It was a hot reddish-colored soup mixed with different vegetables. Steam was rising from the soup, giving it a delicious look.
Elsie took a sip of the soup "Umm… it's tasty," Elsie replied.
Looking at Elsie, Winifred's curiosity grew to taste the soup. 'But it still looks hot,' Winifred thought, watching the steam rising from the soup.
"The soup is not that hot; don't believe in the steam," Elsie said, looking towards Winifred. Hearing Elsie, Winifred took a sip of the soup. "Umm… it's tasty," Winifred replied after tasting it.
"Well, it's my honor to hear that," said the man Winifred thought was a waiter, standing near her.
"When did he get here?" Winifred thought, looking towards the man.
"Please tell me or Faye if you need anything," the man added, pointing towards the cat-eyed girl who had just served Winifred and Elsie. The man left after saying that.
Winifred looked towards Faye, the girl who greeted them and served the food. The girl was working in the restaurant, placing tables in the right positions and organizing chairs. Winifred was curious about the animal-like people, so she tried to observe Faye. While Winifred was looking at Faye, Faye suddenly looked back at her with no emotion in her eyes. Seeing Faye look back, Winifred quickly averted her gaze and started drinking the soup, pretending she hadn't been staring.
"I know dog and cat people you've never seen in your world, but they are sharp people with animal strength, too. Their senses are sharp as well," Elsie said, trying to talk and eat at the same time. Hearing Elsie's funny voice coming from her talking and eating, Winifred tried to hide her laugh.
"Okay, I understand," Winifred replied with a smile.
After finishing their meal, Winifred and Elsie started walking through the market outside the restaurant. While walking, Elsie told Winifred about the four types of currency used in this world: gold, silver, bronze coins, and the fourth one, magic paper notes, which were mostly used as higher currency. The most valuable was the magic paper notes and gold coins, while the least important was the bronze coin. Silver was a mid-range currency.
While walking in the first circle of the city, Elsie explained the importance of each currency. "Today, we'll only walk in the first circle. Then, second, third, and finally, I'll show you the fourth one," Elsie said.
Hearing Elsie, Winifred remembered seeing the city divided into many parts from above, with each circle having its own specialty and importance.
"Let's do some shopping now, okay?" Elsie said, smiling at Winifred. Winifred was still holding Elsie's hand, following wherever she went.
Suddenly, Winifred noticed the area they were entering was different. The farther they went, the more the shops started changing. This area had shops selling different clothes, weapons, and items to go with them.
Elsie brought Winifred to various clothing shops, buying different kinds of clothes. After buying three bags of clothes, Winifred and Elsie started walking again in a circular path, heading to another area.
"Why don't you buy something for yourself too? You've bought all these clothes for me," Winifred asked, carrying two bags in her hands.
Carrying another bag, Elsie smiled and replied,"I have enough clothes, and we came here to buy clothes for you, not for me."
Winifred noticed the area they were entering had more bookstores and shops selling different magical items. Her eyes suddenly caught sight of a store where many animals were captured in cages. As Elsie stopped at the store, Winifred looked at the animals, which were unlike any she had ever seen.
The store was gigantic, and the animals inside were both massive and small. Guards patrolled the store, and some people in different clothes and weapons were also entering.
One animal looked like a dog but was the size of an elephant, leaving Winifred shocked. Her eyes then caught sight of a woman in the store—a snake-like lady with a female upper body and a gigantic snake lower body. She carried a large spear in her hand and another on her back. As the snake lady moved between the cages, the animals cowered in fear.
"She must have done something bad to the animals; that's why they're so afraid of her," Winifred said, watching the snake lady and the animals' reactions.
"Yeah, maybe. But it's not just her. Look at the spear on her back. It has a mana stone attached at the top, which helps her control the animals," Elsie replied, pointing to the spear.
"Do you think all these animals are dangerous?" Elsie asked.
"I don't know. Maybe some of them are, and some are not. But they probably captured them for selling or cooking purposes," Winifred replied, a bit saddened by the thought of innocent animals being imprisoned.
Hearing Winifred, Elsie smiled and said, "I know you're not like most others who judge only what they see. Yes, there are some innocent animals here, too. Don't worry about them; you'll free them in the future as one of your tests."
"What…!" Winifred exclaimed in shock.
"Let's go. We need to buy books for you," Elsie said with a smile, continuing to walk. Winifred, still holding Elsie's hand, followed.
"So, I'm going to release them in the future as my test?" Winifred asked curiously.
"Yes, it will be a good test. You can learn so much from it," Elsie said with a smile.
'She's right, though…' Winifred thought.
"But it will be a crime, right? Releasing them?" Winifred asked while walking with Elsie.
"Yes, but if you see something bad, you should do something good, isn't that right?" Elsie asked, smiling.
"Yes," Winifred replied awkwardly.
"And you'll have to do it so that no one sees you. Otherwise, you'll become a wanted person, and soldiers will capture you. You'll never get admission to school. So, make sure to learn as much as possible and become strong enough," Elsie said with a smile.
"Hearing Elsie , Winifred was shocked. After walking a bit, she said confidently, with a smile on her face, 'I will release them since it's my test. I will clear it.'"