No money for fried chicken
Soraya knew this was not the place to talk, and after confirming that the altar had been completely destroyed, she immediately ran outside.
Just before the three were about to completely leave the underground world, the underground world began to shake violently, and huge explosions came from the depths of the underground world, with stones of different shapes falling down continuously.
Al saw that the entrance to the tunnel was blocked by fallen stones, and the tunnel was shaking even more violently. He quickly tackled Sorea and Arlene to the ground and shielded them with his body.
Arlene pulled Solaya into a tight embrace the moment she was tackled.
The passage began to collapse, and stones kept falling on Al. Just before a collapsing boulder was about to hit Al's back, a white light shone and completely enveloped the three of them, preventing Al from suffering further harm.
This is the effect of the defensive inscription totem that Soraya just cast.
Under the defensive totem, the three of them took turns casting spells to keep the totem running. Stones fell continuously with a rumbling sound. The three of them only suffered minor injuries, but they were trapped underground by layers of stones.
“Your Highness, once the collapse has completely stopped, we will dig a road out,” Al said.
Sorea looked at the dirt and stones constantly falling on her head, holding the egg, and said in a muffled voice, "We all overlooked the fact that the flesh and blood of the Primal Godmother's followers will explode after death."
"It's good that you're alright, and that we're all alright," Arlene comforted her.
Fortunately, the three of them had already reached the exit of the underground cave. After the collapse stopped, they quickly dug out a way out. To prevent any further accidents, Al led the way, Arlene followed behind, and Sorea was protected in the middle while holding the egg. The three of them dared not rest for a moment and kept running north.
The forest paths were difficult to traverse, and the three of them could easily be chased by various monsters preparing to hunt them.
After three days of non-stop, high-speed work, the trees in front of Solaya finally began to look fresh.
"The three of us haven't rested for days. We've only eaten some fruit. I can already smell the sea. Let's rest here!" Sorea said, panting heavily as she leaned against a tree.
Al and Arlene had no objections; one went hunting nearby to see if there was any suitable food, while the other gathered dry branches to start a fire. Sorea, meanwhile, leaned against a tree, holding up the egg and examining it carefully.
Al returned empty-handed very quickly.
Arlene looked at the size of the fire and asked in confusion, "What's wrong? Why are you back so soon?"
Al frowned and reached out to extinguish the fire in front of him. "This place has changed too much. There's a small town ahead, so it's not safe to start a fire here."
After hearing Al's words, Soraya also raised her head. "I remember this forest used to connect directly to the Karal Sea, right? Would Karal allow someone to live next to him?"
Karal, a 13th-level demigod octopus, is named after the Karal Sea and its people. It once led its people to create a tsunami on the sea against the human race. After being subdued by the god of the ocean and hurricane, it remained in the Sea of Death to guard the land, and its offspring guard the territory of the Karal Sea.
"So it's strange, I always feel that the town is very ordinary and there is no danger. Should we go in and take a look?" Al asked.
Arlene, however, felt that it was better to avoid trouble in the current situation and suggested going directly to the Karal Sea and having the Karal people escort them back to the Sea of Death.
Al pulled Arlene aside and whispered, "Arlene, it's fine if we go straight back, but look, His Highness's clothes are all torn."
Arlene's gaze shifted to Soraya, noticing that the two were both very clean. The noble princess's white cloak was covered in mud and water, and her golden dress was even torn in several places. Her once shimmering silver-white hair had become dry and brittle due to days without any care or cleaning. Deep within her azure eyes lay a profound weariness.
Since birth, Sorea had never experienced the exhaustion of these past few days, and she had long lost the initial enthusiasm for the adventure. However, she knew that Al and Arlene had worked harder than she had to take care of her, and had been enduring it all without uttering a sound.
"Your Highness." Seeing Solaya's terrible state, Arlene's heart was breaking.
She and Al swore an oath to the sea god when Soraya was only a month old, promising to protect her with their lives, but now they are letting Soraya escape with them.
"It's all my fault. If I had been more assertive and broken through the Elven barrier to find the Crown Prince and the others before Her Highness gave birth, we wouldn't be in this predicament, fleeing in haste with nothing." Tears welled in Arlene's eyes as she kept blaming herself.
Hearing the conversation between her two knights, Solaya forced herself to stand up, exhausted, and hugged Arlene to comfort her:
"If it weren't for you guys, I wouldn't even be able to get out of the Emerald Sea. It's good that there are people ahead of me. Let's go over and have a big meal, and buy me some clothes. I want to go home looking beautiful."
When Sorea and her companions reached the entrance of the town, they were drawn in by a fragrant aroma.
The entrance to the town was lined with restaurants, their signs covered in things Solaya couldn't understand at all: hot pot, fried chicken, milk tea, hamburgers...
All of these shops exude wonderful aromas of food.
Even Al, who never paid much attention to his appetite, couldn't help but swallow hard, not to mention Sorea, who hadn't eaten much for days and was already bent over, clutching her stomach.
