Chapter 443: Chapter 440 – A Relaxing Afternoon at the Market

Sylvia sat with absolute composure on a wooden chair with a thin cushion behind her vending table. On her lap, the mysterious golden cat curled up in a highly comfortable position, coiling like a precious ball of fur that radiated constant warmth.

The morning sun, slowly climbing toward its zenith, no longer emitted a reddish dawn light, but instead began to illuminate every corner of Silvermist city’s market with a thick, warm golden glow. The light fell upon the roofs of fabric canopies, reflected off the stone streets that were starting to dry, and gave a magical sheen to the golden cat’s fur.

The atmosphere around the stall felt incredibly lively, a soothing sensory symphony for a hunter accustomed to the gripping silence inside dungeons. The aroma of premium spices from Sylvia’s own stall an exotic combination of sharp black pepper, sweet-warm cinnamon, and soothing purple Nocture petals evaporated into the air, creating its own aromatic fortress.

However, that aroma did not stand alone. It blended perfectly with the scent of street food produced by the surrounding culinary stalls. There was the savory aroma of pork sausages whose fat dripped over glowing embers, the rich smell of potato soup being stirred in a large iron cauldron, and the sweet, buttery scent of bread freshly pulled from a brick oven. This combination created a bustling atmosphere, noisy with bargaining, yet somehow it did not feel troublesome or disturbing to Sylvia. This was the kind of noise that signified a peaceful life.

Whenever the stock of merchandise on the front rack began to dwindle due to the onslaught of buyers, Sylvia would rise from her chair with highly relaxed and graceful movements. She would carefully move the golden cat onto the table, then walk toward her ironwood carriage parked not far away in the back area of the stall.

To the buyers and other merchants watching her, Sylvia’s actions looked completely normal, a merchant returning to her carriage to retrieve backup stock. Some buyers waiting in line even nodded understandingly with friendly smiles.

However, the reality was far from what they imagined. Once her slender body was behind the shadow of the carriage, which was tall and large enough to conceal her movements from public view, Sylvia did not open wooden chests or unpack burlap sacks. She simply stood quietly, then waved her right hand with a subtle, almost invisible sweep.

Through a neatly isolated pulse of spatial energy, Sylvia accessed her system storage space. In the blink of an eye, new items instantly materialized from nothingness and appeared inside the carriage bed: burlap sacks filled with spices whose aroma was still incredibly potent because they were stored in a vacuum, new rolls of wool fabric in colors that had not yet been displayed, and woven baskets filled with fresh fruits whose skin still bore the cold dew of the system.

Sylvia then casually lifted the goods, carrying them back to the front stall as if she had just performed heavy physical labor to unload the carriage. She rearranged the items on the rack with high precision and neatness, without a single person in the market suspecting the high-level magical trick that had just occurred.

"So efficient," Sylvia murmured in her heart, a thin smile fraught with inner satisfaction etched at the corners of her reddish lips. Using a secret system storage compartment to sell goods in a secular market was a form of functional luxury that only she could enjoy.

The first half of the day went very smoothly and quietly. Sylvia served every buyer with incredibly efficient hand movements; weighing, wrapping, and counting change without a single chronological error. Her voice when speaking remained cold and minimal in expression, yet always maintained the boundaries of professional politeness that made customers feel respected.

The golden cat on the small table beside her occasionally let out a soft, rhythmic purring sound. The animal acted like a living good-luck charm; its exotic appearance and graceful behavior helped keep the atmosphere around the stall conducive and comfortable.

Several old customers from last week appeared to return to greet her and buy extra supplies, but there was also a wave of new buyers, mostly young adventurers and curious residents who came simply because they heard the rumors circulating since yesterday about the "three mysterious, beautiful merchant girls who turned out to be Rank A hunters". Sylvia served them all with equal treatment, unhurriedly, and without letting their gossip affect her focus.

Around ten in the morning, when the intensity of the sun’s heat began to bite into the surface of the skin, Sylvia, who was wrapping a piece of cinnamon, looked up. Amidst the crowd of people packing the market alley, she caught a very familiar figure walking with a highly relaxed stride from the direction of the Silver Moon Inn.

