Winter City

Donglin City is located on the northern industrial belt's edge of Tianyuan Kingdom on the East Huang Continent. Although it's just a medium-sized industrial city, its location is exceptionally advantageous, with the Winter Mountains to the north and the Long Bridge Canal to the south. It's an important port on the canal and a necessary passage to the Winter Mountains. Every day, a large volume of goods flows through, and many adventurers heading to the Winter Mountains gather here. The city isn't large but is very prosperous.

This early morning, Old Zhang, the owner of Zhang Ji Pharmacy on the city's outskirts, was doing his usual two-kilometer morning run. As he wasn't a Supernatural Ability user, he couldn't absorb Spiritual Energy smoothly and could only rely on daily exercise to strengthen his body.

"Did you hear, Old Zhang? A few days ago, two people from the Si Nan Family died on the outskirts of the Winter临 Mountains!" Old Li, who was running with him, said, looking like he reveled in chaos.

"People from the Si Nan Family? Who dares to make a move against the foremost family of Tianyuan Kingdom?"

"They say it was just their bad luck, running into an adult Bone Armor Lion that had wandered to the outskirts."

"What a tragedy... But why would people from the Si Nan Family come all the way here, not staying in the capital?"

"It seems the head of the Si Nan Family sensed a strong Spiritual Energy Shockwave appearing in the Winter Mountains and sent a group of people to investigate."

"Even this could alarm the Si Nan Family?"

"Quite a few major events seem to have happened overseas recently. The Si Nan Family has been on edge lately, but it's just hearsay. I don't know the specifics."

"Whatever happened, it has nothing to do with us."

However, when Old Zhang returned to his shop and prepared to open, he discovered that a small incident had indeed occurred—his robe, which he wore while preparing medicine, had been stolen.

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Old Li also returned to his shop, sitting at the counter and leisurely smoking. In this world, shops encompass many functions, from selling goods to pawning, from purchasing to consignment. However, most shops are small, privately owned businesses. Large-scale establishments are generally referred to as exchanges.

When will the first customer arrive today? Just as Old Li was thinking this, the shop door was pushed open, and the first customer walked in.

The person was clad in a loose, flowing robe and wore a hood that covered most of their face. Beneath the brim, a cherry-like mouth and a gracefully curved chin indicated that this customer was a young woman. And... Old Li glanced at the ample bosom that the robe couldn't conceal. This girl was definitely a stunning beauty...

The robed woman fumbled for a moment, then placed something on the counter. "Boss, give me a price."

Her voice was like a nightingale's song, melodious and pleasant, causing Old Li to momentarily lose focus. He quickly concentrated his attention on the item for trade, so as not to embarrass himself in front of a young girl.

"Huh?"

Upon inspection, Old Li couldn't help but be a little surprised. It was the core of a Bone Armor Lion, and of quite high quality. The Bone Armor Lion must have been an adult. If she killed the lion, she must be an expert.

But Old Li was also puzzled. The ferocity of Bone Armor Lions was well-known among the demonic beasts of the entire Donglin Mountains. Their cores had many uses and were always in a seller's market as soon as they appeared. He had bought these cores before; each time, the seller would act aloof, demanding an outrageously high price, while he would humbly beg them to sell it cheaper.

Yet, this woman not only didn't set a high price but asked him to name one. It was truly rare. Based on his years of experience, this woman was most likely a young master from some prominent family, possessing strength but lacking experience, and not even knowing the market price of the core.

If that's the case... why not fleece her?

Making up his mind, Old Li put on an impatient expression, casually placing the core on the counter. "Although your core is from a Bone Armor Lion, its quality is too low, which greatly affects the price. It's probably only worth six thousand Tong Coins, how about it? Do you want to trade now, or leave it with me for safekeeping?"

The woman was silent for a moment, her body trembling slightly as if hesitating over something. Then, she suddenly lowered her hood.

"Uncle... this core should be worth more than that, right? Give me a bit more..."

Accompanying the voice that made one's bones go numb was a face of unparalleled beauty. Her dark, sparkling eyes were narrowed, a hint of playfulness mixed with cunning. Her delicate eyebrows were slightly furrowed, as if she were upset about the unfair treatment. Her small mouth was pouted, displaying an extreme allure.

An angel's face, a devil's figure, coupled with an overly cute expression, instantly shattered Old Li's psychological defenses!

"Tell me... how much do these cores usually sell for?"

"O-one, they usually sell for fifteen thousand Tong Coins..."

The truth blurted out, Old Li suddenly snapped back to reality. Damn, I fell for her trap!

