Hungry, and smiling, Alnea and the girls left his room, and began making their way towards the Blood Hall. With the dumb cat in Cecilia’s arms, of course. It did not have any problem tackling them down. But when the time to leave the room came, it just simply ‘lost’ all its strength, and begged Cecilia to carry it in her arms. Lazy cat.

By the time they came down the building, Enn was already setting into the horizon. The city, however, was still as bright as it was during the day. Just in a shade of blood red light instead of the usual all encompassing light of Enn. And when that blood red light fell on the tens, if not hundreds of Wanderers on the streets, Alnea could not help freezing in his steps.

It was only when he noticed that the Wanderers were not looking at him and the girls with hostile gazes that he dared to relax a little. Still, for some reason—which he knew very well— the Wanderers were keeping a close eye on him and the girls. And just like the cat, they were also too lazy to hide their intentions. They did not even bother lowering their voices as they discussed the new ‘monsters’ that had come to the city.

There was nothing he could do about them though. Fighting on the streets was prohibited by the city. In the end, Alnea could only try his best to ignore them. Thankfully, he was aided in his endeavours by his hunger. It did not matter why those Wanderers were spying on him. By the time that they reached the Blood Hall, all that was on his mind was food. He truly was hungry…

Shaking his head, he focussed his attention back to the Blood Hall. Even though Enn was about to set, the majestic hall was just as busy as it was during the day, if not more. And just like how it was during the day, the Wanderers in the hall still kept ignoring each other, and went about their ways.

Naturally, Alnea and the girls decided to do the same. Of course, they could not ignore everyone. After all, they had come to the hall to gather some information. And to learn how to get some food. If they ignored everyone, how were they supposed to do all those things? Yet except for the arrogant woman who had helped them register their identities, they knew no one else in the hall.

Coincidentally, the woman was still present in the hall. Standing behind the same counter where she had greeted them in the morning, she was talking with another woman, and looked ready to leave the hall, but for the moment, she was still in the hall. So, despite being a little unwilling to deal with the woman, they decided to start with her anyway. At the very least, they could ask the most basic questions from her. Like where to eat.

“Excuse us, Wanderer Martha,” Yuri said with a forced smile on her face. “Can we talk to you for a moment?”

“Oh?” the woman said, turning towards them with a curious glance, and a smug smile on her face. “If it isn’t the three geniuses I met in the day… What are you here for? Let me remind you first though, I am responsible only for registering the identities of new Wanderers. As for the rest, I do not have either any authority, or any obligations to help you.”

“…We are not seeking any help, Wanderer Martha. We just wish to know how to get some food in the city.”

“…Your elders did not tell you?”

“…They told us to rely on ourselves, and that it would help us in the long run.”

“Your elders are quite strict with you,” the second woman said, looking at them with interest. Just like the first woman, she too was wearing a blood red uniform, and had an air of despondence around herself. “To not even tell you how to get some food…”

“Why not ask other Wanderers?” the first woman said. “They might have charged you some Blood Coins, but it would have been easier than coming all the way to the Blood Hall.”

“…We cannot trust them,” Alnea said. “The moment we came out on the streets, a Wanderer came running to issue a Blood Challenge—

“You received a Blood Challenge on you first day in the Lost City?”

“…All three of us did.”

“…Someone wants to drive you out of the city?”

If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

“That is what we think,” Cecilia added. “We cannot trust other Wanderers for now.”

“Interesting,” the second woman said. “Blood Challenges are not that uncommon, but to receive Blood Challenge on your first day in the city… Is it a clan feud?”

“…Maybe,” Yuri said. “We are not sure.”

“Why not go to the other Wanderers of your clan then?”

“…We want to solve our troubles on our own.”

“…Staying stubborn will not help you,” Martha said after a few moments of silence. “Remember, regardless of what you may gain in the Lost City, your life will always be more important than anything else.”

