the beginning; he might be first, not last.

“Sun Glory is at a friend’s rate,” he said. “And I won’t leave the city.”

“Jin City suits me. I like it.”

Jiang Jitang smirked: “We’ll see when you arrive.” Arrival didn’t guarantee success.

He hung up.

No time to dawdle; he still had to scavenge at the old flower-and-bird market.

—

Meanwhile, at Dongying Society HQ, new leader Zhu Jun’an sat at his desk, wearing gold-rimmed glasses, holding a book, with a bracelet of agarwood beads.

“Since the matter is handled…”

“Boss, bad news. Guo Jie was taken at XX country’s airport.”

Zhu Jun’an froze. “Escorted by four people and still taken? Who?”

“No news yet.” The teammate hesitated. “Maybe not a rescue.”

“How so?”

“He shot through Guo Jie’s scapula in front of us, then took him away.”

They were inexperienced; the other party was professional.

“No matter,” the teammate boasted, “we didn’t do nothing—when he was taken, we shot his knees.”

Zhu Jun’an: …

“People Guo Jie offended… is it hard to find someone with that skill?”

“Everyone outside knows. Turning Guo Jie over to police can exchange for a treatment slot from Jin City officials and valuable friendship. Many skilled players exist among lone wolves.”

“….” Zhu Jun’an spread this info to lure Guo Jie from his hideout.

Knees hurt.

—

Jin City, Southeast District.

Back at the hotel, Parsons stared at his computer, frozen. His screen went black after a long pause.

Spying and tracking—Parsons attempted such things for the first time, only failing because he had to obey traffic rules.

C-Nation’s traffic lights are really long.

So many people and cars; he got stuck halfway.

By the time he squeezed through, the scooter was gone.

Was Jiang Jitang delivering a package? But he wore no uniform, and no cargo space was seen.

Parsons was curious about Jiang Jitang’s past and present.

Jiang Jitang, once a young, powerful duke, disguised as a wandering bard, attending festivals, composing poetry. Charming, talented—every young girl’s dream?

Parsons, cold and unromantic, had no interest from arranged fiances. Meanwhile, Jiang Jitang managed territories remotely, wandered enticing people, wrote letters, and still found time to lead a rebellion?

“How does he balance this life?” Parsons couldn’t figure it out.

Almost forgotten—Jiang Jitang once blew up a country’s capital during the busiest festival. One of his inherited nominal titles came from that country.

In other words, he thought, “Festivals are lively—let’s blow up the ancestral house for fun,” living up to his title of rebellious noble.

Parsons, receiving the news, rushed there, worried for his friends at the festival.

“…The more I think, the dumber I feel.”

He sipped his drink. Without ice magic, the fresh coconut latte was bitter, sweet in a strange way, frowning as he drank.

“Huh?” His phone lit up. He checked—his visa had been processed.

He had arranged them early—these were work visas for their organization’s members.

“Naturalization conditions are too harsh, but permanent residency might be attainable,” Parsons pondered.