38: Bain Bakery

“Master, we’ve arrived at the town,” Hatties reminded him, his back straight as he sat in the coachman’s seat.

Inside the carriage, Li Ke slowly opened his eyes.

The darkness in his eyes deepened.

A pigeon egg-sized, fiery red, peculiar gem in his hand seemed to have dimmed slightly in color.

Li Ke casually put away the 【Hathsera Gem】.

In a short period, he had refined a good amount of Devilish Qi from the gem through the characteristics of 【All Things Demon Infusion】.

Unfortunately, it was still not as satisfying as the feedback from the 【Innate Guardian Corpse】.

Lifting the carriage curtain, Li Ke looked at the town outside and said, “Go to Third Street, the twelfth shop, Bain’s Bakery.”

The carriage slowly started moving again.

Most of Xilin Town’s buildings were constructed from greyish-white stones.

Shops lined both sides of the street.

The “clink-clank” of hammering came from the blacksmith’s shop.

Colorful fabrics hung outside the cloth shop, swaying in the wind.

Faint, indistinct sounds of lively chatter drifted from within the small tavern…

The commoners in the town, though simply dressed, were mostly clean and tidy, and their faces didn’t show the sallow complexion indicative of chronic hunger seen in rural villagers.

Clearly, commercial activity here was quite prosperous.

However, beneath this relative prosperity, many ragged, homeless people could still be seen huddled in corners throughout the streets and alleys.

They were gaunt, their eyes listless, and emitted a foul odor that made people cover their noses.

Once passersby walked near them, they would quicken their steps, frown, and steer clear, as if they were some contagious plague…

…

“Creak…” The carriage stopped in front of a shop.

Li Ke lifted the curtain and stepped out.

Hatties led the carriage aside to an unpopulated corner of the street to wait.

Li Ke pushed open the bakery’s wooden door.

Ding-a-ling… The copper bell hanging on the doorframe emitted a crisp, pleasant sound.

This was a very warm-looking small shop.

Inside the clean glass display case, golden-baked loaves of bread were neatly arranged, emitting an inviting glow.

The rich aroma of butter and wheat wafted from the oven, making one’s mouth water.

A young clerk with curly brown hair and a warm smile was busy in front of the oven.

He wore thick baking gloves, carefully pushing a tray of buttered, milky-scented dough into the scorching oven.

“Welcome!” he called out, turning his head upon hearing the doorbell.

Li Ke’s gaze flickered slightly as he calmly surveyed his surroundings.

“What can I get for you, customer?” The young clerk removed his thick baking gloves, wiped his hands on his apron, and asked with a smile.

“Our oatmeal bread is very popular! Fresh out of the oven!”

Li Ke also smiled and walked to the counter.

“Does oatmeal bread have any nourishing effects?”

The smile on the young clerk’s face disappeared, replaced by a hint of confusion.

“What are you saying, customer? I don’t understand.”

Li Ke’s smile remained unchanged as he leaned forward, slowly uttering a few words in a volume only the two of them could hear.

“Two legs are the tenderest lamb.”

Upon hearing this, the young clerk scrutinized Li Ke for a moment, and a mysterious smile finally appeared on his face.

“Heh heh, customer, you truly know your stuff.”

The clerk lowered his voice, looking at Li Ke with the implication of a fellow traveler.

“The benefits of nourishment are simply too many.”

He mysteriously pointed to a particularly tempting butter-cheese bread in the counter.

“I have a secret cheese here, added to the bread, it’s not only fragrant but also greatly helps with sleep.”

“It can also nourish the skin, many noblewomen love it!”

Li Ke turned to look at the golden-colored bread, emitting a rich milky aroma, his eyes flickering slightly.

According to Baron Vannes’s memory, this “Bain’s Bakery” was a secret contact point of the Holy Meal Society.

This so-called secret cheese… was probably made from human fat, with the Holy Meal Society’s special ingredients added.