It was Alicia. The silver-haired girl looked incredibly captivating under the midday sun. Her long silver hair was left to flow beautifully, reflecting light like strands of precious silk thread. She wore a silver-white tank top that fit her body snugly, paired with practical adventurer leather pants. In both hands, Alicia carried several large bundles made of banana leaves and thick greaseproof paper.

Even before her figure reached the stall area, the incredibly strong and tempting aroma of the food she carried had already cut through the dominant scent of the market spices. The smell of grilled meat skewers whose fat was perfectly charred and meat sandwiches with fragrant spice sauce instantly tickled the sense of smell.

Alicia approached with a characteristic gentle smile, her eyes narrowing amiably as she saw the quite crowded stall. Without awkwardness, she immediately took a position in an empty wooden chair located right beside Sylvia, placing the food bundles she brought onto the small table between the two of them.

"Have you had breakfast?" Alicia asked in a crisp tone, while smoothing a few strands of her hair blown by the market wind.

Sylvia gave a small nod as an answer, her hands still busy tying a hemp string around a customer’s spice bundle. "Yes, earlier at the inn. Is Stacia still asleep?"

Hearing that name mentioned, Alicia instantly let out a long, highly dramatic sigh. Her facial expression immediately turned into an amusing mix of suppressed exasperation and the annoyance of an older sister.

"She hadn’t woken up when I left earlier," Alicia replied while rolling her eyes. "I’ve tried waking her up multiple times in every legal way possible. I shook her shoulders until the bed creaked, called her name right in front of her face, and I even used elemental magic to blow a cold wind into her ear canal. But know what her response was? She just muttered ’five more minutes, Alicia...’ in an unclear voice, then rolled over away from me and went back to snoring. She is truly like a stuffed pig after a dinner party."

Hearing the highly visual description of their companion’s lazy behavior, Sylvia could no longer hold herself back. A small laugh that was very rarely heard escaped her lips. The sound of that laugh was low, soft, and possessed a subtle vibration that sounded incredibly melodious to the ear, a stark contrast to her usual cold personality.

"Just let her be," Sylvia said after her laughter subsided, her eyes returning to look straight ahead. "Let her rest longer today. Yesterday she worked quite hard and expended a lot of mental energy while performing structural mapping on that underground dimensional rift."

After that, the atmosphere at the stall became even more lively with Alicia’s presence. The two of them engaged in light, casually flowing conversation, interspersed with the activity of serving buyers who continued to arrive without ceasing. Alicia, who possessed a more open personality, gladly helped with technical tasks; she accurately weighed the spices, handed over merchandise to buyers, and occasionally gave recommendations for wool fabrics suitable for winter clothing.

Meanwhile, Sylvia maintained her calm position, sitting in her chair while occasionally moving her fingers to stroke the soft fur of the golden cat on her lap, which seemed reluctant to move.

The chat between these two powerful girls revolved around many varied things. They discussed the quality and purity of the magical minerals they found in the deepest layer of the rift yesterday, speculated about what kind of reward or extra compensation Lord Harlan, as the ruler of the region, would give for the valuable map they submitted, and even laughed at some ridiculous and exaggerated gossip they overheard from the whispers of adventurers in the market regarding the "destructive magic" power the three of them supposedly possessed. To the outside world, they were terrifying subjects of conversation, but here, behind this wooden table, they were just two girls enjoying free time.

Time continued to roll until signs of true midday began to manifest completely. The sun was now right overhead, projecting very short shadows beneath the feet. The air around the market turned warmer and drier, triggering a natural hunger after hours of activity.

Alicia, who apparently could no longer resist the temptation of the food she brought herself, reached for one of the banana leaf bundles on the table. Once its tie was opened, thin smoke carrying an instant savory aroma puffed into the air. She took a skewer of grilled meat whose flesh was still glistening with melted seasoning, then began to eat it with small, graceful bites.

The aroma of the meat, seasoned with a combination of coriander, cumin, and wild forest honey, instantly spread aggressively around the stall, causing Sylvia’s stomach which was actually still filled from her dawn breakfast to suddenly let out a soft, rather embarrassing rumble.

Sylvia paused her hand movements for a moment. She glanced toward the meat skewer in Alicia’s hand with a gaze that, although hidden behind her flat expression, clearly showed interest and a suddenly awakened hunger.

"That... looks very delicious," Sylvia commented briefly, her eyes fixed on the texture of the juicy meat.

