Chapter 48

Chapter 48

Jack was eyeing the business of hemostatic potions.

After witnessing Lanceville's "Siri" army, he had no hopes of the Starna family wresting back clients from Phelos, even feeling a sense of dread.

But while business is static, people are dynamic; if not this business, there are others!

Jack's focus was on the business of hemostatic potions.

Of course, he wasn't bold enough to encroach on Phelos' territory; he simply sought a mutually beneficial partnership with Phelos.

Learning of Phelos' recruitment drive in Lakdaria, Jack couldn't have been more proactive.

Vagrants create no value, even hindering the healthy development of Lakdaria and affecting its appearance.

The old lord even issued orders for periodic "clean-ups" of vagrants, deemed dirtier than garbage.

Jack was unclear why Phelos would recruit vagrants for work, even imagining them as part of Lanceville's Siri army.

But what did that matter? They were just a bunch of vagrants.

Jack wholeheartedly welcomed these vagrants to work in Lanceville!

He flaunted his wealth, blatantly telling everyone: With my riches, why would I deceive you poor souls? Am I after your laziness or your lack of bathing?

“Can I go?”

Gradually, quite a few people timidly approached to cautiously inquire.

Blaze simply observed one of them and handed over the contract.

The person, elated, immediately bit open their wrist.

"I, I also wish to..." another gaunt man pushed his way through.

This time, Blaze shook his head: "You do not meet our requirements."

The man was initially stunned, then a vicious resentment flashed in his eyes: "How dare you—"

A surge of the sorcerer's mental power erupted, and the man immediately ran off.

Those who were initially hesitant saw that others were being turned away, and they quickly became anxious. A slight interest turned into decisive action, and they squeezed through the crowd to sign up.

In no time, over a hundred people registered, but Blaze wasn't accepting everyone. Half of those who came were rejected.

The second round of interviews was said to be brief; it only required Blaze to glance at the applicants, and if the detection device in his hand didn’t show significant vibrations, they were acceptable.

The responsibilities of the three-person team varied. Blaze was in charge of negotiations with the city lord, recruitment, and movie screenings; Jack dealt with related distributions in the vicinity, while Sherlock provided physical security.

Besides the movie screening equipment, Blaze also had a red-name detection device.

While Phelos was in dire need of people, it wasn't a case of accepting anyone who came.

The red-name detection device had three levels: green, orange, and red.

Green indicated never having killed anyone, orange meant having killed in self-defense, and red signified having killed on one's own initiative.

The device only vibrated in the red zone, and the stronger the vibration, the more people the person had killed.

For children who came to register, as long as they weren’t extremely wicked, he would accept them. However, the contracts offered varied slightly.

Ordinary children were directly admitted to school, while red-named minors had to attend a three-month training program at the juvenile labor reform brigade. Only after passing the training could they enter school. If they failed, they continued in the next session.

As for adults, the criteria were much more straightforward: red-named individuals were not accepted.

Adults differed from minors; their worldviews were largely fixed. Although they could be reformed through education, it was difficult.

Lansville City had finally united to strive towards a common goal, and Phelos absolutely wouldn’t allow any unstable elements to disrupt their atmosphere!

Resources were limited, and Phelos preferred to allocate them to more valuable individuals.

Therefore, red-named adults were directly eliminated.

The living conditions of the lower class are abysmal; they can't even fill their bellies, let alone concern themselves with kindness or manners.

The city of Lakdalia is much more prosperous than Dayak City, and naturally, the situation is far more complex. For the homeless and commoners at the bottom, it's all too normal to commit murder, robbery, and arson over insignificant resources.

It's this distorted world that's to blame.

But as the lord of Lansville, Phelos has a duty to be responsible for his subjects.

Perhaps later he could consider sending them to work in the mines for reformation. After successful reformation, they might be given a chance to start anew. However, for now, Phelos has no intention of accepting them.

*

"Mermaids? What mermaids?" Elizabeth initially intended to ignore the maids' idle chatter, but the keyword "mermaids" caught her attention.

The sudden sound made the maids instinctively kneel down. Although they had finished their assigned tasks, in the eyes of the butler and certain young masters and misses, anything less than constant work was considered laziness.

