My Beautiful Duchess Wife

Of course, Lin Peng and the others didn't know the reason.

Laura bit her lip, a hint of helplessness in her voice. Her high, firm breasts rose and fell like floating hills. Looking at the boy over there, she was practically drooling.

She glared at the boy and snapped, "What are you looking at? Get the room ready right now! We need to rest! Humph!" With that, she plopped down on her chair.

The boy woke up with a start and was about to run upstairs when Laura suddenly stood up and said with a hint of disgust, "Can't you clean this place up a bit?"

Lin Peng was speechless. Bringing this woman along had already caused a lot of trouble on the way. He never expected that this would happen again.

It seems, according to her, that she has some kind of obsessive-compulsive disorder related to cleanliness. Every time she stays in a hotel, she complains about this and that. When she stays in the wild, she complains about the abundance of insects.

Just now, when she saw that middle-aged man, even those insects almost made her feel disgusted. Now, the fact that she didn't scream and release the puppet is a testament to the training she's received along the way.

With a helpless smile, Lin Peng chuckled and said, "Well then... young man, please lead the way! Try your best to find him a relatively clean room!"

With that, the boy nodded and led the way upstairs.

The hotel itself wasn't very large. However, once we got upstairs, we realized there were quite a few rooms. They were arranged in a circle, and it seemed they were all near windows.

After an hour of searching, Laura finally chose a relatively clean room. Lin Peng and the others, on the other hand, were more indifferent and each got their own room.

The boy started carrying buckets of hot water up, saying it was for Sister Laura. Lin Peng and the others were all speechless!

Sitting in the room, Lin Peng would lie down whenever he had a spare moment. The bed wasn't very soft, but it was still quite comfortable. Actually, he really preferred sleeping on a firmer bed.

In an instant, after entering that space, he stared at the small snake before him and asked seriously, "How is that man?"

"What do you mean, how?" The little snake didn't seem to understand Lin Peng's meaning. However, looking at Lin Peng's eyes, it was clear that he was definitely unhappy.

He shook his head and chuckled, "Well, he's probably a mid-level Demon Emperor! However, your subordinate's domain is quite peculiar. If they were to actually fight, it's hard to say! But... his current mid-level is only after he was injured! Perhaps he was a peak-level Demon Emperor before!"

Lin Peng was taken aback by the little snake's explanation. When he reconciled with the little snake, although he couldn't leave this space, he could release a little of his power to let it probe the outside world. Of course, Lin Peng didn't actually know how the little snake could see things outside.

At least, he only thought about it for a moment before the little snake said it was okay.

In exchange, if you ask the snake something you don't understand, it will answer you immediately.

Lin Peng nodded slightly, then suddenly laughed: "It seems that this Punishment City is really not simple! A random inn actually has a Demon Emperor-level expert!"

"No, it's not just any inn; it's the only inn in this Punishment City. If they dare to open an inn, they absolutely have the power to keep people in check!"

Lin Peng seemed to be talking to himself, muttering to himself.

In an instant, its figure vanished without a trace. The little snake sighed and shook its head helplessly again: "I'm so unlucky!" Then, it lowered its head and continued to sleep.

Time flies, and night falls in the blink of an eye. In the Demon Realm, though there are few stars to see, the white moon remains eternally bright.

Below the hotel, the table, though looking quite dilapidated, was at least much cleaner. It was spotless and piled high with fragrant plates.

Looking at the greasy food, Lin Peng's appetite was immediately whetted. He sat down and began to eat. Everyone else knew that Lin Peng loved meat. However, Laura had lost her appetite. Casually poking at the unidentified strands, she asked, "What is this? I don't think I've ever seen it before!"

The boy, Dirk, frowned slightly but still honestly admitted, "This... is a poop worm, a specialty of Punishment City. Pretty good, huh? Actually, I stole a few from some other men's houses!"

"Poop worms?"

Lin Peng had just stuffed half of it in when he suddenly froze. Then, noticing the boy seemed somewhat surprised, Dirk nodded and began to explain more earnestly.

"Poop worms are a specialty of our Punishment City. You know, even ordinary soldiers' families might not be able to afford them. If you were to sell them, they would definitely be worth over a thousand dark gold coins!" As he spoke, he reached into a small leather pouch at his waist and took one out.

Lin Peng's eyes, mouth, and entire face began to twitch. Roland, meanwhile, suddenly vomited. Laura, on the other hand, threw the fork on the ground.