"What are all these things? I've never seen them before. Your Highness, what would you like to eat first?" Arlene looked at Sorea with a puzzled expression.
"Fried chicken, this should be chicken, let's go eat this first." Sorea was so hungry she was dizzy, and she pointed to the only food she knew.
When they arrived at the fried chicken shop, Solaya and her companions were warmly greeted by the staff. Not quite sure what the shop did, they simply ordered from the signboard.
"Okay, three signature set meals, please." The clerk called out to the kitchen.
Soon, three fragrant fried chickens and three strange, bubbly black drinks appeared before Solaya.
After Al ate a few pieces of chicken and confirmed that he was alright, Sorea immediately tore off a chicken leg and started to eat it.
"It's so delicious! I've never eaten anything so good before!" Sorea exclaimed happily after finishing her meal.
The shop assistant sweeping the floor looked at Solaya strangely, "Aren't you gentlemen from our Osenia Empire? This is a local specialty, the most expensive food invented by the divine prince, Prince Yuan of Osenia."
Sorea was taken aback. "Were all those foods outside invented by, um, Prince Yu'an?"
"Of course, it's not just food. His Highness Yu'an has many other great inventions. Our guests will know once they stay here for a while." The clerk said proudly and continued sweeping.
"Yuan, my precious little brother is recovered? Al-Arin, did you hear that? Father God and Mother Goddess, my Yuan is recovered!" Sorea was completely immersed in the good news of Yuan's recovery.
The thought that no one had informed her of such a big piece of news made Solaya disbelieving that her father and brother hadn't told Veldrian, and that it was that person who had told her.
Thinking of the unfamiliar country, and being mistaken for a foreigner by her brother's people, Sorea laughed self-deprecatingly, "I never thought that after getting married, I would no longer be a citizen of the Osenia Empire."
Al and Arlene dared not reply to Soraya's words.
After a while, when Arlene saw that Soraya's expression was calm, she quickly interrupted her princess's train of thought.
"Your Highness, please try this drink. It has a strange taste, but it's delicious. Prince Youan is a genius."
"Really?" Solaya smiled as she mentioned her younger brother and reached for the drink in front of her.
Sorea took a sip, and the first thing she tasted was sweetness. After drinking it, a fumes came out of her nose, and she quickly covered her mouth with her sleeve to stop herself from making any unpleasant noises.
Strange, but addictive, Sorea commented.
With this sparkling water as a side drink, and a bite of chicken, Solaya was completely captivated by the deliciousness, abandoning all other thoughts and quickly finishing the food in front of her.
After Al-Arlin and her companion finished another fried chicken meal, they clutched their stomachs and leaned back on the sofa. Solaya hesitated before asking, "Do we have money to pay the bill?"
Al and Arlene froze for a moment, then suddenly remembered that this was not the past; they were running for their lives and had taken nothing with them.
Sorea saw this and understood what was going on. She shook her head, took off her cloak, and removed her two bracelets.
“My bracelet is made of gold, you can sell it to pay off the debt. It’s a pity that I lost my earring on the way. That one has inscribed gemstones on it, so it’s worth more.”
"I definitely have enough gold. I'll be right back."
Al blushed as he picked up Solaya's bracelet. He never imagined that one day he would need his princess to sell jewelry to support him.
Arlene was also embarrassed. Looking at the cashier who came over to collect the money, she said apologetically, "We lost our money. Don't worry, my friend has already gone to exchange it!"
Sorea put her cloak back on, covering her face completely so that not a single detail was visible.
She never imagined that her noble divine child, accompanied by two proud demigod knights, would end up without money for food.
Al left with a blush on his face, and returned with a blush on his face as well, settling the bill and redeeming Sorea and Arlene.
The three people wandered silently down the street, surrounded by various hawking cries. Awkwardly, they didn't react and walked mechanically.
"I want to take a bath! I want pretty clothes!" Sorea's eyes were drawn to the clothes in a store, and she finally couldn't hold back and started making a fuss.
The three of them tidied up everything in the town and bought Soraya more than a dozen pieces of clothing. Most importantly, they bought a totem scroll with storage inscriptions, which Soraya obtained by selling her necklace.
Having sold too much stuff, Al had gone from feeling awkward and uneasy back to being expressionless.
With the finest offerings to the god of the sea, Solaya knelt in the ocean and began to pray:
"The great ruler of the seas,"
Your Majesty, the Lord of Hurricanes
Holy Father of War
My dearest loving father,
Please turn your gaze to your only daughter.
Your daughter has returned to her homeland.
Wishing you good health.
After Sorea finished her prayer, she saw the calm sea and heard no words from her father. She felt a pang of unease, for her father had never failed to respond to her prayers before.
Undeterred, she continued to pray, but the sea god remained unresponsive.
Al and Arlene also realized something was wrong and joined in the prayer, but the sea god still did not respond.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