A maid sneakily glanced up to see Elizabeth, feeling a bit relieved yet not entirely at ease.

Elizabeth wasn’t one to torment servants for fun, but her poor sleep had affected her appearance, enough to make the young maids tremble.

Fearing severe punishment for their idle gossip, they hurriedly spilled everything they knew.

"It's the newly released movie 'The Prince of the Sea'. The protagonist is said to be a handsome merman prince."

The release of 'The Prince of the Sea' was more explosive and contagious than mushroom eggs.

In this world, where commoners have no entertainment, even the gossip about which widow speaks to which man on the street becomes a hot topic.

'The Prince of the Sea' not only features numerous dramatic scenes but also comes in an audio-visual format.

It gave concrete meaning to abstract terms like "beauty," "handsomeness," "strength," and "luxury," and fueled more specific aspirations for prosperity and the future.

Not everyone got to see the screening yesterday. The servants of Baron Winton’s estate couldn’t go.

The baron, his wife, their sons, and the guards all disappeared, and everyone passed an uneasy night, unable to sleep peacefully.

It wasn't until the sun rose and the servants went out to inquire about news of a necromantic plague that they learned there were no signs of undead invasion and finally felt at ease.

The maids also heard about 'The Prince of the Sea' while gathering news in the morning.

The whole city was abuzz with this news, and even without deliberately seeking information, the maids were inundated with reports.

Curiosity is a natural human instinct, and the maids, being no exception, gathered in their rare moments of rest after returning from outside work to exchange the information they had gathered.

They just hadn't expected Elizabeth to appear.

Elizabeth was a young lady of the Winton Earl's household, but her lowly treatment since being left behind clearly showed her lack of status in the Winton family.

She was the daughter of the earl and a maid. Though bearing the title of "miss," her lack of talent meant her status was only slightly above that of a maid.

"A movie, what's that?"

Many words were beyond Elizabeth's comprehension; the maids were merely repeating gossip they heard, unable to understand it themselves, let alone clarify it for Elizabeth.

Elizabeth felt somewhat powerless, aware that asking these maids would most likely yield no useful information.

"They say 'The Prince of the Sea' will be screened again at six in the evening in the square in front of the Temple of Light. I heard they'll be giving away cotton candy."

Cotton candy, another new term.

Elizabeth noted down the word, but didn't express any intention of going to the movie that evening.

The maids, who had been looking at her with hopeful eyes, now hung their heads in slight disappointment.

Even as the less favored child, Elizabeth was still a daughter of Baron Winton. Although not stunningly beautiful, she wasn’t so unattractive as to frighten people away with her appearance.

Such a girl, once grown, could still contribute to the family—like being given to some noble to bear children and alleviate their loneliness.

Thus, Elizabeth wasn’t completely worthless in the baron’s estate.

Nobles care about appearances, and if Elizabeth were to go out, maids and guards would need to accompany her.

Everyone outside was talking about 'The Prince of the Sea', and the maids were eagerly entertaining the idea of going to see it.

Elizabeth easily guessed their thoughts, but as a lady of elegance and nobility, it would be too embarrassing to be led around by a group of maids!

Besides, Elizabeth wasn’t in the mood.

The undead army hadn't attacked, but the harsh reality of being abandoned without hesitation deeply wounded her.

She had long understood that her role in this family was merely to be given away as a "woman" to other nobles.

But she is human, and like all humans, she harbors hopes and feels pain.

If, and she stresses if, she could become a bit more remarkable, would she be so easily abandoned?

Elizabeth thought it best to devote more time to meditation.

Her talents might not be great, but with enough diligence, perhaps miracles could happen, right?

Elizabeth cast aside thoughts of "movies," "mermaids," "The Prince of the Sea," and "cotton candy," focusing solely on meditation, meditation, meditation. She needed to add some weight to her own worth!

"Splash—"

After a whole day of meditation without any level advancement, Elizabeth prepared to practice her already acquired skills.

