Chapter 233: 233
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Belacia City was a small city, just like Bluebird said . Even when compared with other small cities, such as the Town of Beginnings or the Port City Lockheart, Belacia City was still the smallest . Seeing it from afar, there were only a few buildings surrounded by a row of walls that only came up to their chests, a height that seemed useless for defense considering the local monsters . There was only one two-story building in the city . It was a restaurant located in the center .
Bluebird took out a cloak from his system window and donned it . He also wrapped it around his face to cover most of his facial features .
Witnessing what he did, Burapha asked, “Didn’t you say that clothing is not helpful in resisting the cold? Why are you suddenly putting on a cloak?”
“Erm . . . I just want to warm my heart, okay? Don’t ask too much . Let’s split up . I’m going back,” replied Bluebird .
Sila turned to Bluebird and asked, “Eh? Why? We just arrived . Aside from you, we are clueless when it comes to this city . ”
“The restaurant is the very center of this city . The western side is the residential area, the eastern side is the market, the northern side is monster territory, and the south is where we just came from—the Winter Forest . Don’t pick a fight in the restaurant and don’t cause trouble for the Medical Saint . When people are fighting or monsters are raiding, you don’t have to be concerned about the safety of others . The people here can take care of themselves and they are always so vigilant . ”
Bluebird’s explanation was so hasty as if he was in a hurry .
“Don’t pick a fight in the restaurant and don’t cause trouble for the Medical Saint . Why?” asked Burapha .
“Because there is only one restaurant in this city . It acts as a resting, relaxing spot for everyone . If you dare to start a fight there, you will surely be hunted down . The people here won’t care which side of the argument is right or wrong . They only care who starts it . As for the Medical Saint, he works in a clinic located at the rebirth zone . His fighting ability is not that great compared to others, but his medical skills are second to none . Everyone in this city, no matter who they are, has been treated by him at least once or twice . In conclusion, he is one of the most important figures in this city . Thus, don’t harm him and don’t damage the clinic . Otherwise, the citizens are going to lynch you . ”
“Is there a potion shop, sir? In the case that I want to open a business in the city, are there any regulations I must follow?” asked Sebastian .
Franz and Asura’s faces went noticeably pale . Sebastian opening a business meant they would have to work their asses off in a sweatshop without being able to see the light of day .
Bluebird replied, “They didn’t have one last year . The ingredients for potion-brewing seemed to be difficult to acquire, so people often used ones that could be purchased from the system-generated building . If you really want to open a business, you can set up a stall or rent a building, and you can sell whatever you want . This city is separated from the outside so there are always some strange shops opened on a whim . Just go there and you will see for yourself . ”
Franz interrupted the conversation . “B-But . . . Erm . . . our objective behind coming here is not to open a shop, r-right? I heard we came here for another purpose . ”
Sila nodded . “Indeed, our main objective is to recruit people . We have to keep this in mind . ”
Asura secretly gave Franz a thumbs up . “Mn . . . In that case, opening a business will just waste our precious time . . . Young man, you’re absolutely right, we have to keep this in mind . Let’s make it so that any plans regarding opening a shop are not a priority . ”
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Sebastian smirked . “In order to invite people to join us, I believe the first thing we must do is to create a sense of unity, sir . By having a potion shop, we will be able to form a bond with the citizens . Then, the recruitment will become easier . ”
Sila followed this line of thought . “Umm… You’re right . What Sebastian said also makes sense . What should we do?”
“Why don’t we just do both, Big Brother? That way the chances of us failing are reduced . Let’s split up into two groups and perform different tasks,” proposed Burapha .
“That sounds good . What do you think, Bluebird?”
“What do I think? Why does it matter? I’m going back . I even brought you here through a shortcut . What else do you want from me?” Bluebird’s gaze wandered around, being oddly vigilant .
“Your Boss seemed to order you to stay with us in Belacia City and help us to the best of your ability though,” Burapha said with a victorious smile .
Bluebird swiftly turned his head . “How do you know about that?”
“Your Boss instructed White Swan to pass a message along to me . She asked me to tell you this in the case that you aren’t willing to help us . Your Boss seemed to predict that you would surely flee from the responsibility . ”
‘Sheesh! Boss, oh, Boss! And here I thought I was the only one who knew about her order . I didn’t expect her to pass her order through Swan to Burapha!’
Since it was the Boss’ order, Bluebird had no choice but to grit his teeth and comply without his consent . “Fine . However, I will act alone . Just contact me using the system window if you want anything . ”
“That is fine . Bluebird specializes in gathering intel, so acting alone will give you more freedom . Just inform us when you obtain any important intel,” Sila agreed .
“I will also go my own way here . Let’s meet again when the opportunity arises, Sila, Burapha, and umm . . . you too, my number one fanboy,” Lomyok said .
