Chapter 13 - Cat Maid Cafe
"By the way, are Grass fruit or Wind fruit more valuable?" Lu Ran started to ask questions again after he confirmed Captain Doofus' attribute.
"Hmm?" Lu Ran’s question caught White Dragon off guard. "Although the Wind attribute is pretty good, the Grass attribute has more utility. Besides combat, it has many auxiliary functions. However, most birds are Wind-type, while Grass-type familiars are less common, so the market price of Grass fruits is higher. Why do you ask?"
“One of my beginner trial rewards was a Grass fruit. Although Attribute-Awakening Fruits are scarce right now, I should be able to exchange my Grass fruit for a Wind fruit, right? Can you point me to the best place to trade it?" Lu Ran replied.
"No proble—" White Dragon abruptly stopped. His and Gifted Writer Hua’s pupils shrank as they stared at Lu Ran in surprise.
"What? What did you say? You got a Grass fruit for clearing the beginner trial?" Surfing White Dragon asked in surprise.
"Yeah."
While chatting with White Dragon along the way, Lu Ran had learned that high-level resources were only rare for newbies, not for the entire Limitless City. Hence, he wasn’t really worried about revealing the existence of the Grass fruit he had attained. Of his three rewards, the beastmaster skill should have been the most valuable.
"You scored at least a D?" White Dragon questioned. Lu Ran quickly became the center of attention. It was quite surprising that he could score a D with a husky.
"E’s and F’s only get crystal coins; they don’t get resources. You only get rewarded high-level resources for getting a D or higher,” Gifted Writer explained.
"You actually scored a D or higher? You’re so lucky to have gotten the Grass fruit."
White Dragon couldn’t believe that he misjudged him. He suddenly didn’t feel hungry anymore.
Smiling, he grabbed Lu Ran. "Follow me. I know a place where you can definitely find a Wind fruit."
"Uh..."
Lu Ran could only let himself be pulled along by the overly enthusiastic White Dragon. Captain Doofus was still covering its head, so Lu Ran recalled it to the contract card as he left.
"Something came up, so I’ll be heading off, Sister Hua!" White Dragon bid his colleague farewell in high spirits. Gifted Writer Hua adjusted her glasses and watched as the two left.
"Look how happy he is," Gifted sneered.
"Are Grass fruit rare, Big Sister Hua?" Pig Farmer asked.
"They’re relatively rare among high-level resources. Considering it’s rare for a D to get a Grass fruit, he might have gotten a C."
"C? That's what I got!" Pig Farmer replied.
He was well aware about how difficult it was to achieve a C. His familiar was a pig that had reverted to its ancestral form and evolved into an extraordinary wild boar. Even so, they still ended up in danger several times. In the wild, boars were much tougher and definitely a class above huskies.
"I'm also very curious. Just how did he get above a D with a husky?" Sister Hua fell into deep thought. After a few moments, she concluded, "Maybe they’re extremely talented.
“I almost forgot to tell you, but some ordinary-looking animals, such as chickens, ducks, and insects, can evolve into rare high-rank species if they have a high compatibility with their beastmasters. It’s rare, but it could be a good explanation. Some people were born to be beastmasters.
“That 'Pedestrian A' is pretty amazing. If you meet him again in the future, you should get closer and befriend him. After all, many secret realms can’t be conquered alone. Your path will be a lot smoother with a powerful ally on your side."
"Hahaha! I guess he’s pretty good." Pig Farmer scratched his head as he took note of Lu Ran and Captain Doofus. He was a little envious, but he still wanted to exchange pointers and get to know them in the future.
***
White Dragon continued to drag Lu Ran with him. Along the way, he rented a motorcycle from the side of the road and took Lu Ran into the central district.
"Where are you taking me?" Lu Ran couldn’t help but ask.
"You won’t find a Wind fruit by randomly shopping around, but you’ll definitely find one at this place I’m taking you to."
Beep, beep, beep!!!
Lu Ran saw many people as they sped on, but he didn't get to interact with any of them. Soon, they arrived at their destination and stopped in front of a store with anime-themed decorations..
Turning his head to the sign on the pink storefront, Lu Ran fell silent. The corners of his lips twitched.
The sign read, “Cat Maid Cafe”!
"You wanted to bring me here?" Lu Ran asked. He glanced at Surfing White Dragon, who was licking his lips, with a doubtful expression.
"Yes, the Cat Maid Cafe is a series of intelligence agencies established by a very powerful information broker from the second generation of beastmasters. It has many branches in the various Limitless Cities. They look like coffee shops on the surface, but they’re actually an intelligence hub. If you ever find yourself looking for information in the future, then your money won’t be wasted here. Asking someone here is far more efficient than shopping around randomly for a Wind fruit."
As White Dragon and Lu Ran chatted, the doors of the coffee shop opened. A woman in a black and white maid outfit, complete with a set of cat ears and tail, came out to greet them. At her feet was a very cute ragdoll cat familiar with a bow.
“Welcome!” the cat maid said. Seeing White Dragon, she immediately smiled. "Oh, good to see you again, Mr. White Dragon!”
