The inner and outer city were connected by a main road, and on both sides were the most bustling areas.
However, most of the small shops here were just for show—their main business was supplying goods to the various mansions, inns, and restaurants within the inner city.
Whether it was grains, vegetables, or the meat of various magical beasts hunted by trappers, all were distributed here, while the businesses in the inner city dealt in the so-called “high-end” industries.
As Enya stepped through the door of the vegetable shop, she saw that there was hardly anything left inside. As for where it had all gone…
A line of people waiting for food by the city wall flashed through her mind.
The shopkeeper was a middle-aged woman.
When she saw the beautiful and elegant “Lady Phil,” she quickly walked over, her face beaming with a bright smile.
“Madam Phil, you’re coming so late today!”
Enya had visited several times before, so the shopkeeper naturally recognized a customer like her.
Enya responded with a polite smile and nodded.
“Yes, something held me up.”
“Are you here to buy vegetables, Madam?” The shopkeeper regretted her words as soon as they left her mouth. What else would someone come into a vegetable shop for, if not to buy vegetables?
She hurriedly corrected herself.
“Haha, listen to me rambling. The stuff outside is all a bit stale now. Let me take you to the back to see if you can pick out some fresh ones to take home.”
“Thank you very much.”
Though Enya’s dress was rather plain today, her appearance and bearing were nothing like that of an ordinary woman.
Her looks were refined and otherworldly, her body clean and neat, carrying a faint, lingering fragrance.
No matter how you looked at her, she resembled the young mistress of some noble family.
But to come buy vegetables herself…
Perhaps the lady was playing at some sort of amusement?
The shopkeeper wore her business smile as she led Enya through the back door of the shop, entering a small courtyard.
A cart stood in the yard, piled high with unsorted, extremely fresh-looking vegetables and fruits.
“These are set to be delivered to a restaurant in the inner city a bit later. They were all collected fresh from the villages outside just today. Feel free to pick whatever you like, it’s no trouble at all.”
“Thank you, big sister.”
Enya casually picked out a few things she liked to eat.
A mother who isn’t picky?
That’s only because she’d never buy anything she doesn’t like to eat herself!
When it came time to pay, Enya intentionally paid a bit extra, which made the shopkeeper’s smile much more sincere.
Seeing her so cheerful, Enya suddenly asked in a light tone,
“Big sister, why are there so many vagrants outside lately?”
The shopkeeper happily put away the money, then glanced toward the door, as if checking to make sure no one was listening.
She lowered her voice to speak with Enya.
“They’ve started showing up all of a sudden lately. I heard they’re all from the neighboring White stone City.”
In the northern countries, each territory was basically a city and its lands.
But no matter how big a city was, it was impossible to enclose all its lands in walls.
Outside the city were several towns, and further out, dozens of villages clustered around—together, these formed the territory of Redwood City.
The shopkeeper continued, “They say there’s some kind of evil cult running wild over there, and a lot of people have died. The local lord hasn’t sent anyone to suppress it. The ones with quick ears heard that our lord here in Redwood City is kind, so they all fled over here. They’re still handing out food outside, you know. Sigh, only our lord is willing to spend money to care whether they live or die.”
As she spoke, a hint of resentment flashed across the shopkeeper’s face.
She didn’t like these strangers who had suddenly appeared.
These vagrants were an unstable element, and as a local, she naturally didn’t want them staying around.
“So that’s how it is…”
Enya played along, feigning sudden realization.
Though she was the master of this dream world, she didn’t manage every little thing—doing so would be a huge drain on her spirit.
Besides, her mind was focused on regaining her strength and on her daughter, so she hadn’t paid much attention.
“Madam, you must be careful. That evil cult might spread here as well.”
The shopkeeper gave Enya a concerned reminder, but the next moment, her shrewd gaze returned.
She smiled and said, “By the way, Madam, why don’t you leave me your address? If you ever need any vegetables, I can arrange regular deliveries for you. I’ve got good connections with the shops next door too, so I can include their stuff as well—guaranteed good quality and fair prices!”
“Hm, that… sounds good.”
After thinking it over, Enya felt it wasn’t a bad idea.
As for the price, she haggled a bit with the shopkeeper, and after some back-and-forth, they settled on a deal that left both of them satisfied.
All these trivial matters can be skipped.
On the street, Enya wore a gray long dress, her graceful figure curving elegantly.
In her delicate hands, she carried a dark red bamboo basket.
Her silver hair was pinned up.
Amid her hair grew a pair of black dragon horns.
Behind her, a tail pressed against her skirt, swaying left and right as she walked.
She was currently wearing Lady Phil’s disguise, so she wasn’t worried about anyone seeing these features.
Suddenly, a small figure appeared beside her.
The child didn’t even have a chipped bowl, just held out a pair of dirty hands, gazing up at Enya.
“Madam, please have mercy.”
This beggar child looked rather unfamiliar, her eyes still bright and clear.
When Enya looked at her, she even avoided her gaze.
Before the girl could lower her small hands, Enya grabbed her wrist and pulled her into a nearby alley—only to find several people sprawled or slumped crookedly inside.
These people were holding wooden sticks, puffing away in the alley.
Even when Enya arrived, they couldn’t even be bothered to turn their heads.
Each one looked like a dried-up stick of wood, their eyes numb.
Enya froze at the scene, all thoughts of cooking and shopping vanishing.
Her expression turned cold, and the little beggar girl she’d pulled along didn’t dare to struggle.
Enya led her to a slightly cleaner spot before letting go.
The girl stammered out,
“S-sorry… I dirtied your hand, Madam…”
“……”
Enya sighed, then took the girl’s hand and stuffed a few small copper coins from her pocket into it.
She asked softly,
“Little one, you’re from White stone City, aren’t you? Why did you come here?”
“Um…”
The girl clutched the money tightly, hesitated, and said, “There was fog over there. The fog eats people. My brother was eaten, and so were my mom and dad. It was grandma… grandma brought me out.”
After saying that, her pale lips moved, but she said nothing more.
Enya smelled the pungent smoke hanging in the air, and her mood sank even lower.
She took out half a loaf of bread from her bamboo basket, wrapped it in a vegetable leaf, and handed it to the girl.
The girl carefully took it, thanked Enya, and ran off quickly.
With a turn, Enya was suddenly a thousand meters above Redpine City, looking down over the city.
She realized there were rats in her house.
“Heh, I’ll come take care of you later.”
Her dragon eyes, once gentle before her daughter, were now cold as ice.