Chapter 169 (Transition Part 2) Another year has passed
Ryan ultimately did not set off together. Rather than wandering around outside, He preferred to stay in the dilapidated little wooden house and sleep.
This is what Ryan told him through his thoughts.
Lei wasn't surprised; he had always been this arrogant and lazy person.
Ray set off from Rosen by carriage, passing through two other towns, and after a week, finally arrived at his destination—Eton City. This was the first time he had seen what this big city looked like.
It was far more magnificent than he had imagined. Like a modern person who had stumbled into an oil painting, Ray was filled with curiosity and a strange excitement. Ray attributed this to the novelty of "entering the city."
The architectural style of Eaton City is somewhat similar to that of European cities in the 19th century, with the most striking feature being the tall castle built in the center of the city.
I don't know what materials it was made of or how it was built. It's so white it reflects the sunlight, which is completely out of line with Ray's understanding of the technological level here. Logically speaking, there shouldn't be any building materials like tiles here, but there's plenty of marble.
Most buildings in the town have stone facades, which is much better than in Rosen, at least you don't have to worry too much about fire safety.
These were things he observed from a distance.
Sure enough, those living on the outskirts of the city are always the relatively poor.
He had to pass through an area that resembled a shared rental area and have his identity card checked by guards before he was allowed to enter Eaton City.
The people living on the outskirts of town are not well-dressed; some are even less well-dressed than the town's residents. Their poverty has not diminished their love for Eaton, and their words reveal a deep pride in being residents of Eaton.
Lai stayed briefly for a day to scout out the situation in the city before officially entering.
He brought fifteen gold coins with him on this trip, enough to live comfortably in Rosen Town for a while, but if he didn't plan his time carefully, these gold coins wouldn't last long.
To save money, Rae usually only stays in family-run inns. The rooms are small, with only a bed and a round table. But a night's stay costs only three silver coins, and hot water and breakfast are provided, although it consists of only a piece of bread the size of two fists and a cup of hot tea.
However, one is not always lucky enough to find such cheap inns. These inns cost between two and five silver coins, but it's always good to save a few silver coins.
Eaton City was indeed far more prosperous than Rosen Town; the shops along the streets stayed open until very late. There were also magical juggling performances in the square, and horse-drawn carriages were available for travel, costing only fifty copper coins from East Street to West Street.
Lai usually chooses to walk, as he has plenty of time. He wants to explore the city and local markets, hoping to find vegetable seeds that he can't buy in Rosen Town.
He spent three days at the market, which he considered a treasure trove.
Corn is not a common sight in Rosen Town, but at the local market, Lai bought a small bag of corn kernels from an orc shopkeeper, which delighted him greatly.
Although the breed he bought wasn't suitable for human consumption—the orc shopkeeper intended it for livestock—it solved a major problem; at least he wouldn't have to worry about food for his animals anymore.
The corn kernels gave Lai more hope. He went to several seed shops and finally bought the corn seeds that were commonly used for food in the area.
Unfortunately, there wasn't any sticky corn with a softer, sweeter texture here, but he was already very satisfied with what he had.
On this trip, Ray still had a mission: Aunt Linda had asked him to bring Vivian some homemade sausages and snacks.
With the pendant as a powerful weapon, he naturally had no reason to refuse.
Linda had only prepared a little bit because she was worried that Lai would have a hard journey, but she prepared more at Lai's request.
Along the way, he only carried a few clothes and some food as a token gesture to avoid attracting attention; all other items were kept in his pendant in secluded places.
Lai absolutely loves this pendant; it's definitely an essential accessory for home, travel, and storing or transporting goods.
Before he left, Linda gave him an address, which was the apartment Vivian rented, located in the city center.
After asking around, Ray finally found the place, only to be told by the butler that she hadn't returned for two weeks, so he could only try his luck at the castle.
The largest castle in Eaton City is the residence of the city lord. It is guarded by guards every day, so it is not something that a nobody like Lai can easily enter. Lai wandered around the castle for two days without encountering Vivian, so he had to give up on this unreliable method.
But the housekeeper said that Vivian sometimes wouldn't go back for months at a time, and they couldn't just leave their things in the apartment. After thinking for a long time, Lai could only pin his hopes on the former magic academy, where Lamb had mentioned that she had taught.
After finding out that the magic academy was five blocks away from the apartment, Ray still chose to walk.
