Outside Bede City, a carriage bearing the Adventurers' Guild emblem descended from the sky.
The flying horse folded its wings, and once the carriage came to a stop, the driver eagerly ran over and opened the door.
"We're here already?"
Accompanied by an aged yet spirited voice, an impeccably dressed old man stepped down from the carriage. His thick, grizzled hair flared like a lion's mane, and he carried the imposing aura of an underworld boss without needing to show anger. He pulled out a gold pocket watch, glanced at it, and said,
"We arrived two hours ahead of schedule. The Guild probably hasn't finished preparing the welcome ceremony yet, so let's take a look around the city first. I hear quite a few interesting things have happened lately."
"Mr. Sid, I think—ugh. I think we should first—ugh. We should first meet with the local Guild."
A capable-looking woman then emerged from the carriage—or rather, crawled out of it. Her face was pale, and she kept suppressing dry heaves.
"After all, given your status—ugh."
The old man named Sid said with a stern face, "Gina, as my assistant, you still get carriage-sick? That is thoroughly inelegant. I order you to rest in the carriage."
"Isn't it because you insisted on driving like a madman?" Gina finally crawled out, clung to a tree and vomited for a while, then barely supported herself as she followed him.
She could not trust this old man to act alone. Who knew what kind of trouble he might stir up?
The moment the two entered Bede City, they felt an unusual vitality.
Adventurers of different races and attire streamed endlessly through the streets. Armed figures could be seen on every road. With so many people came inevitable noise, and the shops lining the streets blasted looping advertisements through magic loudspeakers to attract customers, making it necessary to shout just to speak to one's companions.
Most people hurried along as if they were rushing to do something. Were they going to work?
No, they definitely were not going to work.
Sid keenly noticed the longing and anticipation in their eyes, even smiles at the corners of their mouths. Clearly, whatever they were about to do was full of enjoyment for them.
So they definitely could not be going to work!
"Were there always this many people here?" Sid's lips did not move, but his voice appeared in Gina's mind.
"According to reports received by headquarters, since the changes in Zane Dungeon, the number of adventurers staying in Bede City for more than three days has nearly doubled. That number is still growing rapidly."
Gina flipped through the notebook in her hands.
"Especially since the hidden area adventurers call Gourmet Paradise was discovered a week ago. Merchants from across the country caught the scent of opportunity and rushed here without stopping."
"A week ago..." Sid stroked his grizzled beard.
"Count Philip, who governs Bede City, converted an entire commercial street into a market dedicated to Gourmet Paradise specialties. Would you like to take a look?" Gina suggested. In truth, she was quite interested in these so-called specialties herself.
"Count Philip's business instincts are as sharp as ever. He completed such a major project in only a few days," Sid remarked before saying, "Let's go take a look at this so-called market."
The moment they arrived at the Gourmet Market, both of them stopped in their tracks.
A massive giant creature radiating scorching 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 Roasted Whole Pig. Its body was enormous even compared to others of its kind. It had clearly been dead for a long time, yet it still emitted heat—and a rich fragrance!
Anyone entering the market would first be shaken by the sense of encountering a giant creature, then smell the dense aroma of meat. When they searched for the source of that scent, they would clearly understand this market and the true meaning of Gourmet Paradise!
"Was this pig roasted after it was killed, or..." Gina's eyes widened as she murmured, "Was it cooked from the very beginning?"
Sid stepped closer, and someone who appeared to be a manager immediately stopped him. However, seeing how finely he was dressed and assuming he must be some important figure, the manager politely said, "This is not for sale. It is only for display. If you wish to taste it, please visit the stalls inside."
Sid nodded and pointed at the Roasted Whole Pig. "Which chef created this? To roast such a large ingredient to perfection—I truly want to pay them a visit."
The manager immediately perked up and explained animatedly, "Sir, you must have just arrived, right? No wonder you don't know. This giant pig was never handled by any chef at all!"
Sid frowned in confusion.
The manager had seen plenty of similar reactions over the past few days, but every explanation gave him a sense of superiority. See? I know far more than you people!
"It was cooked the moment it came out of its mother's womb!"
It was cooked the moment it came out of its mother's womb?
Even after walking a long way, Sid still could not understand what that meant.
If a creature was cooked from birth, how could it still be alive? It was not an elemental creature.
"Sir, look over there." Gina's voice snapped him out of his thoughts. His assistant spoke with a hint of excitement. "They're all things I've never seen before."
Things she had never seen before?
I grew up in Royal City Roer. What could possibly exist that I haven't seen!
Sid looked disdainfully at the vendors on both sides of the street, then froze completely.
Fish with octopus legs, trees covered in bone-in grilled meat, willow trees whose branches were buckwheat noodles, lobsters sparkling like gemstones...
Damn it, he really had never seen any of these.
He scanned the area, determined to find at least one ingredient he recognized. Ah, there it was!
A pastry shop was selling sponge cake. At last, there was something he had seen before.
Sponge cake could not possibly have anything to do with monsters, could it?
Sid entered the pastry shop, but just as he was about to speak, his gaze suddenly sharpened.
A lion monster's corpse was hanging inside the shop!
The plump owner was slicing the lion's mane with a sharp knife. The mane looked strange—square and blocky, seemingly springy 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 were sliced from a lion.
"Hey, what would you like?" The owner noticed him and greeted him warmly.
"I'm just looking around."
Sid hurried away. He actually wanted to taste it, but it would have been rather embarrassing.
"Sir, try this."
At some point, Gina had brought over two skewers of fried food coated in batter, their appearance resembling potatoes.
"Potatoes? No, the smell is more like..."
Sid took one and bit into it. His eyes instantly widened. "Fried cutlet?"
It really was a fried cutlet. Both its texture and flavor resembled a premium cutlet made by a renowned chef.
"At first, I thought it was a cutlet too, but..." Gina said as she ate, "It's actually a potato. I saw the owner pull it out of the ground with my own eyes, and it looked fried the instant it came out. It's incredible."
Sid looked at the potato pork cutlet in his hand and felt his worldview collapsing bit by bit.
Even alchemists, who loved hybridization more than anyone, could not create such a wondrous combination.
And all these things had come from Zane Dungeon?
The two ate as they wandered through the market. Though it had been built in a hurry, it had every facility one could need. On top of that, each merchant sold slightly different goods, making the place strangely impossible to leave.
At that moment, Sid noticed a rather unusual little stall. Every other stall was piled with merchandise, but this one was completely empty except for a tightly sealed box.
The owner appeared to be a young man, sitting with his arms folded and dozing off. His appearance was unusual too: black hair and black eyes, a rare sight.
His curiosity was piqued, and he stepped forward to ask, "Boss, what are you selling?"
"Mm?"
Gong Qiying rubbed his eyes, looked up at Sid, and said,
"Rainbow Fruit. Only a small piece."
He added,
"It's expensive. Want to buy it?"
Please invest~
Before you continue