Volume 2, Chapter 46 – Yumo Goes Shopping

Several hours ago, before Bai Yanluo flew to Windward City, Miss Yumo had walked out of the Guest Reception Hall by herself. Not wanting to interrupt the conversation between Mengxi and the other members of the Ashurmos Church, and disliking Kabane’s contemptuous gaze, she felt slightly annoyed and decided to explore the interior of Windward City to get a good look at this human metropolis.

After all, this was the first time in over 500 years that Miss Yumo had come into contact with a human city, and it was the capital of the Northern Frontier, Windward City.

‘Since it’s the capital, the level of development should be the best, right?’ Miss Yumo thought to herself, and the level of expectation in her heart rose a notch.

Unlike the church knights and the defenders of Fort Garros who had disappointed her before, the level of development within the city was refreshing and quite satisfying. It was at least much better than she had imagined.

‘The civilization level of the entire Ancheka Continent? Hmm, it’s probably about the same as the Middle Ages on Earth.’

However, compared to the people of that era, the people on the Ancheka Continent could use various types of energy such as magic, battle aura, or holy magic, as well as all kinds of strange spells. With the assistance of such magic, the productivity of human civilization was quite impressive.

Food harvests were plentiful every year, and even in a place with a cold climate like the Northern Frontier, the people did not worry about food or clothing. It was precisely because of this that the people on this continent had so much time to cultivate.

‘The food is quite abundant…’

Walking along the commercial street, Miss Yumo looked left and right and soon made such an observation. The stalls were filled with a dazzling array of various unknown ingredients and all kinds of finished delicacies, making Yumo marvel at the wonders of magic. It seemed that only one high-level life spell was needed to make a field harvest instantly within a few weeks after seeds were planted. The highly developed animal husbandry also ensured they did not lack meat.

Now, Miss Yumo completely understood why no famine had occurred on the Ancheka Continent for over five hundred years despite it being an ancient civilization.

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As for clothing, although their clothes were far less beautiful and grand than those Saibok had brought, they were warm enough. It was no wonder that the rule of these empires and lords could last so long. After all, the basic lives of the people were guaranteed, and there were no issues of lacking food or clothing. When life was good, generally no one would rebel.

After checking out the food stalls, she found that the housing conditions for the commoners were also much better than she had imagined. There were no dilapidated thatched huts; the people basically lived in two-to-three-story stone-brick houses. What surprised Yumo even more was that there seemed to be many children carrying backpacks to school.

Aside from the slaves who had been stripped of their status, the lives of most people looked pretty good. At least, that was the case in Windward City.

‘Should I try some local delicacies?’ Miss Yumo thought curiously. She still liked gourmet food; otherwise, she wouldn’t have deliberately researched so many dishes back on Earth. In any case, she had a large amount of Star Source Coins provided by the Blackrose Family, making her a bit of a wealthy lady.

Thinking of this, Miss Yumo skipped over to a BBQ stall and spoke in a cute, childish voice. She even referenced the adorable looks of her own children, since those little ones acted cute every day.

“Auntie, give me three meat skewers~”

As she spoke, the little girl handed over a shiny Star Source Coin.

“Coming right up~”

Hearing this, the BBQ stall lady responded warmly and quickly handed three steaming, fragrant meat skewers to Yumo. However, the moment she saw the little girl’s face, the lady’s eyes suddenly flickered with thought and her whole body trembled. Her movements froze in place with an expression of disbelief written in her eyes.

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Seeing this, Miss Yumo couldn’t help but frown. To be honest, considering that going out as the eldest young lady of the Blackrose Family would be too conspicuous, she had used the identity of a pink-haired little girl to observe the commoners’ lives peacefully. Of course, after learning from her previous encounter with Kabane, she had covered the slave mark on her leg and changed into ordinary clothes.

However, Yumo, who thought she could wander around quietly, suddenly discovered after reaching the street that she seemed to be even more conspicuous now. Although the way people looked at her wasn’t as filled with amazement as when she first entered the city, everyone who noticed her would subconsciously glance at her twice. Their eyes were filled with surprise and confusion, making Miss Yumo very uncomfortable.

If she hadn’t sensed any lust in their eyes, Yumo would have suspected that everyone in Windward City was a lolicon.

‘What’s the situation? Could it be that pink hair is rare? No way, isn’t Qiu Mingtong pink-haired?’ The strange behavior of the surrounding people caused countless question marks to appear above Miss Yumo’s head.

At the same time, in the medical center at the center of the city not far away, a middle-aged woman dressed in an exquisite emerald-colored noble gown with graying hair finally ended several hours of soldier visitations under the protection of a group of soldiers. In Windward City, there was probably no one who did not recognize this woman.

This woman was the former commander of the Blizzard Knight Order and the current wife of the Marquis, Afnora Duke.

Now, to prevent another attack by the Abyssal Demon swarms, Marquis Xiumu had transferred two-thirds of the troops in Windward City to nearby fortresses for defense. At the same time, he personally led the main force of the Blizzard Knight Order to the border to inspect and reinforce the defensive positions.

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When the Marquis was not in Windward City, many important affairs in the city were left to his wife, Afnora, to handle. The members of the Duke Family and the residents of Windward City had no objections to this, as they were all well aware of Afnora’s abilities.

Today, according to the schedule, Afnora had come to the city center hospital to console the survivors of the previous battle with the Abyssal Demons and the soldiers who had not yet fully recovered after being stunned by the Blood Butterfly. Visiting grassroots soldiers and civilians was a tradition the Duke Family had always maintained. Because of this, the Duke Family had always possessed a strong bond with the people in their territory, which had caused the royal family’s many incitement plans within the Snownight Empire to fail.

“Thank you for coming, Madam.”

“Thank you for your cooperation, Dean Kemu.”

“It is my duty.”

After exchanging pleasantries with the hospital dean, Afnora concluded her morning itinerary. Subsequently, she left the hospital under the guard of a group of guards and a personal maid, walking toward the carriage ahead.

“Madam, shall we return directly to the manor?” the older maid wearing glasses behind Afnora asked respectfully.

Hearing this, Afnora nodded slightly. “Yes, let’s go back first.”

“Very well, I will immediately inform the manor to prepare lunch.” The maid then carefully stepped back and began talking with another knight.

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Afnora herself slowly walked toward the carriage, and the kind smile that had graced her face all morning vanished instantly. At this moment, her slightly weathered face held no emotion other than solemnity and gloom. Looking at the Marquis’s wife like this, the surrounding soldiers couldn’t help but feel a sense of sadness.

But they were truly powerless. After all, the young lady had been missing for over a month, and as a grandmother, how could the Marquis’s wife not be worried? Until the young lady was found, this situation would likely not improve.

Thinking of this, everyone sighed. However, at that moment, a knight of the Blizzard Knight Order rushed toward the carriage on horseback in a great hurry. Then, under the astonished gazes of the crowd, he jumped off his horse and rushed excitedly in front of Afnora.

“Ma… Ma… Madam!!”

“Hmm?” Seeing the knight so agitated, Afnora, who was about to close the carriage door, couldn’t help but show a confused expression. “What is it? Why so excited?”

“That… someone reported that in the central commercial district, someone saw the young lady!!”

The moment she heard these words, Afnora’s eyes widened suddenly, and the lady’s fan in her hand dropped straight beneath the carriage. After a moment of daze, Afnora hurriedly grabbed the knight’s shoulders.

“What did you say?!!! Quick, take me there!!”