In the morning, they finally arrived at Chengdu, the biggest city in Sichuan Province. Still, they couldn't rest yet. Leo immediately gave instructions to his group.
"Jessica, get the necessary material to build a base. Analyze the market to get the cheapest price and double our funds if possible. Have Chiaki to help you move all of them if needed."
"Understood. I have enough knowledge about Murim now, so I think I can negotiate well." Jessica nodded, but suddenly raised her hand as if she remembered something before asking him. "Where should we build our base?"
"Anywhere. Choose an empty area for now. The farther from the slum the better. We don't want to bother the Beggar Sect and make them think we're stealing their clients."
"Affirmative."
Two girls immediately took off to fulfill their task given by him, leaving him and the three members behind. Seeing this, Leo continued to give the other three instructions as well.
"The three of you feel free to go around the city. Use the 5 Golds given by Jessica to have fun. We don't need to do anything for now."
"You're the best, Leader." Jack grinned as he looked at Shui. "You want to have a drink competition? Let's see who can find the best alcohol in this city."
"Heh." Shui smirked smugly at his suggestion. "Can you even spot a good alcohol?"
Both of them left while bickering with each other playfully.
Leo sighed slightly and looked at Anya.
"Do you want to do something specific? I will allow it as long as you don't get into trouble."
"Then I will find a place to eat meat. There are many restaurants here but I will make sure that my appetite is sated."
"Go ahead."
As he watched Anya run away quickly toward the city with a smile on her face, Leo let out a breath. He was finally alone. Getting surrounded by his subordinates made him feel anxious at times like these.
And since this was their first time in this world, it would take some time before they acclimated to this world's atmosphere and became used to its environment.
"The sun is too strong." He muttered while looking up to the sky and feeling the warm sunlight shining down on his skin.
Without any pollution from his original world, this world's atmosphere seemed clearer and fresher than before as if he had just come back from the countryside. It was quite refreshing and relaxing when compared to his previous home which was always cloudy and cold due to air pollution.
He shielded his eyes with his hands as he looked at the blue sky above him while enjoying the sensation of warm breeze touching his skin.
'This is a good place.' He thought to himself with a content sigh escaping from his lips as he looked down toward the bustling city in front of him.
Fishing into his inner suit's pocket, he pulled out red-tinted sunglasses and wore them. His eyes weren't used to such bright sunlight without an artificial lighting system like in his old world, so he decided to use some accessory to lessen the amount of light hitting his pupils directly.
'Let's do some scouting first.'
With his intention set, he took a step forward and walked toward the city's direction. He stood out like a sore thumb due to his clothes, but he had no intention to change it. His suit was comfortable and classy.
More than that, he knew that he had to stand out to be a mercenary. It would make him and his group easily recognizable. Their unfamiliarity would become their signature that no one could replicate.
And there was something that he also needed to do...
'I want to have a drink. Maybe accompanied with good meat. I haven't had any real meat yet, so I look forward to tasting it.'
He chuckled when he remembered Anya's remark. It wasn't something rare, but he felt like drinking a good liquor today.
Five Gold coins clanged when they hit each other. The value of these Golds were a lot. Eating a whole menu in a restaurant in Chengdu would only need 5 Silvers, which was half the value of one Gold. It was a lot when he thought about it carefully.
'Maybe I should head to the Butterfly Pavilion.'
Remembering a certain place that was famous in the novel, Leo decided to try it out. After all, it was mentioned a lot by some characters that he recalled quite clearly. It would be a waste if he didn't try it at least once in his life.
'I need to have fun too now that I am here. Life is short and it's better to live it without regret. Especially in a dangerous world like this.' He thought to himself as he started to walk while observing his surroundings like an ordinary tourist.
He nodded to people who greeted him with respect while passing them. Some people were just curious about him.
The Butterfly Pavilion was located near the red light district. He could see several women with beautiful faces, exposing their cleavages in seductive and revealing clothing. Some even got pretty courageous and pulled some men's sleeves.
Leo ignored them and walked forward without stopping until he reached his destination, a large building with a golden door and twin butterfly wings statues on its side. This was the reason why this building was called the Butterfly Pavilion.
From outside, he could already hear music coming from the inside, along with laughter and cheering. A smile appeared on his face as he walked to the entrance.
Two guards who stood near the entrance suddenly flinched and raised their sticks.
"H-Hold on, state your business here."
Leo stopped and looked at them. He was confused why he was suddenly stopped.
"What's wrong?" He asked politely, taking off his sunglasses. "I am just here to eat and drink. I heard that Butterfly Pavilion accepts every guest as long as they have money. But... Why are you stopping me?"
Both guards gulped nervously as they pointed their sticks toward him and exclaimed loudly at him with a stuttering voice.
"Y-You're suspicious!" One guard said while stepping forward. "We can't allow you in."
"That's unreasonable." He shrugged his shoulders. "Why should I be suspected by you? Look at eyes. I am just an honest man who wants to taste the heavenly food from Butterfly Pavilion. But now I have a change in mind. The rumor about their perfect hospitality seems to be exaggerated."
His calm and polite tone made both guards flustered as they didn't know what to say in response to him. They were troubled. They didn't know what got into them, but they just knew that this person was dangerous.
At that moment...
"What's with this commotion here?"