The restaurant closed on time at 5 am the next day.
When Kieran brought back the little blackboard that served as the restaurant's signboard, Li Jiajia yawned and went upstairs after a tiring night.
Starbeck, on the other hand, was busy in the kitchen.
Crisper boxes were placed neatly behind him. Starbeck carefully placed the half-cooked food into the boxes and wrapped them in plastic wrap.
Of course, that wasn't all.
On one side of the kitchen counter, strips of processed beef jerky and bags of dehydrated vegetables had already been packed.
According to the schedule, Starbeck prepared all kinds of food that could be eaten straight away, reheated and stored for a long time.
Kieran glanced over the busy Starbeck and left the kitchen without saying anything.
He sat back in his chair and took out the 4 Crossing Gold Coins that he just got.
After he released the shackles on the origin energy in his body, the golden radiance on the gold coin shone without restraint, or more precisely, it was' sucked 'out of the coin.
Gluttony's cheers were still echoing in Kieran's ears, and Kieran saw the chains that came from the void again.
Black and tiny, they were still tightly bound to his torso and limbs.
The transparent, hair-like chains sank into his head.
It was no different from before.
Even the faintly discernible chains around them were the same.
Even the breaking of the chains was the same.
Kak!
Kak Kak Kak Kak!
The transparent chains broke first, followed by the black ones. The moment the black chains broke, the restraining force on Kieran weakened a little, seizing the chance to grab the faintly visible chains around him.
Clank Clank!
The chains rattled.
The black chains that bound Kieran rattled when Kieran grabbed them, but the loudest rattling came from the chain that Kieran grabbed.
The chain looked like it was alive, struggling in Kieran's hand and flickering like a flickering lamp.
Hard.
Cold.
An inexplicable sense of disgust.
It surged into Kieran's heart almost instantly, causing Kieran to instinctively want to break the chain. However, the toughness of the chain far exceeded Kieran's imagination.
Not only did it not budge under his strength, but it also made Kieran feel an extremely strong sense of danger.
There was no seeming hesitation.
Kieran immediately let go.
Whoosh!
The chain disappeared with a unique sound.
The remaining chains also disappeared, and Kieran's vision returned to the restaurant's bar counter.
"That sense of danger … what is it?"
Kieran narrowed his eyes.
He was very confident in his intuition. Not only was he born with a strong spirit, but he had also developed a sixth sense that ordinary people didn't have after countless battles.
Especially in the face of danger, they were sharper than even wild beasts.
Just like earlier.
Just when he wanted to break the chain, a sense of life-or-death danger appeared in his heart, as if a sharp knife was poking his chest.
The sharpness and stinging pain made Kieran feel like a fishbone was stuck in his throat.
However, Kieran did not panic.
He was used to lingering on the edge of danger.
He was also used to dealing with situations like this: calm down!
Sometimes, calmness was more important than strength.
Kieran, who was calm at the moment, knew what he needed.
"I need more Crossing Gold Coins!"
Kieran looked down at the rotten Crossing Gold Coins in his hand.
It wasn't just because he needed to observe the special chains in that situation, it was also because he needed to unlock more restraints.
[Spirit broke through 3 layers of seal, S- → SS-]
[Strength, Agility, Constitution, Intuition broke through 4 layers of seal, A + → SS-]
…
Feeling the changes in his body, Kieran used [Dawn Knight Body Tempering Art]'s breathing technique to quickly adapt to the changes in his body.
Two breaths later, Kieran opened his eyes.
He didn't stand up, remaining in a sitting position and using [Dawn Knight Body Tempering Art]'s breathing technique to sense the changes in his body.
After making sure he could move his body smoothly, Kieran started to check his equipment and items.
Although he was carrying his equipment and items with him all the time, Kieran had a habit of tidying up his equipment and items when he had something urgent to attend to.
It was a process of tidying up his equipment and items and also a time for Kieran to check if he missed anything.
It wasn't just about equipment and items.
There were also …
Lots of plans.
[Sharp Standard-Issued Blade] was hung around his waist.
[Acard Blade (Shard)] was kept in Kieran's sleeve due to its length.
