They spent the rest of the day touring various spots around the city.
There were tons of food stalls scattered throughout the city which kept Jin and Luca filled with their various strange and delicious foods.
One such food was a strange looking green grub that had been skewered and grilled. It looked a bit off-putting but as Jin tried it after Luca's demonstration, he realized that it was extremely creamy and tasted like chestnut cream.
It still looked off-putting though. Though he knew that people on earth ate insects as well, he wasn't a regular diner of such things and was not used to it.
As for the other foods, the majority of it was the meat of low level beasts or cheap vegetables and fruits.
For dinner, Luca brought Jin to a very special restaurant near the center of the city.
It was a tall and majestic building, resembled Jin of the olden french buildings he had seen in pictures.
"Good evening sirs, do you have a reservation?" One of the two hosts stopped them before the door of the restaurant. It seemed like the reservation system existed in this world as well.
Without a word, Luca flashed the medallion by his chest which quickly startled the host.
"Ah! Forgive me for not noticing the Tiger Medallion, please enter." The host quickly bowed as he waved his hands and made the other host lead them in.
It was like a high-class salon that he had seen in the movies except that the air was filled with the smell of delicious food.
"Any small room with a window will do." Luca spoke.
"As you wish." The host then lead them up a flight of stairs before leading them into a small and cozy room where a small table was placed before a window that opened into the busy city center.
The host handed them the menus as Luca ordered the foods, as Jin still hadn't learnt to read the language of this world.
Luca noticed this and chuckled. "Reading isn't difficult to learn, it's just not that useful. If you really wish to learn, you'll be able to in the sect."
"Sect?" Jin was startled.
"Right. Chances are, once we meet Baek and she sees your potential in person. She will make you enter the main sect that's located on the other side of this mountain. You'll be able to learn various things there that I cannot teach and experience a lot more than you could if you sat in the small mountain village of ours." Luca explained.
"And you?" Jin asked.
"Well, I've never been a student of a sect. I've taught some students in the past but I was mostly a wandering cultivator. There are pros and cons to both things but it's always a better option to learn the basics from a proper organization." Luca spoke. "What took me many years to learn the hard way could be learned in a much simpler way in just a few years after all."
"Not that, if I enter the sect. What will happen to you?" Jin asked, remembering Luca's plans and ambitions.
"Ah. That..." Luca fell into silence for a moment. "Once we reach the family headquarters...We'll see what my future has for me."
"...Okay." Jin didn't ask no more, realizing the implications.
Worst case, Luca should be able to go back to the village whilst Jin stays in this city for a few years.
They chitchatted for a bit longer before a crew of waiters and chefs entered the small room with trays of food.
They neatly placed the various plates upon the table before bowing and leaving the two by themselves.
"Try them, they're all good I assure you."
Jin took a serving of a meat dish covered in a beige colored sauce before tasting it.
It was very delicious of course.
But there was something more.
He could feel heat expanding out from his stomach and radiating out into his body.
"Wha-" Jin felt a strange and soothing sensation as the heat permeated throughout his entire body.
"Haha. This might be the final gift I can give you for a long while if things go the way I think they will tomorrow. So savor it. These are all top quality meals with various heavenly medicine used as ingredients and will drastically help your bone quality increase." Luca chuckled. "It's all for you. Go on."
Jin, as touched as he is, stopped as he stared at Luca. "Why don't you eat? It's delicious, try some."
Luca shook his head as he responded. "I'm pretty full from the food stalls and these dishes won't have any effect on me. It's like pouring warm water into a sea of lava, the water won't make a bit of difference in the total heat level. As for you, you're like a cold ocean and this meal would benefit you greatly."
"Okay..." Jin nodded as he continued to eat.
It was strange eating while someone stared at you, Jin could almost feel the love and warmth that radiated out from Luca's eyes which made him uncomfortable.
But he was still very grateful and stuffed himself to the fullest as Luca helped him finish a few of the last dishes.
Jin spent the rest of the night in cultivation instead of sleep as he burned off the food that he had eaten. He could actually feel every bone in his body pulsating to the rhythm of his heartbeat as he continued to direct the heat into the bones.
And at the middle of the night.
Ka-Chak!
A tremendous amount of pain rushed throughout the entire body of Jin as he instantaneously passed out from the shock.
Thud!
Luca woke up after hearing the small noise before moving Jin into a bed with a smile and going back to sleep.
-----
Jin woke up to the morning light crashing into his face, still in a small amount of pain.
"Ugh..." He groaned as he got up.
Luca sat in a chair reading a book as he spoke up. "Congratulations on reaching the small success of bone."
!!!
"What? Oh... Was that pain the sign of entering small success?" Jin thought back to last night, hiding his shock and ecstasy.
"Yeah. Unlike the muscle and blood, the bone has a drastic effect when leaping through the stages." Luca looked up from his book as he smiled. "And that means you will have to face that pain two more times."
Jin shuddered at that thought before attempting to check his body.
"Don't bother. The bones don't give you a drastic change in active abilities. It just makes them much more durable so you can strain them more." Luca stood up as he continued. "Let's go, we should head up soon."
"Alright..." Jin quickly packed up his belongings and grabbed onto his bow as he followed Luca out into the city streets.
The city was still very busy despite it being early in the morning, as expected of course.
They made their way through the northern gates of the city before a staircase up the mountain greeted them alongside an entire troop of soldiers.
"Ah, sir Luca. Welcome back, why did you come back so soon?" The person at the very front, who looked like the captain, greeted Luca with a smile before speaking.
"Hey Tiedo. I'm not here for myself today but because of this kid here. Meet my son Jin." Luca pushed Jin in front of Tiedo as he spoke. "Jin, meet Tiedo. He's the head of the guards, befriend him for an easier time in and out of the family headquarters."
"Haha. Already teaching him your underhanded tricks I see." Tiedo chuckled. "Hey Jin, welcome to Whitepeak."
"Hello." Jin bowed as he noticed the strange hatches that were attached onto Tiedo's belt.
Tiedo noticed Jin's gaze as he picked one of them up before juggling it. "I use the these throwing axes when I'm on guard duty. Good for close to medium range combat and even long range as well if you have good aim."
"Alright, we're going to head through. There's no issues right?" Luca spoke.
"Woah. We still have to do a mandatory search, come on Luca." Tiedo stopped them before signing with his other hand.
Two soldiers quickly approached them before checking all the gear and belongings they had before giving an okay.
"Alright, good to go. Don't be a stranger now." Tiedo smiled as he sent them off.
Luca nodded as he led Jin up the long flight of stairs.
Trees and various plants surrounded the stone stairs, hundreds of steps that they took a step by step.
'...The sun's going to set just going up these bloody stairs.' Jin, weird out by such a long flight of steps, grumbled inwardly as he followed Luca.
Silver lining, at least it was good training for his lower body.