Wizard Earl

Chapter 34 Danielle

Hearing that this dirty little girl actually wanted to return the penny he had given her, Connor's furrowed brows relaxed somewhat, and he said calmly, "This money... consider it a reward from me. You can keep it; you don't need to return it!"

Although she clearly heard Connor say that she didn't need to return the money, the little girl still shook her head and stubbornly handed over the money.

The two people, one big and one small, stared at each other for about a minute. Seeing the little girl's insistence, Connor shook his head, took the money back from her dirty little hand, and said with a smile, "I've given you your money back. Now it's your turn to give me my way!"

Pointing to the sun in the sky, which blazed down on the earth like a giant fireball, Connor smiled and said, "It's noon. Let's go have lunch together!"

"I...I have no money!" the little girl whispered.

"Oh? Is that so? Well then, I'll hire you to help me find a restaurant, and in return, I'll treat you to a meal," Connor said with interest.

The little girl nodded happily when she heard that Connor wanted to hire her.

Following the little girl, Connor wandered through several alleys and arrived at a street. There were more people on this street than on Queen Street, the main commercial district of Rune. However, compared to the well-dressed gentlemen and ladies walking around on Queen Street, the people on this street seemed to be closer to the lower class.

"Used clothes! Used clothes! Adult clothes are five pence each! Children's clothes are two pence each! You won't lose out, you won't be cheated!"

"Fresh potatoes! Just brought from the village this morning, one will keep you full all day!"

"Black bread! Black bread! A black bread for only a penny!"

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All sorts of vendors stood by the roadside, shouting energetically, trying to attract as many customers as possible. Connor couldn't help but wrinkle his nose at the stench emanating from the horse, donkey, and cow manure brought by the vendors and the sewer pipes on both sides of the road.

"Is this the South District?" Connor asked the little girl who was leading him, as if he had just remembered something.

In Rune City, the eastern district, where Connor Apartments is located, is an area inhabited by aristocratic capitalists. The western district, being close to the docks, is mostly inhabited by dockworkers and their families. The northern district is a factory area, so it is mostly inhabited by workers and their families. The combined area of ​​the eastern, western, and northern districts only accounts for 50% of Rune City. The remaining 50% is the southern district!

The southern district is mostly urban villages. It is the most prosperous commercial city on the west coast of the Rune Empire, and the area where the lowest-class people live. A considerable number of people there are from surrounding small cities and rural areas who admire Rune's prosperity and come to try their luck, but cannot afford the high rents. The area is full of sewage, has almost no modern infrastructure, and the living conditions are extremely bad!

The little girl glanced at Connor, a bitter smile incongruous with her age appearing on her dirty little face, and said, "This is Levante Avenue in the North District. The South District is much worse than this..."

Connor blushed and could only manage an awkward chuckle, but inwardly he was secretly shocked; this place was far worse than his rented room on Earth.

When they reached the middle of Levante Street, the little girl who was leading Connor in search of food stopped in front of a shop called "Stirling Pie Shop".

"Uncle Sterling's pies are delicious. He used to be a chef at the Tottenham Hotel in the city, and Uncle Sterling is a very nice guy. His pies are also very reasonably priced!" the little girl whispered.

"Oh? The chef from the Tottenham Hotel?" Connor became interested as he listened to the little girl's description. If he remembered correctly, the Tottenham Hotel was a three-star hotel and was quite famous in Loen. Chefs from there should be quite skilled!

"Come on! I want to try what the pies here taste like today!" Connor said, patting the little girl's head and waving his hand.

After a brief look around Sterling Pie, Connor couldn't help but nod in approval. Although the decor and tableware at this pie shop on Levante Avenue were not as good as the restaurants he had eaten at in the East End, at least the tableware, tables, floors, etc., here were very clean. It was clear that the owner of this shop was very dedicated to running this pie shop!

It was lunchtime, and the pie shop was bustling with people. The shop, which was about 100 square meters, was packed with people. Just as Connor was about to pay to change seats, the little girl had already snatched a seat from a customer who had just finished eating and was leaving.

"Little Dani, what would you like to eat today? And who is this gentleman...?" A middle-aged man with gray hair, wearing an apron, and a kind smile, who looked like a shop owner, walked over. When he got closer, he saw Connor and the little girl sitting together, and a look of doubt appeared in the man's eyes.

Before the young girl could answer, Connor spoke first, "I suppose you must be Mr. Sterling, the owner here? I was hungry at lunchtime and happened to run into this girl, so I asked her to be my guide and help me find a restaurant. In return, I treated her to lunch. Mr. Sterling, what's your restaurant's specialty?"

"Uncle Sterling's pork pies are the best!" the little girl sitting on the other side of the table muttered softly.

Connor smiled faintly and said, "Then let's start with ten pork pies."

"Ten...?" A look of surprise appeared on Uncle Sterling's kind face, and he opened his mouth as if hesitating whether to say something...

Seeing Sterling's state, Connor frowned slightly, took out a one-gold pound note from his wallet, and slapped it on the table. Given the size of this shop, one gold pound was at least his net income for a week!

"Sir, you've misunderstood. Our pork pies are quite generous in portion size; a strong, adult man would probably be full after just two! So, if we're talking about ten, you and little Lena..." Uncle Sterling waved his hand, speaking tactfully.

"This boss seems pretty honest!" Connor glanced at Uncle Sterling, pondered for a moment, and said softly, "No problem! Let's go, I'm a full-fledged knight!"

"So, you're a knight! No problem, I'll serve the food right away!" Uncle Sterling exclaimed, his words filled with respect as he addressed Connor, who was about the same age as his son.

(End of this chapter)