"Oh? There's wine?" Sun Hang's eyes lit up. "Get a bottle of that Lafite from whichever year it was, the one that's the best and most expensive."
"Wine from the Bordeaux region has been extinct ever since Frank fell. The Lafite you're asking for might only be found in a museum showcasing wine history or in the private collection of a top-tier millionaire," said Candle Dragon. "But you can try the wine made in Xiazhou. If I rember correctly, there's a brand that sells itself by claiming to recreate the taste and texture of Bordeaux wine, and it's not cheap..."
"'mory by the Gironde River,' this wine is produced using cutting-edge technology to replicate the sunlight, temperature, humidity, soil, and rainfall of Bordeaux's various regions from back in the day. Those somliers who've tasted the original all say this wine's flavor is almost identical to Bordeaux's red wine of that ti... Fortunately, the shop has a bottle of 'Poyac,' its taste is very close to the real 'Lafite'... but it's just a bit pricey." Upon hearing that potential big business, the bartender perked up.
"How much is 'a bit pricey'?" Sun Hang asked.
"One thousand seven per bottle," the bartender whispered. "It may be slightly more expensive than in the mainland, but keep in mind, just transporting this wine to Dragon City costs about a third of the wine's own value."
"Oh, then get a glass of fresh milk," Sun Hang nodded and said.
"Wha-what?" The bartender was stunned for a mont. He instinctively wanted to raise his hand to dig into his ear.
"I don't like drinking alcohol anyway; fresh milk is better, full of nutrition," Sun Hang said.
"But you just said you wanted to order Moutai and Lafite..."
"Do you have Moutai and Lafite here?"
"No, but..."
"Then there you go, fresh milk, thank you." Sun Hang flashed a sincere smile and nodded at the bartender.
"Just get him a glass of fresh milk, then."
"O-okay, do you want it with ice?" asked the bartender through gritted teeth.
"Without ice."
The bartender took a deep breath and then turned to Candle Dragon: "And what will you have, sir?"
"A glass of piña colada," Candle Dragon said, "with one ounce less coconut milk and one ounce more pineapple juice; I prefer a slightly more astringent taste."
After finally hearing a normal request, the bartender breathed a sigh of relief and turned to prepare the drinks for the three. Sun Hang found a table near the northwest corner and sat down, casting a casual eye on the Hunter who was examining ancient coins.
"What's he doing?" Xue Yue asked quietly, following Sun Hang's line of sight.
"Appraising antiques?" Sun Hang guessed, "Judging by the way he's furrowing his brow, he might have gotten a fake."
"No, that's a very popular form of divination in Dragon City," Candle Dragon explained quietly to the two.
"Divination? Isn't that superstition?" Sun Hang muttered.
"If you believe in it, it exists; if you don't, it doesn't," Candle Dragon said. "Although I don't practice divination myself, I know a thing or two about it."
"Can you tell how it's done?" Sun Hang was intrigued.
"I'm afraid it's hard to explain in just a few sentences."
"Then can you interpret the divination result of that guy over there?" Just as Sun Hang finished speaking, the Hunter doing divination suddenly looked up and cast a not-so-friendly glance at him.
"Interpreting soone else's divination result is a taboo," Candle Dragon quickly returned an apologetic smile to the Hunter and said to Sun Hang, "People believe it will bring misfortune to both parties."
The Hunter collected the ancient coins, placed them back in a black cloth bag, took a sip of his flat beer, and said, "Is this your first ti in Dragon City?"
"These two are," Candle Dragon replied.
"You're Hunters as well." The Hunter spoke with a declarative tone rather than a question, indicating that he also sensed the tic atmosphere around Sun Hang and the others.
"Yeah, we're peers," Sun Hang chuckled.
"I have a job here, with good pay, but I don't want to do it. Do you want to take it on? I can pass it to you," the Hunter suddenly said.
"Is it because the divination result wasn't good?" Sun Hang asked.
"Yes," the Hunter said bluntly, "The divination result says I'm surrounded by misfortune recently, so I should stay in Dragon City... If you don't want it, I'll just have to post the task online."
"Does this task require leaving Dragon City? Is it to the unmanned area in the Hexi Corridor?" Sun Hang continued to ask.
"No need to go deep into the unmanned area, but close enough," the Hunter replied. "Send a package to Yun, and the reward is twenty thousand yuan. After deducting agency fees and taxes, you'll get about eighteen thousand yuan."
"Just deliver a package and earn eighteen thousand yuan? Where is Yun located?"
"To the northwest of Dragon City, about 120 kiloters away," Candle Dragon said. "Originally a deserted city with no residents or garrison, but later it beca a resting point between the unmanned area and Dragon City as many Hunters and rcenaries frequently entered the Hexi Corridor's unmanned area."
"Although the road between Dragon City and Yun isn't under federal army control, many have traveled it, and it's already very safe now. You can also join so fellow travelers, and there won't be much danger along the way," the Hunter said.
"If it's not dangerous, why won't you deliver it yourself and earn eighteen thousand?" Sun Hang retorted.
"You said it right; I'm just a superstitious person, and I don't want to take the risk," the Hunter said.
"The danger is not on the road but at the destination," Candle Dragon whispered in Sun Hang's ear. "Yun is different from Dragon City; it's a true 'lawless land.'
"I see... Perhaps the danger cos from the item you're sending," Sun Hang glanced at the Hunter. "Speaking of, what's inside that package?"
"I don't know," the Hunter shrugged. "It's against the rules to open soone's package without permission."
"But when you leave Dragon City through security checkpoints, the contents of the package must be checked," Candle Dragon said. "If there are any contraband items inside and we take the job, we'll be in big trouble if caught by security."
"Seems like you're not interested in the money," the Hunter ignored Sun Hang and the others and pulled out his phone, deftly tapping away on the screen.
"Friend, honestly, if you can't tell us what's in the package, not many people will take the job even if you post it online," Candle Dragon said.
"You don't have to worry about that," the Hunter said while downing his drink and then swiftly left the pub.
"Mainfra," Sun Hang said, "check this Hunter's details."
"Hunter Code Na: 'Copper Finger,' Real Na: Abel Peter. Male, thirty-nine years old. Forr employee at Chang'an City Mysterious Creature Research Institute, now a freelance Hunter. Caucasian, origin: Chang'an, tic infection source: Serial No. J735 'Brass Statue,' ability: transforming objects into brass with the contact of his right index finger, transformation speed and volu limited by tic intensity..."
In less than two seconds, the mainfra pulled up all the information on 'Copper Finger,' even including details like his two marriages, the first of which ended after an accident during ability use severely disabled his wife and led to divorce.
It almost stopped short of stating the color of the guy's underwear today in his file.
"Copper Finger... sounds like an interesting ability," Sun Hang mused to himself, nodding, "But with his tic intensity, it's a bit of a stretch for combat purposes."
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