There were many shops along the dirt road leading to the northern part of the Yellow City. Its proximity to the Goldengrove neighborhood attracted wealthy customers looking for a place to eat and drink. However, we cannot say that miners never came here, either. There were attractive, affordable products for them, too. The shopkeepers offered a wide range of goods, including catering services, clothing, blacksmithing, alchemy, and jewelry. Perhaps that is why this long series of streets was named Yellowheart. It was the capitalist center of the Yellow City.
Meanwhile, a young girl with blonde hair cut above her neck and a "duck face"—and I don't mean this as an expression of ugliness—was walking forward with a serious expression on her face. She didn't realize how many people her knee-length skirt had seduced and driven away from her shop. She had been out of society for a long time, not experiencing puberty long enough to understand the effect her body had on people.
The young girl had grown up in a city that was too masculine for young women. Not everyone could receive an education like Maria's. In fact, even if someone like Milena had received an education, many doubted whether she could be feminine. She often forgot that she was a woman.
She was slightly chubby and had blue eyes. She was exceptionally beautiful, but in a selective way. Some men and women considered her very beautiful, but not everyone.
Milena was the daughter of the former city lord. Although her father was often a drunkard, he was a true Sage. He did not treat his daughter badly. In fact, Milena was special to her father. The old sage had wanted a son, but instead he had a daughter. Yet, contrary to his expectations, Milena was like a man in everything she did and was much wilder. No one believed that a sage could not hire a dance teacher for his daughter. Instead, he hired a weapons master to teach her. Clearly, this old man wanted his young daughter not to be a girl. She may not have been as talented as Maria, but she was still a genius, equal to Evra at the eighth stage of the Origin Core Realm. That was good enough for the old drunk.
At least he wasn't as bad as Ulam.
"I have waited a long time for this day."
Now, he had arrived at his destination. It was a restaurant, some parts of which were rundown, but it looked like a place where you could get a good meal and drink. You could tell it was a big restaurant just from the fact that it was located in Yellowheart, no matter how rundown it was. It was a place where even miners liked to come. In fact, not every noble would dare step through these doors.
'Mehmet Usta's Stewed Beans Place' was written on the sign.
Milena opened the door and went inside. The restaurant wasn't very large, but it could fit a few dozen people. For a restaurant that cooked a single dish in different styles, it was quite large. Milena sat at one of the high tables. She couldn't sit at the front tables reserved for VIPs. She wasn't worthy of them yet. Her ambitious eyes were set on those front rows.
But today was different.
Meanwhile, a few customers were secretly watching the scene unfold. Among them was a young man in a hoodie who was trying not to be recognized. He was eating his beans at his table. His black hair hung down from under the hood and his identity was obvious from his face. He was Ulam Meng, Sufkro's son and one of the younger generation of the Yellow City.
'Isn't that the leech who's following Maria around?'
These words were usually directed at him by others. But apparently, this time was an exception.
Ulam shook his head and looked at the beans in front of him. His father had warned him many times not to come here. His father said that not everyone should eat beans and that Ulam would regret it if he did. Being a rebellious young man, of course, Ulam didn't take kindly to these words and came to challenge his father. He was an expert who had reached the ninth stage of the Origin Core Realm. He was no longer a little boy!
'Besides, if even that little girl dares to eat here, why can't I?'
Then, with great boldness, he lifted his spoon, took a large piece of food, and brought it to his mouth.
"Hmmm?"
As he had expected, the baked beans did not taste bitter or heavy. On the contrary, a pleasant flavor rolled across his palate, compelling him to eat more. Ulam did not realize that his father's warnings were for after the meal. Not knowing this, he carelessly kept dipping his spoon into the plate. He should have ordered more black pepper and perhaps some rice, too.
Unfortunately, young Ulam did not know that cumin existed.
"Ah, ignorance is a bitter thing."
A young Black man watched from a distance. He wore a bag over his head to keep his curly hair from falling into the food. He wasn't very handsome, but as he stood behind the counter, he couldn't help but admire Ulam's courage. It should be noted that there was no cumin in the beans. He didn't know why, but their beans had a much stronger kick.
"Jalal, I need help."
When someone at the other end of the counter called out, Jalal put his thoughts aside and rushed over. He couldn't stop working hard. Even though he was a cultivator, he couldn't go to the mines all the time because of his age. To be honest, going into the mines wasn't good for him. It wasn't suitable for a small child to go anywhere. Jalal had to keep his family alive while his drunk father squandered all their money. Let's skip all that.
Today, a member was trying to be a VIP. And it was a woman! To say he wasn't looking forward to seeing this was nonsense.
Maybe she'd embarrass herself somehow, and they'd have something to laugh about.
"I want baked beans and rice."
Amazed voices were heard all around, and Milena made the final point:
"Extra spicy."
BOOM!
The sound of multiple hands pounding on tables spread through the shop. It should be noted that a mixture of dried beans and rice is quite filling. Furthermore, since this was a bean shop for cultivators, the caloric value of the ingredients was much higher. It could make them overly bloated, just as it would a normal person. Furthermore, adding too much spice was considered one of the most unladylike behaviors.
"Young people are too daring these days! Do they think this is the same as the dried beans of mortals?!"
"What a young girl with no sense of self! It seems the old lord failed to raise his daughter properly!"
"Hmph! Let's see her finish the bowl."
Only the most seasoned restaurant-goers could successfully forgive such daring behavior after sacrificing their stomachs and intestines for this meal.
Since not finishing the meal would be disrespectful to the restaurant and its patrons, Milena had to finish it. Otherwise, it was quite possible that she would never be treated with respect there again.
Milena was only 16 years old!
"Let's make that extra spicy for two."