From her treasured safe, she took out her most cherished notebook, a thick tome that seemed scholarly but actually contained five magic spells: "Bubble," "Water Ball," "Water Accumulation," "Water Jet," and "Water Wall."

"Bubble" and "Water Ball" were both Level 1 water element magics, whereas "Water Accumulation" and "Water Jet" were a bit more advanced, both Level 5.

The highest-level spell, "Water Wall," was an elemental magic Elizabeth had devised on her own, but it was incredibly inefficient.

Not only did it consume all her magic in one use, but it was also very fragile.

Baron Winton, a fallen noble, had little left in terms of wealth, and these four water element skills were all he could offer her.

"Water Wall" was an improvisation by Elizabeth, combining elements of "Bubble," "Water Ball," and "Water Accumulation."

Currently, its effectiveness was worse than before her modifications!

Not only did it drain her completely in one use, but it was also merely for show—a slightly more advanced "Water Blade" could easily dissolve the painstakingly conjured water elements, making it nothing more than a useless trinket.

She dared not practice "Water Wall" as it would deplete her magic in one go, not worth the risk.

She practiced "Bubble," "Water Accumulation," over and over... She practiced for a long time, sitting down to meditate and replenish her magic when depleted, then resuming her practice.

Again and again.

But despite the repetitive practice and meditation, everything seemed unchanged.

Elizabeth was not discouraged; spiritual cultivation is a path requiring immense patience and tolerance for monotony. After all, who can master a skill or level up in just one day?

She believed that as long as she endured the monotony and remained diligent, just a bit more diligent, her efforts would eventually be rewarded!

"Miss Elizabeth, Miss Emily invites you to a flower tea party. Will you attend?"

Elizabeth was reluctant to go; she preferred to practice her water ball technique a few more times. The content of these noble ladies' tea parties was always the same, and she had grown weary of it.

However, Emily was the youngest daughter of the Lord of Stanah. Like Elizabeth, she was a child born to a maid and lacked any notable talent, but she was exceptionally beautiful!

Beauty is also an asset for women.

Thus, her status in the Stanah household was much higher than Elizabeth's.

She was among the most elite in Elizabeth's social circle.

Elizabeth had worked hard to fit into this circle and couldn't dare to offend Emily.

"Yes, I will attend. Please inform the coachman."

Although the Winton family had fallen from grace, after Elizabeth had ingratiated herself into Miss Stanah's social circle, Mrs. Winton had provided her with several sets of jewelry for appearances.

Strictly speaking, these jewels did not belong to her. They were vital items that could not be damaged, lost, or claimed as her own.

Nobles believed that wearing the same set of jewelry more than three times was a sign of poverty.

The Winton family could no longer afford such vanity, but they were reluctant to reveal their distress and poverty. Not only did the sisters share the jewelry, but they also had a knack for creating—or rather altering—jewelry!

Elizabeth put on her gown and the full set of jewelry, donning a mask of elegance and nobility as she headed to the Stanah mansion.

Emily Stanah was a beautiful girl whose smile seemed to sweeten the air itself. She was only twelve but had already been promised in a good marriage to a legendary knight. Though she would be a concubine, a child with high talent would secure her a comfortable future.

Elizabeth envied her; a legendary figure was an incredibly impressive being!

Elizabeth's father, a level 39 warlock, lived a life of luxury, and she could hardly imagine the grandeur of a level 100+ legend.

A total of twelve noble ladies attended the flower tea party, surrounding Emily like stars around the moon, offering compliments and discussing recent gossip.

"By the way, I'm going to see 'The Prince of the Sea' tonight. Would you like to join? If so, I'll have the steward arrange extra seats."

The topic suddenly quieted the room for a few seconds. Such topics, usually associated with commoners and vagabonds, were avoided by nobles to prevent sullying themselves.

But the topic was different coming from Emily.

Elizabeth cleverly remarked, "I've been hearing about it lately too. Are there really mermaids?"

Emily's eyes sparkled with longing, "Jack said there are not only mermaids but also luminous saintesses, vampires, elves, and sea monsters!"

Elizabeth: "!!!"

The other girls: "!!!"

As topics deemed fit only for the lower class, the noble ladies had paid no attention to this subject. Hence, they were only now learning of this sensational news.

