Leaving Nuoding City, Lin Kun headed south. With Basic Movement Technique Mastery to hasten his journey, Insight Skill and Little White's senses to avoid danger, and the system map to guide his direction, the trip was arduous but ultimately uneventful.
More than ten days later, the outline of a city far grander and larger than Nuoding City finally appeared on the horizon. Its towering walls and endless streams of people, carriages, and horses all displayed the city's prosperity and vitality.
Suotuo City, the granary of the Barak Kingdom and an important southern stronghold of the empire, had finally been reached!
After paying the entrance fee and stepping onto streets wide enough for eight carriages to travel side by side, Lin Kun felt like a country bumpkin entering a magnificent estate. Shops lined both sides of the street, and cries of vendors and haggling never ceased. The number and level of Spirit Masters were clearly far above those in Nuoding City. Occasionally, he even saw three-ring Soul Elders and four-ring Soul Ancestors passing by.
"This is what a real big city looks like..." Lin Kun sighed, while becoming even more careful to conceal his aura and make himself look like an ordinary country boy.
Ding! Side quest, Travel to Suotuo City, completed! Reward: 200 Plot Breakdown Points. One "Simple Map of Suotuo City" has been issued.
The system notification rang out. With the points from the reward, plus what he had left over and earned from daily tasks along the way, his total had returned to 223 points. A simple map of Suotuo City's main streets and important locations, such as Spirit Hall and the Great Spirit Arena, also appeared in his mind.
His top priority was to find somewhere to settle down, then gather information about Shrek Academy.
Following the map's guidance, he headed toward the relatively cheap southern district. As he walked, he suddenly spotted a fairly clean and tidy restaurant at a street corner ahead. Four large characters were written on its signboard—"Destiny Restaurant."
The name was quite interesting. Lin Kun rubbed his growling stomach and decided to eat something here first while gathering a little information.
The restaurant was doing good business, and quite a few people filled the main hall. Lin Kun found a seat in a corner by the window and ordered several cheap dishes. As he ate, he listened carefully to the conversations around him.
Most diners were discussing the fierce battles at Suotuo's Great Spirit Arena, or which chamber of commerce had brought in new goods. Occasionally, he also heard information about places outside the city where Spirit Beasts gathered.
Lin Kun listened patiently, trying to catch any mention of "Shrek" or "Monster Academy."
Just then, several men dressed like mercenaries at the next table had drunk a little too much, and their voices grew louder.
"Damn it! I've really had rotten luck! I took on a mission to escort medicinal herbs, but on the way back, a group of men in black actually stole the most valuable Dragon Blood Ganoderma! Those bastards were incredibly tricky. They didn't seem like ordinary bandits!" A scar-faced man pounded the table angrily.
"Dragon Blood Ganoderma? That's good stuff! It can strengthen one's blood and vitality, and it's extremely beneficial to assault-type Spirit Masters! Old Scar, your losses are huge!" one of his companions agreed.
"Exactly! Sigh, if I could find out who those people were, I'd definitely—"
Their conversation caught Lin Kun's attention. Dragon Blood Ganoderma? That name sounded familiar... The Book Spirit glimmered faintly, feeding back information: Dragon Blood Ganoderma, a Mysterious Grade Herb. It grew where Dragon Type Spirit Beasts had fallen and contained a trace of Dragon Blood Essence. It could slightly improve a Spirit Master's physique and was especially suitable for assault-type and defense-type Spirit Masters. Market price: extremely expensive.
At the same time, the system notification rang out in his mind:
Ding! Random quest triggered: The Lost Dragon Blood Ganoderma. Quest requirement: investigate the clues behind the stolen Dragon Blood Ganoderma and confirm at least the robbers' general identity or destination. Quest reward: 50 Plot Breakdown Points, Dragon Blood Ganoderma Powder (small amount). Failure penalty: none.
An investigation quest? The reward even included Dragon Blood Ganoderma Powder? It might only be a small amount, but it was still good stuff! Lin Kun's heart stirred.
Without revealing anything, he picked up his wine cup and walked over to the mercenaries' table, showing just the right amount of surprise and sympathy. "Big brothers, I accidentally heard you mention that the Dragon Blood Ganoderma was stolen? That's really a pity! Such a valuable item..."
The mercenary called Old Scar glanced at Lin Kun. Seeing that he was young and plainly dressed, he paid him little mind. Fueled by alcohol, he complained, "Isn't that right? Little brother, tell me, am I unlucky or what? Those damned men in black acted cleanly and efficiently, with perfect coordination. They were obviously organized!"
"Men in black? Did they have any distinctive traits? For example, did their Spirits have anything special about them? Or did they say anything?" Lin Kun prompted.
Old Scar thought hard. "Their Spirits... didn't seem particularly special. Their attacks were just vicious. Oh, right! When they retreated, it seemed like one of them accidentally dropped this..." He pulled out a small black metal token from his clothes. Carved on it was a bizarre dagger pattern that looked as if it were dripping blood!
"This pattern..." Lin Kun's gaze sharpened. The Book Spirit instantly recorded the symbol and began rapidly analyzing and comparing it. At the same time, he secretly used Insight Skill to examine the token and could sense an extremely cold aura lingering on it.
Pattern analysis in progress... Similar information matched: suspected connection to the continent's underground assassin organization, Shadow Blade. Information reliability: 65%.
Shadow Blade? An assassin organization? Why would they steal Dragon Blood Ganoderma? Such organizations usually acted only for money or specific targets.
Lin Kun returned the token to Old Scar, offered a few words of comfort, and went back to his seat. He already had a clear idea of the situation.
Ding! Random quest, The Lost Dragon Blood Ganoderma, completed! Reward: 50 Plot Breakdown Points and Dragon Blood Ganoderma Powder (small amount) have been issued to the system space.
That was it? Just confirming that it might be connected to Shadow Blade earned him the reward? It seemed the system's standards for determining quest completion were fairly lenient.
Lin Kun was in a good mood. He had gained fifty points and some Dragon Blood Ganoderma Powder for free. Though he had no use for it at the moment, it might come in handy later or be exchanged for money.
He continued eating while considering how to ask about Shrek Academy. Asking directly would be far too abrupt and easily attract attention.
Just then, two more people entered the restaurant, a man and a woman. The man was tall, with golden hair and heterochromatic eyes. He was handsome, carrying an innate air of nobility and a touch of carefree arrogance. The woman had a voluptuous figure, wore leather clothing, and had a cold expression, like a thorny rose.
The pair was extremely eye-catching and immediately drew the attention of many people in the hall.
The moment Lin Kun saw them, his heart jolted!
Dai Mubai and Zhu Zhuqing! The eldest and seventh of the Shrek Seven Monsters! They had actually come to this restaurant too!
The plot... Was he running into them this quickly?!
Before you continue