Timeline Player

This kid has already thrown away several pots of bat blood.

"Alright." Chi Que's voice was a little hoarse, from the smell. "Take a look."

The merchant approached; the liquid in the pot was dark reddish-black, with a thin layer of oil floating on the surface, giving it an eerie glow.

He picked up a little bit with a stick, rubbed it between his fingertips, brought it to his nose to smell it, and then licked it.

"Pah!" he cursed. "Defective! It tastes awful. I wouldn't drink it even if it were free!"

Chi Que looked at him and sighed. He held out his hand: "Then I'll go into the city and see if anyone wants it."

"However..." the merchant glanced at him, "we could sell them to those lower-class laborers. How about this: for every bat-man corpse you dispose of for me, I'll pay you one blood coin?"

"In other words," Chi Que took a deep breath of fresh air in the open space, "different blood types have different prices, right?"

The merchant's face showed a hint of unease, but he quickly concealed it: "The prices I gave you were all set by Her Excellency the Duchess. Even if you take it to court, you can't do anything to me..."

really.

Chi Que shook his head inwardly. How could the blood of a strong person and the blood of an ordinary person be priced the same?

"I suspect there are people in town who can only drink the blood of the Bat-Men," Chi Que said. "A single Bat-Men is worth far more than one, and the price will increase as the blood quality improves."

He paused, then continued, "Giving me a blood coin as payment now? Do you think I'm a fool?"

The merchant's expression changed; he was no longer cunning as before, but instead showed signs of losing control and becoming like a leopard.

The guards beside him also drew their weapons.

"How about I sell you the secret to processing blood?" Chi Que continued, "This place is right at the town gate. You stay here and watch over things; I can't escape."

The change in the businessman's expression vanished instantly, as if it had been nothing more than an illusion.

He knew that Chi Que was telling him that this place was just outside the town, and if he were to take action, he should think carefully about the possibility of the secret being leaked.

"One hundred blood coins." After a moment's hesitation, the merchant held up one finger. "That's all I have."

Of course, it's more than that, but he also needs to prepare for the possibility of a price increase due to a shortage of available units, so he only offered a very low price.

"Okay." However, Chi Que readily agreed to the condition, which even surprised the merchant.

"But I have one condition," he continued.

"Speak," the businessman said, staring at him.

"Since you're able to set up a stall at the town gate, you must have a high status in town—" Chi Que's words were interrupted by the merchant before he could finish, "Don't even think about it! I don't want to die!"

This merchant, who was so arrogant among the players, now showed an expression of extreme fear.

Chi Que shook his head: "You misunderstood. I just wanted to understand the power distribution in this town, the underground black market, and the taboos of daily life. I had no intention of prying into any secrets."

"That's it?" The merchant was taken aback.

"Because I'm an outsider," Chi Que explained calmly. "If you don't understand the rules, you might die without even knowing how. Ordinary people can slowly figure it out, but I don't have much time."

The merchant suddenly laughed: "An interesting stranger."

He pulled a small booklet from under the counter and tossed it to Chi Que: "These are my notes from when I used to do business here. Unfortunately, later... well, I can't leave now. The things in here are all my experiences over the years."

Chi Que took the booklet, quickly flipped through it, and after gaining a general understanding, exhaled and said, "Thank you."

"Here are one hundred and one blood coins."

After the transaction was completed, the merchant handed a money bag to Chi Que, saying, "Consider your entry fee as my treat."

How stingy.

Chi Que thought to himself, "Normally, shouldn't they have paid several times more because they were grateful for my kindness?"

So you ended up paying for an extra piece?

However, his goal was not the blood coins.

He accepted the money pouch, opened it, and glanced inside. A strange, fishy smell of blood mixed with spices wafted out. He confirmed there was nothing wrong and turned to leave, but the merchant called out to him again, "Wait a moment."

Chi Que turned around: "What's wrong?"

"Let me give you a suggestion," the merchant said. "Rent a house in the city instead of staying in a hotel."

"Even inns aren't safe?" Chi Que frowned. Was this dungeon far too difficult?

The businessman shook his head: "No, it's not like that. It's just... I have a suggestion for you, understand?"

He hesitated.

Chi Que didn't ask any further questions. He thanked them and paid the entrance fee of one blood coin before entering the town.

According to the manual provided by the merchant, the town is divided into three main areas: the inner city, the outer city, and the old city. There are also slums, but they are not part of the city's administrative planning system.

After a moment's thought, Chi Que walked towards the old town.

Night had fallen, but many residents were still hurrying along the streets. Bat-shaped iron lanterns hung on both sides of the street, casting a blood-red light that bathed the town in a crimson hue.

Chi Que walked along the road. Passersby would occasionally glance at him with unfriendly expressions, but perhaps because he was an outsider, he didn't pay any attention and continued walking towards his destination.

[You have successfully improved the formula and process of "artificial blood plasma" by adjusting the blood of bat-humans.]

You have gained 20 points of cooking proficiency.

Current proficiency: 69/100

Chi Que looked at the game's progress, which had been triggered when he cooked blood earlier, but he hadn't had time to look at it.

A chef's skill level seems to be improved by refining the food stall and satisfying diners, so he didn't care much about it. After all, he couldn't possibly open a shop in the city just to improve that skill.

He crossed a crossroads and suddenly heard music, a sad, somber tune, as if sighing: "Are you going to Scarborough Fair? Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme..."

He looked in the direction of the sound.

In a corner of the street, several pedestrians were gathered there, listening silently. Among them, Mi'er was holding a very old-looking xylophone. She lowered her head and slowly plucked the strings with her fingers.

When the song ended, the audience applauded, and some even threw a few blood coins at the audience.

"Thank you, thank you everyone." Mi'er took off her hat and caught the scattered coins.

Seemingly noticing Chi Que's gaze, she smiled slightly: "Oh, it's the chef."

"Scarborough Fair, huh?" Chi Que stepped forward. "Are you trying to say this is an impossible task?"