The news was so startling that the girls were momentarily at a loss for words.

"Not just that, after the movie, I can ask Jack to take us to get autographs from Prince Sherlock! Jack says he's a legend!"

They weren't quite sure who Prince Sherlock was, having never heard of a prince by that name in the royal family, but that wasn't important. What mattered was—he was a prince and a legend!

A legend, an actual legend!!!

"I want to go, I want to go!" Elizabeth reacted the quickest. Using her jewelry-making skills, she had established a connection with Emily, making her a technical talent. She was somewhat closer to Emily and, forgetting her seniority by two years, clung to Emily's arm and cooed sweetly.

"Please, my dear Emily, take me with you. I've never seen what a legend looks like!"

Elizabeth was the quickest to act, but the other young ladies were not far behind. They crowded around Emily, lifting their skirts and cooing sweetly, surrounding the young lady with incessant flattery. Who could resist such charm!

Emily confidently declared, "Jack is very close with Prince Sherlock! It won't be a problem at all!"

For the rest of the tea party, the young ladies were somewhat distracted, clearly preoccupied with thoughts of the evening's event.

Emily, understanding their excitement, said, "You should go back and get ready. Jack said he would distribute cotton candy at four o'clock, and we must not be late."

Cotton candy, a term both familiar and strange, lingered in Elizabeth's mind this time, filled with various associations as she went to change her outfit.

Jack had advised Emily to dress simply for ease of movement, given the large crowd at the venue. Wearing a voluminous gown, even with guards, could lead to an embarrassing situation.

But such a request was completely contrary to the decorum of a lady!

Emily wouldn't listen to such advice!

Elizabeth hurried back home. The Baron and Baroness Winton had not yet returned, having fled too hastily, severing all possible traces that could lead to them. This also made it exceedingly difficult to relay messages to them.

With the heads of the household absent, Elizabeth could only turn to her brother, Betsy.

Betsy, a child born to a female slave with a hint of succubus bloodline, was an important pawn for Baron Winton's planned resurgence. That's why, at 19, he had not yet been hastily married off.

He too was a forsaken child, but among all the abandoned offspring, he held the highest status.

Legendary warriors are revered and respected everywhere, and Elizabeth, upon learning of this, longed to marry him. However, she was well aware that her chances were slim.

Better to use this intelligence as a favor.

"I understand." Betsy, a slender young man caught between adolescence and adulthood, had a lean frame that evoked a protective instinct.

Betsy presented Elizabeth with a necklace adorned with a large gemstone, "Do you wish to marry him and bear his children?"

His blunt question made Elizabeth's face turn crimson, leaving her stammering, unable to speak.

Of course, she desired it.

But she lacked a perfect face, a mesmerizing figure, or exceptional talent. Wasn't fantasizing about a legend a bit too far-fetched?

Betsy tenderly touched her cheek, "Elizabeth, if you weren’t born into this family, you would surely be an extraordinary person."

Elizabeth paused, reflecting. An extraordinary person? With her talents? How could that be possible!

She was about to turn 14, yet her level was only 15.

The most talented youth of Lackdallia City, Jack Stanah, at her age, had already—

"That's because his father is Stanah!"

A flash of disgust crossed Betsy's eyes, mixed with greater sympathy as he hugged Elizabeth, "If you had the same resources, you would surely surpass Jack!"

Elizabeth lowered her lashes, not responding. Betsy, though not her full brother, always seemed to have unrealistically high expectations for her.

Hypotheticals were just that, hypotheticals. In harsh reality, Elizabeth was merely a level 15 Water Elementalist Mage of limited intellect.

Perhaps it was because Betsy couldn't cultivate magic himself.

Elizabeth speculated.

Betsy's succubus blood was diluted, and to maximize its effect, the Duke of Winton had cursed him.

All the magical power he gained from meditation served as nourishment for that trace of succubus blood.

The harder he tried, the more beautiful he became, but his own strength remained unchanged.

"My dear child, you and I are different. Your future should be boundlessly bright; you shouldn't be confined to this tiny place." His golden, succubus eyes, tenderly gazing at her, contained a six-pointed star magical array that rotated within his pupils.