"Hey, Rain," White Dragon replied with a smile, making him look like a wolf in sheep’s clothing. "I brought a newcomer to experience stuff."
His unstifled smile made Lu Ran speechless and a bit disgusted. He originally believed that White Dragon was a legitimate public servant, but unexpectedly, he turned out to be an old, closeted pervert.
It wasn’t all that surprising, though. No normal person would call themselves Surfing White Dragon. Men were pigs. Considering how familiar he was with the place, he had to have come here quite often.
Lu Ran couldn’t help but be skeptical about whether this was really an intelligence agency.
"A newcomer? Welcome!" the cat maid greeted with a smile.
"Hello," Lu Ran replied as he took off his helmet.
"Let me introduce you to Rain Dancing in the Wind. She just became a beastmaster about a month ago. Generally speaking, we can all be considered fourth-generation beastmasters. The two of us got here a month before you did, and she’s decided to work here since.
“If you’re ever looking for any special information, you can buy it here. Don't underestimate this coffee shop. It is the largest intelligence organization in the Xia Empire, second only to the government. Rain, this newcomer just passed the trial today. His novice reward was a Grass fruit, but he wants to trade it for a Wind fruit since his familiar is a Wind type. Got any ideas?"
Rain’s eyes lit up. "It might be hard to find a Wind fruit elsewhere right now, but you’ve come to the right place. Please, come in."
The interior decoration of the maid cafe was more classical, with bookshelves lining the walls, yet it still kind of looked more like a cat shelter than a maid cafe. After all, in addition to the cat familiar that followed Rain, several more species of cat familiars lounged around the store.
Moreover, the establishment’s most eye-catching feature was the statue of a cat in the center, its gemstone eyes watching over the surroundings. It looked more noble than the familiars nearby.
"It's late, so it’s pretty empty. You can just sit anywhere." Rain said. She then took out a menu and handed it to Lu Ran. "What would you like to drink?"
Lu Ran thanked her and looked at the menu. His fingers twitched when he saw that the coffees cost more than the entry fee of some secret realms. Not planning to blow all his money, he politely declined. "I’m fine.”
Noticing Lu Ran’s concerned expression, White Dragon explained, "Don't worry about the hefty prices. The ingredients here all come from secret realms and have additional benefits, so they’re worth the price.”
"Let's talk about business first," Lu Ran insisted. Since he didn’t know the price of things here yet, he’d much rather not have a drink right away.
"You wanted to trade for a Wind fruit, right?" Rain Dancing in the Wind took out a device similar to a tablet and used it to look up the information Lu Ran needed. "There we go. We have information on three Wind fruits. The cheapest and most suitable information will cost you 50 crystal coins."
"That’s it?"
Lu Ran was surprised. After all, his beginner trial reward was 10,000 crystal coins. 50 crystal coins didn’t even cover a fraction of what the coffee and milk tea here cost.
"Generally speaking, if the information is relatively cheap, it means it was not difficult to obtain and could also be easily obtained elsewhere. Do you want to take a look?"
"Yes," Lu Ran answered. It was just 50 crystal coins—totally worth the price.
Rain Dancing in the Wind smiled. "You can pay through the tablet. Just put your hand on it."
Lu Ran looked at the screen and put his palm on it. Immediately, a voice popped into his mind, and a string of words appeared before him.
[Cat Maid Cafe requested 50 crystal coins. Do you agree?]
"I agree."
Afterward, Rain tapped on the tablet. "Okay, the information has been released and emailed to your Communications folder."
The Communications function of the ID card could be used to email, call, or video chat. Checking his mailbox, Lu Ran saw an email from the Cat Maid Cafe.
[Medicine Pavilion, a beastmaster guild based in Limitless City #6, is collecting an indefinite number of Grass fruits. Willing to buy or trade. Right now, its published resource exchange list includes Wind fruit.]
"Limitless City #6? Medicine Pavilion?" Lu Ran asked out loud instead of keeping the intel to himself. He still needed someone to further explain this information.
"Hmm..." The cat maid pondered about it for a moment. She then explained, "We are in Limitless City #3. Limitless City #6 is in the southwest region, so you’ll have to take the teleportation array or go to the corresponding area in reality to enter.
“As for the Medicine Pavilion, it is a beastmaster guild. Beastmaster guilds are beastmaster organizations originally established to clear Hell-difficulty secret realms. Most of them were formed by non-government beastmasters.
“I have heard of the Medicine Pavilion before. It’s a guild established by a second-generation beastmaster. It has many support beastmasters, healers, and civilian beastmasters who specialize in making medicines. It’s essentially a pharmaceutical company that was also partially a merchant's guild. So the information you got was that they have a Wind fruit and need Grass fruit?"
"Yeah." Lu Ran nodded. "Does that mean I have to go to Limitless City #6 to trade?"
"No. Your Grass fruit is more valuable than a Wind fruit, and you’re also a new customer at the Cat Maid Cafe, so I’ll give you a helping hand and contact the Medicine Pavilion’s staff for you. They will bring the Wind fruit over to trade with you. Since the Grass fruit is more valuable, I will also try my best to get some extra resources for you," Rain Dancing in the Wind replied. "Just remember to leave me a five-star review!”
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