Chapter 12: Need Information and a Plan Fast!
John’s stomach growled loudly as he walked through the bustling Eastern Market, his senses overwhelmed by the symphony of aromas wafting through the air.
Everywhere he looked, food vendors called out to passing customers, their stalls overflowing with culinary delights that made his mouth water uncontrollably.
To his left, an elderly woman tended to a massive wok, the sizzle of stir-fried noodles mixing with the rich scent of garlic and soy sauce.
Next to her, a burly man with arms like tree trunks rotated skewers of glistening meat over glowing coals, the fat dripping and crackling as it hit the fire.
Further down, steam rose from enormous bamboo baskets holding fluffy white buns, their warm, yeasty aroma mingling with the sharper tang of pickled vegetables from a neighboring stall.
John’s feet moved almost of their own accord toward a particularly busy soup stand where thick, milky broth bubbled in a massive cauldron.
The vendor, a round-faced man with a perpetual smile, was deftly slicing ribbons of fresh noodles and dropping them into bowls along with tender chunks of stewed meat and vibrant green vegetables.
The sight made John’s prison rations, that horrible, rock-hard stale bread, seem like a distant nightmare.
"When was the last time I ate real food?"* he wondered, his fingers unconsciously flexing at the memory of teeth straining against that awful prison bread.
In the almost Six months since his reincarnation into this world, he’d known nothing but captivity and survival.
The thought of hot, flavorful food made his eyes sting unexpectedly.
"Spicy lamb skewers! Get your spicy lamb skewers here!" a nearby vendor’s cry snapped him back to the present.