Outside Bed City, a carriage bearing the Adventurer's Guild's Badge descended from the sky.
The Pegasus folded its wings. Once the carriage had come to a stop, the coachman hurried over and respectfully opened the door.
"So soon?"
Accompanied by an aged yet spirited voice, an Old Man dressed in fine clothes stepped down from the carriage. His thick, grizzled hair flared out like a lion's mane, and he possessed the imposing presence of a black Boss who commanded respect without anger. He took out a gold pocket watch, glanced at it, and said:
"We arrived two hours earlier than expected. The guild probably hasn't prepared the welcoming ceremony yet. Let's go into the city first and take a look around. I hear quite a few interesting things have happened recently."
"Mr. Sid, I think we should first—ugh. I think we should first—ugh. We should go meet the local guild."
A capable-looking woman then stepped out of the carriage—or rather, crawled out. Her face was pale, and she kept dry-heaving from time to time.
"After all, considering your status—ugh."
The Old Man named Sid put on a stern face and said, "Gina, as my assistant, it's truly inelegant for you to suffer from motion sickness. I order you to rest in the carriage."
"Isn't that because you insisted on speeding?" Gina finally crawled out, clung to a large tree, and vomited for a while before barely managing to support herself and follow him.
She couldn't very well let the Old Man act on his own. He might cause some kind of trouble.
The moment the two entered Bed City, they sensed an unusual vitality.
Adventurers in all kinds of clothing and of every race streamed through the streets. Armed figures could be seen everywhere. With so many people, noise was inevitable, and the shops lining the streets loudly played advertisements on magic loudspeakers to attract customers. As a result, anyone who wanted to speak to their companions on the main streets had to shout.
Most people hurried along as though they were rushing off to do something. Were they going to work?
No, definitely not to work.
Sid keenly Frisked that desire and hope showed in their eyes, and there were even smiles at the corners of their mouths. Clearly, whatever they were about to do was full of enjoyment for them.
So it absolutely couldn't be work!
"Were there this many people here before?" Sid didn't move his mouth, but his voice appeared in Gina's mind.
"According to the reports received by headquarters, ever since the Sain Underground City underwent its mutation, the number of adventurers staying in Bed City for more than three days has nearly doubled. That number is still rising rapidly."
Gina flipped through the notebook in her hands.
"Especially after a hidden area known as Food Paradise by adventurers was discovered a week ago. Merchants from all over the country sensed a business opportunity and rushed here without stopping."
"A week ago?" Sid stroked his grizzled beard.
"Count Philip, who manages Bed City, converted a commercial street into a specialty market for Food Paradise. Would you like to take a look?" Gina suggested. In truth, she was also very interested in the so-called specialties.
"Count Philip's commercial acumen is as sharp as ever. He managed such a major project in just a few days." Sid sighed before saying, "Let's go take a look at this so-called market."
The moment they arrived at the Food Market, both of them stopped.
A colossal creature radiating searing heat had been hung upside down from a wooden post at the market entrance, making it impossible for anyone entering the market to ignore its presence.
It was a Roast Whole Pig. Its body was enormous even compared with its kind. It had clearly been dead for quite some time, yet it still radiated heat—and a rich aroma!
Everyone who entered the market was first shaken by the creature's sheer size, then overwhelmed by the rich scent of meat. When they searched for the source of that aroma, they would clearly understand this market—and the true meaning of Food Paradise!
"Was this pig roasted after it was killed, or..." Gina's eyes widened as she muttered, "Was it cooked from the very beginning?"
Sid walked a few steps closer, and a manager-like person immediately stopped him. But after seeing his exquisite clothing and assuming he was some important figure, the manager politely said, "This isn't for sale. It's only for display. If you'd like to taste it, please go to one of the stalls inside."
Sid nodded and pointed at the Roast Whole Pig. "Which chef's work is this? To roast such a huge ingredient to perfection... I'd really like to pay him a visit."
The manager immediately perked up and explained with great excitement, "My lord, you just arrived, didn't you? No wonder you don't know. This giant pig actually hasn't been touched by any chef!"
Sid frowned, indicating his confusion.
The manager had already seen many similar reactions in recent days, but explaining it always gave him a sense of superiority. Look, I know a lot more than you people!
"It was born cooked!"
Born cooked?
Even after walking a long way away, Sid still couldn't understand what that sentence meant.
If a creature was cooked from the moment it was born, how could it possibly remain alive? It wasn't an elemental being.
"Sir, look over there." Gina's voice pulled him from his thoughts. His assistant spoke with some excitement. "They're all things I've never seen before."
Things he had never seen before?
I grew up in Roald, the royal city. What could there possibly be that I haven't seen?
Sid looked somewhat disdainfully toward the stalls on both sides of the street, then froze completely.
A fish with octopus legs, a tree covered in bone-filled roast meat, a Willow Tree with Soba Noodles for branches, and lobsters shining like gemstones...
Oh no. He really hadn't seen any of these.
He scanned the stalls, hoping to find even one ingredient he had seen before. Ah, there it was!
A pastry shop was selling sponge cakes. At last, there was something he recognized.
Sponge cakes couldn't possibly have anything to do with a monster, could they?
Sid entered the pastry shop and was just about to speak when his gaze suddenly sharpened.
Because hanging inside the pastry shop was the corpse of a Lion Monster!
The plump owner was cutting the lion's mane with a sharp knife. The mane had grown in a strange shape—square and neat, seemingly elastic like a sponge.
Wasn't that sponge cake?
He looked at the sponge cakes displayed on the counter, and the corner of his mouth twitched. So these cakes had been cut from a lion's body.
"Yo, what can I get you?" The owner noticed him and greeted him warmly.
"I'm just looking around."
Sid hurriedly left. In truth, he really wanted to taste it, but doing so would be a little too humiliating.
"Sir, try this."
At some point, Gina had suddenly brought over two skewers of fried food coated in batter. They looked like potatoes.
"Potatoes? No, the smell is more like..."
Sid took one and bit into it. His eyes immediately widened. "A fried cutlet?"
It really was a fried cutlet. Both its texture and flavor felt like a high-grade cutlet made by a master.
"I thought it was a cutlet at first too, but..." Gina said while eating. "It's actually a potato. I watched the owner pull it out of the ground with my own eyes, and it was already fried when it came out. It's incredible."
Sid looked at the potato pork cutlet in his hand and felt his worldview collapse bit by bit.
Even the alchemists who loved creating hybrids couldn't produce such a bizarre combination.
And all these things had come from the Sain Underground City?
The two ate as they strolled around. Although the market had been built in great haste, it had every facility one could need. Moreover, every merchant sold items that differed to some extent, making the market surprisingly addictive to browse.
At that moment, Sid suddenly noticed an unusual stall. Every other stall was piled high with goods, while this one was completely empty, save for a tightly sealed box.
The owner appeared to be a young man. He stood with his arms crossed, looking drowsy. His appearance was rather rare: black hair and black eyes. One didn't see many people like that.
His interest was piqued, and he walked over to ask, "Boss, what are you selling?"
"Hmm."
Gong Qiying rubbed his eyes, looked up at Sid, and said:
"Rainbow Fruit. There's only a small piece."
He added:
"It's very expensive. Do you want to buy it?"
Please invest a little~
Before you continue