Chapter 242: The City of Miracles
Zhou Ning was staying in a two-story inn, built in the typical old-fashioned Falric style. Prices here were noticeably higher than in Darkland or West Lin Town—one room alone cost three Vecktas a night… but Zhou Ning wasn't a stingy man. After all, the wool comes from the sheep's back; he booked a separate room for each of them without hesitation.
The players were all the restless sort. Not long after settling in, they headed out to stroll around, hoping to trigger quests in this new area. Only XB was a textbook couch potato—he didn't go anywhere, sticking to Zhou Ning's side the whole time.
Zhou Ning didn't try to stop them, letting them scatter wherever they pleased. These were all potential players he had personally chosen. While he was training them himself, he also needed to give them space to develop on their own—that way, they could make the most of their abilities.
Just then, a light rain began to fall outside. Zhou Ning shut the doors and windows, casually lit the gas stove, then pulled a small workbench and some materials from his inventory to start making bullets and firearms.
The enthusiasm of the Southwells County novice village players had exceeded his expectations. What was meant to be stock for two or three days had been cleared out by more than half in just over an hour. Zhou Ning could only work overtime to replenish the goods—pain and joy in equal measure.
After a while, Zhou Ning went downstairs for a quick bite. Just as he was heading back to his room, he saw John walk in with a smile.
"Wayne, want to go out for a stroll? There's something I'd like to talk to you about while we're at it."
"Wait—how did you know we were staying here?" XB asked curiously, livestream still running.
"That's easy. This inn is part of my family's property," John said, assuming XB was Zhou Ning's follower. Out of respect for Zhou Ning, he nodded politely to XB, shrugged, and added, "Simple as that."
Heh… I knew it.
Zhou Ning nodded without concern. "Lead the way."
John grabbed two umbrellas from the stand and tossed them to Zhou Ning and XB before heading out.
As one of only two places in the Apocalypse World where the element of life was active, Southwells County wasn't just an excellent seaport with a large number of sailors and a stationed navy—it was also a famous tourist destination, and even more renowned than Darkland for its red-light district. The active life element here also fueled an overabundance of hormones.
Especially after midnight, the streets would be lined with streetwalkers in all sorts of cosplay outfits—one of the Bryston Kingdom's "specialty industries." Along the way, Zhou Ning even spotted couples laughing and slipping hand-in-hand into dark alleys, not the least bit concerned about the rain.
"So this is Southwells County's style, huh."
John, who had been born here, was long accustomed to the sight. "But as a friend, I'd still advise you not to pick up women here if you can help it."
"How come?" XB asked, intrigued. Ever since they arrived, he'd been looking all around, clearly fascinated by the red-light district and seriously considering experiencing it firsthand.
"Simple. This is Wells County—the City of Miracles. The women here might pull something out that's bigger than yours." John's eyes flicked over XB's "little animal" before he chuckled.
XB wasn't thrilled by the disdainful glance at his "little animal," but his curiosity for the game world's history and anecdotes was greater—and he knew how to stir up audience interest. "Why do they call Wells County the City of Miracles?" he pressed.
"For a very simple reason—this city once witnessed a miracle of life."
John seemed in the mood for a story. "About 120 years ago, in 1332, three northern pirates—the pirate general 'Storm' Wilt, his first mate 'Savage' Wardhouse, and his second mate 'Suspenders' Jaquin—were defeated by the Darkland Navy stationed nearby. Forced ashore with a huge amount of treasure, they fled into Wells County. On the third day of their arrival, a life element extreme weather event occurred, blanketing most of the county in dense life energy.
"Because Storm Wilt had many lives on his hands and had just looted a large merchant ship from Lavendel, the navy and the local Church of the Life Goddess pursued them relentlessly, chasing them deep into the Allsop Marshes—where they vanished.
"Half a year later, when Storm Wilt was finally captured along with his two loyal lieutenants, people were stunned to find that 'Savage' Wardhouse and 'Suspenders' Jaquin had become women—and were both pregnant with Storm Wilt's children. At first, no one believed it, but repeated identification confirmed it. The two had turned from male to female during the life element event, with complete physiological transformation. In the end, Storm Wilt was hanged, Wardhouse died in prison of fever, and Jaquin gave birth to twins in prison before passing away in 1395.
"Because of this miracle of life, Wells County became the dream destination for men who wanted to become women. Even now, there are statues of Wardhouse and Jaquin in the square. No exaggeration—over 80% of the 'ladies' in the alleys are actually men, especially here in Southwells. So never trust your eyes here—a man might be a woman, but a woman is even more likely to be a man."
"Holy crap?!" XB couldn't help feeling relieved that he had asked. Otherwise, he might've ended up comparing sizes with a "lady" here. Looking at John's pleasant smile, he couldn't help but ask, "What about you?"
"Take a guess?" John chuckled. Even Zhou Ning's gaze sharpened at that—damn, could this guy really be a gender-changed woman?
"Kidding. I'm a hundred-percent man," John said with a shrug and a smile, before turning into a bar on the left side of the street called The Defender.
The bar had the typical red-light district vibe, full of young, alluring dancers. But thanks to John's earlier "education," both XB and Zhou Ning were in monk-like, pure-hearted states of mind.
Pausing at the entrance for a few seconds, Zhou Ning spotted several sailors and marines among the patrons—and, as if fate insisted on it, he saw that northern sailor again on the far side of the bar. This time, the man had a sailor's rapier at his waist and, judging by Zhou Ning's eye, likely a pistol tucked under his chest. Beside him were several other towering, well-muscled northerners, each over 1.9 meters tall.
What a coincidence—meeting again in another city, hundreds of kilometers away. Zhou Ning didn't know if it was their bad luck or his… He withdrew his gaze, slipped off his ring, and followed John to the bar counter, tapping the table lightly.
"A light beer."
"One Roshen." The bartender took the money and slid a glass over.
"Want to talk over a card game? They've got weather cards here," John suggested, pointing to a booth.
"Sure." Zhou Ning nodded casually and followed him to the booth.