Chapter 108 - 107 – Sunrise City
"What?" I said in surprise.
"Where are you from?" the guard repeated, his voice louder this time.
It had already been loud from the start, but now he raised it even higher.
"I... would rather not say," I replied.
The guard stared at me carefully. His eyes narrowed, then he said, "Is there a reason?"
"Of course, sir," I said. "But I cannot explain further."
"Hahaha!" the guard burst into laughter.
"Everyone knows the reason. Don’t worry—in the City of Sunrise, there is no racism. You’ll see for yourself. Go on in."
I moved forward, step by step, into the city.
Did that really just work?
I had invented something out of thin air.
And yet... it worked. How?
What if someone was watching me right now because of that nonsense I had said?
I should not have tried to improvise like that... but I truly did not know what name to give.
I walked several meters. The tunnel through the wall was long, perhaps five or six meters deep.
And when I emerged from it—
The sight before me was astonishing.
My eyes widened in limitless amazement.
The moment I stepped out from the tunnel into the inner road of the city, I raised my head.
"A tree?" I blurted.
"Haaa..."
The creature above turned toward me.
"Are... you... trying... to insult... me... human?"
Its voice was thick, deep, and painfully slow.
"No, of course not. My apologies," I said quickly, bowing my head.
"Haaa..." the beast rumbled and moved on.
My eyes followed it.
It was enormous and tall.
And yes—it truly was a tree.
"How does it walk?" I whispered.
I looked below it.
Its roots crawled over the ground like serpents.
Before I could recover from that shock, a small figure suddenly approached me.
She wore a white vest over a pink outfit.
Her face looked human... only her face.
She had no arms.
Instead, eight octopus-like tentacles extended from her sides, each holding baskets of flowers.
"Would you buy a flower from me? To give to someone you love... or someone you admire?" the little girl asked.
I quickly hid my foolish surprise and smiled lightly.
"How much?" I asked.
"Two thousand... or one thousand if you don’t have enough."
"And if I have nothing?" I asked.
She fell silent for a moment.
One of her tentacles scratched her pink hair while confusion spread across her face.
Looks like she’s about to run away, I thought.
"Well... then you may have one for free, kind sir."
She handed me a white flower the size of my palm.
My smile widened.
"You are truly a kind little girl. And your heart is white as well," I said.
Then I reached into my pocket and took out a small silver coin engraved with a symbol resembling an upside-down reversed five.
Its value was five thousand dinars.
"You deserve this. Take it."
Her lips spread into a broad smile, revealing one large front tooth.
She seized the silver coin eagerly.
"Thank you, sir! Thank you so much!"
She bowed respectfully, then darted away.
I turned again toward my surroundings.
There were countless races in the street.
The crowd was immense, even though the roads themselves were very wide.
{Ding... Ding... Ding...}
"What?"
{Traits have fully resumed operation.}
Good.
In this world, there is money.
There is accumulation.
And there is power accumulation.
Money can buy nearly anything in markets and stores.
Accumulation can also purchase things from the digital shops within interface space, and it helps build and evolve one’s strength.
If I were to describe accumulation—it is the currency of Lords, something that cannot be created artificially. It must only be harvested.
That makes it the most important resource for a Lord’s advancement.
As for power accumulation—
It is a fixed percentage that never drops below zero and never exceeds one hundred.
It functions like combat points.
They are consumed in battle and movement.
When depleted, rest and sleep naturally restore them.
There are also items that restore them—accumulation pills, tools, weapons—but natural recovery remains the best method.
Right now...
I possess no less than one million dinars.
My power accumulation is completely full.
What I lack is ordinary accumulation.
Ever since I left the secret space, my vaults have become utterly empty.
Even the belongings I once possessed have faded into irrelevance.
What I need now is to harvest accumulation.
And the return of my traits means the Prophet ability will begin functioning and harvesting once again.
What I must do first is gather information before launching my greater plan.
I have two major resources I can exploit:
Healing flowers.
And ancient/mastered weapons.
As for mastered weapons—
Impossible.
I would never risk selling them.
If I did, pursuers would come after me from every direction.
Even if I tried to conceal my tracks, eventually they would find me.
That leaves me with flowers, customized weapons, and ancient weapons.
Customized weapons—for earning accumulation.
