When Murin Tristan was awakened by the growling of his protesting stomach, it was already night. The cute little animals from the day had disappeared, leaving only the occasional shrill cry like that of a night owl and the dull roars of wild beasts in the distance. It was eerily quiet all around, not a soul in sight. A wave of loneliness washed over him. Fortunately, the bright and gentle moonlight bathed him, driving away some of the solitude. Murin Tristan had always been fond of the moon; it guided people through the darkness. At that moment, he was astonished to notice that there were two full moons in the sky. One hung high in the middle, while the other had just risen from the west. They weren't very far from the planet, and the outlines of the lunar ridges were faintly visible. People under the moonlight seemed to be in a dreamlike scene, which was incredibly beautiful.

Murin Tristan slowly got up and made his way towards the town. After venting his emotions, he had to face reality. No matter how harsh it was, he had to accept it and find a way to survive. But first things first, he needed to fill his empty stomach.

The center of Green Town was ablaze with lights. The streetlights were peculiar. Unlike the ones Murin Tristan was familiar with, they were clusters of lights in various shapes, floating in mid - air. Some were perfectly round like balls, some were diamond - shaped, triangular, or even irregular. They emitted a soft, colorful glow: red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, indigo, violet, and some hues Murin Tristan couldn't even name. It was truly beautiful. The color combinations in this world were far more diverse than those in his own, offering a much stronger visual treat. The sculptures from the day, made of some unknown stone, seemed to come alive at night. They were covered in a faint fluorescent light, and their eyes glowed bright red, creating an eerie yet exciting sight.

Green Town was still bustling, even more so than during the day. It was as if there was a festival in full swing. People were celebrating everywhere. Many couples were sitting beside the stone sculptures, flirting boldly, kissing, hugging, and being rather affectionate, completely oblivious to others around them. From every bar came the characteristic smell of wine, the aroma of roasted meat, and the sound of people chatting and laughing loudly. The townspeople, caught up in the joyous frenzy, paid no attention to Murin Tristan in his strange attire.

Murin Tristan licked his lips. He was starving, but the lack of a "professional badge" and his sense of being an outsider made him hesitate in front of every bar and restaurant. In the end, he chose to squat down next to a fearsome - looking demon statue with its claws outstretched. He just couldn't bear the mocking and disdainful looks from people anymore.

He had no idea how much time had passed. Murin Tristan couldn't tell the time in this place. All he knew was that the moon that had been in the middle of the sky had set, and the one that had risen from the west was now in the middle. It was probably midnight. The noise in Green Town finally started to die down. People who had had their fill of fun came out of the bars in twos and threes, said their goodbyes, and headed home.

The stores began to close. Murin Tristan knew he couldn't wait any longer; otherwise, he'd have to go hungry all night. Even if he had to beg for food, he had to get something to eat. He never thought he'd end up in such a pitiful state. With a sigh, he thought of the old man Sean he'd seen during the day. The old man seemed nice, so Murin Tristan decided to ask him for help.

Sean's bar was called the Star - Moon Bar. Murin Tristan thought to himself that the old man had quite an elegant taste in naming it.

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The Star - Moon Bar had also stopped operating. The rabbit - eared waitress Lorna was cleaning up the garbage left by the guests, such as fruit peels and roasted - meat bones. A woman with short sea - blue hair and a smooth, snake - like tail protruding from her plump buttocks was cleaning with her. Presumably, she was another waitress in the bar. Snakes were the animals Murin Tristan feared the most, but this woman didn't repel him. Instead, the combination of her short sea - blue hair and the snake tail gave her an otherworldly charm.

The two waitresses heard the footsteps and looked up simultaneously. When they saw the "madman" from the day, they were a bit taken aback.

Murin Tristan said to Lorna, feeling extremely embarrassed, "Beautiful miss, hello. I need to talk to your boss about something. Is he here?"

Lorna gave him a quick look and then shouted, "Boss, a gentleman is looking for you!"

"Thump, thump, thump, thump." A flurry of hurried footsteps came from the wooden stairs behind the counter. Then Sean's hoarse but energetic voice echoed down, "Coming right up!"

And he really did come quickly. In less than five seconds, he appeared in front of Murin Tristan, though he was out of breath. After all, he was getting on in years, and his stamina wasn't what it used to be. Such a rapid dash was quite a strain on him.

Murin Tristan was touched that the boss was so eager to attend to his guests, but he felt a bit awkward since he was only here to ask for food.

When Sean saw that it was Murin Tristan, the warmth on his face faded a bit. He said indifferently, "Sir, what can I do for you?"

Asking for food in front of two beautiful women was really embarrassing. Murin Tristan said reluctantly, "Boss, could we talk privately?"

Sean looked puzzled. "Talk privately?"

Murin Tristan remembered that this was a code phrase in his world when there were secrets that shouldn't be shared in public. People here wouldn't understand it. So he rephrased it, "I have something I'd like to discuss with you alone. Is that okay?"

Sean thought for a moment and then replied, "Well, please follow me."

He led Murin Tristan to the living room on the second floor. The space wasn't very large, but it was cozy. The all - wooden decor made it feel like they were in the heart of nature. There was a light - yellow carpet on the floor, and several pots of plants with bright green leaves and small milky - white fruits by the window gave off a fresh and pleasant scent. Murin Tristan thought to himself that the old guy really knew how to enjoy life.

Sean closed the door and said, "There's no one else here. You can speak freely."

Murin Tristan hesitated for a moment, then finally summoned up the courage to say, "I have a small request. I was wondering if you could spare some food for me?" It was such a simple thing, but because of his pride, it felt as if he was engaged in some secretive underground - agent meeting. He was really embarrassed.

To his surprise, after hearing this, Sean's expression turned serious. He furrowed his bushy eyebrows, stood up, and started pacing back and forth in the living room, as if making a crucial decision. After a while, he sat down, looking extremely reluctant. "Sir, I'd love to help you, but you don't have a professional badge. It's against the regulations of the Consumers' Union."

Murin Tristan thought to himself that not having that darn professional badge was really a big headache. It was like in his world, without an ID card, you couldn't stay in a proper hotel. The difference was that in the Divine Wind Continent, you needed this thing even to get a meal.

Murin Tristan quickly made up a story. "I'm from a very remote village. It's so far from the city that I haven't been able to get a professional badge yet. But could you make an exception? To be honest, I've been starving for almost a day." Just then, his stomach rumbled loudly, as if to prove his words.

Sean was skeptical. "Really? But at your age, you should have already gotten a professional badge."

Murin Tristan said, "Our village is cut off from the rest of the world. There are a lot of things I don't know, including how to get a badge."

Sean let out an "oh". "Strange. Could the magic communication system be broken?"