After most of the day, Catherine and Sambi finally came to the outside of Crescent City. Pen | fun | pavilion www. ｂｉｑｕｇｅ。 ｉｎｆｏ

When they were far away, they abandoned their mounts and walked instead. By the way, the image is also slightly retouched.

Soon, they took on a new look. One is a middle-aged female mage wearing a black robe covered with black veil, and the other is a middle-aged swordsman wearing chain mail and a weathered face, and the two have one thing in common: ordinary and inconspicuous.

However, when they arrived at the city gates, they found that the disguise they had made was in fact completely unnecessary. It's not that the gates are completely defenseless, but the security level is lower than usual, and many people who seem to be absolutely threatening can be released into the city after being subjected to a less harsh interrogation.

"Hey! We've obviously done something superfluous. Sambi laughed at himself, "I'm so amorous!"

"Ah, yes. Catherine was not shy about the embarrassment, and now she was looking around, "The guard is much looser than expected, but I don't know why......"

It didn't take long for them to find the answer at the city gate, which was a variety of bounty and recruitment orders that were densely pasted on the bulletin board, and those murderers who thought they could enter the city were either going to receive the reward or to apply.

Walking on the road, Sambi sighed: "I have long heard that the Grand Duke has issued a lot of bounty orders and recruitment orders, but I didn't expect it to be on such a scale! Wow! Amazing!" After a pause, he twisted his eyebrows, and became more solemn, "However, there seems to be a lot of things worth pondering! Look at the targets of those bounty orders, all of them are scourges near Crescent City, is the Grand Duke going to clean up the house at once? So what are you going to do next? Hmm, and the reward it gives—roar! That's really high!" How much do you think it will cost? Can the Grand Duke get it? How rich is he? How rich is Crescent City's finances?"

Catherine didn't answer, smiling, thoughtful.

Smoothly entering the city, following the flow of people, the two slowly walked to the iconic landscape, the Central Arena, and then turned north. Their destination is a hotel in the northern part of the city, the "Dancing Bird" hotel, the name may make people feel egg-wrenching, but it is indeed a good hotel.

Walking on the road, Sambi glanced back at the huge and magnificent Central Arena, his eyes were full of hatred, pursed his lips, turned his head, like a curse, as if venting, and said softly and hatefully: "I want to tear it down." ”

Catherine glanced at each other and said, "It will be done someday." ”

......

Just before sunset, the two finally arrived at the "Dancing Chill Bird" hotel. The hotel's sign is eye-catching, a big cute flying squirrel, very attractive - oh, some people may not know, just as a hot dog is not a dog, and a cold bird is not a bird, but a compound toothed flying squirrel, a member of the squirrel family, a small animal that also has soft and cute attributes.

Knowing this, it is easy to come up with some reasonable speculations close to the truth: the reason why this inn has such a name and such a symbol is because the owner is particularly fond of the Chill Bird, or that the owner simply owns a pet that is very much loved by the Chill Bird, when in fact, the latter is indeed the truth.

So, right next to the gate, on a high wooden pole with a crossbar, you can see the innkeeper's precious pet, a very clever gray flying squirrel.

After teasing the cute little creature that seemed to be picking up guests for its master, the two walked into the hotel. The main guests of the hotel are none other than business travelers and mercenaries, although the guests of this hotel seem to be of a higher grade.

It's almost dusk, and the hotel is undoubtedly about to enter the busiest time of the day, and the atmosphere inside is busy and warm, busy is the staff, and the warm belongs to the guests. The entry of the two did not attract much attention, and at this moment, it was strange that there was no constant stream of customers entering! Although many of the old customers in the store subconsciously glanced at the two of them, and then returned to what they were busy with without a trace.

Catherine sat down at random, and Sambi walked straight to the counter, and after a moment, he returned, sat down, and gestured, "That's it." ”

Food and drinks arrived quickly. A hot girl in a well-fitting maid's costume walked up with a huge tray in her hand, but this obviously didn't get in her way, and she was still able to throw hot eyes in all directions. She came to the table of the two, glanced at Sambi, and then couldn't take her eyes off it, staring at it fiercely, methodically laying down the food while making introductions in a sweet and greasy voice.

