69novels Chapter 295 Green Potions
Chapter 295 Green Potions
Chapter 295 Green Potions
The land rises at the horizon.
The sailor said he would arrive at the Far East today, and it seems that his words were true.
Originally, this time should have been delayed by another half month or more, but because of that earthquake, everything changed.
Although the sea remained calm, waves began to rise.
The ocean currents surge beneath the surface, creating waves and turbulent waters.
The seawater propelled the ship forward at an accelerated pace.
The sailboat, which originally could only move forward with long oars, was automatically accelerating along the way.
François stood at the bow of the ship, gazing at the gradually widening and rising land, feeling both peaceful and determined.
Anning means that he will soon set foot on a safe and solid land again after several dozen days.
François doesn't dislike boating, but he certainly doesn't like it either.
François couldn't do anything on the ship either.
Without the excitement of watching, and without the ability to cook, the people on the boat distrusted him, fearing he would poison the food.
He was equally determined, because he was about to set foot on unfamiliar land.
There were no acquaintances there, no familiar places, and even the language was not his native tongue.
Although he had learned a little bit of lunar language, he could only barely use it for daily communication.
François sensed that he was about to enter the loneliest period of his life.
"throat·-.-"
Thinking of this, François sighed with melancholy.
"What's wrong? Why are you sighing?"
Suddenly a voice came from behind him, and he quickly turned around.
The newcomer was a woman, the star actress of the ship's theater troupe. It was through her connections that François was able to board this ship.
François hurriedly bowed to her: "Good morning, Miss Sophia."
"You should call me Madam."
Sofia shrugged, walked over to François, and placed her hand on the railing.
"You know I'm married, and you've met one of my husbands."
"I'm so sorry, madam."
"Haha," Sofia suddenly covered her mouth and laughed, "You're really funny, Mr. Chef."
Interesting? François frowned, puzzled. Me?
Sofia turned around and leaned against the railing:
"Your library is truly full of talented people. Aaron aside, that boy looks so soft and delicate. If it weren't for that big woman always by his side, I would really like to add him to my collection."
Collect? Collect what?
Before François could figure it out, Sophia had already turned to him:
"And you're not as detached as you seem, Mr. Chef. Want to play a game with me?"
As Sofia's hands slid across his body, François felt a chill run through him. He shook his head frantically, feeling the flesh on his face bouncing rapidly.
Upon seeing this, Sofia's delicate eyebrows immediately furrowed:
"What, you look down on me too?"
François continued to shake his head.
"Why is that?"
"I—I have no experience?"
"Haha," Sophia squinted, "It's alright, you'll have experience after trying it, and I'm definitely a good teacher in this area, and I don't mind keeping your first time."
collect.-
But François still shook his head.
Sofia stared at him for a while: "Are you scared?"
This time, François nodded.
"Hmm, you're really naive. Oh well, I don't expect much from you anyway. By the way, Chef, what are you planning to do in the Far East?"
"I don't know," François whispered.
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"Mr. Mosley made the decision for me. Although I mentioned the Far East briefly before, I didn't actually want to go there."
"So what did he say to you?"
"Let me learn cooking, and—alchemy."
"Alchemy?
Sofia repeated it, then suddenly frowned.
"Did he give you some books too?"
"Hmm, a book about alchemy."
"As expected—" Sophia frowned, "So that's how it is, Aaron lied to me again!"
"Huh? A lie?"
Sofia didn't reply, but her expression looked terrifying.
"Hmm—you wouldn't understand," Sophia sighed reconciledly. "It seems I'm not omnipotent after all—Master Chef, cherish that book; it might really bring you some kind of power."
Why did she suddenly emphasize this?
Sofia suddenly stood up straight: "Good luck, Mr. Chef, we'll meet again someday."
"You, you too."
Sofia left, leaving only François at the bow of the ship.
He stared blankly for a while, then went down to the cabin to pack his luggage.
After a while, the ship docked.
The troupe members disembarked from the ship one after another, and François, carrying large and small bags, also left from the deck.