Both [Gordor's Chain] and [Hound Ring] were on his left hand.
[Healing Potion] and [Philosopher's Stone (Shard)] were kept close to Kieran's body.
After the souls in [Soul Keep Bracelet] were emptied, Kieran wore it on his left hand. Although he didn't know how to raise souls, it was a decent choice as a wrist guard.
After Kieran made sure everything was tidied up, the curtain of the kitchen was lifted up.
Starbeck laboriously pushed a huge backpack out of the shop.
The backpack was as tall as a grown man and its width would require two grown men to wrap their arms around it. If the kitchen door wasn't big enough, he wouldn't have been able to get out.
Kieran picked up the backpack and placed it outside the counter.
He then turned around and looked at Starbeck.
"Close the shop for a few days.
I've asked the Hound to stand guard around the place.
Also, Bloody Mary, keep an eye on the surroundings.
Huai Cuike will send Bane and another Herder to watch this place 24 hours a day. "
Kieran reminded Starbeck.
"Em.
Got it. "
Starbeck nodded obediently.
Starbeck knew he couldn't be of much help, so he wouldn't ask Kieran to leave with him, which would only add to Kieran's troubles. He knew it was best to listen to Kieran.
Kieran caressed Starbeck's head.
"I'm going."
Kieran then turned around and left.
When Kieran opened the door, a ray of morning sun appeared on the horizon.
The sun shone over Kieran's body, tainting his black with a golden edge.
Huai Cuike, who had been waiting for a while, looked at the big backpack in shock. He then pointed at the car outside with a bitter smile.
It seemed like the backpack couldn't fit inside.
"Hold on."
Huai Cuike then walked aside to make a phone call.
Ten minutes later, a Picard drove over.
Kieran rejected Huai Cuike's invitation to sit in the car. He grabbed the backpack and sat in the back of the car, leaning against the window and facing the restaurant's entrance.
As the engine roared, the restaurant's entrance got further away.
In the end, it became blurry.
Just as the car was about to disappear, Kieran clearly saw a figure walk out, raising his arm and waving at him.
That familiar voice even came with the wind.
"Come back soon!
I'll be waiting for you with food! "
Kieran curled his lips into a grin.
He didn't answer loudly, saying softly, "Wait for me."
Kieran knew Starbeck couldn't hear the soft voice.
He knew Starbeck would prepare a lot of food for him.
So …
He had to come back as fast as he could!
He couldn't let Starbeck wait too long.
…
The Picard drove and stopped in the city, but after it left the city, it sped off like a wild horse, heading towards a certain direction.
There were fewer and fewer buildings in the city.
Farmland and forests became the main focus.
When the asphalt road became bumpy and a campsite appeared in front of them, the Picard slowed down.
Huai Cuike opened the door and came down.
"This is as far as I can send you.
You have to be careful from here on out.
Remember, if you can't make it, just give up. "
Huai Cuike said after a pause.
"Em."
Kieran nodded.
Huai Cuike wanted to say something when he saw Kieran's reaction, but in the end, he didn't, saying, "Follow me."
Huai Cuike then led the way to the temporary campsite.
The Herder guarding outside the campsite was obviously familiar with Huai Cuike, both of them hugged the moment they met and the Herder was very friendly towards Kieran.
"I'm Daliphen, this guy's old friend.
You'll have to follow me for the rest of the journey. "
The tall, buff, and white-haired Daliphen said with a smile.
"Royan."
Kieran gave his alias as a reply to the friendly Daliphen.
"Not a bad name.
Let's hope this name can shine in the Battle of Winter Night. "
"Alright, my old friend. Although this is only a transit station, you can't enter it either. These young eagles, only when you let go can they truly spread their wings and soar!"
Daliphen smiled at Kieran again before he signaled Huai Cuike.
"Be careful."
Huai Cuike reminded Kieran again before he left.
Kieran glanced over Huai Cuike's departing figure and landed his attention on Daliphen.
"Take it easy."
It's not time yet.
Do you need me to bring you around the campsite? "
Daliphen smiled.
"No need.
I can do it myself.
But is there a place that I can't step into? "
Kieran shook his head and rejected Daliphen's kindness.