"Pan-fried lamb chops, fresh squid with onions, braised pork ribs with potatoes, scones, blackberry ale, and...... Fantastic cream cake!Please use it slowly~!"

Truth be told, Sambi really wanted the hairy girl to get out of the way right away, but Catherine was clearly not going to do that. The latter stared at the two pieces of cake, which were soft and fluffy, topped with small cherries, looking particularly delicate, ornate, and stylish—just like the maid stared at Sambi (who had been eager to change back to his own appearance before entering the shop).

"Girl, you mean, what's it called?"

"Cake, cream cake. The maid was no stranger to the guest's reaction.

"When did you develop this—oh, as you say—fantastic cream cake?" asked Catherine again, "I don't remember seeing ...... last time I came."

"Ah, you're mistaken! Cream cake is not our product," the maid smiled competently, not minding to do another science that has been done many times, "It's a product of the Thirteen Lines, and we're just selling it on consignment." It's trending in the city right now, it's very popular, and you can't help but have some in your store when your customers are always asking about it. ”

"Oh, to such an extent? Hearing you say that, I am even more curious about its charm. Catherine said.

"Take a bite and you'll know. "But you have to be prepared, and soon you will find that you can't live without it, at least, as all the ladies I have ever met." ”

"What about you?" asked Catherine rhetorically.

"Me?" the maid pointed to herself and waved her hand, "Hah! I haven't tasted it yet! I don't dare to taste it! It's too expensive! One bite can cover my salary for several days!"

"So, it's a luxury...... A luxury that can fit into your stomach. Catherine picked up the fork, but was not in a hurry to enjoy it, still staring at the cake thoughtfully.

"Not soon......," replied the maid with a smile, and was about to go on, but was stopped by Catherine, who waved her hand and motioned for her to sit down, and then saw the maid sit down beside Sambi very simply, very closely, about the same as sitting in her arms, and Sambi was so shocked that her hair exploded, and she shrunk her hands, and she didn't know where to put them. And the maid just smiled sweetly and said to Catherine: "Thank you~!"

Catherine unabashedly pulled the corners of her lips out of a playful angle, and ignored it, just communicating with the maid.

"Not soon?"

"Yes, because the ingredients of the cake make it not too expensive...... the maid was not polite, and took a sip of the ale, "eggs, flour, milk, mixed fruits, oh, and, all-of all, sugar! ”

"That's all there is to it, it's amazing!" Catherine couldn't help but glance at the cake on the table again.

"Who's to say it's not?" the maid looked at the cake with longing in her eyes, "the reason why it is so expensive now, of course, is because of its scarcity, and the scarcity of quantities is that not many people understand the magic method of making it, but soon more people will understand, and then I will be able to taste some every day." ”

"How do you know?" said Catherine.

"Everyone in the city knows it, but to tell it clearly you have to tell a long story!, I'll keep it as short as I can!" said this, and the maid's face was fascinated, "Do you know the new chief advisor?"

"Oh, I know. Catherine replied.

"That's good, it saves a lot of effort...... It was that venerable gentleman who invented white sugar, and he gave the world its first taste of true sweetness—oh~! How great! Then, as the inventor, he did not cherish the method of making white sugar himself—although it was a matter of course—but dedicated it to the Duke, and insisted that it should only be sold at a low price! This turned a luxury that was probably only popular among the nobility for a long time into a high-grade condiment that the general public could enjoy—oh~! In the end, the cake was just a small invention of the gentleman to please his maid, but he was obviously willing to share and witness his sweet love with everyone, so he asked the maid in the story to publicly teach the cake making method, and anyone who is willing to learn can learn - oh~! It's so romantic!" The maid held her heart in both hands, her eyes shining, "How nice it would be if I could also be that gentleman's maid~!"

Let's see, what the so-called stories have become......

