CH 44

Lunch and the Youngster

The city was different to when they first arrived. When they first arrived, the city was packed. Every street was packed to the brim with people and carriages. It took them an entire day to reach the imperial palace. Today, to the contrary, there weren’t many people on the streets. Instead, the sound of armour rattling and sobs could be heard everywhere.

“Sorry, this is a disgrace. The entire imperial city is now under martial law, so there’s nowhere to play now.”

It wasn’t just the four sisters who were disappointed as the youngster shared the sentiment. He promised to take Liu Yue around when the celebration was on. That was a secret between the two of them. Liu Yue was excited about her journey, but it ended up a disappointment, which left the youngster feeling as though he sinned.

Ying, who was to the side, remained silent. She was fully aware of what she should do when her master went out to play. She didn’t utter a word, nor did she interfere. She merely watched over the four sisters.

Liu Yue gently shook her head. In a soft voice, she replied, “It’s fine. It can’t be helped. After all… Miss Vera was attacked. It doesn’t matter. We’ll be fine with just a stroll. It’s not as grand as the celebration. The city is new to us, nevertheless. It’s fine either way.”

“Ah… Oh… True…”

Liu Yue’s gentleness threw the youngster off his rhythm. He quickly turned his head. He felt his face rapidly heat up. His heart felt a little numb all of a sudden. As a guard, he had to ensure he could stay calm as always just as Ying was. He also felt there was no other woman in the world who could sway his heart since the woman he liked was right by his side; but nonetheless, he felt so many things had happened between him and Liu Yue.

“Let’s take a stroll, then. You can be our guide. Perhaps there’s not much to buy, but we’re still interested in your city and its traces of ancient culture.”

Vera calmly pulled on Nona’s hand. Nona was evidently a little disappointed and wanted to go home. Daisy stated that she was fine either way. She was nervous but also somewhat excited. She wished assassins would show up that second so that she could kill them to erase the shame during the last attack. Unfortunately, there were lots of guards around them, so it was unlikely somebody would attack them under the public’s watchful eye.

The atmosphere in the city was tense. Somebody would occasionally be dragged out onto the street and led away. The guards showed no tolerance. They had the right to kick people’s doors down and enter their property to conduct searches if people didn’t open up when they knocked. That being said, they didn’t interfere with the people’s daily life. The situation wasn’t fantastic, but the merchants were fearless. Furthermore, despite the circumstances where few people were in the city, the businessmen continued to open shop and not disappoint as businessmen. As such, they were the ones who bravely stood on the side of the streets and called out to people to come visit their store. The guards wouldn’t dare to frisk the four sisters when Miss Vera’s personal bodyguards accompanied them; therefore, the sisters weren’t obstructed.

Galaluocia was a city with a long history. Even so, it was new in comparison to the elven imperial city. In comparison to Hilles City, however, it was the same age. It had historical marks, a strong religious presence and even some traces of religious stories, which newer cities such as Troy City wouldn’t have. Even Nona was interested in the stories. Liu Yue was interested in cities and history to begin with, so that was exactly what she wanted.

The few of them arrived at the plaza in the centre of the city. They took a big detour and went around the large circular plaza when they went to the palace upon first arrival in the city; hence, their deepest memory wasn’t the huge water fountain state in the centre, but the smell of food and the various performances.

“This statue is the statue of our God of Battle in our legends. See his shield and spear? Stabbing the long spear into the ocean can calm the ocean water down. His shield could cover the Earth, which took form as the land we are walking on. He is a revered character in our stories. As a consequence, we erected a statue of him. This place is also named the God of Battle Plaza. Typically, there’d be many more small stalls set up around here. Due to the searches, though, this is all we currently have to offer.”

“Ah, it’s fine. We can just eat here.“

Vera looked at the stall in front of her. Where there was demand, there was supply. Businesses, therefore, continued without too much trouble. Although the city was under martial law, the people didn’t have their freedom restricted.

The four sisters locked onto a stall where the owner fried foods. Liu Yue excitedly watched the chef diligently at work with his iron pot. She’d never seen anybody cook the way he cooked before.

“You mean stir frying? Ah, I guess it’s one of our unique things. What I’m reluctant to acknowledge is that this cooking method actually comes from Ikana’s city. The people are very fond of it, nonetheless. Lots of us enjoy eating stir-fried dishes.”

“I’ve never seen this cooking method. Is it tasty?”

“If you’ve never tried it, it’s definitely worth a try because it’s seriously delicious.”

The youngster smiled. Thrilled and eager, the sisters leaned over to check out the menu they’d never seen before. They looked at the dishes on the table by the side where steam was coming from. Liu Yue’s tail began to wag back and forth and smack the ground.

The youngster placed the order, and the dishes were soon served up.  Interestingly, they didn’t use forks and knives. The youngster picked up two wooden sticks that had been shaved. He gave the girls a smile: “You won’t be able to use it well on your first try. You should stick to a spoon for now. It’s a versatile dining utensil, but it’s actually difficult to control.”

“I want to learn! We’ve come to eat, so we must learn!”

Just when Nona  protested, Ying grabbed her hand and then handed her a pair. In a soft voice, she informed, “This is how you use them. You previously saw them at my village, didn’t you? Like this…”

“Miss Liu Yue… I shall teach you, then.”

“Ah… Sure.”