Bluebird opened his mouth widely . “Who is your fanboy?!”
Lomyok straightened his back as he waved his fan elegantly . “Ahem~ No need to hide it . Your behavior made it kind of obvious . You were always furious when I ignored you, and always tried to get my attention . Moreover, you kept jotting down every word I said . Who else can you be aside from being my fan? Well, to be honest, I’m surprised to know that I have such an enthusiastic fanboy . ”
Bluebird’s brain went temporarily blank; he was speechless . Meanwhile, Burapha was laughing so hard that his stomach hurt . “Wahahaha! A fanboy! What a great joke! Hahahaha!”
Lomyok took out a sheet of paper and wrote his signature on it . He swiftly threw it to Bluebird who caught it unconsciously .
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“That is for my number one fanboy . . . In any case, I will be traveling around Belacia City for quite a while, at least until I finish visiting the Vampire Queen in the Ten-Thousand-Year-Old Castle and make sure that the white-fur monster is not around here . If destiny truly exists, we may meet again . Adios~”
Everyone politely bid Lomyok farewell . Only Bluebird stayed silent as he was still too shocked . Even Sila had a hard time suppressing his chuckle .
“D-Damn! Just you wait, Lomyok! I will take my revenge one day, you bastard!!” Bluebird declared loudly as his dignity was trampled on .
“Oho, Big Brother Lomyok just left, yet you are already expressing your desire to meet him again . As expected of his number one fanboy . Hahaha!” Burapha teased .
Bluebird was about to retort . However, he noticed blue vapor emitting from his body . It meant he was losing control over his emotions, which prompted Asmodeus’ psychic power to surge . He had to calm down, so he counted to one hundred in his mind .
Seeing that the joke went too far, Sila stopped it . “Easy, easy . Let’s quit it and split up . We will split into two equal groups . One will act openly while the other will act secretly . My group will openly invite people to join us while Sebastian’s group will open a potion shop to slowly build up intimacy with the people . ”
“I am quite knowledgeable when it comes to trading and management, so I guess I will be with Mister Sebastian,” Burapha volunteered .
Sila shook his head . “No, I think Burapha should be in my team . You want to train yourself, right? In that case, being in the open will be more convenient . As for the potion shop, Sebastian used to run one in Zhongsuyuan City, so there won’t be a problem . Am I right?”
Sebastian agreed with Sila . “Yes, sir . You can count on me to take care of it . ”
Sila looked at Lookhin who had been doing nothing but eat . “I guess Lookhin will have to stay with me . What about you, Mamon?”
“I prefer staying away from the bird girl,” replied Mamon .
“Mn . Actually, Mamon is good at item utilization, so it will be better for you to join Sebastian’s group . What about you, Mister Asura, Miss Franz?”
The monster duo turned to look at each other . Sila stated beforehand that the teams would be equal in members . Now that Sila’s group consisted of three members while Sebastian’s had two, if the two of them both volunteered to join Sila’s team, the ratio would be five to two; the gap would be too wide . However, if only one of them joined, the number would be acceptable .
“Well, I’m willing to sacrifice myself and join your group . ” Franz was the first to take action .
Asura hurriedly argued . “Oh, no, Franz, my dear friend . Of course I can sacrifice myself for your sake . You can stay with Sebastian . As for me, I am willing to put myself in danger in your place . ”
Franz didn’t give up . “No, thanks . You and Sebastian are both undead . There must be many things you want to talk about together . I will go for you . ”
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Seeing that the two couldn’t settle it easily, Sila said, “To be honest, neither of you have to force yourself to come with me . Both of you can stay with Sebastian . Maybe you two will want to spend time with friends . ”
‘This is bad! At this rate, both of us will end up being in Sebastian’s group . If that is the case . . . ’
“Hold on, Sebastian’s Master!! There is a solid reason I want to join your team . This kid, Burapha, still has a lot he has to improve and learn about psychic power before he can fight on par against a skilled opponent . I’m but a benevolent monster who holds my comrade dearly . Seeing his talent, I can’t afford to let it go to waste . Therefore, I’m willing to impart to him my special technique regarding psychic power in order to make him become stronger . ” Asura made an excuse . He went as far as dragging Burapha into it .
“Really? You will teach me?” Burapha asked as he was pleasantly surprised .
“That kind of technique is unneeded . I will teach you my poison art . You don’t need to be that strong . Just toss it at your opponent, and they will fall down squirming in pain,” Franz argued .
“It’s good that you mentioned poison . . . Oh, Franz, my dear friend . I felt really guilty when you forced these two pellets into my hands . I was opposed to the idea, but you still insisted that I take them . Please, just take them back . Stealing products from the shop really doesn’t sit well with me . ”
Asura activated the ultimate skill—Selling A Friend Out . He blatantly exposed Franz’s wrongdoing as he handed Sebastian the two pellets Franz had stolen from the shop .