The person who received him was a middle-aged man. When he heard that Lai was looking for the magic teacher here, he led Lai to a reception room and poured him a cup of hot tea.
The middle-aged man's friendly attitude made Ray feel comfortable; at least he didn't have to stand outside anymore. The weather was getting cooler, and it was still quite cold standing outside for a long time.
Not long after, the uncle returned alone, with an apologetic look on his face.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Lei, Miss Vivian is not here. The teacher in charge of the class said that she went out on a mission and it is uncertain when she will be back."
"Okay, thank you. I won't be staying here for long, and I probably won't see her this time. Could you please help me give these things to her?"
"No problem, you can leave it to me."
Lai handed the large bag of things to the uncle, expressed his gratitude, and left the magic academy without bothering him any further.
Rye studied here for a while. If he runs into someone he knows, without any specific memory of them, it might cause unnecessary trouble. It's better to leave sooner rather than later.
That's what he was thinking.
After completing the task given by Linda, I left the vicinity of the apartment and continued to explore Eaton City.
Under the rule of Lord Emerick, Eton City did indeed develop very well.
Thanks to the Duke's iron-fisted approach, although this place is home to people of various races, violent conflicts are rare.
This was all learned through conversations with other people, and Lei also personally experienced this friendly atmosphere.
People were used to seeing orcs, half-orcs, elves, and dwarves on the streets and didn't give them any strange looks.
This scene is uncommon in any other city in the country. People can accept other races, but they are unwilling to accept orcs and other hybrids with prominent features.
Emeric is a very good manager, in every respect.
"That's what I'm thinking," Ray thought to himself.
The trip ended after Ray explored the entire city of Eton. It went very smoothly, without any unexpected incidents. The biggest finds were a few bags of corn kernels and some vegetable seeds.
Seeing that Lai was a big customer buying a lot, the seed shop owner recommended a type of lettuce seed that could grow pink leaves.
According to him, this lettuce is a hybrid of ordinary vegetables and magical plants. Its leaves are pink and its taste is sweet. It can boost the spirits of the eater and is especially suitable for salads. It is very popular among nobles.
But the shopkeeper wanted five silver coins for a small bag of seeds, which was tantamount to robbery, so Lai refused outright.
Later, he recommended a tomato seed that could grow into small green tomatoes, which was also related to magical plants and required three silver coins.
This kind of vegetable sounds expensive, so it's not suitable for selling at the market. If it's too expensive, there won't be many customers; if it's too cheap, it won't even cover the costs.
Lai didn't initially intend to buy, but he couldn't resist the shopkeeper's persuasive sales pitch, and the shopkeeper even lowered the price, offering both types of seeds for only six silver coins, plus a small packet of spinach seeds as a bonus.
After much consideration, Lai compromised. In fact, he was also curious about what pink lettuce looked like, as he had never seen a vegetable that was hybridized with a magical plant.
On the way back, troubled by the lack of luggage, Lai stopped for a day in each of the towns along the way, mainly to learn about the local situation in order to sell apples in large quantities in the future.
It was autumn when we set off, and winter when we returned. There hadn't been any snow yet, but the temperature had already dropped by more than ten degrees Celsius, and some residents who were sensitive to the cold were already wearing thick clothes.
Lai bought beef and ribs in town to take back and treat Guge and Temuqi to a meal as a token of his gratitude.
Unfortunately, not long after Lai delivered the items to the magic academy, Vivian completed her mission and returned to the city lord's mansion.
She received the item without any problems; it was delivered by a mage who was on business at the city lord's mansion. Since Lai Yi didn't have a fixed address while traveling, he hadn't left one, and Vivian had no way of finding him. The two missed each other and didn't get to meet.
After that ball, attacks on people by demons occurred frequently in various places. The Duke's mansion was extremely busy dealing with these problems. Vivian, as a tutor, did not have to participate in these matters, but she could not sit idly by. So she would occasionally help out as an attendant, taking turns to give her colleagues a break.
After returning home, Lai prepared a sumptuous dinner to entertain the two of them, and everyone enjoyed themselves.
After bringing Tata back, he predictably became angry with Lai again, ignoring him for seven days straight, which was quite unusual. Lai decided to have a serious talk with Tata about it.
"Tata, are you still angry? I'll definitely take you with me next time we go out, okay?"