Betsy fastened a spatial device onto her wrist, whispering, "Tomorrow, they'll return. Tonight is the best chance to escape if you wish to."

A trace of blood seeped from the corner of his eye, yet he showed no signs of stopping.

"Elizabeth, let's go. Your destiny shouldn't be to move from one small courtyard to another, nor should it be to leave this world at fifteen due to postpartum hemorrhage."

"Your future, your life, should be more dazzling, more radiant!"

Elizabeth was stunned.

Succubi are often associated with beauty, charm, and sensuality, but in truth, they are among the demons most likely to birth seers.

Betsy's talent was terrifying; he had entered the realm of the extraordinary in just five days.

Even by the most conservative estimates, he was an SSR+.

But he was cursed.

Fifteen years ago, he was at level 1. Fifteen years later, he remained at level 1. However, judging by how his mere silhouette could mesmerize servants, his succubus lineage had grown to an impressive degree.

Elizabeth's body trembled uncontrollably. She desperately sought a joking expression in Betsy's eyes, only to find a face drenched in blood.

"Brother!"

Elizabeth exclaimed, reaching to wipe his blood with her sleeve, but Betsy grasped her wrist to stop her.

"Elizabeth, you should go back and change your clothes."

Betsy said, "Dress nicely, after all, you're going to meet a legend."

His gaze was so calm, and this steady tranquility also calmed Elizabeth amidst her fear and panic, gradually restoring her composure.

"Alright, I'll go and get ready. Brother, you should also dress up handsomely."

"Handsome" might seem an odd word for a man, but it was precisely what the Earl of Winton demanded of Betsy.

Elizabeth could only restrain the tremor in her voice, trying to sound as normal as possible.

Over the years, Betsey's demonic aura had intensified. To protect him, servants were only allowed in his residence at set times for cleaning.

Thus, Elizabeth gracefully lifted her skirts and smoothly made her way back to her room, without incident.

But the pain and struggle she endured along the way were known only to her.

Elizabeth donned her most splendid jewelry and dress, then quietly transferred her small savings into the spatial device Betsey had given her.

The half-cubic space device couldn't hold much, but Elizabeth wasn’t wealthy to begin with. Her most treasured possession was just a magical notebook.

Along with a few other odds and ends, the space device wasn’t even full!

Seeing the remaining empty space, Elizabeth decisively stuffed all the jewelry from the box into the device during a moment when the maid was distracted, then nonchalantly left the house.

She didn't want to die, even if she had never experienced the outside world. She might end up as prey for monsters or be sold into slavery.

But staying in that house, she faced only one future – being given to someone by Baron Winton and then dying from childbirth complications.

Elizabeth refused to choose that future!

"My goodness, there are so many people!"

Elizabeth, who had been "daydreaming" in the carriage, instinctively lifted the curtain upon hearing the coachman's exclamation and was also stunned.

Ladies adhere to the principle of “arriving fifteen minutes late,” so she and the coachman had timed their departure accordingly.

The coachman brought the carriage near the temple at 4:10 PM, expecting to arrive at the Bright Plaza "on time" at 4:15 PM, based on his extensive experience.

However, they found themselves embarrassingly stuck on the street before the plaza.

Dozens of carriages were also trapped there. The coachman tried to fly the swift horse higher to find a landing spot, but even after circling, he couldn’t find any - it was all people, surrounded by people!

The scene of tens of thousands of people, even when seen from above where each person seemed as small as an ant, was an immensely impressive sight.

Both the coachman and the guards were in distress, but Elizabeth saw it as an opportunity.

"Really, what's going on! I'm about to meet Elime!" Elizabeth complained impatiently.

The coachman, unable to madly clear a parking space with the horse's hooves, could only repeatedly apologize.

"Apologies? What good are they! You useless waste!" Elizabeth vented her anger on the coachman, her elegant tone belied by her harsh words. As time was running out, she angrily chose to disembark and walk.

Her voluminous skirt proved to be a cumbersome burden amidst such dense crowds.

