Seven Days Later, the Gourmet Market

Outside Bede City, a carriage bearing the Adventurers' Guild emblem descended from the sky.

The Pegasus folded its wings. Once the carriage came to a stop, the coachman eagerly ran over and opened the door.

"We're here already?"

Accompanied by an old but spirited voice, a well-dressed elderly man with thick, grizzled hair as wild as a lion's mane stepped out of the carriage. He possessed an aura of authority, like a mafia boss, even without showing anger. He took out a gold pocket watch, glanced at it, and said,

"Two hours earlier than expected. The Guild probably hasn't finished preparing the welcome ceremony. Let's go into the city first. I hear a lot of interesting things have been happening recently."

"Mr. Sid, I think, cough... I think we should first, cough... we should first meet with the local Guild."

Following him, or rather, crawling out of the carriage, was a capable-looking woman. Her face was pale, and she couldn't help but dry heave from time to time.

"After all, given your status, cough..."

The old man named Sid said with a stern face, "Gina, as my assistant, you actually get carsick? That is truly inelegant. I order you to rest in the carriage."

"Isn't it because you insisted on speeding?" Gina finally crawled out, clung to a large tree and threw up for a while, then reluctantly supported herself and followed him.

She couldn't possibly let the old man go off on his own; he might cause some trouble.

As soon as the two entered Bede City, they felt a different kind of vitality.

Adventurers of various appearances and races flowed endlessly. Every street had figures carrying weapons. Where there were many people, there was bound to be noise. Shops along the street used magic loudspeakers to loudly loop advertisements to attract customers, making it necessary to shout to talk to companions on the street.

Most people seemed to be in a hurry, as if rushing to do something. Were they going to work?

No, absolutely not going to work.

Sid keenly noticed that these people's eyes revealed longing and hope, and some even had smiles on their faces. Clearly, what they were about to do was full of fun for them.

So it absolutely couldn't be going to work!

"Were there this many people here before?" Sid's mouth didn't move, but his voice appeared in Gina's mind.

"According to the report received by headquarters, since the anomaly occurred in Zane Dungeon, the number of adventurers staying in Bede City for more than three days has nearly doubled. This number is still growing rapidly."

Gina flipped through the notebook in her hand.

"Especially a week ago, a hidden area called 'Gourmet Paradise' by adventurers was discovered. Merchants from all over the country smelled the business opportunity and rushed here without stopping."

"A week ago..." Sid stroked his grizzled beard.

"Count Philip, who manages Bede City, has converted a commercial street into a specialty market for Gourmet Paradise's products. Would you like to take a look?" Gina suggested. In fact, she was also very interested in the so-called specialties.

"Count Philip's business acumen is as high as ever. He completed such a large project in just a few days," Sid exclaimed, then said, "Let's go, let's take a look at the so-called market."

As soon as they arrived at the Gourmet Market, their steps stopped.

Because a colossal creature emitting a scorching aura was hung upside down on a wooden stake at the entrance of the market, making it impossible for anyone entering the market to ignore its existence.

It was a Roasted Whole Pig, its body exceptionally large compared to its peers. It had clearly been dead for a long time, but it still emitted heat, and... a rich aroma!

Anyone entering the market would first be shocked by the sense of the giant creature, then smell the rich aroma of meat. When they looked for the source of the aroma, they would clearly understand the true meaning of this market, the true meaning of Gourmet Paradise!

"Was this pig killed before being roasted, or..." Gina's eyes widened as she murmured, "Was it cooked from the beginning?"

Sid took a few steps closer. Immediately, someone who looked like a manager stopped him. But seeing his exquisite attire, and assuming he was a significant figure, the manager politely said, "This is not for sale, it's only for display. If you wish to taste, please go to the stalls inside."

Sid nodded, pointing at the Roasted Whole Pig and asking, "Whose handiwork is this chef's? To be able to roast such a large ingredient to perfection, I really want to pay them a visit."

The manager immediately perked up, explaining excitedly, "Sir, you must be new here, right? No wonder you don't know. This giant pig actually wasn't handled by any chef!"

Sid frowned, expressing his confusion.

The manager had seen many similar reactions these past few days, but each time he explained, it gave him a sense of superiority. See, I know so much more than you guys!

"It was born cooked from its mother's womb!"

Born cooked from its mother's womb?

Even after walking quite a distance, Sid still didn't understand what that sentence meant.

How could a creature be born cooked and still be alive? It wasn't an elemental creature.

"Sir, look over there," Gina's voice woke him from his contemplation. He heard his assistant say with some excitement, "It's all stuff I've never seen before."

Stuff you've never seen before?

I grew up in the royal city of Roer. What is there that I haven't seen!

Sid looked at the vendors on both sides of the street with a hint of disdain, then froze.

Fish with octopus legs, trees covered in bone-in roasted meat, willow trees with branches made of soba noodles, lobsters that sparkled like gems...

Oh no, I really haven't seen these.

He scanned around, trying to find even one ingredient he had seen. Ah, there is one!

A pastry shop was selling sponge cake. Finally, there was something he had seen.

Sponge cake couldn't possibly be related to monsters, could it?

Sid walked into the pastry shop. Just as he was about to say something, his gaze suddenly sharpened.

Because hanging in the pastry shop was the corpse of a Lion monster!

The chubby boss was using a sharp knife to cut the Lion's mane. The mane grew very strangely, it was square and seemed to be as elastic as a sponge.

Isn't that sponge cake!

He looked at the sponge cake displayed on the counter, his mouth twitching. So these cakes were cut from the Lion.

"Oh, would you like something?" The boss noticed him and greeted him warmly.

"I'm just looking around."

Sid left in a hurry. In reality, he really wanted to taste it, but it felt a bit like a slap in the face.

"Sir, try this."

Gina suddenly appeared with two skewers of fried items coated in batter. They looked like potatoes.

"Potatoes? No, they smell more like..."

Sid took them and took a bite, his eyes widening instantly. "Fried cutlets?"

It was indeed fried cutlets. Both the texture and taste felt like high-quality fried cutlets made by a master chef.

"I thought it was a steak at first, but," Gina said while eating, "it's actually a potato. I saw the boss pull it out of the ground with my own eyes, and it was already fried when it came out. It's amazing."

Sid looked at the potato pork chop in his hand, feeling his worldview slowly collapsing.

Even the alchemists who loved crossbreeding the most couldn't create such a wondrous combination.

And these things actually came from Zane Dungeon?

The two ate and browsed. Although the market was built in a hurry, it had all the necessary facilities. Coupled with the slight differences in what each vendor sold, browsing felt surprisingly addictive.

At this moment, Sid suddenly noticed a unique stall. While other stalls were filled with goods, this one was completely empty except for a tightly sealed box.

The boss looked like a young man, standing with his arms crossed and looking sleepy. His appearance was rare, with black hair and black eyes, which wasn't common.

His interest was piqued, and he walked up and asked, "Boss, what are you selling?"

"Hmm,"

Gong Qiying rubbed his eyes, looked up at Sid, and said,

"Rainbow Fruit, just a small piece."

He added,

"It's very expensive. Do you want to buy it?"

Seeking some investment~