In the Three Rivers District, Stirling trailed Romeo down the streets, heading to Sean's Lounge.

  A variety of stalls lined the streets in order, offering much food. Hot milk, fragrant bread, thin-crust pies, and tomato noodles with onion—what a feast!

  He had assumed this world was as destitute as Rock Village. But now it seemed the living conditions here were much better than those in Rock Village.

  "Haven't you had breakfast yet?" Romeo asked, grinning as he watched Stirling stare at the breakfast stall.

  "Yeah," Stirling nodded.

  "Let's stop at Sean's Lounge for breakfast. The fried cod there is famous; I guarantee you will never forget it." Romeo chuckled.

  "Mr. Romeo, why do most people here seem unwell?"

  Stirling asked. Romeo paused, surprised. "You're on Yearning Palace's land, but you don't know about Yearning Malice?"

  Stirling's heart tightened at this, but he feigned confusion and said, "I'm not sure."

  "Shhh, this isn't the place to talk. Follow me," Romeo glanced around on edge, then led Stirling through winding alleyways.

  "Luis, you don't even know about the drawbacks of Yearning Malice. Are you here just to seek pleasure from it?" Romeo nudged Stirling with a teasing look.

  "There was something unusual last night. Is this the so-called Yearning Malice?" Stirling asked.

  "It seems you've already experienced the power of Yearning Malice."

  "As you probably know, malice is another name for evil energy wave. And every day at midnight, Yearning Malice surges into the outer city. Exposure to it can trigger lust and deplete vital energy."

  "But you can also buy tranquilizing pills at the Yearning Palace stores. These will protect you from the torment of Yearning Malice. Of course, they're not cheap, or else I wouldn't be working so hard every day to earn money!"

  Romeo sighed.

  It was only at this moment that Stirling understood the complete story. All the residents of this city were being attacked by Yearning Malice every night. But they could buy tranquilizers to protect themselves from harm. Isn't this a trick like the Blood God Temple in Rock Village?

  "Luis, Luis!"

  Seeing Stirling falling into confusion, Romeo thought the Yearning Malice scared him. So, he hastily patted him on the shoulder. "Luis, don't panic too much. All shrines and temples are like this. Yearning Palace, which uses Yearning Malice as bait, is more merciful."

  "At least there's no immediate threat to life. There are even quite a few people who are never tired of it." Romeo said, shaking his tambourine.

  Hearing this, Stirling finally understood. Groups like the Blood God Temple focus on gathering resentful flesh and blood. Their goal is to sacrifice the entire village to gain power in a short period. Yearning Palace is using the thin stream's flow forever strategy.

  Although Yearning Malice appears here every night, it's fortunately short-lived. By the way, who has money, who has tranquilizer pills. It gives the residents hope. Even if they can't afford the medicine, they won't blame Yearning Palace. Instead, they blame themselves for not working hard enough.

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  This opportunity is fair to all people. Everyone is working hard to make money, so why are you too poor to buy medicine?

  Have you ever asked yourself if you're working hard enough?

  "Cunning, real cunning..." Stirling muttered to himself.

  "Luis, take my advice. The Yearning Malice tastes good, but it's harmful to your health. You're still very young. You should buy some tranquillizers." With that, Romeo rocked the tambourine out of the alley. Stirling, observing this, followed without a word.

  Returning to the street, Stirling noticed a shift in the surrounding vendors.

  Some fatigue still showed on their faces, but more so, a sense of helplessness and uncertainty.

  The hustle and bustle, the crowd of people, and the loud shouts made Stirling feel as if he was back on Earth. But the tired faces reminded him of reality.

  Survive, whatever. This thought cycled through Stirling's mind, and his gaze grew cold and tough.

  The two chatted along the way, one behind the other, until they finally arrived at Sean's Lounge half an hour later. This was a small, two-storey attic, apparently quite famous. When Stirling and Romeo showed up, quite a few people were already inside, enjoying snacks.

  "Mr. Romeo's here!"

  "Mr. Romeo, you have kept us waiting!"

  "Hurry, hurry!"

  Romeo seemed to be a celebrity here. His appearance set everyone in the lounge abuzz. Some even stood up and pulled Romeo in, urging him to start.

  "Don't rush, don't rush, I'm coming!" Romeo laughed in high spirits, then walked over to a small square table on the first floor and sat down. The table was already set with drinks and food. Romeo took a seat, took a sip from his cup, then tapped the tambourine and began:

  "Yesterday, I told the story of the disaster stars falling down from the sky. And they brought calamities to the Saxon Empire. Today, let's talk about the Legend of Ince, the Saxon Chief Samurai!"

  Stirling found a random table below the stage and listened to the legend. His expression immediately brightened. From Romeo's words, Stirling found out that the land here is the Saxon Empire, where Louis XVI was the emperor. The Saxon Empire ruled over twelve kingdoms for centuries, producing many talents. The samurai was the most prominent.

  Twelve years after Louis XVI ascended the throne, a calamity struck. Demonic gods and evil spirits surged from the heavens across the kingdoms. The Saxon Empire's century-old governance was on the verge of collapse. The source of the disaster claims to be gods, claiming to belong to the four palaces, one hundred and eight constellations in the sky...

  Stirling listened to Romeo's story, stunned for a moment, even forgetting to eat the fried cod on the table. He hadn't expected the world he'd traveled to was so complex and bizarre. But when he recalled the scenes he once saw in the ring, perhaps these stories were not so far-fetched.

  The audience was also into it and nodded repeatedly. It made Stirling feel that even if Romeo's words were exaggerated; they were not far off. After all, the simple bone ring he has might just be from the creator of this universe. That could be his secret trump card. If that's the case, am I also a worshipper of the Creator? He wondered haphazardly. Of course not. Although the ring granted me a superpower, it didn't lead me to treat humans like livestock. He then firmly denied it.

  So, the Yearning Palace is also one of the disaster stars, belonging to the Centaur Star. It is the actual governing body of the Monterey Kingdom. But under the banner, the Supreme Sect or the Divine Palace is their official name.

  After an entire morning, Stirling finally heard more about the Yearning Palace from the surrounding chatter. The Monterey Kingdom comprises thirty-nine counties, each with dozens of sub-districts. It's safe to say that no place is immune to the influence of Yearning Malice. The people of the outer states suffered even worse. When faced with a more severe calamity, cities were often destroyed.

  Saxon now existed in name only. Even with the imperial family in power in the central state, the other eleven states were out of control. The royal family could only send a few staffs to the cities, and it didn't work. The world was now a time of coexisting immortal palaces, each governed by its own separate laws. In fact, Stirling had traveled here at the height of this frenzy.

  Around noon, Romeo wrapped up his story, said goodbye to everyone, and got ready to head home.

  Stirling also stood up and called out to Romeo, "Mr. Romeo, I'm going to Yearning Stores to check things out. Excuse me, I won't be returning with you."

  "Alright, It seems you have decided. I will take my leave then."

  Romeo, as if expecting this, shook hands and said goodbye to Stirling. Then he took the tambourine, tucked it around his waist, and walked out of Sean's Lounge. Stirling looked at Romeo's back, then called the server to check the bill. After asking about the location of the Yearning Shop, he left the lounge.