Guarded by two escorts, one in front and one behind, Elizabeth still found it difficult to move.

"Line up civilly! No cutting in line, no arguing, no fighting..."

"What are you doing? Don't move forward anymore, this is the end of the line."

Jack had returned, and naturally, the 53-person elite city defense force followed.

Unlike Jack, who returned on a dragon bone express bus, they had to walk back.

The journey from Lansville to Lackdallia was safeguarded by Siri's security team. The city guards, having cleared up the misunderstanding, felt incredibly relieved and quickly made their way back.

Upon returning, they found most of the city guards had fled. Now, each of them had to do the work of several people. The days of just collecting wages, basking in the sun, sleeping, and drinking were gone, their faces as sour as if they had eaten ten lemons!

Thump!

Crack!

The broadcast continuously played announcements. Elizabeth started off pretending to be angry, but now she was genuinely upset.

Holding back her anger, Elizabeth said, “I had an appointment with Emily Sta...”

The city guard maintaining order replied emotionlessly, "Line up civilly."

Watching movies didn’t require lining up; any available spot would do. But for cotton candy, queuing was mandatory. Elizabeth, being there for the first time, was unaware of the difference. The city guard, recognizing her noble dress, had long wanted to enforce proper queuing, so he didn’t offer her an explanation.

"Just line up, it'll be quick."

The cotton candy machine wasn't the Blue Star style. Waiting with a stick for the cotton candy to grow was too time-consuming. They couldn’t make many in a day!

The alchemical cotton candy machine was semi-automatic. The sticks came out on their own, and the sugar threads emerged from a large circle, surrounded by fifty sticks in several layers. When spraying sugar threads, the sticks rotated simultaneously, creating different patterns in each area.

The only manual step was carefully removing the cotton candy from the machine's groove at the end.

One hundred sticks per minute, six thousand an hour. The original "4 PM" schedule had been changed to start from 2 PM, then to 12 PM, and finally to 1 PM.

Blaze had already submitted a report requesting new machines, but until they were ready, they had to make do with the current situation.

Everyone, be it Elizabeth, Emily, or other young ladies, was in line.

Some girls, frustrated by the long queue, stormed off, but with the allure of "Prince Sherlock" as a carrot, many more noble ladies and gentlemen endured.

Elizabeth held out, but she arrived too late. The movie started, and she still hadn't gotten her cotton candy.

"Buzz~" The movie began. Elizabeth was far away, but the magic movie projector ensured she had the best viewing experience, unaffected by distance.

It was Elizabeth's first glimpse of the deep sea. In just a second, she was captivated by the magnificent and mysterious underwater world.

She felt no different from the lowest commoners in the face of such scenery; her past arrogance seemed utterly insignificant.

The subsequent mermaid battle against sea monsters made her feel even more insignificant, smaller than a grain of sand!

But soon, as the prince brought the mermaid back to shore, the clever Elizabeth realized the underwater plot had ended.

The sea segment was brief, so brief that Elizabeth deeply regretted it—why wasn’t this a movie entirely set underwater!

Her regret was palpable, but as Noe awoke and a few scenes showed him familiarizing with the "human world," Elizabeth felt like a mermaid who had never left the sea.

This wasn’t the “human world"; where in the human world would streets be so clean and orderly? It was an impossible magical scene!

Noble ladies rarely walked, partly because the streets were too dirty.

Too dirty, too dirty, too dirty!

Even the word "filthy" seemed too mild to describe the streets of this city.

Urine, feces, bloodstains, corpses, bones...

Everything imaginable and unimaginable could be found on every corner of the streets.

Elizabeth hated going out. Even with the fragrances in her carriage, the stench of the streets made her want to cough.

Even if the ground was cleaned, the presence of dirty vagabonds would instantly return the stench.

Elizabeth, a lady, had visited few cities, but whether inside or outside the city walls, they all stank!

Yet, the streets in the movie were not dirty, chaotic, or smelly at all.

Everyone in the movie wore respectable attire. Although many donned the same, inexpensive “work clothes,” their outfits were clean and neat, and the peculiar style of masks, aprons, and gloves gave a sense of cleanliness and comfort.

