"I admit I had a really bad first impression of this kid, Gray. Besides the fact that he looks too handsome, he has the face of a protagonist from a NTR hentai anime." - When I first saw Gray, I have to admit that's what I thought.

After returning to Night Fall Town with Wolfrang, when Simmon saw me getting off the horse with a rifle on my back, his eyes lit up, as if to say, "Wow, where did this knight come from?"

Simmon and Park met at the second-floor reception room as if they had planned it.

"Mr. Raul, I heard you're going to the kingdom?"

"That's correct."

"But you know about the relationship between the kingdom and us, right?"

"Yes, I know."

"How are you going to survive on your own in the kingdom? And why do you want to go to the kingdom?"

"Mr. Simmon, I must go to the kingdom. There are things I want to know."

"Oh? What is it that you want to know in the kingdom? And why didn't you mention going to the kingdom before?"

Simmon tried to corner me with consecutive questions, but I've seen this move many times before.

"Simmon, there are things I've wanted to know for a long time."

"Raul..."

"Like how do you explain these two things?"

I placed a gold coin and a copper coin on the table. Although I couldn't express it in words, these two currencies were the most obvious contradiction. I've always felt that the existence of gold coins and copper coins in Night Fall Town is illogical. Firstly, Night Fall Town lacks the ability to mint coins, so where do the copper coins come from? Secondly, all the gold coins are stored in the underground warehouse without any apparent use, just accumulating this precious metal.

Therefore, my speculation is that gold coins must be exchanged into copper coins through a channel unknown to me, for the use of Night Fall Town residents. And this channel can only be the kingdom.

Thus, the conclusion emerged - there must be a secret connection between Night Fall Town and the kingdom.

"Mr. Raul, what is it that you want to say?"

"Haha, don't worry, Mr. Simmon. I just want to ask, the relationship between the kingdom and Night Fall Town, is it not that simple?"

Seeing the expressions on Simmon's and Park's faces, I knew my guess was correct. However, Wolfrang seemed to have an expression as if he expected it.

"Park, moving so many ores must be tiring, right?"

Park's factory was also a contradiction. Night Fall Town didn't have a mining industry, so where do those ores come from? Don't tell me they buy from the monsters. I haven't seen any monsters that mine.

"And there are many more things I won't mention... Mr. Simmon, do you think I should visit the kingdom?"

I didn't bring up other doubts because I knew from Simmon's and Park's expressions that I was right. I had already thought of these doubts when I first bought salt. Night Fall Town simply couldn't have the ability to produce salt, so these seasoning surely came through trade.

"So, Simmon? I've always said, Raul is not a typical human."

"No, I'm just thinking about these questions. Why didn't he mention them earlier?"

"At that time, I still thought I could live with Medusa in that cave..."

I touched the ring on my hand and chuckled bitterly.

Everyone fell silent. Men seldom gossip about the reasons for splitting up like women do.

"Let him go."

Wolfrang spoke while sitting on the sofa, as if he had already expected that I would convince everyone with this series of questions.

"Fine, let Gray go. He just came back from the kingdom, right?"

"Yes, he just got back. I'll go find him."

Simmon and Park both left to find someone called Gray. Wolfrang and I sat in the room, smoking cigarettes and waiting. After a while, Wolfrang poured himself a glass of wine and stared at his sharp claws as if talking to himself.

"Do you know why they don't want you to go to the kingdom?"

"Hmm? Why?"

"Because you are already the second Cleveray."

Wolfrang took a sip of his drink and continued.

"If we calculate, you still have another 20 years to live~"

"Hey, don't say things like that."

"Haha, poor Mr. Raul~"

Although I could tell he was joking, I wondered why Wolfrang supported my decision to go to the kingdom, just like Simmon did.

"Wolfrang, if I am doing the same thing as Cleveray, why don't you stop me like Simmon did?"

"I believe you won't become Cleveray. I felt that the first time I saw you."

"Heh, is that so."

"Yes, you won't die in the war for sure."

Wolfrang gently squeezed my neck and suddenly his wolf-like gaze contained a hint of trust.

Just as I was halfway through my cigar, Simmon returned with his men. I recognized this handsome young man as he was the one who delivered the speech on behalf of humans during the Torch Festival. But my first impression of him was not good because he was too good-looking and had blond hair. If my wife were still by my side, I wouldn't let him speak a single word to her.

"Let me introduce. This is Mr. Raul, and this is Grey."

"Hello, Mr. Grey."

"Hello, Mr. Raul."

Heh, the young man has a strong handshake. So what if he's good-looking?

This young man named Grey was in his early twenties and had a handsome face, totally different from my scruffy and decadent appearance. From his clothing and demeanor, there was a hint of "city person." The kind of rich kid that I hate the most, whose every move can capture the hearts of countless girls.