The maid saw Sambi next to her in a blink of an eye, her buttocks twisted, and she continued to rub into the arms of the half-elf swordsman, and even stroked his chest with one hand, and said with a smile: "Of course, I am also extremely looking forward to being your maid~!"

"Ahh......h

The maid giggled, took Sambi's hand, put it on her chest, and said in a greasy voice, "How can it not be?"

It's a pity that Sambi, who is stiff all over, can't feel the softness and fullness at all.

Catherine didn't mean to stop it, the fork in her hand tapped the cup, she was silently digesting the news she had gotten, and unconsciously said something close to nonsense: "That is to say, after a while, when the first batch of cake apprentices complete their apprenticeship and start to sell in stores, cakes will no longer be rare, no longer expensive, no longer unattainable, and it will gradually fall back from the current inflated price to its due price, and even ordinary people will have the opportunity and ability to enjoy it......"

"That's it. The maid finally remembered that there was an apparently more important figure sitting across from her, "yet I firmly believe that only a real cake can be tasted if you have tasted the cake made by the chief counsellor—well, well, and his maid-in-waiting!"

"Why?"

"You just have to go to the Thirteen Lines to see!" the maid solemnly emphasized, "only there can you see real cakes!

"Well, this is ......," Catherine pointed to the two pieces on the table.

"Of course they're cakes, but they're just cakes!" the maid said with a straight face, and then chuckled herself, "It's not what I said with such depth~!, but His Royal Highness Roche, the eldest son of the Grand Duke." What he meant was that the most basic undesigned cake was just a food cake, not a real cake of a higher meaning! Oh yes! I don't want to understand that! Only a man like him, who is accustomed to eating, would say such cold words of envy for the dead. ”

Glancing enviously at the table, she continued, "Actually, the cakes available on the market today are nothing more than by-products of the maid's teaching, some of which are demonstrations made by her own and more practical products that she and her students have made together. It's reasonable to think about it, otherwise, if she is alone, even if she doesn't do anything else and only makes cakes, I'm afraid that only the Grand Duke will have the opportunity to eat a few pieces...... Of course, I think even they're enough to surprise you, because every guest who has tasted them can't help but praise them, 'Delicious!' 'Delicious!' 'Is there more?'

After a pause, she said, "Ma'am, you are actually lucky enough, after all, the two cakes on the table were also made by the maid herself, which is very rare...... However, again, if you want to taste the real cake, then go to the thirteen lines and have a look!"

"Thank you for your advice. Catherine laughed.

"You're welcome. ”

Catherine thought for a moment and then asked, "Aside from the cake, is there anything new in Crescent City lately?"

"What's new, then you still have to go to the Thirteen Lines to see, all the new things in the city have something to do with it lately. The maid replied.

"Thirteen lines?"

"The Grand Duke financed the establishment of a new business dedicated to the sale of sugar, under the control of His Royal Highness Roche. ”

"So, where's the freshness?"

"Ah, that's right, many of the new inventions of Mr. Chief Consultant will be sold there first! For example, cakes, right next to the thirteen rows, they have opened a very high-end and very elegant, well, they call it an experience store, where you can enjoy real cakes in the most relaxed, comfortable and elegant state! Oh! like a dream! Moreover, in the next few days there will be a new experience store opening, I heard that it is related to clothing, I think you will be interested!"

Nodding, Catherine said, "Thank you again." ”

"You're welcome again~!"

At this moment, the innkeeper shouted disgruntled from the counter: "Alyssa......"

Almost instantly, the maid sitting in Sambi's arms had bounced up, and blocked the boss's unspoken scolding with her own loud answer, "It's coming~~!" She smiled back at Catherine, and threw a wink at Sambi, and the maid named Alyssa hurried away.

Sambi let out a long sigh of relief, curled up in his chair, and made an authentic Peking paralysis, and couldn't help but reach out and touch the sweat on his face, while Catherine finally stuck the fork in her hand into the cake on the table, divided a piece, and put it in her mouth.

The taste is very good, fragrant, soft, slippery, well, sweet, especially sweet, intoxicating sweet......