Chapter 382 Arrival and Doubts 2

At this moment, Leo Ray, who was in the middle of the caravan, looked at the sharp-eyed city guards beside him.

He murmured to himself in his heart, "After all, this city is just like Kenneth said.

It is not particularly welcoming to foreign visitors, and I still need to make myself known, to find Kenneth's merchant friend."

Thinking of this, Leo Ray who had already stepped into the city, refocused his attention on the surrounding scenery.

On both sides of the street were neatly arranged shops and eateries, bustling with people coming and going, looking almost no different from a regular city.

However, the exteriors of these buildings were quite different from the ornate and complex Gothic style of most cities in the Coldflame Kingdom.

No rounded pointed arches or ribbed vaults were present, but rather square, straight lines with sharp edges, extremely plain and unadorned.

Even the rooftops were sturdy, triangular structures, complemented by the green trees and lawns nearby, giving off an exotic ambiance.

"It's a city with quite distinctive features."

Seeing this, Leo Ray looked at the bustling locals and continued to observe.

These pedestrians included men, women, old and young, and they all differed significantly from the foreign merchants around Leo Ray in terms of temperament and attire.

Not only dressed plainly, but even their faces revealed satisfied and joyful smiles.

"It seems that the residents here are indeed content and prosperous."

Noticing this, Leo Ray couldn't help but ponder, "After all, although the vegetation here is dense, the land is too steep, a typical mountainous terrain not suitable for planting crops.

Moreover, according to Kenneth and Linda, there isn't any pillar industry.

Most of the foodstuff has to be transported from the outside, so it's difficult to be self-sufficient, let alone other daily necessities."

Furrowing his brows slightly, Leo Ray murmured to himself, "By all rights, the young people here should yearn for the outside world in such unfavorable conditions.

But, Kenneth mentioned before that the young people here hardly ever travel outside and are quite content with their current situation.

Furthermore, it's obvious that most of the city's income is spent on daily food and supplies, making it difficult for sustainable development.

If that's the case, why doesn't the ruler of this place lead the people to migrate to a fertile land for better living, instead of struggling in this enclosed mountain range?

Is it just to prevent being annexed by Coldflame and Saint Night?"

Contemplating this, Leo Ray couldn't help but recall the previous descriptions by Linda and Mason Banks, "In addition to many oddities and irrational things, such as using Gold Dragons for settlements, even though something strange happened, the innkeeper pretends not to know."

It can't be denied that this city within the mountain range is indeed quite mysterious."

Just as Leo Ray was thinking about this, a short and fat merchant from the caravan in front walked towards him with a smile on his face.

He pointed to a nearby inn sign while rubbing his hands, ingratiatingly saying to Leo Ray, "Your Excellency. Our caravan has decided to stay there for the night, what do you think?"

"Just go ahead and arrange it."

Handing a few Gold Dragons to the man, Leo Ray smiled faintly, "By the way, the two of us are looking for a Crystal Kingdom merchant named Ayla.

Do you happen to know of him?"

"Ah, Ayla the chap." The short and fat merchant gladly took the Gold Dragons offered by Leo Ray and immediately replied, "There's a shop at the corner up ahead.

It's called 'Dawn Delicate Trading Conference'. You should be able to find him there."

"Dawn Delicate Trading Conference? It sounds quite good."

Hearing this, Leo Ray raised an eyebrow before bidding farewell to the short and fat merchant, walking towards the pointed direction accompanied by Linda.

"My lord, if my memory serves me right,

The inn I stayed at back then was the one pointed out by that merchant."

Immediately following, Linda's decisive voice reached Leo Ray's ears."I see," Taylor nodded slightly and made his way through the crowd.

He said, "Our primary goal is to find Ayla and inquire about the information regarding Giant Axe General Burt.

And also ask about the White Jade Ore. Afterwards, we can head back to the inn and see if we can find any other useful clues."

"Understood, my Lord," Linda replied, bowing slightly in acknowledgment.

With that, they followed the bustling crowd forward.

Before long, a small, unremarkable shop came into Leo Ray's view.

"Is this the Dawn Delicate Trading Conference?"

Looking up at the faded sign above the door, Leo Ray couldn't help but frown a little.

Then, he nodded to Linda and Taylor, who were hiding in the shadows, and walked directly into the shop with its half-open door.

Upon entering, the first thing that caught Leo Ray's eye was several rows of shabby shelves.

On them were old and worn knickknacks, such as clocks, music boxes, and broken bottles – nothing seemed particularly special.

"This place is quite unexpected and doesn't live up to its name."

Looking around at the slightly dim surroundings, Leo Ray shook his head helplessly and stepped forward to continue searching.

"Esteemed guests, welcome to the Dawn Delicate Trading Conference!"

Just then, a sudden clear female voice sounded from behind Leo Ray.

Surprised, he looked in the direction of the sound to see a smooth, palm-sized transparent crystal box, much like a block of ice, as the source of the voice.

Continuing to speak, the crystal box said, "This is a crystal box made of sound transmission crystals, which can perfectly transmit sound within a limited space.

Now on special sale, only five gold coins per pair!"

"We are here to find Ayla," Leo Ray replied with a smile as he gazed towards the back of a display case.

He had already sensed the presence of a mysterious figure with a strength around Tier 2 Five-star behind it.

"Are you looking for me, esteemed guests?"

At his words, a petite and slender figure emerged from behind the showcase, holding a similarly sized sound transmission crystal box in her hand.

"It seems that this crystal box is somehow similar to a walkie-talkie."

With that thought, Leo Ray shifted his gaze and began sizing up the other party.

This was a young woman in her early twenties, with neatly cropped hair and a bright blue ribbon, and a delicate and petite figure.

She was even shorter than the smallest of their subordinates, the sisters Serena and Stella Clark.

However, her fair complexion and facial features were quite outstanding.

All in all, her appearance was somewhat beyond what Leo Ray had anticipated.

"She's quite powerful, is this Ayla?

In the past, Uncle Kenneth and that fat merchant would refer to her as 'that guy.'

I thought she would be like Kenneth, a chubby middle-aged man.

However, she does look a bit familiar."

While feeling a bit puzzled, Leo Ray couldn't help but frown slightly.

Then he replied, "That's right, Uncle Kenneth, the President of the Cyan Town Commerce Association, recommended us to find you."

"So, you are friends with Uncle Kenneth. I made a small profit from the White Jade Ore transaction not too long ago," the petite Ayla said on the other side.

She gently put down the crystal box in her hand and gracefully approached Leo Ray and Linda, smiling, "What is it that you want with me?"

"Nothing special," Leo Ray replied nonchalantly with a smile. "We just want to ask you about someone."