BOOM—THUD! BOOM—THUD!
Across the forty-two inhabited planets of Systems 21 through 25, thousands of golden beams shot down from the newly laid Spirit-Furnace Star-Train tracks in orbit.
Every time a beam touched the central square of a town, an herb-mining camp, or a crowded city crossroads, a bright green-and-white pavilion the size of a small cottage materialized on the ground with a cheerful chime.
In Red-Mortar Town on Herb-Ash World #1, Booth #1 landed directly across the street from the wrecked front doors of the Nine-Sun Treasure Pavilion.
Unlike the intimidating white-jade palace of the Alchemy Alliance—where armed guards stood with iron whips to beat away poor farmers—the Dry-Well Pharmacy Vending Booth looked warm, clean, and inviting.
Its walls were forged from polished green star-iron that radiated a gentle spring breeze. Along the front of the booth ran twenty crystal-clear glass display windows, each one stacked high with glowing, sealed glass jars containing a hundred plump, golden-brown pills. Beside every coin slot hung a steaming brass tap connected directly via spatial pipe to Old Guo’s orbital soup cauldrons, along with a stack of clean wooden bowls and a bright neon-gold sign written in simple, giant words:
Ten thousand herb-farmers gathered around Booth #0001 in the town square, rubbing their eyes and reading the glowing words out loud over and over again.