When the sensation beneath his feet changed from hollow wooden planks to thick, heavy earth, François knew he had arrived.
This is the Far East continent.
The ground was paved with gray rectangular stone bricks, and towering houses were neatly arranged on both sides of the street.
The road is lined with many peculiar trees with sparse branches and lush leaves, and all sorts of animals pull carriages through the streets.
The people here wear light clothing, and the women even expose their thighs.
Their boots were especially beautiful, with pointed toes and exquisite narrow strips of fabric embellishing the joints between the various materials.
François looked bewildered as countless people and vehicles passed by him.
Those mouths kept opening and closing, as if they were saying something, but François couldn't understand them.
"I shouldn't be like this," François told himself. "I've learned the language here; at least I should be able to understand some of it."
Calm down! François, you must calm down!
François took a deep breath, and his wildly beating heart finally began to calm down.
"—Sir, hey, can you understand what I'm saying?"
François suddenly heard the sound and turned his head in that direction.
He was a short, middle-aged man dressed in a yellow and purple brocade robe, with light stubble on his face.
He spoke to François with a broad smile, his attitude very friendly.
François nodded.
"Oh, that's wonderful! Did you just arrive at the Great Gate?"
François continued to nod, pleased that he could understand what the other person was saying.
"Where are you from? Banana Harbor? But judging from your attire and appearance, you seem to be from the West."
François nodded.
"The continent of Ancent? Or the permafrost continent?"
"Ancent, I am a citizen of the Kingdom, you know that, the Kingdom of Great Classics."
"Oh! Of course I know, that's the largest country in the world. So, you just crossed the Windless Sea?"
"Yes."
"You must be exhausted."
It was alright, but François decided to go along with the other party's wishes, so he nodded.
"Then you definitely need to rest. Do you have relatives or friends here?"
This time, François shook his head.
"Oh! That's terrible. You need to find a place to stay quickly. Carrying so many packages must be uncomfortable."
"Um."
"Perfect timing! I know a hotel that's reasonably priced and has excellent service. The owner even speaks Mandarin. Sir, if you can't find a place to stay right now, I'd be happy to take you there."
François's eyes widened; he felt incredibly lucky.
"Really? But wouldn't that be too much trouble for you?"
"It's alright! I'm free anyway, and besides, people from the Federation are always happy to help others, and the residents of Gate City are especially hospitable."
This gatekeeper led François around the gate town, turning left and right.
After navigating countless alleys, we finally arrived at the foot of a hotel.
François couldn't help but marvel at how well the hotel the man had praised was actually well hidden away.
The wind chimes on the door jingled incessantly as François entered, and a short-haired man sitting behind the counter immediately looked at him.
The introducer quickly walked over to the person and whispered a few words to him.
François couldn't hear what they were saying, so he could only stand there.
After a while, the man walked up to François and said with a grin:
"Oh! Sir, I've already spoken to the owner here. If you stay here, you'll be taken care of in the best possible way."
"Thank you, you're so kind," François said, bowing repeatedly.
"Don't be shy, go and pay for your check-in now."
François nodded, went to the counter, inquired about the price, and paid immediately.
A small silver coin a night—François thought it was a bit expensive, but perhaps that's just how prices are in the Far East.
The boss said the minimum stay was ten days, which surprised François.
Is this the rule across the eastern part of the Windless Sea?
However, François had planned to stay for a while anyway, so he didn't think much of it and took out ten small silver coins, placing them on the counter.
The shopkeeper behind the counter immediately reached out and snatched the silver coins into his pocket; his hand moved so fast that François could see the afterimage.
Just then, the boss said:
"You will also need to pay ten small silver coins."
Upon hearing this, François frowned.
"Why? I've already paid ten days' rent!"
The boss looked quite impatient: "What I asked for before was rent, now I'm asking for a deposit."
"A deposit?" François raised his voice in surprise. "I'm staying at a hotel, not renting a room. I've never heard of needing to pay a deposit!"
