Within Jinyang City.
Lu Heng, dressed in local attire, emerged from a secluded alley.
He was currently clad in scholarly robes, walking elegantly along a street bustling with shops. The establishments lining the street were open for business, and as he passed certain spots, people would enthusiastically invite him inside to browse.
Lu Heng had always found it difficult to resist such invitations and followed a shop assistant inside.
"Esteemed guest, I can tell you are a person of refinement and distinction. We offer a wide variety of books, and on the second floor, there are many rare editions for sale. May I ask what you are interested in?"
It had to be said that ever since Lu Heng first entered this ancient city, he had naturally gained a preliminary understanding of this continent.
Not only that, but he could also read the local script and communicate with the inhabitants without any hindrance.
Lu Heng picked up some books displayed on the shelves and examined them. It seemed that printing technology had not yet been developed here, as all these books were handwritten copies.
The script on the pages was neat and orderly, but these characters were quite different from those of any era he knew.
Although he could understand them, if he were asked to write them himself, he would certainly be unable to.
"Hmm, I'd like to see some travelogues. Are there any new ones?" 138 Reading Network
The shop assistant immediately understood and led Lu Heng to the shelves displaying books about local customs, scenery, and travelogues. "You've come at just the right time. A new travelogue arrived a few days ago."
Lu Heng picked up the book and flipped through a few pages, then put it down. He already had this book in his spatial apartment; he had seen it a few days prior when he was exploring the ancient city, and it was not a new book at all.
However, as if remembering something, he turned to the assistant and asked, "How much is this book?"
"This book is currently selling very well in all the major cities. Our price here is not expensive; this book is two crystal stones."
Crystal stones?
What were these? They must be the local currency. However, on his previous visits, he had only briefly glanced at the goods here and hadn't paid attention to the currency in circulation.
Seeing Lu Heng staring at him blankly, the assistant's smile immediately vanished. Following this, Lu Heng heard the assistant's inner thoughts: "This person looks refined and scholarly, like a reader. Could it be that he doesn't have money to buy books?"
Lu Heng...
At this moment, an elderly man inside the shop said to the assistant, "Please, could you wrap these inksticks for me?"
The shop assistant immediately snatched the book from Lu Heng's hand, and with a displeased expression, said to Lu Heng, "Please feel free to browse. I'll go and wrap these inksticks for that gentleman."
Without waiting for Lu Heng's reply, he turned and walked towards the elderly man, saying as he went, "Sir, is there anything else you would like to purchase together? We have also just received some new paper, which is perfect for writing with these inksticks. The characters written on it will not bleed at all..."
Lu Heng looked at his hand, which was still suspended in mid-air, and shook his head helplessly. However, he was still curious and stood not far from the cashier's counter, watching.
After a short while, the elderly man chose the paper introduced by the assistant and paid for both items.
"Sir, these will be five crystal stones in total," the assistant said enthusiastically.
The elderly man took out five small stones, resembling some kind of mineral, from his怀 and placed them on the counter. Then, he took the paper and ink wrapped by the assistant and walked out.
Lu Heng's sharp eyes caught sight of the so-called crystal stones. Why did they look so familiar?
Ah, right!
He had seen several boxes of that stuff in the secret chamber of the City Lord's mansion. At the time, he had thought they were some kind of gemstones and had pocketed a few to keep in his spatial apartment.
Lu Heng quickly walked to the counter and grabbed the crystal stones that the assistant was about to put away. Under the assistant's astonished gaze, he reached into his怀, pretending to search, and then took out a few items he had obtained from the City Lord's mansion to compare.
The assistant...
The assistant was somewhat surprised and thought to himself, "Is this person sick? He has crystal stones, doesn't he? Why did he look like he didn't have any just now?"
"Esteemed guest, are you planning to buy that travelogue? It's two crystal stones." The assistant then turned to Lu Heng with a renewed, enthusiastic smile.
Lu Heng...
Releasing the assistant's hand, Lu Heng had obtained the information he wanted. Under the assistant's bewildered gaze, he put the so-called crystal stones back into his怀 and shook his head, "No, I just remembered, I already have that book."
The assistant...
After leaving the bookstore and walking a considerable distance, Lu Heng could still sense the assistant's constant grumbling.
"What kind of person is he? Why didn't you say anything when you were looking at that book earlier? Or perhaps you couldn't afford it..."
"Alas, I'll probably be blacklisted. It seems I should go there less often during the day."
Wandering around, Lu Heng noticed that the sky was gradually darkening, and some shops had already hung out lanterns. It was likely that there was a curfew here, as some restaurants would close later.
He remembered there was a three-story restaurant at the street corner ahead. Since he now had the local currency, why not experience the atmosphere of the local eateries and perhaps gather some information about the place at the restaurant?
"Esteemed guest, please come in. How many of you are there?" the restaurant waiter greeted Lu Heng enthusiastically. He then leaned out and looked behind Lu Heng, but unfortunately, no one was following him.
However, the waiter did not show any signs of dissatisfaction and continued to lead Lu Heng inside. "It seems you've come alone to dine at our Drunken Mist Pavilion today. Why don't you sit in the main hall on the first floor? I'll find you a good spot. Our Drunken Mist Pavilion's main hall features storytelling performances."
"Good." That sounded excellent; dining with a storytelling performance meant this restaurant was likely quite substantial.
Following the waiter's guidance, Lu Heng was led to a window seat, not too far from the storyteller's stage.
After sitting down, the waiter began to introduce the restaurant's specialties. "You seem unfamiliar to me, so I assume this is your first time dining at our Drunken Mist Pavilion.
We have many signature dishes, and our specialty is the cuisine prepared with the meat of various magical beasts.
You must also know that the meat of these magical beasts is the most delicious, and the more powerful the beast, the more tender and flavorful the meat becomes when cooked."
Lu Heng thought, the meat of magical beasts is delicious? Aren't these animals similar to mutated animals?
In the apocalypse, the meat of mutated animals was quite unpalatable. It was difficult to cook thoroughly, and it was not easy to digest after eating. He had eaten it in his previous life, and it truly made his stomach feel unwell for several days after just one meal.
"Alright, please bring some of your specialty dishes, but not too many. I'm afraid I won't be able to finish them."
"Certainly. Please wait a moment. The storyteller will also take the stage in a while when there are more people. Please wait for a bit. Would you like a pot of wine?"
"Yes."
As the waiter was about to leave, Lu Heng tentatively asked, "What is the price of your most expensive dish per plate in crystal stones?"
"Heh, you jest. All the dishes at our Drunken Mist Pavilion are clearly priced, and we don't inflate prices. Please eat with peace of mind.
Do you see that counter over there? All the dish prices are marked on wooden plaques."
Lu Heng's eyesight was excellent. He turned his head to look at the counter in the main hall, where various dish prices were indeed displayed. Below each plaque, the number of crystal stones required was also written.
Nodding, Lu Heng confidently let the waiter leave.