“Please enlighten me!”
Chen Zheng was no longer in a hurry to leave, and said with a polite smile.
The steward cupped his hands: “No problem, I am Huang Yong, the logistics steward on this Flying Ship. May I know Young Master’s name?”
“Chen Zheng!” Chen Zheng replied.
“What a good name!”
Huang Yong praised him, then took out a silver-white card and handed it to Chen Zheng, smiling: “My Huang family has Spirit Medicine shops in the Imperial Capital. If Young Master Chen ever needs anything, you can use this card to purchase items at an 80% discount across the entire store!”
Seeing Chen Zheng nod and accept it, Huang Yong continued: “These fourth-Rank seats all provide Spirit Food! Among them, the Grade A Spirit Food is the best; one meal of Spirit Food can equate to a full day of ordinary Cultivation! Grade B Spirit Food can equate to half a day’s work! Grade C Spirit Food can equate to several hours of work, and even the worst Grade D Spirit Food is of considerable benefit to Cultivation!”
Chen Zheng asked in surprise: “Eating one meal can equate to a full day’s work?”
Huang Yong smiled: “Exactly! You must know that the cost of making one meal of Grade A Spirit Food alone is no less than 50,000 gold coins! Only because Xuanlin Academy is so wealthy can it provide such benefits to new students!”
The more Chen Zheng listened, the more surprised he became.
According to what Huang Yong said, there was one meal each for breakfast, lunch, and dinner on the Flying Ship!
Just the Grade A Spirit Food alone would cost at least nearly a million gold coins a day. This could no longer be described as wealthy; it was simply burning money!
“Previous years did not have such treatment; only this year is special! You all are quite lucky to have caught a good time…” Huang Yong said with a chuckle, as if implying something.
Chen Zheng cupped his fists, thanked him, and turned to walk towards the dining hall.
With such a good thing, he naturally wouldn't miss out!
Because his foundation was built too strongly, the consumption required for him to Breakthrough was several times that of ordinary people!
In short!
He was very short on money!
Inside the dining hall, small tables were arranged. From the outside, there was no difference, but each table had different plaques labeled “A, B, C, D”.
The five “A” tables placed at the very front occupied the most space, signifying their special status!
The “D” tables at the back were almost pressed together, and if one was stout, eating might be a bit awkward.
And behind the “D” tables, there was an empty space. In the center of the empty space, a large basket was placed, filled with white steamed buns, emitting a faint warmth. These were the foods prepared for the “unseated” Prodigies.
At this time, more and more people poured into the dining hall.
They were basically Prodigies from the three Great Cities of Mang City, Yun City, and Yan City. Because they boarded the Flying Ship earlier, they already understood the rules and had already assigned their seats. As soon as they arrived at the dining hall, they took their respective seats.
The late-arriving Yan City Prodigies were bewildered. When they tried to take a seat, they were forced back by the fierce gazes of Prodigies from other Great Cities.
At this moment, a plump man, holding a large ladle like a chef, walked in, followed by many staff members.
Some carried large buckets, some carried trays, all covered with lids, making it impossible to see what was inside.
Thump thump thump!
The chef struck the iron bucket with his large ladle, making a sound that drew everyone’s attention.
“Since there are new people today, I will repeat the rules again…”
Chen Zheng had already known what the chef was saying, so he didn’t listen carefully. He went directly to a Grade A seat and randomly found a spot to sit down.
The other Yan City Prodigies’ eyes immediately lit up when they heard about the effects of the Spirit Food!
“Those without seats! Do you see the basket over there? That is your food! But remember, you can only eat within the dining hall!”
As soon as these words came out, the Yan City Prodigies’ hearts sank.
Others sat and ate Spirit Food, while they squatted and gnawed on steamed buns. This was too damaging to their Face!
As if seeing everyone’s thoughts, the chef sneered: “If you feel ashamed, you can try to snatch a seat! If you have no ability and are overly particular, you can choose to go hungry! However, apart from these three meals a day, the Flying Ship will not provide any other food! You all should consider carefully!”