The streets were immaculate, devoid of any battle scars from fights, as brawling was not permitted; trees, shrubs, and flowers lined the roads, all magical plants. Although they were the lowest grade, under the care of fairy gardeners, they grew happily and healthily, not fighting for nutrients or magic, nor attacking people – they didn’t need to compete for the rich, magical soil. Plants that fought or harmed people were harvested for potions.

Public restrooms and trash bins were everywhere, along with clean tissues, mirrors for grooming, and clean water sources – everything was spotlessly maintained, with nobody willing or daring to spoil it.

Not a single vagrant, a source of pollution, was seen! – With a labor shortage, who would let vagrants idle? They were all put to work, work, work! Clean tap water was everywhere, with both cold and hot water available at the turn of a faucet. If someone couldn't stay clean with such facilities, they truly needed reform.

Everything in the movie deeply astonished Elizabeth – could such a clean and beautiful city truly exist?

If the urban scenery amazed Elizabeth, the following scenes of eating and drinking left her dumbfounded.

Fried chicken legs for 20 coppers each, a whole fried chicken for 399 coppers, milk tea ranging from 2 to 60 coppers per cup, medium-rare cheese for 30 coppers...

The currency was all in copper coins.

Commoners watching "The Prince of the Sea" were probably most astounded by the diverse array of foods; having experienced little in their diets and often struggling for basic sustenance, filling their bellies was their greatest and most beautiful dream.

But for Elizabeth, who had moved beyond the basic need of "eating enough" to "seeking higher intellectual desires," what shocked her the most – were the prices in Lansville.

Too cheap, ridiculously cheap!

Were the prices deliberately marked false? But with so many buyers, even a temporary loss was still a loss, right?!

If those were the real prices—Impossible! Absolutely impossible! Utterly inconceivable!

Elizabeth was profoundly shaken!

She found herself in an awkward predicament – having read some books, but not extensively; having her own thoughts, but only in fragments and without a coherent system; she felt like she was on the verge of grasping something, yet couldn't materialize it into a solid reality.

Elizabeth clutched her head in some agony, feeling as if her brain was about to burst!

"What's that smell..."

A fragrance, laced with magic, wafted from somewhere, hitting her nose and causing her stomach to rumble loudly.

So fragrant, incredibly fragrant—

Desiring to eat, wanting to eat, yearning to eat—

Every cell in my body seems to be clamoring, craving, craving, craving!

Elizabeth, as a noble lady with a discerning palate, has high standards for the art of food. Movie visuals can only convey the "color" aspect of flavor, arousing her desire but only to a degree of 9 out of 10.

Yet, judging by the exquisite presentation, many dishes on a noble's table can rival those in movies!

The profound impact caused in Lansville late at night, largely hinged on viewers who had experienced hot pot, barbecue, fried skewers, and ice cream. The movie visuals simply reignited their memories, turning a 9-point color into a 9,000,000-point craving.

But Elizabeth, who had never tasted these foods, was different; even a twelve-point color couldn't shake her resolve.

How could one imagine the taste of hot pot without ever trying it?

The aroma of cotton candy, however, is a different story.

In such cases, scent is a bomb, dozens of times more domineering than a visual feast!

Although movie visuals could only partially express the deliciousness, the atmosphere created by the actors intensified the flavor, making even the ladylike Elizabeth swallow saliva and eat air.

After being "tortured" for two hours, both stomach and brain were overwhelmed. Now, the aroma of cotton candy instantly exploded her hunger.

Throughout the two-hour movie, the distribution of cotton candy never stopped; it just shifted from viewers picking it up to Jack delivering it personally.

The scent of cotton candy was strong but not as explosive as that of hot pot. When Elizabeth smelled it, there were only about a hundred people ahead of her.

167, 166, 165... Elizabeth counted down in her mind, never having felt two minutes so agonizingly long.

Elizabeth's nostrils flared, her eyes glinting green, even feeling like she could devour ten giant rhinos right now!!!

Jack: "!!!” Odd, why did he feel like he was being targeted by a beast?

Well, it wasn't the first time this had happened in the past few days.