The Lord Demon King is Unfathomable!

"Oh, that's the new youth housing. The old one wasn't enough anymore."

"Youth housing... what is that?" Socduo asked in confusion, having never heard the term before.

"Simply put, it's a place for taking in the homeless," Brook explained concisely. "I heard there are strange rumors spreading from Thunder City, and more and more people have been moving here recently."

Socduo gave the building a second, incredulous glance.

He had thought it was some kind of defensive structure, but it turned out to be a residential building.

Still, speaking of which, using Elemental Summoning to build houses was something he was seeing for the first time.

In normal circumstances, the esteemed Mage would never do such laborious and menial work, and most construction teams couldn't afford to hire them.

Unless it was on the Imperial front lines.

There, Mages would use magic to reshape the terrain for constructing defensive Fortifications, but that was another matter entirely.

After passing through a dense residential area, the two soon arrived at a marketplace.

This seemed to be the central area of the camp, but it wasn't exactly bustling—only about a dozen stalls were operating.

Compared to the bright red-bricked houses they had just seen, these market stalls could only be described as shabby.

Socduo wasn't paying much attention to the marketplace at first.

However, the moment his eyes landed on the shelves, he couldn't tear them away.

At least half of the goods displayed on the stalls were completely unfamiliar to him!

Walking up to one stall that seemed to be selling dried goods, Socduo picked up a glass bottle filled with white granules. Stroking his chin curiously, he asked, "Is this salt?"

He couldn't immediately tell which was more valuable—the packaging or the contents inside.

The skeleton soldier sitting behind the stall shook its head, its face showing what appeared to be a friendly smile.

"Salt is on the shelf next to this one. What you're holding is MSG."

Socduo froze for a moment. "M...SG?"

Little Bunny Juices: "That's monosodium glutamate! All-natural fermentation! It enhances flavor! Buy a bottle, try it yourself—just sprinkle a little when you're pan-frying meat, and bam! Instant deliciousness! Not too much, though; remember that."

Socduo was even more perplexed now. He set down the glass bottle and glanced at another container filled with a dark, murky liquid.

This had to be vinegar—he was reasonably sure—but then again, he couldn't be certain anymore.

"And what about this?"

Little Bunny Juices: "That's soy sauce!"

Socduo: "Soy... what sauce?"

Little Bunny Juices: "It's another seasoning! Buy a bottle, try it for yourself! That'll explain it better than I can."

Socduo instinctively reached for his wallet. He was genuinely tempted to buy some and figure it out back home.

However, just as he pulled out his silver coins to pay, the skeleton soldier behind the stall revealed a disappointed expression.

"We only accept Joss Paper here."

"... Joss Paper?"

"Exactly! This stuff!" Little Bunny Juices pulled out a sheet of paper currency and waved it in front of Socduo, then pointed toward a bank not far away. "You can probably exchange for it over there. I think one copper coin equals one Joss Paper. Why don't you go ask?"

That was where Players deposited their money, exchanging paper notes collected from NPCs into credits synced to their accounts on the official forums.

As for whether you could actually convert currency there, she wasn't sure herself. She just remembered that Mist Town's bank supposedly had that function.

Maybe Beifeng City did too?

Socduo quickly thanked her and then turned to Brook for advice.

Brook shrugged nonchalantly. "If you want to exchange it, go ahead. I don't mind. But my suggestion is to first follow me to the inn and sort out your lodging. That way, the kitchen can start preparing your dinner."

"Let's go with your plan, then," Socduo replied with a smile, deferring to his companion.

There was no way he could figure everything out here and now anyway. He decided to return later after settling in to investigate further.

Just as he was about to follow Brook away, something on a nearby shelf caught the corner of his eye.

It was a tomato.

In that instant, Socduo froze completely, his face betraying the utter disbelief of someone who'd just seen the sun rise in the west. His eyes were filled with shock!

Though he had never farmed a day in his life, his business dealings had brought him into contact with plenty of farmers. He knew for certain that tomatoes were summer vegetables!

Maybe in the scorching South, you could eat tomatoes in winter, but this was the northeastern coast of the Vortex Sea!

Not to mention, these vegetables looked as though they'd just been plucked fresh from the vine—so red they seemed ready to drip blood. There was no way they could have been shipped from a colony.

Socduo couldn't believe his eyes and blurted out, "Are these... tomatoes?!"

Soon he realized that the shelf didn't just hold tomatoes.

There were also cucumbers! Peppers! Cabbages and beets!

"That's right! Excellent taste, dear customer!" Little Bunny Juices chuckled, giving him a thumbs up.

The words carried a faintly mocking tone, though she swore that wasn't her intention.

Socduo didn't even pick up on it.

At this moment, he was too shocked to speak.

"But... isn't it winter right now?"

Little Bunny Juices scratched her head, clueless as to what he meant by that.

Brook, standing nearby, understood Socduo's astonishment and offered a casual explanation. "Our Lord's servants recently discovered a way to grow crops in winter."