Maple Leaf Town covers a small area and is nestled in a valley surrounded by maple forests.
The wooden and stone houses are arranged in an orderly manner, most of the roofs are covered with dark tiles, and the windowsills of every household are almost decorated with blooming flowers.
The streets are clean, with few weeds even growing between the stone slabs.
What impressed Mark and his companions the most was the state of the townspeople.
Whether it was a woman hanging clothes to dry on the street, a man returning with farm tools, or children chasing and playing, their faces were filled with an almost carefree smile.
That smile was not forced, but rather a satisfaction and peace revealed in his eyes, as if living here was itself a great happiness.
"Strange..." Enzo muttered, tapping his enlarged mithril breastplate with a small hammer. "I've lived for hundreds of years, and I've never seen anyone from a remote village so happy? It's like they've found a fortune. Has this town... ever suffered a disaster?"
"Hmph!" Anna snorted in dissatisfaction. "You must have slept for hundreds of years. And since Maple Leaf Town can produce maple syrup, their lives must be better off than those of ordinary people elsewhere. It's not surprising that they live so happily!"
Mark felt that what Enzo said made some sense, but he also found it a little strange.
He wouldn't find it strange if Maple Leaf Town was inside the Lily Kingdom just like Champagne Town.
But Maple Leaf Town is, after all, a border town of Dragon Slaying City, close to the Warcraft Mountains.
If there is a beast riot in the Warcraft Mountains, this area should also be affected.
The most important thing is that this is the Holy Dragon Continent, a magical world where monsters may invade at any time!
The happier and happier a place is, the stronger the power of faith will be, and it should attract many monsters that feed on pure souls and flesh.
Without the protection of a powerful church or professionals, it would be difficult for ordinary civilians to protect this precious happiness.
Just like in Champagne Town, old Stewart died at the attack of monsters.
As a trainee judge, Ruby's instruction to "pay attention to any suspicious customs or signs of evil sacrifices" immediately rang in his mind.
This happiness is so pure, so...uniform, and yet it has a hint of the unusual.
He watched calmly, his eyes scanning the smiling faces, trying to find even a hint of worry or fatigue, but found none.
"Let's find a place to fill our stomachs first, and then find a place to stay temporarily to see if there are any adventurers worth recruiting here." Mark suppressed his doubts and pointed to a small restaurant on the side of the road with a wooden sign that read "Maple Sugar Shack".
The restaurant is not big, the wooden tables and chairs are polished to a shine, and the air is filled with the warm aroma of food and the ubiquitous sweet fragrance that makes one's mouth water.
As soon as they sat down, a plump aunt with a clean apron and rosy cheeks came up to them warmly, with a smile so bright that it could melt ice and snow.
"Hey, new faces! Judging from your attire, you're adventurers, right? Welcome! Want to try our Maple Leaf Town specialties? I guarantee you'll want to come back again after you've tasted them!"
The restaurant's specialties were served promptly.
Thick-cut smoky bacon drizzled with rich amber maple syrup and grilled to a golden crisp.
Soft and fragrant maple syrup pancakes, served with a small dish of amber-colored maple syrup cubes.
There is also a dish of wild bird meat stewed until it is soft and tender, and the soup has the unique sweetness of maple syrup.
The most amazing thing is a small dish of crystal clear, ruby-like maple jelly, which melts in your mouth, is sweet but not greasy, and has the unique woody fragrance of maple trees.
Although all the dishes tend to be sweet in nature, Mark had to admit that this was the most local delicacy he had eaten since he came to the Holy Dragon Continent, except for the charcoal-grilled mountain goat.
As expected, this is the town where the legendary "Wild God" who controls the chef's job change exists.
"Mmm! This candy... is so good!" Enzo bit off half a pancake, his cheeks bulging with syrup as he mumbled an admiring compliment, "It's even better than honey! Just the right sweetness!"
Even Anna, who was usually aloof, had a look of surprise in her emerald green eyes after taking a bite of the maple jelly, and she ate it in small bites, cherishing it very much.
Monica cut the bacon gracefully, nodding slightly at the unique sweet aroma that permeated the dish.
While enjoying the food, Mark casually spoke to the busy, fat lady chef:
"Madam, your cooking skills are incredible! The idea of using maple syrup in the dish, and the timing of the cooking, are simply impeccable. I heard... there's a special 'cooking god' in Maple Leaf Town? Can he help ordinary people transform into amazing chefs?"
The fat lady was wiping her hands. Upon hearing this, the smile on her face instantly faded a little. She glanced around quickly with a cautious and familiar look.
She lowered her voice, speaking with a thick local accent: "Hey, sir... why are you asking about this? Those are just stories passed down by the older generations in this town. There's nothing special about them..."
A guy wearing a cross necklace, with an emblem on his chest that looked like the Church of Holy Light, and who also looked like a priest in temperament, asked her about the unregistered wild god. What good could he have said?
She wouldn't risk it.
Mark understood and winked at Monica.
Monica understood, put down her knife and fork, and gracefully took out two brand new Lily Kingdom gold coins from the small leather bag at her waist. The golden light was particularly eye-catching on the wooden table.
She gently pushed the gold coin onto the table next to the fat lady, her voice soft but with undeniable weight:
"We're simply here because we're curious and respectful of the 'God of Cooking'. We'd like to learn about the rules of offering sacrifices. We have no ill intentions. This is just a small token of our appreciation. Madam, please do us a favor. Our captain is an adventurer, not a member of the Holy Light Church in Dragon Slayer City."
Monica's words were very meaningful, and all believers in the human kingdom knew it.
Only the corresponding parish personnel are qualified to manage the church affairs of each diocese, unless the Holy Knights or the Holy City Inquisition and the Court of Arbitration are qualified to intervene.
Otherwise, ordinary believers and civilians can report nosy priests.
Whenever people from the Holy City travel, their presence is grand and their momentum is astonishing.
The group in front of him, who were of different heights and had a slime with them, were obviously not from the Holy City.
Since they are not from the Holy Light Church of Dragon Slaying City, there is no need to worry.
So the fat aunt immediately determined that the people in front of her were not here to cause trouble.
And the light of the gold coins seemed to dispel the fat aunt's last bit of hesitation.
Her signature bright smile returned, even more enthusiastically.
She quickly grabbed the gold coins and stuffed them into her apron pocket. She leaned closer and lowered her voice, with the excitement of sharing a secret:
"Oh, it seems you guys are sincere people! This matter is not really a secret in our Maple Leaf Town, but outsiders don't often know the specific details."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
