Chapter 551.2: CALL AN AMBULANCE... BUT NOT FOR ME!

"Star anise, bay leaf, fennel... What do they even look like?"

Light Wind held a crumpled note in her hand, standing bewildered in the market square at the gate of the great wall, staring around in confusion.

About an hour ago, she and Little Ghost, along with some other Goblin Corps members, had been helping in the New Alliance kitchen, preparing food for New Year’s Eve.

As for their main ingredient? It was Mutant Centipede’s tentacles.

These soft-bodied mammalian creatures were mostly active in the forests between Dawn City and the Red River Alliance. Some roamed irradiated urban zones, but they were rare.

Most wastelanders avoided them. Not only were they tough as hell, but their regenerative abilities were insane.

They could spray a whole magazine at them, and days later the missing limbs would grow right back.

That wasn’t even the worst of it. Their meat stank like hell. It smelled like rotten eggs that had been festering for two weeks. Their flesh was probably packed with organic acids and hydrogen sulfide, and no sane person would want to eat them.

But then their commander, Mosquito, had a wild idea,

"If centipede beasts are this durable, and the tentacles regrow, then if we solve the taste problem, couldn’t we farm them like chives?"

Harvest one batch and another grows, protein yield would outstrip chickens, ducks, pigs, cows, and sheep!

At first, everyone objected. The stench was unbearable. Even other player corps looked at them like weirdos.

However... None of them could withstand Mosquito’s persistence.

"I’ll figure out the toxins! Damn it! The periodic table’s right there, I refuse to be beaten by a hunk of meat!"

"No way! It reeks too much! Even Irena says no!"

"Commander! Give it up!"

"Spices! We’ll mask the smell with spices! Hahaha, I really am a damn genius!"

And so... Light Wind was sent to buy spices.

Light Wind didn’t mind. Mosquito gave her 100 silver coins for the errand. The guy might be nuts, but he was generous.

The problem was... She had no idea what those spices looked like. Not to mention she definitely didn’t know what they were called in Federation language.

Frankly, she didn’t even know how to cook. She’d tried once in-game, and nearly killed herself. It was way harder than flying a plane...

After circling the market several times, Light Wind still hadn’t found anything that matched her image search. She sighed, "Guess anything with a strong smell will do... I’ll just grab some random stuff."

Should’ve dragged Little Ghost along.

The spice vendor, watching her circle his stall repeatedly, finally asked, "Hey, miss, need help?"

Hearing him, Light Wind stopped and nodded. "Yeah, do you have any spices?"

The vendor scratched his head. "Spices? Sure... but which ones are you looking for?"

"Anything is fine."

What the hell did ‘anything is fine’ even mean?

The vendor blinked and glanced at a string of garlic hanging from the awning. "How about this?"

"This is garlic... I’m looking for spices," Light Wind frowned. "Pretty sure the kitchen already has that. I need something with a stronger smell."

The vendor scratched again. "Garlic is a spice... You want something stronger? If you could be a bit more specific..."

"Less common... Maybe?" Light Wind added hesitantly.

Rubbing his chin, the vendor thought for a moment.

"Less common? Exotic spices, maybe? I’ve heard the Poro Province produces some potent ones. A traveling merchant from there was selling some just a few days ago..."

𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

At that, Light Wind’s eyes lit up. She pressed her hands on the stall. "Where is he?!"

The vendor instinctively stepped back under her intense gaze and coughed. "He’s already gone... Sold out yesterday, probably headed home."

Sold out...

A look of disappointment appeared on Light Wind’s face.

Just then, a hearty voice called out nearby, "Exotic spices? I’ve got a few."

The voice came from a slightly larger stall. The owner was a man in his late twenties or early thirties, wearing a leather coat, smiling at her.

He wasn’t alone.

Two silent youths sat under the awning. One toyed with a dagger. The other sat with his eyes closed, as if dozing off. Neither spoke.

Light Wind's eyes lit up and she hurried to the stall. But a glance at the table made her frown in confusion. "You guys... sell spices?"

The table was covered in miscellaneous junk.

Eyewear, rings, jewelry, rifles of various calibers, bullets, clothing, backpacks...

There were even a few cybernetic limbs and electronic parts of unknown use.

This didn’t look like a spice stall.

It didn’t even look like a food stall.

"It’s still snowing, you think we would leave rare goods lying around?" the man chuckled, "The goods are at the inn, not far from here. If you’re interested, come with me."

Light Wind asked with worry in her eyes, "Is it expensive?"

"Not at all, not at all. You can definitely afford it!" Seeing his prey bite, the man grinned and kicked the boy with the dagger, handing the stall over. He then came around and said enthusiastically, "Come, I’ll take you there."

"Okay!" Light Wind nodded in excitement and followed him.

The spice vendor nearby hesitated, mouth slightly open to say something, but after glancing around, he closed it.

That guy was clearly from the Dagger Gang. The random goods at his stall were clearly stolen.

He came to do business, not cause trouble. He didn’t want his throat slit at night.

Watching the young girl disappear beyond the market with the gangster, he clicked his tongue and shook his head.

She’s quite pretty...

"What a shame."

At the edge of the marketplace, seeing the NPC heading in the direction of the slums, Light Wind tilted her head in confusion and glanced at the tall building beside the overpass. "Isn't the hotel that way?"

She remembered the NPCs lived at the Wind from Afar Hotel.

The man chuckled and replied, "That’s where the rich merchants stay. Small-time sellers like me couldn’t possibly afford such luxury... Come on, it's just ahead."

Luxury, huh...

Light Wind looked at the skyscraper that rivaled the great wall in height.

Aside from being tall, it didn’t seem all that impressive.

The next moment, she remembered she was in the wasteland and let it go.

Just in case, she figured she should message Little Ghost.

With that thought, Light Wind raised her index finger and tapped a few times on the VM embedded in her left forearm, composing a short message.

[Light Wind: Might’ve triggered a hidden quest while looking for spices! So hyped!]

Message composed and sent successfully!

Not long after, a reply came through.

[Little Ghost: Hey, wait, what about the spices?! What do we do about the spices?! We’re all waiting for you!!!]

Light Wind smiled, then tapped out a few more words.

[Light Wind: Relax, relax!] (Message failed to send)

Huh?

Seeing the tiny bubble next to the message, Light Wind blinked in confusion.

Was the signal really this bad?

...

After leaving the market, the two of them walked deeper into the slums. The shacks around them became increasingly dilapidated, and the alleys narrower and narrower.

Finally, they arrived at a rusted iron gate, and the man stopped, taking a ring of keys from his waist and rummaging through it.

While he looked for the key, Light Wind glanced around.

In front of her was a narrow courtyard overgrown with weeds, behind which stood a three-story red brick building. The first floor had five or six rooms, each window draped with tattered curtains.

It felt less like a hotel and more like a dormitory, or maybe even a school.

Soon, she spotted a line of text on a decaying wooden sign that looked something like a welfare center.

So it wasn’t a hotel after all?