Tata was still facing away from Lei, his fur looking somewhat gray, and he was curled up in a ball like a soft rye bread.
"Next time, next time, it's always next time."
Tata muttered something under her breath, but Ray heard it clearly.
“Tata, you are a very precious little magical beast. This time we are going to Eaton City. The people there will not treat you like an ordinary kitten like they do in the town.”
If your identity is discovered, the villains will stop at nothing to capture you and sell you to nobles as a pet, or directly to the gladiatorial arena where you will be tortured to death in battle. Then you will never see your family again.
Ray felt like he was deceiving an ignorant little monster, but that was indeed the case.
Tata didn't speak, leaving him with a stubborn figure, her shoulders trembling slightly, and it took her a while to calm down.
"Li hasn't come back for a long time. The beast thought Li had washed away. The Gug family is no good. That wicked Jenny always licks the beast's fur, and the beast smells bad! The meat isn't cooked well either. The beast was separated from its mother and father when it was young. Anyway, nobody likes the beast!"
Tata poured out all her grievances, her back to Lai the whole time; it's unclear whether she cried or not.
Ray felt sorry for Tata's plight. If it weren't for those bounty hunters, Tata would be able to freely act spoiled and enjoy a carefree childhood with its parents, instead of hiding in a human village.
Ray's feelings were complicated. He had unknowingly put himself in the role of a father, and sometimes looking at Tata felt like he was facing his own unreasonable child.
Just like a child...
Lai gently picked up the little monster, Tata resisted a few times, and then buried its head under Lai's arm.
The living room was quiet, with only the crackling of burning firewood. Lai held Tata quietly for a while.
It sank.
"You bad guy! The beast isn't fat!"
"bath?"
"It needs to be washed."
"Rose perfume?"
"Regular soap".
"A whole leg of lamb stew for dinner?"
"Don't put tree bark in."
Tata dislikes the taste of cinnamon, calling it "bark".
"puff......"
Tata glanced at him, and Lei immediately suppressed his laughter.
"Then go take a shower now."
"Um."
The little monster put on airs again, and Cen Gui nodded, but the gray fur on its head was rather unsightly; it was unclear where it had gotten it from.
Lai was glad that Tata was an easy little monster to coax.
"etc!"
Tata called out to Lai, who was about to slip through the net, his expression serious and earnest.
"Next time, we can't leave any beast behind!"
"Yes, definitely."
The first snow of this winter came exceptionally late, with a heavy snowfall not falling until December, by which time Temuji had already been away for half a month. More important than the long-awaited first snow was the annual grand festival of the dwarf tribe.
Because of the small beast tide, Barnett has doubled the number of people protecting the village during the winters in recent years, and has actually prevented the same thing from happening once.
Even in winter, Lai still goes to town every few days to sell vegetables.
However, the method for making bean sprouts was eventually discovered by others, which was unavoidable. Anyone with a bit of life experience would be able to see the trick.
During Lai's trip, several more vendors started selling bean sprouts in the market, so Lai had to reduce his own bean sprout supply.
Fortunately, he has some loyal repeat customers, and he can use magic to grow fresh vegetables on his own, so the bean sprout issue doesn't have a big impact on him.
After Neil started his winter break, in addition to growing and selling vegetables, Lai's daily life now included taking Neil out for delicious meals.
Life is always full of trivialities. As the seasons change, spring has arrived once again. Fertilizer is being spread and the land is being turned over. Every household is preparing for planting, full of anticipation for the new year's harvest.
That year, Lai separated a plot of land to grow green tomatoes and pink lettuce, while continuing to grow other vegetables and potatoes as he had the previous year. Most of the corn was planted on the other side of the hill, with only a few rows, less than a hundred plants, planted on his side, to feed his own family.
While Neil was away studying, these tasks mostly fell to Lai, but he didn't find them tiring at all; on the contrary, he enjoyed them.
Lai was busy farming and didn't have much time to go to town, but he still learned some news about town from the villagers.
Not long ago, a dozen or so refugees came to the town; they were from two families who were only slightly related.
They said they came from a very, very far place, and their village hadn't received a drop of water for three consecutive years. The noble lords left the village the following year, and no one cared about their lives.
In order to try their luck, they had no choice but to flee here.
The refugees have been properly settled by the mayor, but the incident has caused a huge uproar in Rosen, with people discussing it everywhere.
Lei couldn't help but take notice.
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