“Asura, you bastard . . . !” Franz gnashed her teeth .
“Mn . . . these are indeed the pellets from our shop . It seems strict discipline for employees is required . Well, Franz, you will have to join my group,” Sebastian said lightly, however, his words were like a decree . Upon hearing them, Franz froze up . Looking at the other member, Mamon, she realized there was no way he would do the physical labor . Having to work alone was bad enough by itself . On top of that, she was going to be punished . She glared at Asura .
Asura walked to Sila and said to Franz with his most sympathetic voice, “I’m doing this for your own good, my dear friend, really . You need redemption . It’s still not too late for you to reform . ”
Franz was so close to screaming her lungs out . Nevertheless, she suppressed her anger . Revenge is a dish best served cold . She would wait ten years if she had to .
‘From now on, I will have to be on guard against poison . I won’t touch anything Franz gives me,’ Asura thought while eyeing her expression .
“Well, let’s split up,” said Sila, to which Sebastian nodded . Before they went their separate ways, the butler handed Sila a certain amount of money .
“This is 500 gold, sir . Please take it . I heard you didn’t have much money on you . ”
Sila happily took it . After that, Sebastian’s group walked off, and Bluebird took this as his cue to leave . Now only Sila’s group remained, consisting of himself, Burapha, Lookhin, and Asura .
“Where should we start, Big Brother? Do you have a plan?”
Sila shook his head as he replied, “In order to persuade someone to join us, at the very least, we will have to know their circumstances . Let’s start by visiting the restaurant . We will observe what kind of lifestyle the players have . ”
The rest of the group, except for Lookhin who didn’t bother expressing her opinion, agreed with Sila’s plan . They entered the city and walked along the main street . Some people glanced at Sila’s group briefly before removing their gazes . They were mildly curious . It was rare for this place to have newcomers . Despite this, there had been an unusual amount of people arriving lately .
The restaurant was a two-story building entirely made of wood . It stood firmly, perfectly fine, against a cold storm . There were only a handful of people on the first floor . Nevertheless, Sila wanted to have a better look at the city, so he went upstairs .
The four of them sat at the table next to the window . As soon as they sat down, a female waitress approached them, using her magic power to levitate four bowls of noodles . She placed them on Sila’s table and quickly left once it was done .
“Eh? We didn’t place an order, did we?” Burapha wondered .
“That girl just now was a fairy . Members of the fairy race have an appearance resembling humans, so I can’t tell whether her rank is Lord or not . In any case, she is quite skilled compared to most fairies you see in public . Her movements were quick and she could use magic power to levitate several bowls of noodles without spilling the soup . I guess she is someone’s pet . ”
Asura expressed his thoughts as he looked at the bowl of noodles in front of him . He normally only consumed liquids, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t eat normal food . It just wasn’t necessary for him, nutrients-wise . He used a pair of chopsticks to grab the noodles and found that every strand had the exact same length and thickness .
“The chef is skilled . ” He took a bite . “And the food is delicious . ”
Lookhin activated her psychic power and lifted her bowl up, then made its contents float out of the bowl and into her mouth .
Sila reprimanded her . “Lookhin, please eat properly . Use a spoon and a pair of chopsticks . ”
Lookhin pouted . She picked a pair of chopsticks up . Still, she only pretended to use it as she secretly used her psychic power to control the bowl . Sila sighed looking at her .
“Is it okay for us to eat? Maybe she served the wrong table,” said Burapha . He looked around and found that, aside from their group, four tables were seated . Everybody was similarly eating bowls of noodles .
“They are yours . You can be at ease, she didn’t deliver them to the wrong table . The chef here sought for, hunted, and cooked ingredients personally . The menu changes every day according to what he has . We can’t be picky . ”
A man sitting at the table next to them started a conversation . He stood up and approached Sila . “Can I sit with you?”
Sila couldn’t tell what kind of person this man was . He was a robust man in loose clothing made of cotton . His skin was tan and sturdy like a steel plate . His gaze was rough but tingled with a beautiful shade of blue as if his eyes were ice jewels . The qi this man emitted was calm and cool .
The expression on Sila’s face didn’t change . Although he couldn’t tell whether this man was friendly or hostile, he politely greeted him . “You’re welcome . Please take a seat . ”
The man sat down as several gazes from other tables fell onto theirs . Sila really couldn’t discern whether the gazes contained vigilance, suspicions, something else .
The atmosphere in Belacia City was tense . The relationships of the players in this place seemed to be complicated as Sila couldn’t tell who was friendly and who was hostile . Like the city’s nickname—the Borderless City—implied, there was no clear line separating the types of relationships the citizens of this city had with each other .