Chapter 2: New Century (Epilogue)
The appearance of Pet and a group of Orcs caused a stir. Although they were humanoid, their ferocious appearances made them seem quite formidable.
“Esteemed sirs, do you… do you need something?” a relatively brave peddler asked, panting, toward the Orcs.
“What do we need? We’re here to claim spots!” Pet’s large eyes glared as he lifted the peddler in front of him with one hand and fiercely asked, “Tell me, where do we claim spots!”
The map indicated this location, but Pet only saw a massive palace and a marble wall over five meters high. It stretched endlessly to his left and right, with a tower every ten meters. Although there were no soldiers on them, crossbows were mounted, clearly indicating this was not a theater.
Curse these humans!
Could the map be wrong?
This is outrageous!
“You, what spot are you trying to claim? A spot at the theater?” The peddler was about to urinate himself.
No wonder Val ran so fast earlier.
Could the more than two hundred louts he hired yesterday be these people?
“That’s right! The theater spot, quickly tell me where to claim a spot, and I’ll give you a silver coin as payment!”
Pet’s neck craned anxiously, terrified of losing the spot if he delayed any longer.
“You’ll really give me a silver coin?!” The peddler immediately forgot all his fear.
“Of course, the Orc… cough cough, the Wild Orc Mercenary Group keeps its word!”
Without a second word, Pet produced a silver coin and shoved it into the peddler’s hand, urging, “Hurry up and speak! If you don’t, I’ll break your bones!”
Although the peddler’s legs dangled mid-air, he greedily bit the silver coin. Pure silver! Not a single impurity. These strong men were truly fools. A smart person never fears a rash fool. The peddler calmly smiled and said, “The place to claim spots is right below this high wall. The building behind the wall is the Most City Grand Theater. How about it? Isn’t it magnificent? Actually, when we first arrived in Most City, we also thought this was where the City Lord lived.”
“Do we queue here?” Pet glanced at the high wall and saw quite a few people gathered below it. These people, like the shifty peddler in his hand, reeked of money. It seemed the city guards hadn’t lied to him, and Pet didn’t regret paying the silver coin, as he had plenty of money!
“Just queue up here.” The peddler, now released by Pet, elegantly straightened his clothes. He glanced at the bulging money pouch on Pet’s waist and began to ponder.
“It’s like this, sir,” he proactively explained to Pet, “The play starts at half-past nine in the morning. Knights will come to count the number of people here, then the side door of the theater will be opened to let us in, and finally, we’ll be assigned spots by some of the theater’s large windows.”
“Sounds great!” Pet nodded excitedly, but then his stomach rumbled again.
As if in a chain reaction, all the Orcs’ stomachs growled loudly. Although they hadn’t eaten for only one night, they had been incredibly tired yesterday. As a Champion Level Orc, Pet had the best stamina; he alone plowed over fifty mu of land. The other Orcs also plowed ten to twenty mu each. Their working efficiency was dozens of times that of ordinary oxen!
“Gentlemen, you look hungry. Watching a play on an empty stomach is not a pleasant experience.”
The peddler’s eyes darted around, feeling he had found an opportunity.
“Oh? Do you have a method? Can I hire you to hold our spots while I take my brothers to eat? Don’t worry, we’ll be back in half an hour at most.”
“No, no! That’s not what I meant, heh heh heh…” The peddler waved his hands, shaking his head repeatedly. How much money could he earn by holding spots for these louts? If he dared to charge a high price, a quick inquiry nearby would get him beaten. His goal was to make more money!
“There’s no need for you gentlemen to go eat. So many of you, holding spots would be a considerable expense, and I’m only holding spots for two guests. So, why don’t I buy you some local specialty food near the theater? You’ve definitely never eaten it before, it’s called popcorn~”
A mysterious smile appeared on the peddler’s face.
“Popcorn?”
“What kind of flower is that!?”
“Can flowers be eaten?” The group of Orcs looked at him as if he were trying to fool them since they were ignorant.
These are indeed country bumpkins, the peddler thought to himself. He was a popcorn vendor himself, just working as a part-time line-stander. After all, popcorn only sold very well when the theater had a play; business was usually average. So, making some side income to supplement his household expenses was quite necessary.
“Popcorn isn’t a flower, it’s a grain product!” As if performing magic, the peddler pulled a bag of packaged popcorn from his coat and said generously, “Here, you can try it. This is the cream flavor. If you like it, I can help you buy some to stave off your hunger~”
Pet watched as the peddler opened the popcorn and brought it to him, feeling a touch of emotion. What a good person! To give it to them for free like this, what a waste if they didn’t like it! Indeed, the people of Most City were truly wealthy. The bag of popcorn wasn’t large; it was gone once the dozen or so Orcs in the front grabbed a small portion each.
Pet observed the popcorn emitting a sweet aroma in his hand. It was light yellow, with slightly burnt black edges, crispy to the touch, and at least visually appealing. He put a few pieces into his mouth with a sense of trial. The surrounding Orcs watched intently, refraining from eating, wanting to hear their leader’s reaction.
“Crunch, crunch!” Pet chewed expressionlessly, his cheeks twitching slightly, but his heart was already soaring! This, this was simply a delicacy of the mortal world! Its seemingly simple appearance offered layers of texture in every bite. First, the crispiness of the outer layer, followed by the softness of the inner part. It was like an Orc girl shedding her armor, revealing her strong and resilient tender body before him!
Next, his taste buds were put to the test. Pet felt his taste buds instantly activated! What a distinctive flavor! Having never eaten anything similar before, he couldn’t describe it. He only knew that the sweetness of a grain exploded in his mouth, intensifying with chewing, and then the milky flavor from the popcorn burst forth. It was fragrant, crisp, and sweet. The faint hint of burntness made his tongue sink into extreme deliciousness.
“The taste is okay, but I haven’t quite pinpointed the flavor yet!” Pet tried to suppress his excitement and said faintly, then immediately grabbed a handful of popcorn from a nearby Orc. “Let me try again!” “Crunch, crunch…..” “Still not quite there, give me yours too!” “Crunch, crunch…..” After continuously munching on five or six handfuls of popcorn, the surrounding Orcs gradually realized something was wrong. One Orc popped a piece of popcorn into his mouth, and then he couldn’t stop.
“This, this tiny flower is so delicious! So sweet! And it has a milky fragrance!”
“By the Orc God, this is the first time I’ve eaten something so moving!” One Orc wiped a tear from the corner of his eye, his eyes red, and choked out, “Roar! Oh heavens, this is my mother’s taste!”
Watching these strong men lost in a storm of deliciousness, the popcorn peddler’s face was about to split from smiling. He began to mentally increase the price of his popcorn. From 50 copper coins to 1 silver coin, then to 5 silver coins, and also to offer small, medium, and large portions! “Praise capital!” he murmured silently, bowing his head to kiss the silver coin in his hand.
Today, You Ye is taking a break.
