Chapter 1430: The Lizard Shopkeeper
Chapter 1430: The Lizard Shopkeeper
The continent where Su Yu was located was known to the local beings as the Wind Thistle Continent, the most prosperous continent in the Southern Hemisphere.
At the heart of this continent lay a city named Wind Valley City, situated in the center of a vast plain. It served as the capital of the Chute Empire, the largest nation on the Wind Thistle Continent, and the political and economic center of the empire.
On the outskirts of Wind Valley City, in a secluded alley, Su Yu, disguised as a regular human, strolled into a restaurant with Morningstar by his side.
The restaurant was not only small but also extremely dilapidated, with black grease stains everywhere, and only a dozen or so dining spots available.
It wasn't mealtime, and the restaurant was almost empty. Aside from the owner, the only other person inside was Su Yu, who had just entered.
Upon entering, Su Yu surveyed the place and then took a seat.
He glanced at the menu on the wall and shouted, "Hey, boss! I'll have one of everything on the menu."
Su Yu spoke in the standard Crystal Blue Common Tongue, a language he had quickly picked up over the past two days, which all intelligent beings on this continent could understand.
"Oh?" The restaurant owner opened his eyes, having been dozing off in a reclining chair.
The owner was a lizard-like creature. It had been lying on a wooden board, fast asleep, and only opened its eyes upon hearing Su Yu's voice.
It gave Su Yu a glance.
However, its expression was somewhat dazed, as if it hadn't quite processed what was happening.
"Say that again," Su Yu tapped the table and pointed at the menu on the wall. "I want one of everything here."
"Er, sir..." The lizard shopkeeper's eyes darted around, and he asked, "You're ordering so much. Are you sure you can finish it all?"
"Don't worry about that. Just get cooking," Su Yu urged.
"Do you... have enough money?" The lizard shopkeeper continued, still seeming to gather his thoughts.
"Oh, money. I don't have any on me," Su Yu said, patting his forehead.
Lizard Shopkeeper: "..."
"But wait a moment." As soon as he finished speaking, Su Yu vanished with a flash, leaving only Morningstar perched on his shoulder.
Morningstar gracefully jumped onto the adjacent table and found a relatively clean spot to lie down.
Lizard Shopkeeper: "..."
After about three seconds, the lizard shopkeeper opened his mouth as if to say something to Morningstar, but at that moment, Su Yu reappeared, holding a stack of brand-new banknotes.
"Here, take this. These are the latest million-denomination notes. It should be enough, right?" Su Yu tossed the stack of notes onto the counter.
The banknotes shimmered with a brilliant golden glow, looking brand new and emitting a strong scent of fresh ink.
However, the lizard shopkeeper's expression had completely changed. His face turned red and purple, and he stared at Su Yu with intense hostility.
Su Yu smiled and held his gaze.
The lizard shopkeeper's face alternated between pale and flushed for several seconds, as if he was making a difficult decision.
Finally, he said in a deep voice, "It's enough. With this money, I can definitely prepare your order. Please wait a moment while I cook."
The lizard shopkeeper didn't even glance at the stack of million-denomination notes. He cautiously approached the kitchen, keeping a close eye on Su Yu.
"Hurry up! If you can't cook well, I might just lose my temper!" Su Yu maintained his smile.
"???" Morningstar, the cat, sensed something amiss. Her drooping ears perked up.
She looked at Su Yu with confusion and asked in Crystal Blue Common Tongue, "Is there something wrong with this shop owner?"
Morningstar hadn't noticed anything unusual about the shop owner or the restaurant earlier. She was just curious—why didn't Su Yu go directly to find the "Test Subject"? With Su Yu's Fifth Stage Stellar-Class power, even if he approached the "Test Subject" or stayed within five meters of it, the subject might not even notice.
Yet, Su Yu hadn't gone to find the "Test Subject." Instead, he had come to this rundown restaurant on the outskirts of the city.
When Morningstar first entered the restaurant, she hadn't noticed anything unusual either.
It was just an ordinary, shabby little restaurant, dirty all over.
It was only now, when the lizard shopkeeper didn't even glance at the stack of million-denomination notes, that Morningstar realized something was amiss.
The stack of million-denomination notes Su Yu had thrown out was taken from a nearby bank's vault, totaling nearly a million.
However, Morningstar had looked at the menu, and each dish was priced at only ten to twenty, with the most expensive being just over forty.
If this were an ordinary shop owner, why wouldn't he even glance at nearly a million worth of banknotes? From this, Morningstar concluded that something was definitely wrong.
...
Morningstar also spoke in Crystal Blue Common Tongue, and upon hearing her, the lizard shopkeeper's entire body stiffened.
However, he didn't stop his movements. Upon reaching the kitchen, he mechanically started chopping vegetables.
"Of course, there's something wrong," Su Yu said, rubbing Morningstar's head and smiling. "Morningstar, you probably didn't see through its disguise. This is an Eighth Rank Mid-stage being, the same rank as you."
"Eighth Rank Mid-stage?" Morningstar was taken aback, her eyes widening as she stared at the direction of the kitchen.
Morningstar herself was also an Eighth Rank Mid-stage, but she hadn't detected that the lizard shopkeeper was of the same rank as her! His hiding ability was incredibly powerful. Morningstar knew she couldn't hide as well in front of a cultivator of the same rank.
But... if he was an Eighth Rank Mid-stage, why was he hiding in such a rundown shop? Morningstar could smell a conspiracy.
(End of Chapter)
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