Chapter 144: Margo’s Baking Boutique
“Margo’s Baking Boutique”
The sign above the small storefront practically glowed in Balthazar’s eyes.
He did not know what a “boutique” was, but he knew what baking meant, and he knew there was no way he would just walk away from that place without going inside.
“Pies, cookies, and tarts,” the crab mumbled while skittering towards the shop’s door. “It’s just been so long. I’m sure five minutes won’t hurt.”
Stopping in front of the entrance, he quickly turned to Druma and Blue. “You guys wait here, I won’t be long, promise!”
The goblin exchanged a quick glance with the drake and shrugged, but by then the merchant was already disappearing into the building.
A bell rang above the door as Balthazar pushed it open and stepped inside. As it closed behind him, the buzzing hubbub of the busy streets outside was as if completely removed from the air around the crab, now replaced with soothing silence and a sweet aroma of sugary treats.
Balthazar felt himself getting dizzy, both because of the intoxicating scents flowing into him, but also due to the fact that he kept spinning in a circle looking around the room.
The colors were nearly as overwhelming to the senses as the aromas. A bright array of colorful pastries and other sweets filled the tables and counters of the tiny shop. Cakes with multiple creamy layers sat prominently atop display structures at the center of carefully constructed arrangements, surrounded by plates of meticulously placed éclairs and macarons. Wooden shelves covered the walls, each filled with all manner of colorful bags containing treats of different shapes and sizes. And behind the glass of the counter, Balthazar saw it, perfectly round as a whole, immaculately triangular as a slice: pie.