Alicia caught the signal very quickly. She smiled with absolute amusement seeing another side of Sylvia, who was usually unshakable by anything. While biting the last piece of meat from her first skewer, she gestured toward the large, still intact bundle with her chin.

"Want some? I purposely bought a very large portion anyway. This is wild venison hunted from the northern border forest, the taste is very distinctive."

Sylvia went silent for a moment, weighing the options in her head before finally making a decision. She rose from the wooden chair with a smooth vertical movement, scooping the golden cat which had briefly awakened from its sleep into the warm embrace of her arms.

"Leave this stall to you for a bit, Alicia," Sylvia said while adjusting the placement of her gray hoodie. "I want to walk around for a bit to look for a fitting heavy meal."

"Roger that, just leave it to me!" Alicia answered with a small laugh, waving her hand to give permission.

The golden cat curled back into a comfortable position on Sylvia’s chest, resting its small chin on the arm of the Nocture Queen as the girl began to step through the midday market crowd.

The air along the main path of the market was now completely filled with a thin haze of various food aromas colliding and tempting the faith of anyone passing by. From the sharp aroma of meat skewers grilled over coconut shell charcoal, the fragrance of hot beef soup whose broth was boiling, the savory aroma of melted cheese sandwiches, to the sweet scent of grilled fruits.

Sylvia walked with a steady, relaxed pace, her beautiful eyes sweeping across each food stall storefront lined up along the stone road. After walking past several turns and turning down a few offers from merchants who recognized her, Sylvia’s steps finally came to a halt in front of a small wooden stall located at a strategic corner somewhat detached from the main hustle and bustle.

The stall specialized in selling honey-roasted rabbit dishes. Inside the glass display case of the stall, two whole roasted rabbits that had just been lifted from a large grill were displayed very provocatively. The size of each rabbit was classified as very large for a rodent, estimated to weigh around 2 to 3 kilograms per animal. Their outer skin had a dark, glistening golden-brown color resulting from the caramelization of forest honey, with lines of coarse spice seasoning that penetrated deep into the crevices of the meat fibers.

The smell of smoke from the oak wood used for roasting, combined with the aroma of sea salt and secret spices wafting from the hot meat, instantly made the saliva in Sylvia’s mouth nearly drip. This was the kind of food that not only filled the physical body but also satisfied animalistic desires after a battle.

"Two whole ones," Sylvia ordered with a brief, concise sentence, directly pointing toward the display case.

The seller, a stout, middle-aged man with a thick, neatly braided beard, was briefly stunned to see Sylvia’s appearance in her gray hoodie. However, his professionalism as a merchant immediately took over. With deft movements, he used a large iron fork to lift the two hot roasted rabbits, wrapped them in multiple layers using large teak leaves to retain heat, then layered it again with thick greaseproof paper so the sauce wouldn’t leak.

"Here you go, young lady. The total is four silver coins," the man said amiably.

Sylvia reached into her pants pocket, pulled out a few gleaming silver coins, and handed them over without bargaining at all. After receiving the two large bundles that felt heavy and radiated a delicious wave of heat in her hands, she immediately turned around and walked back toward her stall.

When Sylvia returned to her trading stall area, the scene there had slightly changed. Stacia turned out to already be at the place. The gray-haired girl sat in a highly relaxed style on one of the wooden chairs, with one leg bent up on the chair as if she were in her own private room. Her gray hair, which was usually neat, now still looked somewhat disheveled in some parts authentic evidence that she had just dragged herself out of bed a few minutes ago.

Her right hand held a chocolate-flavored ice cream cone that was starting to melt under the scorching midday sun, and she was busy licking its edges with a facial expression that still looked very sleepy, her eyes half-closed. She wore a loose, highly simple plain gray oversize t-shirt, giving a very casual impression.

"You finally decided to wake up from your dead sleep too," Sylvia commented as she stepped behind the table, a thin, mocking yet warm smile etched on her face.

Stacia looked up, blinking her eyes a few times to adjust her focus before finally giving a slow nod. She bit into her ice cream wafer until it made a crunchy sound. "Mm... I’m so hungry, Sylvia. My stomach feels like it’s inhabited by a starvation monster."

