Skinwalker Belle – Chapter 396 – Country Bumpkin Enters the City

During the more than ten days that Long Teng was unconscious, Long Yi and his father had thoroughly explored Azurewood City.

Passing through the city gates, a clamor full of industrial aesthetics rushed to meet them.

The wide roads were no longer the kind of dirt paths that left your feet caked in mud with every step, but smooth, hard asphalt surfaces.

Lining both sides of the streets were not the dim Crystal Core Lamps, but row after row of simple, cleanly designed streetlights.

Even though it was broad daylight, the sense of neat, uniform planning still made Long Teng, this “country bumpkin,” stare wide-eyed.

“This road surface… even reinforced with Earth-elemental Spiritual Power, it would be hard to make it this smooth, wouldn’t it?” Long Teng crouched down, touching the road surface with a look of shock on his face. “And this hardness—ordinary horse-drawn carriages couldn’t possibly damage it.”

“Pfft, what a fuss over nothing.” Long Yi stood with his hands in his pockets, a look of disdain on his face. “This is called asphalt—a specialty from Blue Star. See that building over there? That’s called reinforced concrete. It’s much sturdier than the bluestone we use.”

Long Teng looked up at the commercial building in the distance that was just having its top floor completed.

A massive tower crane was in operation, emitting a rumbling sound. This steel beast that required no Spiritual Power to drive completely overturned decades of his understanding.

“This is… technology?” Long Teng murmured to himself.

“That’s right, technology.” The one who picked up the conversation was Long Yan.

This kid had spent the most time in Azurewood City and had clearly adapted quite well.

He pointed at a group of humans and Demi-humans queuing up not far away. “Here, even low-level ordinary people can live well with the help of these tools. Not like other places, where the weak can only be slaves.”

The group chatted as they walked, and before they knew it, they arrived at a bustling commercial street corner.

Quite a few people were gathered here, mostly refugees who had just entered the city. They were pointing and whispering at several large iron boxes flashing with colorful lights, their eyes filled with awe and curiosity.

“What are those? Artisan Puppets?” Long Yan gripped his sword hilt warily.

Although he was temporarily serving as the commander of the city guard, he had only arrived a day ago and hadn’t had time to look around the city yet. He had never seen anything from Blue Star before.

“Puppets my ass.”

Long Yi rolled his eyes, strode over with big steps, and the crowd automatically parted to make way for him.

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He stood in front of that big iron box—the vending machine—turned around, and waved at Long Teng and Long Yan, a mysterious, confident smile on his face. “Come, come, today your big brother here is in a good mood. Let me treat you to something good.”

Long Teng and Long Yan exchanged a glance and cautiously edged closer.

Inside the iron box, bottles and cans of all colors were neatly arranged, looking especially tempting under the glow of the lights.

Long Yi skillfully pulled a crumpled banknote from the pocket of his camouflage vest.

It was Federation Credits.

Printed on it was the Federation’s emblem. In this world where strength reigned supreme, this kind of paper should, by all rights, be too stiff even to wipe your ass with.

“What is this?” Long Yan’s single eye widened. “This thing can buy stuff?”

“You wouldn’t understand.” Long Yi proudly waved the banknote in his hand. “Here, this thing works better than Crystals. Sister Sun Jing said that a thousand of these can exchange for one first-grade Crystal. It’s called… a credit currency system.”

Although he didn’t understand what a credit currency was either, that didn’t stop him from showing off.

Long Yi stuffed the banknote into the vending machine’s bill slot.

“Beep.”

The machine let out a crisp sound, the screen lit up, and displayed the balance.

Long Teng and Long Yan were startled—Long Yan even nearly drew his blade to chop down this “money-eating” monster.

“Easy, easy.” Long Yi, as seasoned as an old hand, extended his thick fingers, scanned the rows of buttons, and finally pressed the red one with force.

“Clang!”

With a loud crash, four bottles of dark liquid rolled out from the dispensing chute below.

“What’s this?” Long Teng frowned, staring at the icy-cold object in his hand. The black liquid inside was still bubbling with eerie fizz. “Poison?”

“Poison my ass.” Long Yi had already deftly twisted off the cap.

“Psshh—”

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The sound of released gas rang out, oddly pleasant amidst the noisy street.

Long Yi tilted his head back and chugged a big gulp.

Then—

“Burp—!”

A thunderous, earth-shaking belch erupted from the throat of this Rank 8 Powerhouse.

“Now that’s what I’m talking about!” Long Yi wiped the foam from his lips, his face utterly blissful. “This stuff’s called Fat Guy Happy Water. One sip, and even the gods can’t save you; two sips, and your mind starts wandering.”

Long Yan was clearly a regular customer too. Without a word, he twisted open his bottle and drank, finishing with a satisfying burp of his own.

