989: Chapter 51 Fire in the Marsh 989: Chapter 51 Fire in the Marsh Involvent in an incident of a diplomatic level was already beyond what a few young wizards could partake in.
Whether the Duoni People ultimately found their lost children in the Forest Goods Market and the subsequent developnts were no longer monitored by Zheng Qing and the others.
Considering the multitude of onlookers, the risk of uncontrollable magic battles breaking out at any mont, plus the approach of alti, the three warlocks quickly discussed and decisively gave up on continuing their shopping, temporarily leaving the Forest Goods Market.
Of course, for convenience, they didn’t go far, just found a clean restaurant next to the market, planning to take a break there first and re-enter to resu their purchases after those Duoni People had left.
The lunch was simple—Zheng Qing ordered three plates of fried rice with eggs for everyone, plus two side dishes, one of celery and dried tofu, the other of cold dressed cucumber.
The drink was the restaurant’s complintary large-leaf tea.
This modest al made Xin Fat Man frown deeply.
“When out and about, it’s wise to be careful and keep a low profile.
That’s only proper,” Zheng Qing scooped up a spoonful of fried rice, shoved it into his mouth, and consoled, “When we get back, you can go buy whatever you want to eat.”
“This is Buji Island, less than a kiloter from the gate of First University… Are there really blind petty thieves who would trouble us?” Xin Fat Man tugged at his wide robe, making the sparkling school badge on it even more conspicuous.
Zheng Qing caught so envious glances from around and felt that he might be overreacting a bit.
“If you insist.” He nodded reluctantly but imdiately emphasized, “The food that has been ordered must be finished, but as for other snacks, you can help yourself based on your appetite.”
Xin Fat Man, unconcerned, patted his belly.
“If I can’t eat it, I’ll stuff it into my watch.” He showed off to Zheng Qing, flaunting the device on his wrist that doubled as a tikeeper and storage container.
Soon, the small dining table was full of new dishes ordered by Xin Fat Man, including fried chicken, beef soup, braised pork trotters, and other assorted foods.
After Zheng Qing and Xiao Xiao insisted on eating a few more spoonfuls of fried rice, they gave up on keeping a low profile and happily joined Xin Fat Man in gnawing on the pork trotters.
Eating without talking and sleeping without chatting is an old rule, but for energetic young people, this rule seems overly rigid.
Especially after having just seen a living extraterrestrial being, they had plenty of topics to discuss.
“Do you think a Black Wizard really stole the Duoni children?” Zheng Qing, holding a pork trotter, patiently nibbled at the skin on the bone, while curiously asking, “The brains of Duoni children aren’t fully developed yet, right?
How could they tell?
And, are there really wizards who conduct human experints?”
Xin Fat Man took a sip of the large-leaf tea, savoring the taste.
After eating sothing greasy, drinking this type of tea felt really good.
“I can’t guarantee that they were actually taken by a Black Wizard,” Xin Fat Man smacked his lips and added, “But I’ve heard plenty of stories since I was a kid about naughty children being captured by Black Wizards, sliced open, and pickled in formalin.”
“I’ve also heard stories about children being picked up from trash heaps,” Zheng Qing retorted sarcastically, “Are you really serious about these tales ant to scare kids?”
Xin Fat Man’s face turned a shade redder, and he imdiately picked up a new pork trotter, starting to gnaw at it silently.
Next to him, Xiao Xiao, who had been enjoying Xin Fat Man’s snacks, promptly spoke up to help him out: “When it cos to aliens, besides so positive, officially approved news that gets disseminated, not much else gets spread around…
It seems like there’s an unwritten Alliance rule against letting these stories circulate.”
Zheng Qing’s gaze hovered indecisively between fried chicken bites and stewed pig trotters as he asked subconsciously, “Why are they forbidden?
Is it for the face of both sides, or to protect those aliens?”
“I’ve told you, it’s an unwritten rule…
In fact, I’m not even sure if there’s such a rule,” Doctor Xiao picked a chicken bite, stuffed it into his mouth, and mumbled, “But in my view, the prohibition of alien information dissemination is likely a collective choice of those families and powers at the top of the wizard world.”
“After all, even in The Magical World, information is a very valuable resource.
Every piece of unknown information represents huge interests.”
“Humans are already an extrely selfish species, and wizards even more so.
And the resources of this world are ultimately finite.
Those aliens, behind each race, there is enough interest.”
“What a cold reality,” Zheng Qing finally chose a small bowl of beef soup and slurped it up.
“It’s just a compromise,” Xiao Xiao munched on the chicken bite, seemingly distracted.
“Wizards already have enough enemies outside…
from the demons of the Old World to the natives of the New World, from the ethereal to the real, from ancient tis to now, even to the future…
Wizards already have too many enemies to deal with.
It’s not necessary to stir up internal conflicts over so not-too-big-not-too-small interests.
It’s not in the common interest of all wizards.”
Zheng Qing didn’t like to listen to such disheartening negative comnts.
He held his small bowl of beef soup, shifting his gaze to his neighbor.
There, a corpulent wizard was sitting back in his chair, head tilted back, mouth wide open, allowing Green Sprites the size of bees to busily fly in and out of his mouth with their forks.
“What’s that guy doing?” he tugged at the hem of Doctor Xiao’s robe.
Xiao Xiao frowned and carefully checked the spot on his robe where Zheng Qing had pulled, relieved to see no grease stains before looking up to glance at the next table.
“Oh, Toothpick Elves.” He responded briefly, turning his attention back to the delicacies in front of him.
“Wow!” Zheng Qing sighed softly, “That looks so convenient.”
“Don’t wow it, you can’t afford it,” Xin Fat Man sneered, raising his greasy finger and waving it in front of Zheng Qing’s eyes, “Dentists, lawyers, and butlers are not services our poor class can enjoy at will…
Those Toothpick Elves, having even shorter lifespans than mayflies, just a few hours, but their price is even higher than normal Green Sprites.”
At this point, the fat man seed to rember sothing, adding in a sowhat nostalgic tone, “But they really do make teeth feel so comfortable…
And very clean.
Much better than using little toothpicks or toothbrushes.”
Zheng Qing felt there was no need for him to emphasize this again.
Just by looking at the face of sheer enjoynt of the fat wizard next to him, it was obvious.
“What a terrible world,” the young subsidized student muttered, sighing.
He himself couldn’t figure out whether he was feeling sad for the fleeting lives of those Toothpick Elves or choked up by the obvious chasm between the different strata of the Wizard World.
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