"Come, come, wear this token well."
The old soldier at the city gate smiled kindly, his hand, wrinkled like tree bark, held a wooden token and personally placed it around Chen Yu's neck.
Chen Yu raised his hand to look at the wooden token.
It had no carvings, just a "Bā" written in black ink.
"What is this token for?"
Chen Yu was confused.
The old soldier grinned, revealing his remaining three to five yellow teeth, and took a big swig from his wine gourd, spewing the alcoholic breath into Chen Yu's face.
"With this token, people in the city will know you are a traveler and will take better care of you."
"Oh, I see."
Chen Yu nodded slightly, staring at the token thoughtfully.
The old soldier's wrinkled hand then patted Chen Yu's shoulder heavily. He lowered his voice, his face seeming to darken considerably.
"Don't you dare take the token off, understand?"
"Understood." Chen Yu's eyes sparkled with the brilliance of the sun, like a plump, naive sheep ripe for slaughter. "I'll keep this token on all the time. Can I enter the city now?"
"Of course, of course!"
The old soldier smiled and gestured for Chen Yu to enter.
Glancing down at the wooden token on his chest, Chen Yu nodded slightly before entering the city. As he passed through the city gate arch, he even stopped to wave at the old soldier, holding up the wooden token with a smile.
"Thank you!"
The old soldier waved goodbye. After Chen Yu had left the archway, he let out a laugh.
"I don't know where this fool came from, thanking us." The gap-toothed old soldier sneered, "I really hope more of these idiots come."
"They will soon."
The old soldier with a mole on his face whispered.
"Aren't many foreigners coming to the underground, and soon they'll be exploring our area. Where will we be short of suppliers then?"
"That's not entirely accurate."
The gap-toothed old soldier shook his head and chuckled. "For those with money, this place is a paradise. Do you think that kid just now had money?"
"Travelers, their pockets are usually quite full!"
"Yes, yes!" The old soldiers at the city gate laughed heartily. "Don't disappoint me. But then again, if he's penniless, he's still wearing my token, so it counts towards my performance."
"Hahaha!"
The two old soldiers exchanged glances and laughed knowingly, clinking their wine gourds together with a thud.
"Let me send a message."
As he spoke, the elder raised his wrist and lit up his survival wristband.
"Goods incoming, identifies as traveler."
"Received!"
"Received!"
"Received!"
At this moment—
Chen Yu, wearing the token, entered the city. As soon as he stepped inside, he couldn't help but let out a sigh.
"What in the world is this place?"
Dilapidated, chaotic.
Could you believe it?
Just inside the city gate, Chen Yu saw that several houses had already collapsed, appearing long abandoned and completely neglected.
"Boss, I think we should retreat."
Chen Yu glanced at Hei Dou, who then licked his lips and said.
"You must have felt it too. Those two old guys had ill intentions towards us. Look at their smiles, it's like they're about to sell us off."
"Why the panic!" Chen Yu whispered.
"How can I not panic? This place doesn't feel like a city," Hei Dou whispered. "And look at this city, not a soul in sight. Also, why did he put a token on you? Could it be to mark you for capture as a slave, or for dismemberment and organ trafficking?"
"Is there such a business in the underground?" Chen Yu was surprised.
"I'm not entirely sure if there is, but isn't it..." Hei Dou hesitated, swallowing. "I'd prefer it if we both retreated."
This place was eerie and definitely not a good sign.
A cat's sensory abilities were very acute. As soon as Hei Dou entered the city, he felt a sense of impending danger. If he weren't young and his prostate and bladder functions were still normal, he might have just peed his pants.
"Don't be afraid, with me here, what do you have to fear?"
Chen Yu narrowed his eyes and smiled slightly. "Even if this isn't a proper city, shouldn't we at least see what's going on inside? Since they let us enter the city without restricting our freedom, it means we are safe for now. Don't you find such a city interesting, full of exploratory potential!"
If this city were indeed a dark city,
Forget entering freely; they would have been tied up like dumplings or subdued by force and turned into slaves as soon as they reached the archway.
Freedom!
It signified that this city had a standard of tolerance.
"Uh..." Hei Dou, squatting on Chen Yu's shoulder, spread his paws. "Boss, you're something else. I never realized before how much of an explorer you are."
"Of course."
With a slight smile, Chen Yu proceeded to explore the city's interior along the 'main road'.
Although the city was dilapidated,
The area within the city was still quite large.
After walking for nearly fifteen minutes, Chen Yu and the others still hadn't seemed to enter the city's so-called 'central district'. The buildings on both sides were in disrepair, yet one could vaguely discern past prosperity.
"Sir—"
A gentle voice came from the side.
Chen Yu looked over and saw a woman emerging from a small alley. She was reasonably good-looking and had a decent figure, scoring around a 9 in Chen Yu's estimation.
"Are you calling me?"
Chen Yu stopped. The woman's eyes were full of smiles.
"Yes, I was calling you."
"Hiss!" Before Chen Yu could even respond, Hei Dou's eyes widened as he stared at the woman, exclaiming, "Fox, Sister Fox. Boss, Sister Fox!!!"
Under Hei Dou's astonished cry, Chen Yu also noticed the fox ears on the woman's head.
"I am a fox maiden." Feeling Chen Yu's gaze, the fox maiden raised her hand to touch her ears. However, as soon as she raised her arm, she quickly lowered it.
The smile on her face seemed to freeze slightly, and she subtly observed Chen Yu's expression.
Noticing that Chen Yu's expression remained unchanged,
She finally breathed a sigh of relief, and her face was once again filled with a radiant smile.
"You, you are visiting our city for the first time, aren't you."
"That's right." Chen Yu nodded softly, while Hei Dou stared at the fox maiden with his eyes wide open, his tongue lolling out, and his eyes turning into hearts.
Seeing this, Chen Yu reached out and patted Hei Dou.
The fox maiden had naturally seen Hei Dou's state, but in her eyes, Hei Dou was just a black cat. Although his behavior was strange, she didn't pay much attention to it.
"Sir, since this is your first time here, would you allow this humble one to show you around?"
As she said this, the fox maiden suddenly grasped the corner of her clothes. Chen Yu glanced at her and smiled faintly.
"What is your name?"
"Ah..." The fox maiden's expression suddenly became flustered. She instinctively looked to her side and back, then tightened her grip on her clothes. "This humble one is Su Ni."
"Chen Ba Tian!"
Chen Yu said with a smile, extending his hand. Su Ni seemed a little confused by Chen Yu's action, but still tentatively placed her hand on his.
Grasping her hand for half a palm, Chen Yu released it and smiled.
"Miss Su Ni, thank you for your trouble."
--
Author's notes:
This doesn't seem to be going well at noon, have you eaten?!