Watching the father-and-son pair wear expressions of pure ecstasy, Long Teng and Long Yan hesitated.

This black water… was it really that good?

Long Teng tentatively twisted off the cap and, mimicking Long Yi, took a small sip.

Instantly.

Countless tiny bubbles exploded on his tongue, carrying an indescribable sweetness and kick that surged down his throat, plunged into his stomach, and then shot back up as a wave of coolness straight to the crown of his head.

It felt like a thousand little ants dancing inside his brain.

Long Teng’s murky eyes flew wide open.

“Mmph!”

He clamped his hand over his mouth, forcing down the burp that was about to burst out, but the tingling thrill flushed his old face crimson in an instant.

“What… what kind of potion is this? It can instantly clear the mind and wake the senses?!” Long Teng was stunned.

Beside him, Long Yan was even more dramatic. He downed half the bottle in one go, tears streaming from the carbonation, yet he refused to set it down. Between coughs, he raised a thumbs-up: “Good…! Strong stuff! Even better than the liquor back in Border Dragon City!”

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“Hahahaha!”

Watching these two country bumpkins, Long Yi doubled over laughing.

“Shocked already? There’s plenty more to blow your minds later.” Long Yi clapped Long Teng on the shoulder.

“Your Border Dragon City? Compared to this place, it’s a backwater village.”

The group of men strolled through the streets, and before they knew it, night had fallen.

The open-air barbecue stalls on the commercial street were already packed to the brim.

Sizzling Mutant Beast Meat rolled over the charcoal flames, cumin and chili powder sprinkled on top, kicking up a maddening wave of aroma.

This bold, aggressive flavor was a devastating blow to the otherworld natives, who were used to plain boiled meat or simple fire-roasted fare.

“Boss! Another fifty skewers! Extra spicy!”

Long Yi planted one foot on a plastic stool, slamming his pint glass down on the folding table with a sharp “bang.” At this moment, he had none of the dignity of a Rank 8 Powerhouse—he was every bit a foreman just off the worksite.

“Coming right up! Hang tight, big guy!”

The skewer griller was a young man from Blue Star, run off his feet, with no idea that the three men at that table could level the entire city with a snap of their fingers.

“Now that’s the life!”

Long Yi grabbed a skewer of charred, golden-brown mutated mutton, shoved the whole thing into his mouth in one go, and even as the heat made him grimace, he refused to let go. “Now this is meat! What the hell was I gnawing on back in the swamp!”

Long Teng sat across from him, holding a half-finished can of beer in his hand. His movements were a bit more refined than Long Yi’s, but the mountain of bamboo skewers piled in front of him had long since given him away.

“Indeed… it has a certain charm.” Long Teng sighed, his gaze complicated as he looked at the crowd around them shouting and playing drinking games. “This drink called ‘beer’—it’s not strong, yet it somehow makes people inexplicably relaxed. If the people of Border Dragon City could live like this…”

“Don’t think about useless stuff like that.” Long Yi let out a beer burp and pushed a plate of grilled chives toward Long Teng. “Eat! They say this stuff is a man’s fuel station—recharge that old back of yours.”

Long Teng’s face darkened. “Scram. My back’s perfectly fine.”

Long Yan sat off to the side, saying nothing, but his hand, which never stopped reaching for skewers, betrayed him.

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Ever since learning of Ning Shuang’s whereabouts and settling down in this city full of novel wonders, the heavy stone pressing on his heart seemed to have lightened considerably.

Just then, the previously noisy street seemed to fall silent for a moment.

That silence was contagious.

First the neighboring table, then the passersby, and finally even the barbecue owner forgot to flip the skewers.

Long Yi keenly sensed the shift in the atmosphere and instinctively looked up.

Beneath the dim halo of the streetlamp, a figure in white strolled forward.

No lofty flight from above. No exaggerated displays of spiritual power.

She simply walked on a pair of white strappy high heels, each step seeming to land directly on people’s heartstrings.

The smoky-gray flowing gown clung gently to her body with the evening breeze, outlining curves that could break even a saint’s composure.

As the hem swayed, the ankles revealed were so pale they dazzled the eyes, and the cherry-red polish on her toes gleamed in the night—seductive, yet sacred.

Gulp.

Long Yi heard the sound of someone at the next table swallowing.

Though he was a rough man, even he couldn’t help but freeze for a moment.

Lei Li back in Border Dragon City had been beautiful too, but she’d always carried an untouchable, sacred aura that kept people at a distance.

But now, with all her sharp edges sheathed, she was languid and casual—yet her beauty was far more aggressive.

“Milord.” Long Yan reacted the fastest, springing to his feet and hastily wiping the grease from his hands onto his pants.

Lin Fan walked over to the table, casually pulled over a red plastic stool, and sat down naturally without the slightest care about the grime on it.

“The barbecue on Blue Star isn’t bad, is it?”