"This is my shop, and whatever rules I set are the rules. If you're not happy with that, you can check out!"
Although François rarely got angry, a hint of color appeared on his face at this moment.
However, the other person's expression was so frightening that François couldn't help but shrink back.
But he still timidly said, "Fine, I'll give you a refund! Just give me my rent back!"
To everyone's surprise, the landlord grinned and said, "Sorry, rental properties are non-refundable!"
"This is fraud!" François protested.
"I've already confessed to this, how can it be considered fraud?"
François frowned: "When did you confess?"
The boss patted a small note pasted behind him: "Isn't it written right here?"
"But I don't recognize the writing here, and besides, the writing is too small!"
"That's none of my business."
The boss sat down nonchalantly, leaning back lazily in his armchair.
"Either you pay your deposit for the hotel stay, or get out of my hotel right now!"
The other party was so ferocious that François didn't know what to do.
He immediately thought of asking the kind gentleman who had led him to the hotel for help.
But when I turned around, I realized that the person had already left sometime earlier.
With no other option, François had to deal with the boss alone.
If he closes the shop now, it will be equivalent to losing ten small silver coins for nothing.
After careful consideration, he had no choice but to pay to check in and wait until he had stayed for ten days before checking out.
François took out ten more small silver coins from his pocket.
After receiving the money, the boss took out a key and threw it in front of François:
"The room at the very end of the second floor."
François hurriedly grabbed the keys and ran upstairs.
After putting his luggage away, François felt angry but helpless.
François was puzzled as to why this shop had managed to stay open for so long with such poor service.
The location of this shop is not irreplaceable; no one will actively seek it out.
Or are all the business owners in this city this arrogant?
François couldn't come to a conclusion immediately; he had never lived alone before and had no idea what to do.
Suddenly, François heard a commotion coming from upstairs.
He opened the door, carefully walked towards the stairwell, and peeked around the corner.
Soon, it was discovered that the two were arguing loudly.
One of them was a young man who looked about seventeen or eighteen years old.
The other one is the boss.
The two spoke very quickly, and François could not understand the whole conversation; he could only grasp part of the meaning.
The young man seemed to be demanding that the boss return his money, his tone full of threat.
But judging from the boss's attitude, he didn't seem to care.
The argument between the two grew louder and louder. Finally, the young man suddenly pulled out a green glass bottle and shouted:
"Give me my money back!"
The boss finally showed anxiety on his face: "Don't rush, young man, let's talk this out."
"Then hand over the money!"
"Of course, but perhaps we can discuss it!"
"Don't even think about lying to me again!"
The young man roared and smashed the bottle on the counter.
The liquid inside the bottle reacted violently the moment it came into contact with the air, and billowing green smoke appeared.
The shop owner immediately clutched his throat and then collapsed to the ground in pain.
The young man wasn't much better off. He turned to leave the hotel, but collapsed at the door.
François immediately recognized that the bottle contained an alchemical potion.
They also learned about the murder that had occurred in the hotel.
He was a stranger who had just arrived in the city, and the fact that he encountered a murder case would likely arouse suspicion.
If François continues to linger here, the situation could be unfavorable for him.
He immediately went upstairs, picked up the package he had just put down, and came downstairs.
As François passed the counter, he smelled a pungent odor.
He then realized that the poison had not yet dissipated.
However, the poison seemed to have no effect on him.
He suddenly had an idea.
François walked to the counter and rummaged around on the boss's corpse for a few moments.
He rummaged through a pile of coins, but only took twenty small silver coins.
After leaving the key, he quickly slipped out of the hotel.
After walking a few steps, a man in a white robe suddenly emerged from the blind spot and called out to François:
"You came from beside those two dead men."
Upon hearing this, François turned pale and hurriedly explained:
"I didn't kill them!"
"No, no, no, sir, you misunderstand. Who killed them is completely irrelevant. What's important is..."
The man smiled with narrowed eyes.
"How come you're not dead?"