[Location: The Gilded Spire – Penthouse Suite]
The screen covered the entire wall, displaying a high-quality livestream of a woman who was currently crying tears of joy while touching her own face.
"Guys! Look at this! I swear this is not a filter! I swear on my Guild's leader, no filter and no operation done!"
The streamer, a B-Rank influencer named 'Mandy Candy', leaned into the camera, tears flowing.
Her skin, usually filled in with makeup to hide the stress marks of dungeon raiding, was now practically glowing.
It had the texture of soft silk cloth, which looked so smooth and radiated a pink light on her skin.
"I paid five thousand credits, and I would have even paid ten for this! The seller was this mysterious guy in the VIP section, standing among the crowd. I tried to capture his face, but he was so sly with it. A total shadow in this video! He had this... smell which was nauseating. Oh, and also, he had someone with him. A partner, probably? Literally a goddess in reality. Chat, I think I met a deity just now!"
The chat on the side of the screen was filled with text.
[Dih_slayer]: FAKE as fuck. It's probably a glamour spell for a temporary boost.
[Simp4Candy]: MOMMY YOU'RE GLOWING.
[GuildAdvisor54]: 5k for a potion of it? This economy is already breaking.
[SungJingBoo]: Wait, look at the bottle in the video. It's clearly visible at 12:04.
In the middle of the dark room, a woman sitting on a leather sofa pressed a button on the remote in her hand. The video stopped playing.
She didn't give a glance at the streamer, but at the blurry silhouette standing in the background, holding a crystal bottle.
"Levi," the woman said, her voice echoing in the room, soft, expensive, and containing a hint of curiosity.
"Enhance towards the bottle and give an image."
The image started sharpening. It was grainy with pixels becoming visible, but the shape of the crystal container was unmistakable.
It did not look like glass but rather cut from a diamond.
"That doesn't look like alchemy," the woman whispered, taking a sip of velvet wine. "Alchemists use glass or metal. Only the Old Gods used mana-diamond to store their potions."
She stood up slowly, her height reaching near the projector. Her body was covered in a silk robe that cost more than the entire Lounge she just watched in the video.
Her name was Isabella Cane, the Vice-Guild Master of the 'Delan Lotus,' and widely considered the most dangerous woman in the financial sector.
"A cripple selling a divine potion in a nightclub," she whispered. A slow, creepy smile spread across her face. It was the smile of a psychopath finding her next target.
She tapped her earpiece.
"Alpha Four. Quickly move to the Velvet Lounge and secure the footage. I need a clear view of who the boy is."
"Yes, Lady Cane. And what about the woman with him?"
Isabella looked at the frozen image of Maya's back. Even in a pixelated freeze-frame, the posture screamed dominance.
"Ignore the woman," Isabella commanded. "We cannot mess with her yet. Just find me the merchant."
[Location: The Streets of District 9 – Border Zone]
"You are walking the wrong way," Maya said.
They were three blocks away from the Velvet Lounge.
The colourful lights and clean pavement of the Inner City were slowly disappearing, replaced by the cracked concrete and flickering streetlamps of the Hoven.
"No, I'm not," Julien said, adjusting his dress. It had been a long time since he felt this good. No, he felt great. He had eleven thousand credits on a digital card in his pocket, feeling like he was on cloud nine.
"The best restaurants are on the other side," Maya pointed out, her heels clicking hard on the pavement. "I desire a pricey steak and a dessert that has been set on fire for a dramatic effect, you see in videos. Why are we walking toward the smell of burning trash?"
"Because," Julien said, glancing at her. "You said you wanted the 'best' food you ever had, not the most expensive."
"In my experience, they are mutually exclusive to one another."
"That's because you've only eaten food prepared by chefs who care more about the presentation than the taste," Julien countered. "Trust me. I've lived enough to differentiate between the tastes of actual food and those that looked good but tasted like shit."
Maya looked sceptical. "If you lead me to a forest and tell me to hunt for rats, I will cut off your other arm."
"It's not a forest. It's... something else."
They turned a corner into a surprisingly crowded alleyway.