Sylvia did not reply further with words. She took her seat in the main chair, then with a dramatic movement placed the two large bundles of roasted rabbit on the wooden table in front of them. Once the greaseproof paper and wrapping leaves were opened wide, an extraordinarily strong and savory roasting aroma instantly exploded in all directions, sweeping across the entire stall area within a radius of several meters. Even some buyers who were looking at the wool fabric on the rack immediately turned their heads with hungry looks.

Without wasting time to use a knife, Sylvia tore off one of the parts of the roasted rabbit’s body using her own hand, which had been covered with a clean handkerchief. The rabbit meat proved to be prepared with high-level techniques; the inside was incredibly tender, soft, and juicy, while the outer skin had a very crispy and savory texture.

Sylvia began to eat the piece of meat ravenously. Hot, seasoning-rich meat juices flowed slowly at the corner of her lips, but she didn’t care. This deliciousness completely wiped away the remnants of fatigue from her soul.

In the midst of her eating activity, Sylvia did not forget her mysterious pet. With precision using a small knife, she separated the four thigh parts of the roasted rabbit and the two hind thighs from each rabbit which had the thickest and most tender meat portions and placed them on a clean small porcelain plate right in front of where the golden cat sat.

"This is your part, eat up," Sylvia said softly. 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

Seeing the four roasted rabbit thighs slathered in brownish honey sauce in front of it, the golden cat instantly reacted in an unexpected way. Saliva appeared to start pooling at the edge of its usually clean small mouth. Its round pair of amber gemstone eyes enlarged to their maximum limit, and all the fine golden fur around its neck stood up slightly due to the sensory wave from the aroma of food that so enticed its sense of smell.

As the true form of the majestic Holy Dragon an ancient existence that usually only consumed pure energy cores, rare magical fruits, or raw meat from high-level monsters it had never once smelled, let alone tasted, the scent of animal meat prepared with sophisticated roasting techniques wrapped in secret spice seasonings created by human civilization. The aroma of the combination of oak wood smoke, sea salt crystals, and honey caramelization that penetrated into the deepest part of the meat fibers made it almost tremble with a combination of curiosity and exploding appetite.

As soon as the porcelain plate touched the surface of the table, the golden cat directly discarded its entire image of elegance and ambushed the rabbit thighs with extreme voracity. It drove its small, razor-sharp teeth into the thick thigh meat, tearing the meat fibers with a ravenous speed, yet somehow its movements still maintained a graceful aesthetic and did not look disgusting. Fast, small chewing sounds were heard from its mouth.

And in the middle of its grand eating activity, a spiritual transmission in the form of an inner voice that was deep, authoritative, yet currently filled with a childish tone of awe, echoed directly within the center of Sylvia’s consciousness.

"Delicious... By the eternity of the heavens, this... this is highly delicious! How can mortal creatures create a taste this beautiful upon the tongue?!"

Sylvia, hearing the inner voice transmission filled with absolute satisfaction, could not help but let out a small, amused chuckle. The sight of a legendary holy dragon vanquished by the deliciousness of a market-roasted rabbit was something no one in this world would ever believe if she told them.

Stacia, who was enjoying her ice cream, and Alicia, who was still chewing her venison skewer, also smiled widely seeing the adorable behavior of the luxurious golden cat. They continued their lunch in comfortable silence, enveloped by a cloud of appetizing food aromas. Their small stall had now completely transformed into an impromptu picnic area in the middle of the market, while buyers walking past could only glance with looks filled with envy, hunger, as well as admiration seeing three beautiful girls enjoying lunch together with their exotic pet.

Midday at the Silvermist market continued to run with a very relaxed and slow rhythm. Sylvia, Stacia, and Alicia sat side by side behind their sturdy ironwood vending table, occasionally pausing their eating activity for a moment to serve arriving buyers with friendly smiles or quick transactions, before returning to enjoy their own food. The golden cat on the table continued to devour the remnants of its rabbit thighs with full zest for life, its thick tail flicking up and down forming a pattern that showed pure happiness.

For this precious moment, the entire complexity of the harsh adventure world, the life-threatening dangers of dimensional rifts, and the burden of secret identities they carried seemed to just evaporate, blown away by the afternoon wind. All that remained here was a simple and peaceful reality: three beautiful-faced merchant girls selling to make a living in a small town market, accompanied by a spoiled golden cat that had just found its new favorite food. A slice of an ordinary moment of life, yet it felt so perfect.