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I walked out of the shop with a wad of cash. It's good to be pretty... Otherwise, even if I saw through the shop owner's trick, he wouldn't have honored it, right? Still, using my beauty as a tool... I'm a bit resistant to this behavior. As someone who was originally male, doing this feels a bit demeaning.

Resistance aside, successfully earning money put me in a great mood. I had already changed out of the stolen robe, which I'd taken to avoid harassment, and put on the new clothes I'd just bought. I wore a dark red hooded windbreaker on the outside, a gray long-sleeved shirt underneath, and close-fitting black pants and leather boots. After all, my heart is still that of a man, and my clothing choices were based on male standards. However, my face, which is more feminine than a woman's, paired with men's clothing, always creates an indescribable sense of incongruity. Is this a waste of good looks...

I inventoried the items I bought: a rather large backpack, a change of clothes, water, and dry rations... That shop really had everything. I was still wearing my hood to cover half my face. Judging by the shop owner's reaction, my appearance was quite astonishing even in this world. I need to be low-key, low-key.

As a newcomer, I was full of curiosity about everything. I had expected that in a world where Spiritual Energy existed, the customs and traditions would be like ancient China, as in cultivation novels. But upon seeing it, it was completely different. The industry in this world was quite developed. Where I was, on the outskirts of the city, large factory buildings were everywhere, looking identical to factories on Earth. The architectural style here was a fusion of Chinese and Western styles. Architects on Earth who advocated for East-West fusion would probably go wild if they saw it.

Perhaps because this was an industrial area, the streets weren't very aesthetically pleasing, nor were they clean, but they exuded a strong sense of modernity. The road surface was made of something similar to asphalt, with traffic lines painted on it, though much simpler than on Earth. There were also streetlights along the roadside, which weren't equipped with light bulbs but with stones like luminous pearls. Vehicles passed by occasionally. The exterior of the vehicles in this world looked like antique cars from the 1930s or 40s on Earth, with elegant lines, but their speed was clearly inferior to Earth vehicles.

It was probably working hours now, so there were few pedestrians on the street, and vehicles passed by occasionally. I suddenly felt lost. My current goal was to understand this world comprehensively. Considering asking people would be inefficient, it would be best to find a library, but there clearly wouldn't be such a place in this factory-filled area. So, what should I do? Take a taxi to the city center? But does this world have taxis?

As I was hesitating, a "beep beep—" car horn sounded. I looked to the side and saw a car stopped next to me. A middle-aged woman with a very kind-looking face poked her head out. "Miss, are you new here?" Seeing me nod, she continued, "Coincidentally, I'm going to the city center to visit relatives. If you need a ride, I can take you along?"

...Suspicious.

No one offers kindness without a motive. I've read plenty of web novels where protagonists encounter shady drivers. When a protagonist first arrives somewhere, the first person who inexplicably offers them kindness is usually no good.

However, thinking of the Bone Armor Lion I had dismembered, I could easily handle demonic beasts, so why should I fear a few petty thieves? Perfect, I'll take the ride...

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"Thank you so much! It's my first time traveling far from home, and I didn't know what to do."

She took the bait! Granny Wang rejoiced inwardly. She never expected her prey this time to be so easy to catch! When she saw her carelessly walking out of the shop with money earlier, she already thought she'd be easy to fool, but she didn't expect her to be this unguarded!

But Granny Wang didn't notice that her leading the prey into the car was seen by a young girl not far away...

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In the car, the middle-aged woman was very enthusiastic, chattering away at me like a non-stop taxi driver on Earth. I responded to her words intermittently while observing the interior structure of the car in this world.

The passenger compartment was nothing special, but the driver's seat was key. Where the steering wheel should have been was a smooth, circular stone slab emitting a faint blue light, much like a touchscreen. The woman simply placed her hand on it to control the vehicle freely. There were no pedals, no gear shifts, no handbrake, but there were two instruments: one displayed the speed, and the other seemed to indicate the remaining fuel... Although the car's power was definitely not from fuel.

From my perspective as an Earthling, this car had many areas for improvement. I wonder if I could make money by becoming a consultant for the manufacturer?

"We're here."

Just as I was lost in thought, the woman suddenly said. Looking around, I saw tall buildings, dense crowds, and crisscrossing vehicles. The streets were also much cleaner. It was indeed the city center.

"Thank you, Auntie. You can just drop me off here."

"Don't rush. Helping people to the end, Auntie will take you to a hotel..."

The car weaved its way through, turning into an inconspicuous alley and driving into a small building. As soon as we entered, the building's door immediately closed. I got out of the car and saw six or seven burly men with unfriendly expressions surrounding me.