Once consumed long-term, taste buds and spirit would be severely distorted, leading to a strong dependence on “nourishment,” making it difficult to eat ordinary food ever again.

Ultimately, one would either become a member of the Holy Meal Society or become their ingredient…

The Holy Meal Society spread and infected Li Ke a virus through this method, causing trouble in many parts of the Holy Radiance Empire.

The more prosperous the place, the more often their figures could be seen.

“Sorry, I’m no longer interested in this level of nourishment.”

Li Ke shook his head, his face betraying no emotion.

“You know, it’s been a long time since I’ve had truly delicious food.”

“I need… true nourishment!”

With that, Li Ke suddenly pulled out five gold crowns from his In arms and slapped them onto the counter.

“Give me true nourishment!”

“Understood…” The smile on the young clerk’s face grew wider.

“I understand how you feel…” He smiled as he took the gold crowns, then pulled out a small wooden carved plaque from under the counter and handed it to Li Ke.

The plaque read “Butter Three,” looking Li Ke a pick-up token for ordered goods.

“Take this token.”

“At midnight, wait in the town’s central square.”

“Someone will come to meet you then.”

Li Ke took the wooden plaque and turned to leave the bakery.

As he walked out of the shop, several well-dressed, fashionable young girls giggled as they entered.

“This is the place! Their butter-cheese bread is super delicious!” one of the girls, wearing a yellow lace dress and with a pretty face, excitedly introduced to her friends.

“You must try it!”

Li Ke did not stop, his figure quickly disappearing around the street corner.

It was still afternoon, and there was still a long time until midnight.

Li Ke, familiar with the route, walked into a secluded alley.

After several turns, he arrived at the back door of the small tavern that looked Li Ke it had little business.

He took out the Mist Emblem, and a wisp of Devilish Qi subtly emerged from his fingertip.

“Buzz…” The Mist pattern on the emblem slowly rotated.

Li Ke walked directly through the door, passed through a layer of gray Mist, and pushed the door open.

…

Inside the 【Mist Tavern】, a faint gray Mist still permeated the air.

However, there were exceptionally few people today, with only vague outlines of three or two figures moving about.

Most of the stalls were empty.

Clearly, this time of day was not the peak period for 【Mist】 transactions.

Li Ke slowly walked through the Mist, his gaze sweeping over the few available stalls, wanting to see if there was anything worth acquiring.

Just then, a familiar, alluring, faint fragrance subtly wafted into his nostrils.

Li Ke paused his steps slightly.

An graceful figure shrouded in Mist slowly approached from the front.

“It’s Morgana.” Li Ke’s eyes flashed.

Upon seeing Li Ke, the other party evidently recognized some features on Li Ke and walked straight over.

“Oh, isn’t this my big customer?” Morgana’s voice carried a hint of teasing, her voice rising at the end, still very alluring.

“At a time Li Ke this, you still have the leisure to wander around here?”

Li Ke feigned confusion and asked, “What’s wrong? Did something happen?”

Morgana leaned in slightly, lowering her voice.

“It’s not peaceful outside lately. The Oak Tree Territory is in a mess. Aren’t you afraid your old home will be raided when you go back…?”

After multiple transactions, both of them could actually discern some of each other’s characteristics from certain details.

Based on the resources exchanged between them, Morgana could determine that the other party must be a noble, and their territory was likely nearby…

“Hmph, hmph, when the sky falls, the tall ones will hold it up.” Li Ke’s answer was flawless.

“Last time I asked you to help me acquire soul stones, have you still not found a source?”

Morgana chuckled softly.

“Those few soul stones before, I got them from an Evil Sorcerer.”

“He seems to have gotten into trouble recently and is temporarily unreachable.”

“As for energy crystals, this kind of thing is usually only used by Arcanists and is generally rare.”

She paused, a hint of cunning in her voice.

“But you’re in luck, a large batch will be coming soon.”

“However… this batch of goods is of much better quality.”

“On the red-patterned stone, you’ll have to give me another 10% profit…”