A day later…
"Brother, the man we saved yesterday hasn't come out at all," Adre said.
"Oh, him? He's already gone," Brian replied. Hah, what a shame… a talented assassin like him refusing to join my team.
"Let's keep moving," Brian said.
"Our next destination is Flower City, right?" Adre asked.
"Yeah. Why?"
"I heard there's a former captain of the imperial guard living there. His cultivation was destroyed during the war, and he's been living in seclusion ever since," Adre explained.
"Oh? A former captain?" Brian's interest was piqued. In any empire, a captain of the guard typically possessed late-stage Master cultivation. To Brian, a destroyed cultivation wasn't the end — it could be restored with a Ren Pill, worth 10,000 system coins.
System, is there a way to earn coins besides reaching the Grandmaster realm? Brian asked inwardly.
Once the host enters the Grandmaster realm, you can exchange items or elixirs for system coins, the system replied.
Then how's the exchange rate calculated? Brian asked.
Common – 10, Low – 100, High – 1,000, Spirit/Epic – 10,000, Legendary – 100,000, the system answered.
What about Sacred, God, or Divine tier? Brian pressed.
Silence.
System?!
The host is unlikely to possess items of such levels, the system finally said flatly.
"Wow… impressive, aren't you, System? Where'd you learn to insult people like that?" Brian muttered irritably.
Seeing Brian lost in thought, Adre tried to snap him out of it.
"Brother! Brother! We've arrived at Flower City!" Adre called.
"Oh. Okay," Brian replied.
...
In Flower City
"Hmmm, this city is quite lovely," Brian said as he looked around. "So many flowers in front of houses and along the streets."
"Before it became a city, this place was a vast plain covered in flowers," the coachman explained. "One day, the princess of the Rain Empire decided to build a retreat here. After that, noble ladies from ancient families followed suit… and now it's become what you see today."
"I see."
After entering the city, Brian and his group wandered around for a while.
"Let's go to a restaurant and eat," Brian suggested.
They stopped in front of a place called Heaven Restaurant.
"The name's pretty dominating," Brian commented.
"Haha, what a bumpkin.""As if he knows who owns this place.""Right? Hahaha."
Brian glanced sideways to see a group of young men in luxurious clothes.
"What are you staring at, country bumpkin?" one of them sneered. Brian ignored them and stepped inside.
"Hey!! Don't you dare ignore me!"
"Do you even know who I am? Hey, you bastard!!" the young man in yellow shouted. His voice was so loud it drew the attention of people on the street, but Brian still ignored him.
At the top floor of the restaurant
"What's with the commotion downstairs? Is someone causing trouble?" a beautiful girl asked.
"A young man just ignored the useless son of one of Flower City's three great families, Princess," an old man replied.
"Oh? Interesting. I'll go take a look."
"Princess, don't cause trouble," the old man behind her reminded.
"I won't. Relax, Grandpa Tran," the girl said with a smile, then changed her clothes into a waitress uniform.
"Haaah…" Tran sighed at her antics.
Meanwhile, Brian's group was looking for seats.
"Sir, please come up to the third floor," said a young, beautiful waitress. But Brian's Divine Eyes revealed her true identity:
Name: Ansel Amber (Princess of the Ancient Ansel Family)Status: Fiancée of Brian ScootLevel: 22 (Master 2)Race: HumanAffection: 0Loyalty: 0Equipment: Inner Armor Robe (Epic), Rainbow Ring (Epic)
"Isn't the third floor for VIP guests?" Adre asked.
Does she already know I'm Brian Scoot? We've never even met, Brian thought.
Before he left home, his father had told him the Scoot family had an engagement pact—made before Brian was even born—with the Ansel family.
"Oh, it's the owner's order, sir," Amber said, still in disguise.
"Alright, let's go," Brian replied.
Fine, let's play along with her little game, he thought.
After Brian's group went up, the three arrogant young men from before entered the restaurant, intending to humiliate him.
"Where's that country bumpkin?" the yellow-clad youth asked a waiter.
"They went up to the third floor, Young Master Ben."
"Let's go," Ben said.
On the third floor
"What would you like to order, sir?" Amber asked.
"We'll take the most special dish in the house. And… would you be willing to sit beside me, miss?" Brian asked, winking.
So he's just another useless young master, Amber thought.
"Sorry, sir, we don't offer that kind of service," she said, her smile already gone.
"Ah, my apologies. I just wanted to ask you some—"
Before Brian could finish, someone cut in.
"Miss, throw them out. They're acting all high and mighty in Heaven Restaurant," the yellow-clad youth said.
Brian turned to see the three useless young masters.
"Hmph… insects," Brian muttered.
"What did you say? Do you have any idea who we are?!" the red-clad one barked.
"You—yellow clothes—your name is Ben. Red is Fei. Green is Bett. The three useless insects of Flower City," Brian said calmly.
"You know us and still dare to—?!" Fei fumed.
Heh, this is getting interesting, Amber thought.
Seeing her smile, Brian smirked and said, "Amber, my dear, are you really going to watch your husband get insulted in your own restaurant?"
"H-h-husband?!" Everyone froze in place.
"Who are you?!" Amber shouted. How does he know my name?!
"Sir, if I'm not mistaken, you must be Brian Scoot," said Tran, appearing suddenly.
"Oh? So you know who I am, old man? I thought you'd keep hiding," Brian said with a smile.
Hmm… late-stage Master, Brian noted to himself.
"Young Master Brian, I'm just doing my job," Tran replied politely.
"Princess, it does seem this young man is indeed the young master of the Scoot family. I've seen his portrait before," Tran said to Amber.
"Well, my dear wife Amber, you should be defending me right now," Brian teased, winking.
"Who's your wife?! I do not agree to this engagement!" Amber snapped.
"But I agree," Brian said, grinning.
Young Master Scoot?! The three useless young masters froze in shock, unable to believe that the man they thought was a mere bumpkin was actually from an ancient family they couldn't possibly provoke.