“…We understand, Wanderer Martha,” Yuri said. “About the food—

“…There are two ways to have food in the city. Either cook it yourself or buy it from Blood Hall’s canteen. It just so happens that I am getting off my shift. Let me bring you to the canteen,” Martha said, and turned towards the other woman. “I will be going then, Lily.”

“Do not be late in the morning.”

“Have I ever been late?” Martha said with a scoff before turning towards Yuri. “Follow me.”

Walking out behind the counter, the woman did not check whether Alnea and the girls were following her or not before making her way towards a corner near the back of the hall. It looked like besides being a little grumpy, the woman was also a bit too decisive. For the sake of their stomachs though, Alnea chose to tolerate the woman for a bit longer and followed behind her with the girls. Thankfully, the crowd in the hall made it impossible for the woman to walk too fast, allowing them catch up with the woman.

Soon, along with the woman, they reached end of the hall, and walked through a large pair of doors opening up into a staircase. Different from the plain staircase in the building that they had reserved their rooms, the staircase of the Blood Hall was wide, lavishly decorated, and filled with people, both climbing up, and down the stairs. And just like the Wanderers in the Blood Hall, these Wanderers were not too bothered by other Wanderers getting close to them. Not that their opinions would have mattered anyway.

Disregarding the Wanderers around them, Martha did not even pause as she joined the swarm of people climbing down to the lower floors of the Blood Hall. Naturally, Alnea and the girls also followed behind the woman. So, when the woman stopped after climbing just one flight of stairs, they stopped as well, walking up to a pair of majestic doors decorated with all sorts of figures, and shapes.

Coincidentally, the doors also happened to be the only pair of doors on the floor. Unlike the floor above though, the doors in front of Alnea also had a black box placed right at the centre of the thin crack separating the two doors. And if it was not obvious what the black box was for, then seeing Martha and the other Wanderers place their Blood Cards on the black box was enough to tell him and the girls what they had to do.

Following the actions of the woman in front of her, Yuri placed her Blood Card on the black box. Moments later, the box released a red light, and made some strange noises, as it opened the door just enough for Yuri to squeeze in. The moment that she passed through the doors though, they closed on their own, waiting for the next Wanderer. And Cecilia did not have plans of making the doors wait for long.

Soon, Alnea found himself in front of the pair of majestic doors, placing his Blood Card on the black box. And just like how they had opened for the girls before him, the doors opened for him too, allowing him to step into a large hall, almost as big as the main lobby of the Blood Hall, filled with hundreds of tables, both large and small, and just as many Wanderers enjoying themselves.

Towards the end of the hall, there was also a large counter, packed to the brim with all sorts of dishes, the kind which Alnea had never seen before. The place even had Wanderers dedicated solely to the counters, like the maids back in big sis Serena’s mansion, whose only job was to restock the dishes as other Wanderers kept emptying them.

Tearing his eyes away from the counter, Alnea quickly found Cecilia and Yuri following behind Martha, and caught up with them just as they found an empty table. A round one, large enough to accommodate six people. A number that Alnea came up with when he counted the chairs around the table.

Chairs. That was another thing that Alnea was seeing for the first time in his life. He had read about them but had never seen them in person. Even big sis Serena’s mansion did not have one. Apparently, it was an item of luxury that had all sorts of disadvantages. Yet, at the same time, it was also quite popular amongst some of the Orthodoxies for its comfort. Should he try it for himself?

Glancing around the hall, Alnea noticed how none of the other Wanderers were sitting on the ground. Even Cecilia and Yuri had followed Martha, and pulled out a chair for themselves. He could not sit on the ground by himself, could he? Besides, with the tables reaching the height of his waist, only by sitting on the chairs could he able to eat form the table. Or else, he would have to eat his food from the ground.

Not that he minded eating his food off the ground. That was what he had been doing in the Night Canyons for the past half year. But that was the Night Canyons. And at the moment, he was in the Lost City. They may both be Forbidden Areas, but they were completely different from each other. Surrounded by Wanderers, if he did not wish to draw attention to himself, it was only right for him to follow how the other Wanderers were acting…