As the chef’s words fell, the Yan City Prodigies were still hesitating, but a few Prodigies from other cities silently walked towards the basket, picked up a steamed bun, and stuffed it into their mouths.
Martial Artists have large appetites!
If they ate too slowly, they wouldn’t even get a steamed bun!
“Spirit Food will be distributed in ten minutes. Those who want to snatch a seat, hurry up.” The chef struck the iron bucket, reminding everyone loudly.
In the crowd, the Acquired Seventh-Rank Yan City Prodigy did not hesitate and walked straight towards the basket. He had already accepted the reality! An Acquired Seventh-Rank, in Yan City, might be considered a Genius, but on this Flying Ship, he was at the very bottom! If he wanted to safely reach the Imperial Capital, he shouldn't care about Face!
The others also began to take action.
Tian Yilin glanced at Chen Zheng, who was sitting in a Grade A seat, and a cold sneer appeared at the corner of his mouth.
“This trash! Doesn’t he understand the principle of the gun striking the bird that sticks out?”
There were only five seats in total, and Tian Yilin felt that it would never be Chen Zheng’s turn to sit there!
Shaking his head, he led Zhu Hai directly towards a Grade B table.
“Get up!”
He approached a Yun City Prodigy.
The Yun City Prodigy was about to get angry when he heard Tian Yilin say indifferently: “I am Tian Yilin, and my second uncle is Marquis Wuji!”
The Yun City Prodigy’s expression changed slightly, and he sullenly moved aside.
Tian Yilin then looked at another person next to him: “You get up too!”
That person also didn’t waste words and directly gave up his seat.
Tian Yilin sat down first, then patted the spot next to him: “Brother Zhu, sit!”
Zhu Hai sat down, full of gratitude: “Thank you, Brother Tian!”
Tian Yilin smiled: “We are brothers, don’t mention such things. I said, if you are loyal to me, I will certainly not treat you unfairly!”
Zhu Hai asked in a low voice: “Brother Tian, why don’t you sit in a Grade A seat?”
Tian Yilin’s smile stiffened, and he said self-righteously: “It’s not that I can’t sit there; it’s just that my father reminded me early on to try and keep a low profile throughout the journey!”
Zhu Hai looked enlightened: “I see!”
“Mm!”
Tian Yilin nodded.
But in reality, those who could sit in the top five seats were all proud and exceptionally talented individuals. What if they weren’t willing to give up their seats to him? Wouldn’t that be awkward?
A Grade B seat! It was the safest option!
He looked back at Chen Zheng and sneered: “Look at that trash! He has a little bit of ability and doesn’t know his place! Is that a seat he can sit in? He’s simply asking for humiliation!”
No sooner had Tian Yilin finished speaking than he saw Dongfang Wuque leading a group of people directly towards the Grade A seats.
“Look quickly! That kid is going to be unlucky!”
Tian Yilin was instantly filled with excitement.
Relying on his identity as Marquis Wuji’s nephew, Tian Yilin had gathered a lot of useful information from others. On this Flying Ship, the most powerful and strongest force was this group of people from Yan City!
Moreover, it was said that Dongfang Wuque had an extremely arrogant personality. Since Chen Zheng occupied their seat, a conflict was bound to arise between the two parties.
“Surname Chen! Don’t you understand the rules? This seat belongs to our Young City Lord! Get up quickly!”
Behind Dongfang Wuque, the thick-browed young man coldly reprimanded.
Tian Yilin’s eyes lit up.
“Indeed! Haha! That kid is dead for sure!”
Just as Tian Yilin was excitedly anticipating, he saw the “extremely arrogant” Dongfang Wuque say with a hearty smile: “Haha… No matter, no matter! There are five seats after all! Where one sits doesn’t matter, does it? Since Brother Chen likes this seat, then it’s yours!”
Tian Yilin’s smile froze, and he immediately felt as uncomfortable as if he had swallowed a fly.