Basic flowers—for earning accumulation.
Ancient weapons and advanced flowers...
Well, I will see what benefit they can bring me.
Hehehe...
A great thrill stirred inside me.
I kept walking.
This city truly was a haven for every race.
Dwarves, elves, humans, goblins—those were the ones I recognized.
But those I did not recognize...
They were stranger still.
There were birds with human bodies.
Humans with bird wings.
Rock bodies with tiny wings.
Large wings carrying tiny bodies.
Even insects—some species were as large as humans, or larger.
There were many kinds of tree beings as well.
I nearly ran after one because it looked like a palm tree.
It reminded me of home.
As for the city itself—
Most buildings were stone structures decorated beautifully with wood.
After walking for two hours, the districts began to change.
Now I found myself in streets with fewer people—
But the houses were magnificent.
Bright, gleaming colors.
None of them were less than three stories tall.
The residents stared at me with constant disgust.
They stepped several meters away whenever they saw me.
Naturally.
They wore luxurious coats and hats pinned with golden ornaments.
To people like them, someone dressed like a beggar—like me—was nothing.
I had tried to make my clothing look ordinary.
And instead, I had made myself look homeless.
Fine.
Time to change clothes.
I had no intention of drawing attention—
Neither through luxurious clothes nor ragged ones.
Moderation was always best.
After a while, I found an alley.
No one was nearby.
I stepped inside.
Then changed my attire.
Earlier, I had seen someone wearing something like it. It looked elegant.
A white coat lined with golden stripes.
White trousers as well.
A circular scarf of the same color.
Leather shoes.
I emerged from the alley.
I still had no destination.
I was simply walking.
Ahead of me was a man in flashy clothes, with a huge belly hanging before him, moving slowly with arrogance.
"Excuse me, sir," I said, bowing respectfully.
I had no idea whether that was proper etiquette, but I assumed aristocrats spoke this way.
"Yes?"
The man halted and regarded me calmly, examining me from head to toe.
"If I may ask," I said, "where might I find a perfume shop selling fragrances refined enough for distinguished taste... such as yours?"
"Heh! It is an honor to be praised by such a well-spoken, well-dressed young man," he said proudly.
"Indeed, I know such a place, and I know exactly how to direct you."
I smiled as though I had finally found an answer after a long search.
"Oh, I would be deeply grateful, noble sir."
He placed both hands on his mustache, then turned and pointed toward the far end of the street.
"Simply keep walking until, on one of the left branches, you see a sign bearing the Red Mora Flower. There you will find the alley of the establishment you seek."
I bowed again.
"Thank you, sir."
I stepped aside, bowed once more, and continued on.
My eyes scanned alley after alley—
Then I stopped.
A square white sign hung before me.
Inside it was a red flower, lined with many glowing yellow streaks.
"Is this what he meant?" I whispered.
Then I decided to enter.
It did not take long to confirm it.
I stood before a large perfume shop bearing the same emblem.
Its wall was made of glass, displaying only a limited number of perfume bottles.
I truly did not understand why elite perfume shops were always like this—
Displaying so few perfumes—
While ordinary shops were overflowing with every kind imaginable.
I stepped inside.
The moment I entered, there was a young woman before me.
"Ah..." I whispered inwardly.
Her scent was exquisite.
Her hair was black like a horse’s tail.
It shimmered, just as her snowy face shimmered.
"Welcome, sir," she said, bowing gracefully.
She paused, then smiled.
"How may I help you?"
"Thank you," I said, smiling.
Then I added:
"I wish to go to the Adventurers’ Guild. I need a perfume that does not give me a strong presence. I wish to blend in."
She extended her hand toward one corner.
"This way, please."
Then she waited for me to step forward.
I did.
She did not realize that I noticed—
But I did.
She cast a glance toward her distant coworker, as though silently asking:
What should I offer him?
I smiled inwardly.
When we reached the section, she presented several perfumes.
In the end—
One pleased me.
It was subtle, but gave the body a naturally refined scent.
I left the shop after paying one hundred thousand.
Perhaps I had been deceived.
After several more meters—
I left that district behind.
Before me stretched a broad quiet street lined with many trees.
I walked through it.
Then—
In the next moment—
I found myself inside the market.
Yet still—
There was no sign of the Adventurers’ Guild.