Apart from the troll, Lin Peng, and the little dragon, everyone else seemed to start vomiting. In particular, Laura, who hadn't eaten much, started vomiting violently.

Roland vomited while glancing at the struggling worm. Then he continued vomiting. Angelina, on the other hand, seemed to have vomited up her stomach as well.

Laura was even more outrageous, screaming, "You idiot! Isn't this a 'poop worm'? How can you eat something so disgusting?"

Looking at this caterpillar-like thing, Lin Peng suddenly felt a bit nauseous!

However, along with this impulse, a question suddenly occurred to me. This City of Punishment seems truly pitifully poor. At least, in other cities, who would eat these insects? Only those truly lacking food would eat such things. And, it's a good way to supplement their nutrition!

……

Chapter Thirty-Nine: In Poverty

Previously, Arthur's thirst for food indicated how difficult things were in the City of Punishment. But it wasn't until we actually entered that we truly understood the extent of the food shortage.

A bowl of vegetable soup, with a few dark leaves floating on top. A few pieces of bread, but they were very small and had a musty smell that comes from sitting out for a while.

A hotel like this would have been demolished long ago in other cities. Even in this Punishment City, it definitely wouldn't survive.

Based on this line of thinking, the middle-aged man's strength must be a powerful deterrent.

Thinking of this, Lin Peng's brows relaxed. He chuckled, picked up a mantis shrimp, and said, "Would you like some?"

From the beginning, I've noticed that Dirk has been drooling over the braised mantis shrimps. It's as if he's stumbled upon something delicious.

Dirk nodded vigorously, took a deep breath, grabbed the food, and popped it into his mouth. He chewed it hard, his eyes even glistening with moisture.

“Actually, don’t blame the old man, he’s a good person. If he hadn’t taken me in back then, I might have starved to death. Heh, you’ll never know how hard it is here if you’ve never been to Punishment City!” Dirk said with a bitter smile, his voice choked with emotion. It was rare to see such hardship on this child, as if he had endured some kind of suffering.

Lin Peng nodded, looking at the worms on the plate, which suddenly seemed to have turned into a delicious treat. He picked one up and chewed it vigorously.

This taste seemed to remind Lin Peng of a memory buried deep in his mind. Once upon a time, he seemed to have been running around everywhere just to have a bite to eat.

He couldn't earn money working odd jobs. He would never be offered a high-level position. Finally, even his admission to school was solely due to the favor of that upright principal.

In the past, they even made a living by scavenging for garbage.

Recalling it made the food in his mouth taste even better. He chewed and laughed heartily, "The specialties of Punishment City are quite good, at least... this is much more flavorful than those big, meaty dishes. Hahaha..." Lin Peng definitely didn't seem like the typical burly man type.

However, the sheer generosity of the situation delighted Dirk. The two of them simply sat down and devoured the worms. Everyone, including Roland, had their lips twitching as they stared at something.

Laura, unable to bear it any longer, simply retreated to her room. Angelina, with a sweet smile, then began to deal with the worms.

In the past, she had suffered even more than this, and she still got through it! After thinking this, Angelina ate the worms even more desperately.

The trolls, on the other hand, never stopped from the very beginning.

As the group devoured the worms on the plate, the door opened once more. Entering was a man of medium build wearing a black cloak.

Of course, even those of average height in the demon realm are definitely over 1.8 meters tall.

He was about the same height as Lin Peng. However, even wearing a cloak, he looked extremely thin, almost like a drying pole.

When he saw Lin Peng devouring the food, he laughed as if he had found a treasure. "Brother Lin Peng, why didn't you come to see me after coming all the way to Punishment City!"

Yes, Dark Falio.

Upon seeing Fario, Dirk immediately stood up. His posture was more ramrod straight than a soldier's, and he bowed to Fario, loudly greeting him, "Lord Fario!"

Lin Peng was taken aback for a moment, then stood up and said with a smile, "Fario, I didn't expect you to find out so quickly! Hehe, this time, I really need your help to come to Punishment City! I really don't know anything about this place!"

There wasn't a single soldier nearby. However, Fario's aura was absolutely formidable at this moment. After nodding to Dirk, he turned and laughed, "What, are you looking down on me? Coming here and staying in an inn!"

It sounds like she's blaming someone. But if you really think about it, you'll realize that she actually has quite good feelings for Lin Peng.

