"Let’s move." Ying Xue held her newly bound membership card and took the lead, heading toward the Combat Strength Enhancement Training Room. With the cards, customers could now activate the New World Mode on their own.

  "It was just a few questions. Did you have to be so dramatic?" Ke Minglang rolled his eyes, though he quickly followed suit and registered a card of his own.

  Drunk Cloud Restaurant, Cloud City.

  Although the Drunk Cloud was primarily a high-end restaurant, it also provided exclusive lodging, though the rooms were few and far between.

  At the crack of dawn, Han Ming was unceremoniously roused from his slumber by Qin Shi and Luo Yuanxing.

  "What are you two doing here at this ungodly hour?" Han Ming grumbled, glancing out the window. The sky was barely beginning to show a faint sliver of pale gray light.

  "To that shop you mentioned," Qin Shi said, his voice brimming with impatience.

  "Yesterday you told us to wait until today. Well, it's today. Let's go!" Luo Yuanxing added, looking equally restless.

  "The Manager probably hasn't even opened his doors yet." Since he was already awake, Han Ming gave up on the idea of more sleep. He climbed out of bed, yawning and stretching his limbs with a loud groan.

  It wasn't that Han Ming wasn't eager. If he could spend twenty-four hours a day cultivating, he would. He’d gladly never leave the shop if he had the choice. The problem was the four-hour daily limit for the New World Mode. Whether they went early or late didn't matter, as long as they secured their four-hour window.

  "Fine, let’s go. I’ll introduce you to some gourmet snacks while we’re at it."

  Without even mentioning a proper breakfast, Han Ming led the two noblemen toward the narrow alleyway where Kael’s shop was hidden.

  As they walked, Qin Shi noticed the surroundings becoming increasingly desolate. "Han Ming, are you sure we’re not lost? This place is getting a bit... sketchy."

  "I’m not lost. Just keep following me."

  "Is there really some 'miraculous shop' in a dump like this?" Luo Yuanxing muttered under his breath.

  As they turned into the deep alley and passed the two ice sculptures at the entrance, a magnificent building that looked completely out of place suddenly appeared before them. Luo Yuanxing’s complaints died in his throat as his eyes widened in shock.

  "The owner of this place must be incredibly eccentric," Qin Shi remarked, stunned. "Who builds a shop this lavish in a place like this?"

  With its marble walls and finely carved stained-glass windows, the shop’s architecture screamed luxury. It didn't belong in a back alley.

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  "I suppose it’s the old saying—'a true master hides in the marketplace,'" Luo Yuanxing finally managed to mutter.

  Han Ming stepped forward and pushed open the door. He called out to Shier behind the counter, "Shier! I need two membership cards for my friends here."

  "Certainly," Shier replied, producing two cards.

  "You guys probably haven't eaten yet. Let's get some breakfast first." Curiously, the first thing Han Ming wanted to recommend wasn't the New World Mode, but the snacks. This was his professional instinct as the heir of the city's finest restaurant.

  "Breakfast? Pass," Qin Shi waved a hand dismissively. "Let’s just get to this 'New World' you were talking about."

  "Does this place actually have anything edible? Could it possibly be better than the food at your family's restaurant?" Luo Yuanxing was equally skeptical. To them, the shop didn't look like a culinary destination. As pampered nobles, they had tasted every delicacy imaginable; the only reason they were here was the promise of cultivation.

  "Spoken like true rookies."

  Blood Wolf, clutching a bucket of instant noodles, was sitting on the long sofa. He overheard the two nobles and nudged Tiger Hunter, who was sitting next to him. "Check out the newbies."

  Tiger Hunter looked up, took a massive, aggressive slurp of his noodles, and grunted, "It’s been a while since we’ve seen new faces around here."

  The mercenaries didn't bother lowering their voices. They were openly mocking the two young lords.

  "Mercenaries?"

  Qin Shi followed the sound, glancing at the two men on the sofa with a look of pure disdain.

  "A simple bowl of noodles... you actually consider such pedestrian food a 'delicacy'?" Luo Yuanxing sneered. "If you ever had a single meal at the Drunk Cloud Restaurant, you’d probably swallow your own tongues in shock."

  "Yuanxing, why waste your breath?" Qin Shi shook his head. "They're just bottom-tier mercenaries. How could they possibly know the meaning of fine dining?"

  To them, mercenaries were the lowest rung of the social ladder.

  "Whoa, Blood Wolf, it sounds like we’re being looked down upon," Tiger Hunter said, taking a sip of the broth and grinning with a deliberately menacing look.

  "Drop it. The Manager doesn't allow trouble in the shop. Being insulted by them won't make you lose a limb," Blood Wolf replied calmly.

  Seeing the mercenaries back down, Qin Shi and Luo Yuanxing let out a derisive snort and turned away. To them, arguing with mercenaries was beneath their dignity. Since the "thugs" had conceded, there was no need to push further.

  "Get over here and activate your cards first!" Han Ming shouted from the counter.

  Before they could even reach him, Han Ming had already moved to the snack vending machine and purchased a bucket of instant noodles and a bag of potato chips.

  "Han Ming, honestly... what is so good about this commoner food?"

  "Did you eat too much high-end food at home and decide you wanted to see how the poor live?"

  After activating their cards under Shier's guidance, they watched Han Ming pull out the strangely packaged food. Their skepticism grew as they walked over to the vending machine and saw the prices.

  "What is this stuff? Twenty Spirit Crystals? Thirty?!"

  "The cheapest item is one Spirit Crystal? This is blatant robbery! I’ve never seen food priced this arrogantly in my life."

  They looked at Han Ming as if he had been brainwashed.

  "You can doubt my sanity, but you will never doubt my commitment to flavor!" Han Ming’s eyes snapped open as he ripped open the bag of chips and thrust it toward them. "Try them. Then you’ll understand."

  Qin Shi and Luo Yuanxing exchanged a glance. Reluctantly, they each reached into the bag and pulled out a single chip.

  "It looks... unremarkable," Qin Shi critiqued before popping it into his mouth.

  "Han Ming, if this isn't good, you’re buying me the most expensive meal at Drunk Cloud to make up for this," Luo Yuanxing muttered. He didn't believe for a second that this thin, crispy sliver of whatever-this-was could be anything special, but he ate it anyway to save his friend's face.