"Well, we won't disturb you..."

Huh? Don't leave, what if this young man and I have a disagreement later?

"Alright, let's begin, Mr. Raul."

Begin what? Simmon, what did you guys say? What are we going to do?

Although I despised this young man, I tried not to show it. Grey had prepared a pen and notebook for me, and he also placed a stack of books on the table, smiling faintly.

"Write a few words?"

"Write... alright, sure."

Based on my memory, I barely managed to write seven numbers. Honestly, although I could understand numbers from one to ten, I couldn't write them all out.

"Sigh..."

Grey looked at what I wrote and sighed as he sat down on the chair.

"Mr. Raul, do you really want to go to the kingdom?"

"Yes..."

"Then you will need..."

Grey held up five fingers.

"Five days?"

"At least fifty days. And I will go with you."

Alright, fifty days it is. As long as I can go. Why am I in such a hurry? Is it because I'm eager to change my appearance and reconcile with Medusa? Or do I want to show off to the villagers of Night Fall Town when I return to the city?

Sitting opposite Grey, I silently listened to him criticize all my flaws, from language to behavior.

It seems like my diary will become tedious again, but it's all worth it. What I need is transformation, from a reckless boy to a capable man.

So for the next month, under Grey's guidance, I began my learning journey that covered the language and customs of the kingdom.

As for Grey himself, he was a black market dealer responsible for the secret trade between Night Fall Town and the kingdom. Goods such as coins, spices, minerals, books, and clocks were all within the scope of his trade. Although I had guessed about this clandestine trade, I never expected the trade volume to reach hundreds of gold coins.

In addition, the most valuable commodity in Night Fall Town was the magical materials. These magical materials were obtained through trade with monsters and were extremely rare resources for the kingdom. Furthermore, due to the prohibition on contact with monsters, these magical materials, which passed through the hands of the black market, became the lifeline for the kingdom's magical development.

If the kingdom were to eradicate Night Fall Town, it would be cutting off its own lifeline. But they could not let this small village thrive, so they adopted a policy of suppression. It can be said that Night Fall Town was held by the kingdom by its throat, fed millet with one hand, and required to lay eggs regularly like a mother hen. This delicate relationship left me unable to find any effective solutions.

These facts that Simmon never told me, Greg's narrative gave me a more thorough understanding of the whole world. Night Fall Town seems to always play the role of a small character trying to survive under the pressure of the kingdom. All the descriptions made me even more eager to learn, how powerful is this so-called "Kingdom of Inslay" really.

At the same time, since I was staying in the bar's guest room, I didn't have any money. I couldn't just eat and drink for free, so I did some work that I was capable of.

Before coming to this world, I was also in the food and beverage industry, so I was familiar with the things in the bar and learned quickly. In the morning, I listened to Greg's teachings and in the afternoon, I followed Simmon to learn about the things in the kitchen. I had a fulfilling day. The content in my journal didn't become boring, but rather became more rich.

After one month, the thing I felt the most was that food is of the utmost importance to people, a steamer can save the world...

It's not because of restrictions, but because people here simply don't know about steaming and stir-frying. Just throw some vegetables and meat into the pot, stir-fry them over high heat, add one or two spices that you think are good, and Simmon and the others would praise it endlessly, saying that they've never had such delicious food in their entire lives.

Park, this skilled craftsman, could make a finished product after I gave him a drawing of a steamer structure. Wheat flour produced in the eastern fields tasted good, whether made into unleavened bread or main dish similar to steamed buns, anyone who has eaten it would know. The only difficulty is that the people here still use liquid yeast, so the process requires mastering the quantity.

In history, the Ottoman Empire monopolized trade routes, perhaps this is one of the reasons why wheat flour developed into different foods in the East and the West, but the world is different now, I can completely let the residents of Night Fall Town enjoy Chinese noodles.

I can't invent the light bulb like Edison in this world, nor can I invent the internal combustion engine like Huygens, but I still possess technologies that they have never heard of.

"Hey, young man, have you ever eaten plain steamed buns?" I really want to say this.

For humans, the transformation of science and technology will usher in a new era, so what kind of effects will the transformation of food bring? I don't know, all I want to do is pass on what I know to the hardworking and honest people of Night Fall Town.

So, next, should I try making stretched noodles or study distilling alcohol? Anyway, Medusa won't have the privilege to taste it.

"Hello, what would you like to orde..."

I turned around behind the bar counter, wearing a clean bartender uniform.

But on the other side of the smile on my face, it was her that I hadn't seen for a long time...

Ah... in this parallel world, please don't slap my face again.