The air was thick with smoke, not the acrid smoke of pollution, but the heavy, mouth-watering scent of food, roasted meat, and spices that tickled the back of the nose.
At the end of the alley stood a stall. It was barely holding together, constructed from sheets of remaining metal and parts of a dead beast's ribcage.
A massive, shirtless Orc-like man was working the grill, flipping pieces of meat with a pair of needles that looked like they used to be a sword.
A neon sign buzzed overhead: [BIG BRO'S MEAT].
Maya stopped her footsteps.
She stared at the sign, at the chef, and at the person who scratched his armpit before flipping a steak. Then her eyes glanced at the plastic chairs, which wouldn't hold more than ten minutes.
She turned to Julien, her eyes emitting a silver glow.
"You have chosen death."
"Just wait," Julien said, grinning.
He walked up to the counter and looked at the cook.
"We're closed, tiny human," the Chef grunted. "Everything's already sold out."
"I'm not here for the regular stuff, Grom," Julien said, leaning against the counter.
He activated [Streetwise].
[Target: Grom (Human / Retired Berserker).]
[Current Mood: Frustrated.]
[Hidden Inventory: 'Thunder-Boar Ribs' (Marinating for 48 hours).]
[Desire: Needs high-quality salt for his secret.]
Julien's grin widened.
"I'm here for the Thunder-Boar ribs," Julien whispered.
The chef froze, stopping his activities in the middle. He leaned over the counter, his massive shadow engulfing Julien.
"Those are for personal consumption, boy," Grom growled. "Not for sale. Not even for you. Heck, I would not even sell it for the Guild Master himself."
"But I have salt," Julien said.
"Salt?" the Chef scoffed. "I have way too much salt, boy. I have sea salt, rock salt, red salt..."
"Not the regular ones."
Julien opened his System Store mentally to search the menu.
He had checked it earlier when exiting the lounge.
Under the [Ingredients] tab, hidden between [Wyvern Scale] and [Phoenix Feather], was a small, unassuming item.
[Item: Abyssal Sea Salt (Common)]
[Description: Harvested from the tears of a sea beast. Enhances flavour complexity by 500%.]
[Cost: 5 Credits.]
'HEHEHE so fucking cheap.'
Julien purchased it instantly after confirming it.
A small, blue pouch formed shape and appeared in his hand. He slowly slid it across the metal counter in the shop.
"Just a pinch," Julien said. "Try it yourself and see."
The Chef looked at Julien with suspicious eyes.
He opened the pouch with fingers the size of sausages, then slowly took a pinch and sprinkled it like Salt Bae. After using it, he tasted it, wearing a bored expression. Then,
The giant man's eye went wide. His tanned skin glowed under a darker shade.
He stumbled across the counter, a low rumble echoing in his chest.
"Holy Hell..." the Chef whispered. "It tastes like... the best thing I've had in my life."
"Two plates of the ribs, please," Julien negotiated. "And the best ale you have with it. You can keep the salt."
The Chef stopped arguing at that point. He snatched the pouch like it was a legendary artefact from the gods.
"Please sit on the V.I.P table."
He pointed to a plastic table near the back that was slightly less wobbly than the others.
'AH, yes, VIP.'
Julien gestured to the seat. "After you, milady."
Maya looked at the giant ex-Berserker, then at the plastic table, then moved to Julien. She let out a sigh that sounded like an old woman giving up on life.
"If I get food poisoning," she said, sitting down with the grace of a queen taking a throne, "I am going to haunt you forever."
"Stop thinking negatively."
Five minutes later, the Chef slammed two massive wooden platters onto the table in front of them.
The ribs were enormous, taken from a monster beast, filled with a dark, sticky glaze. They sizzled, the heat radiating off them. The smell was overpowering, sweet, smoky, and tasty.
Maya stared at it. "It looks... angry?"
"Just eat it," Julien said, picking up a rib with his hand, since there were no spoons around.
"Don't be shy."
Maya hesitated for a few minutes.
She picked up a rib delicately with two fingers, her pinky extended, and slowly blew to reduce the heat.
Her mouth slightly opened, and she tasted a bit.
Her body froze.