The campsite was only the size of a football field, and although it was covered by many tents, Kieran could see most of it with a single glance.
He didn't need anyone to lead the way or accept the invitation.
Of course, he still had to ask about the places that he was afraid of.
It wasn't that Kieran was worried about causing trouble.
He was worried that unnecessary trouble would affect the Battle of Winter Night.
"No!
The ones here are the young ones who are participating in the Battle of Winter Night.
"If your friends are among them, you can go find them."
"If not, you can find an empty tent or set up a tent to rest."
I'll inform everyone when the time is up. "
Daliphen replied.
Kieran nodded, expressing his understanding before he carried his big backpack and walked to a corner of the campsite.
He didn't have any friends here.
As for recruiting a bunch of people at the last minute?
It was hard for Kieran to trust strangers, so he wouldn't do such a thing.
Kieran pulled out the waterproof cloth from his backpack, one end was still attached to his backpack and the other end was hung on the fence. Kieran then sat down under it.
It was a simple and crude 'tent'.
Starbeck suggested bringing a real tent, but Kieran insisted that it was enough.
Rather than having space, it would be more practical to pack more food.
The sun rose higher, and when it reached the center of the sky, Daliphen stood at the entrance of the campsite and shouted, "Dinner time!"
Immediately, the quiet campsite instantly became noisy.
Herder representatives came out from their tents one after another.
There were men and women.
They were all different in height, fat, and skinny.
Their outfits were all different.
Some were like Kieran, wearing casual clothes.
Some were in long robes, tight clothes, leather armor, and so on.
One of them even bared his chest, wearing a bear pelt, the big bear head on his head like a hat, very eye-catching.
The special outfits made Kieran take an extra glance at the man.
The man didn't notice Kieran's gaze.
Or rather, the man's eyes were already on the food.
Daliphen had prepared plenty of food.
One of them looked like a bathtub, half stir-fried and half boiled vegetables and potatoes, and the other was filled with rice.
However, the most attractive thing wasn't the food.
It was the 10 translucent lunch boxes on the cart behind Daliphen.
The lunch boxes were big, as big as a soup bowl, divided into 10 compartments, and each compartment had a different kind of food, from fried drumsticks to boiled beef to shrimp and crab.
The colors were bright and alluring.
Besides, with the two big basins in front of him, the delicately prepared food became even more tempting.
"Let's eat the same as before."
I'll explain it to the newcomers.
Feel free to eat whatever you want from the two big pots.
There are 10 lunch boxes at the back, so you guys have to figure out how to get them.
It's fine if you can bribe everyone.
It's fine if you can knock everyone down.
Or even snatch a portion during the chaos.
As long as you can do it, the food in the lunch boxes is yours, but don't kill anyone, otherwise you won't get anything and will lose the right to participate in the Battle of Winter Night.
Now … "
"Begin!"
A shout rang out.
The Herder representatives, who were ready to make a move, all charged forward.
Kieran was the only one who did not move.
Kieran was never picky when it came to food.
But if there was food cooked by Starbeck, why would he eat someone else's?
Besides, it was only a normal level of well-made food.
Compared to Starbeck?
Stop joking.
There was no comparison at all.
Of course, Kieran also knew what Daliphen was trying to do, it was to give the Herder representatives a chance to get to know each other.
Kieran knew it well, so he watched the Herder representatives fight each other in high spirits.
Among them, the man with the bear pelt was the most eye-catching.
He raised his hand and knocked a few of his opponents away, allowing the attacks to land on his body and grabbing a lunch box without a care.
"That's Lucan, the representative of the Northern Forest. He's strong and has a big appetite, eating three servings for himself.
Of course, the other young ones are not bad either.
They all have a big appetite!
Aren't you hungry?
If you don't hurry up, you won't get any delicious food. "
Daliphen walked up to Kieran and emphasized the word 'big appetite'.
"Delicious?"
Kieran smiled.
He reached into his backpack and took out a thermos box prepared by Starbeck.
Then, he slowly opened the lid.
A dense aroma instantly spread in all directions.
In an instant, the surroundings became silent, and everyone's gazes were focused on them.
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