The night market in Puze County was bustling with activity, filled with people coming and going, illuminated by bright lights.
Qin Huaibei and Daniel claimed they were exhausted and wanted to go back to sleep, but once inside, they were more enthusiastic than anyone else.
They moved from stall to stall, buying all sorts of curious and strange items. By the time they returned to the front of the barbecue stand, their arms were full of purchases.
Chloe held a newly bought paper lantern in the shape of a pumpkin, beautifully coated with yellow lacquer.
Behind the barbecue stand were seats for customers to rest and eat. The four of them sat on wooden chairs around a table, none of them finding the environment unpleasant.
The owner brought over plates of barbecued meat.
She was a middle-aged woman with an apron, slightly curly hair wrapped in a cloth, and appeared to be quite talkative.
Seeing four young ones out playing without any adults, she curiously asked:
"Are you sure you'll be alright without grown-ups watching over you?"
Daniel patted his chest confidently: "Don't worry, ma'am. I could take down two adults all by myself!"
Hearing this, the woman laughed so hard her eyes nearly closed: "Oh my, aren't you a tough one?"
As she spoke, she eyed Daniel's seemingly slender frame hidden beneath his clothes.
Daniel, oblivious to her skepticism, confidently replied: "Of course I am!"
The night breeze blew, ruffling the little wolf's fiery red hair, making it stick up in tufts here and there.
The woman adored such lively children and, smiling, gave them extra meat.
She also handed each of them a box of milk.
Chloe opened her milk box and started drinking through the straw.
"It's been a while since we've been out playing at night," she remarked.
"That's just you," Daniel said casually. "Qin Huaibei and I sneak out every night by climbing over the wall."
Hearing this, Chloe stopped sipping her milk.
She looked at the two in front of her incredulously:
"At The No.1 Military Academy?"
Qin Huaibei forked a piece of crispy, fragrant meat and said, "Not just there."
Chloe's eyes widened instantly:
"Well, well! You're still pulling that isolationist, divisive stuff. How despicable!"
She berated them, trying to draw Katherine into her camp.
Katherine said nothing, silently nodding in agreement.
Daniel grumbled, "We just didn't want to wake you up when you were sleeping."
"If we woke you up, you'd beat me up again."
Chloe firmly declared: "That's not true."
Hearing this, Daniel asked suspiciously: "Really?"
Chloe nodded: "Really."
"Alright then," Daniel thought to himself that next time he'd try waking Chloe up.
The young ones chattered away, their topics ranging far and wide, from gossip about various races to embarrassing childhood stories.
Chloe wasn't particularly interested in gossip today, so she just listened quietly.
She played with her newly bought paper lantern.
Boom!!!
"Make way, make way, everyone!"
Suddenly, there was a loud thud from up ahead, accompanied by a cacophony of noise and deep, angry male voices cursing.
Chloe raised her head, annoyed.
She saw that some of the nearby stalls had already started packing up, preparing to close.
The barbecue stand owner muttered "What a mess" as she put away the seasonings. Turning around, she saw four young ones staring at her with bright, wide eyes.
The woman immediately became anxious: "Quick, get going! That young master from the Werewolf Race is here again."
Hearing this, Daniel was taken aback and said irritably:
"What young master? The Werewolf Race doesn't have any young masters."
The woman slapped her thigh: "Oh, stop quibbling! He's sure to cause a ruckus when he arrives. You little ones better head home!"
Chloe picked up a piece of barbecue and looked up at the woman with a smile:
"You go ahead, ma'am. We haven't had our fill yet."
The woman was about to protest, but then she seemed to remember something. She looked closely at Chloe's hair and eye color, and finally sighed and left.
The King's child probably doesn't need commoners like us worrying about them, she thought.
Only a minority of the shops in the night market were closing; most remained open, though there were fewer customers.
Daniel cracked his knuckles: "I want to see which little brat dares to call himself a young master of the Werewolf Race."
Meanwhile, Katherine pondered: "Can the Werewolf Race enter Vampire towns?"
Good question.
As everyone looked at each other in confusion, an old man's voice came from nearby:
"Of course outsiders aren't easily allowed into the central towns of our territory, but this is the border."
The old man spoke while leisurely fanning himself: "Puze County is economically backward, so the rules aren't as strict. It's also too close to the Werewolf Race territory. The soldiers guarding the border only care about battles. That Werewolf Race young master who often comes to our town can't stir up much trouble, at most he just smashes a few stalls."
But smashing stalls isn't something a decent person would do.
Chloe looked at him: "If he smashes stalls, why don't you leave?"
Are you waiting to get beaten up?
Hearing this, the old man chuckled while fanning himself: "Leave? Why leave? Every time that Werewolf Race young master smashes a stall, those big, burly bodyguards behind him compensate us."
"Most of the time it's money, and quite a lot of it. They throw a string of coins for each smashed stall. It's not a bad deal."
Chloe: "..."
So that's why. No wonder so many people were unwilling to leave.
Daniel lowered his fists: "I wouldn't want to leave either. Who doesn't want free money?"
That's true, but...
Just then, the commotion in the distance began to approach.
Chloe narrowed her eyes to look, and saw a young one about their age leading the way.
And he looked... somewhat familiar.
At that moment, the old man beside them stopped fanning:
"Huh? This one looks different from the one who usually comes."
As soon as he finished speaking, the so-called Werewolf Race young master arrived near their stall.
He spoke arrogantly: "So this is where that guy likes to come? What's there to see in this poor, backwater village?"
"And even paying for the trouble? Did a donkey kick his brain?"
Then came a rustling sound, followed by cursing:
"Don't you know how to set up a stall? Piling up so many things, are you trying to trip me on purpose?"
As soon as he finished speaking, there was a sound of a stall being kicked over in the distance.
Chloe slightly furrowed her brow as she looked over, and then saw a familiar face.
She unconsciously whistled:
"Well, well, if it isn't an old friend."
Perhaps because Chloe's roguish whistle was too distinctive, Kamen, who was bullying the stall owner over there, twitched his ears and turned his head, locking eyes with Chloe.
Kamen: "..."
Chloe raised her hand and said in a friendly tone: "Hi there~"
Kamen wore an expression as if he'd seen a ghost.