After giving a wry smile, Lin Peng pulled out a large bag of dark gold coins. He slammed it down so hard the table seemed to buckle under the weight.

Dirk's eyes were immediately glued to the large bag of dark gold coins, his eyes sparkling with mischievous excitement. Lin Peng snapped his fingers and laughed, "I really have to thank you for this. Remember to reserve those rooms for me! Consider this a deposit! Hehe... When I come back, you'll have to treat me to something delicious!"

He patted Fario on the shoulder and said, "Brother, I'm not familiar with Sin City, and I can't rely on you alone! Hahaha... How about it, take me back now?"

Laura came down from upstairs. She looked at Fario and paused for a moment, but quickly composed herself. Fario then burst into laughter.

Immediately afterwards, he led the group back to his own house.

Overall, Punishment City is quite large, at least similar in size to Darkmoon City. However, it cannot compare to a major city like the Imperial Capital, Fireshield City.

In terms of true prosperity, it couldn't compare to Darkmoon City or Fireshine City, let alone Steyr City at the time. Steyr was still considered a peripheral region of the Crimson Demon territory!

Fario's house wasn't very large, and it even looked somewhat dilapidated. However, it was quite grand. All the houses seemed to be much taller than ordinary houses.

At that moment, Katches, Arthur, and Hart were all present in the hall. Even then, it was clear that Hart and Arthur seemed to have different statuses.

Moreover, it seems that being sent out was also for a kind of practice. At this moment, seeing Arthur and Hart, both of their demeanors seemed to have undergone a complete transformation.

Arthur exuded a mature and composed aura, yet also carried a sharp edge. It seemed he might strike at you at any moment. Hart, on the other hand, stood there like a friendly boy next door, even possessing a certain approachability.

Comparing the two, they are definitely a great and excellent combination.

Lin Peng laughed and said, "Brother, how have you been lately?" It was just a very casual question, but Arthur really took it as a greeting.

"Oh no, if it weren't for your medicine, I wouldn't have been able to accept so many challenges! Haha... But also thanks to your potion, I'm now absolutely invincible among the younger generation! Hahaha..."

That air of grandeur, coupled with his full suit of soft armor, and his height of over two meters, gave him the presence of a majestic and imposing man. More than that, an extremely powerful man.

Hart, standing beside him, smiled slightly and nodded: "Brother, this time you've really been challenged terribly. It's practically a daily battle!"

Kaches chuckled and stepped forward to hug Lin Peng. At this moment, he was also a Demon Emperor-level expert. Of course, he also owed a great deal to Lin Peng's Domain Water.

However, even as a Demon Emperor, he wasn't at his peak. Therefore, even after his advancement, he hadn't yet grasped a domain. But if he were to truly fight a Demon Emperor, he would be absolutely invincible.

"brother!"

Those two simple words moved Lin Peng deeply. He was almost choked with emotion, as if he were a long-lost brother.

"This...hehe...all-knowing Miss Angelina, this...hehe...I don't know why, but I seem to never be able to grasp the domain! This...hehehe..."

After hugging Lin Peng, he hadn't even reacted yet when he walked straight to Angelina's side, scratching his head and grinning foolishly.

This scene left Roland and Laura quite frustrated. It seemed that this little girl was at most a Demon King-level expert! Moreover, she only broke through to that level after using Lin Peng's potion.

For experts like them to seek advice from a little girl... it seems...

The two exchanged a glance, speechless.

However, what happened next completely shocked the two of them. Fario grabbed Kaches and tossed him behind him, looking at Angelina with a seemingly ingratiating expression: "Don't pay him any attention, hehe, how about we eat something and rest first?"

Roland and Laura were stunned. This clearly showed that this little girl definitely possessed the ability to make these two powerful figures treat her like this!

Chapter Forty: The Challenge of Hardship

For a figure of absolute power in the City of Punishment, a banquet would certainly be lavish. The table was laden with all sorts of meats. In particular, some of the mutton was exceptionally delicious. Such vegetarian mutton was already considered quite a luxury in the Demon Realm.

Of course, Laura and Roland also enjoyed their meal. They hadn't actually eaten much in that small inn.

At the very least, I would never eat those worms.

Hart seemed a bit shy, like a boy next door. He didn't talk much, but Lin Peng knew that this guy didn't drink because he wanted to keep his head clear.