More of a light-hearted post, but I wanted to say I was trying to find the fabled pumpkin vendor I saw only once, weeks earlier (where did he go btw?). Anyways, I went down to the water at Spawn and where I think I saw him, but he wasn't there, but noticed the back door ajar at his counter.
Thinking myself clever, I went to the vendor to purchase a bunch of nether pearls to get back there to look for him. About 16 emeralds later at the vendor, they disappear from my inventory! Thinking lag, I kept buying up the pearls but they vanished again, this time while I was holding them!
I concluded someone clever-er made a command that cleared them from our inventories preemptively probably for this scenario.
Well played, but you now owe me 32 emeralds. I'll take them or their diamond equivalent as my reimbursement. Oh and get rid of the nether pearls as a trade option. Thanks :)