Mismatch

As she arrived in the city, Ruth was warned by one of the guards patrolling the city's surroundings. "Miss, spiritual beasts like your eagle are allocated at the western entrance to the city. There, you can rent an area for your beast to rest."

Hearing this Ruth proceeded towards the specific location that was on the west side of Old Stone which is a place specifically made for big spiritual beasts, where the visitors could leave their big beasts.

This was because, in the capital of Stone Island, people were not allowed to fly with their beasts around the city. As for terrestrial beasts, their entry into the city was limited to a specific size. As White was a flying beast, it wouldn't be helpful in the city, so Ruth decided to leave her beast there.

After a while, Ruth left White and went into the city.

'Mnn, this place is quite big and walking around until I find a hotel would be troublesome...' After thinking about it, Ruth decided to rent a carriage at a location near the western entrance to the city.

"Good evening, miss. Where would you want to go?" asked the coachman with a sympathetic expression.

Then Ruth replied with an indifferent look. "Good evening. I don't know Old Stone, so just take me to the best hotel here."

"Oh! So, it's your first time here. In this case, I will take you to the Olson Hotel. Though I can't say if it is the best in town, it definitely won't displease you," the coachman replied.

Ruth nodded her head and said, "Mnn, Olson Hotel then."

Soon after, the carriage began to move towards the central part of the city, where the hotel was located. As they passed by, Ruth began observing the details of the city.

'Despite having a lower spiritual concentration than the large cities in the Flaming Empire, this was still a good place to live for cultivators with less talent' Ruth thought about it as she crossed the city.

She noticed many buildings on the horizon, and since the city was mountainous, she could even see places that were far away which gave her a feeling that she was in a real jungle of buildings.

As for the streets, they had ample space for the passage and could have up to four lanes of carriages simultaneously, and on either side of the road were many trees planted, leaving a good impression on a newcomer who saw it for the first time.

Assessing the place, Ruth thought, 'This place is fascinating and it seems just as big as the capital of the Cromwell Kingdom.' 

It didn't take long before the carriage arrived at the entrance of the Olson Hotel of Old Stone.

This was a building that would appear as if covered entirely in glass to anyone after taking a look at it and had about ten floors, with a garden rich in spiritual plants of different varieties.

Looking at the building before her, Ruth could see several lights from different floors. She then walked into the building and soon went to check-in. She was tired and wanted to go to her room, and after taking a good shower planned to go out to eat.

After passing, she noticed a group of 4 men leaving the hotel while she entered the building.

Ruth glanced in their direction and thought, 'Mnn, have I seen them somewhere before?'

However, she quickly shook the thought and continued to head towards her room, eager to take a shower.

'Ahh, never mind, I'm all sticky. I want to take my shower soon...'

…

A few minutes before…

Minos had just woken up and was planning to go out for dinner. Although he only slept for 3 hours, the time was enough for him to rest, given his current level.

After waking up, Minos then decided to find a place to have dinner. Although he slept for a few hours and it was night, there were still a lot of movement on a few streets at this moment, so he decided to look for a good place to eat.

"Sergeant Pyke, bring two other soldiers to accompany me," Minos spoke shortly after leaving his room and noticing Pyke sitting on a chair in the living room.

"Okay, young master."

After a few minutes, the four men left the apartment that Minos had rented at the Olson Hotel and headed towards a restaurant not far away.

While they were leaving the hotel, the group passed by a young woman with a delicate face and provocative curves who was draped in a beautiful green dress and had a distant look on her face.

When he also noticed her, Pyke thought to himself with a doubtful expression, 'Did I ever see this young woman somewhere?'

However, Sergeant Pyke did not care much about it, since if she were someone important to him and the Black Plain, then he would not be in doubt. In this case, it wouldn't make a difference if he were to recognize her or not.

Minos and his group then headed for a restaurant called The Barbecue Temple.

This was a location recommended by Olson Hotel to those customers who were visiting Old Stone for the first time.

After walking through the beautiful city for a while, Minos arrived at the restaurant, The Barbecue Temple. This was a place with a 'design' which was quite different from what one could find in this town.

It was similar to a large temple with many columns with a height of at least 15 meters and had a triangular roof.

Outside the building was a large red sign with the restaurant's name, and below the structure one could also notice a smaller building.

Minos and his group walked casually, admiring the magnificent beauty of this structure. Shortly after, they stopped in front of a young attendant, who directed them to a specific area.

This restaurant was divided into several sections inside the building itself, with tables of varying sizes and fixed benches around them. It could be considered a delightful setup for most of the people who came in groups of various sizes.

It didn't take long before a few appetizers arrived at Minos' table while their meal was being prepared. The appetizers consisted of portions of 2nd stage spiritual beast wings which were breaded with spicy seasoning, served with crispy celery, and also a portion with a giant golden onion lotus, accompanied by the sauce.

After trying the appetizers, Minos and the three men he had invited to dinner enjoyed the peppery flavor of the wings, which warmed the body while savoring the portion of crunchy onions.

Crunch!

"Mnn, the amount of spiritual energy in these onions is not bad," Minos said, comparing this appetizer with the products planted in his territory.

"It is true, but despite having less spiritual energy compared to the products from the Black Plain, the taste is truly incredible. It's worthy of a city as developed as this."

After that, it wasn't long before the main course arrived at Minos' table. 

It was a large rib of a 2nd stage spiritual beast that was covered with a thick barbecue sauce and a portion of rice that was prepared with almonds, champignons, chives, and red peppers.

And along with that, there was also a portion of vegetables including grilled pumpkins, carrots, broccoli, and peas. And to top it off even more, there were four large mugs with a golden draft beer.

It didn't take much time for the group to get lost in the rich fragrant aroma of the food and the distinctively unique taste of each dish.

Chomp! Nhoc! Nhac! Nhec!

Minos' group devoured the food as soon as it arrived at their table and before long they had already finished it.

'Ahh, the food here is delicious. I almost feel like kidnapping the chefs and taking them back to the Black Plain, haha...' Minos thought as he had the corners of his lips curled up.

After being completely satisfied with their meals, the four decided to return to their hotel.

As they walked back to the Olson Hotel, Minos thought. 'Ah! Now that I've rested and eaten, after getting back to the hotel, I'll go straight to the Spatial Kingdom.'

…

Not long after Minos and his group left The Barbecue Temple, the sensual young woman with black hair from before entered that fateful place.

As she followed the young attendant into the restaurant, Ruth thought to herself. 'After trying the food in this place, I'll get some sleep and then I'll cultivate until dawn. Then, tomorrow morning I'll go to that Nash family and see if I can find Minos.'

…

Time passed quickly, and the night gave way to the rays of dawn's light.

Not long later, Minos and the beautiful Ruth planned to head towards the Nash family headquarters on Stone Island, which was located on the southwest side of Old Stone.