The Golden Throne

As they were strolling, Liu Feng finally faced the biggest problem of a woman.

(NO OFFENCE INTENDED. THIS IS JUST A STEREOTYPE AND IT IS NOT INTENDED TO TARGET THE ENTIRE DEMOGRAPHIC OF THE FEMALE GENDER)

They were at the market, and it seemed impossible to distract Amelia from the various clothes and jewelry that were being sold there.

"This is all not real gold! There is a reason why it is so cheap. I can take you to an actual clothing store and jewelry store later. This is the first day that you are here. Why do you want to waste it on looking at clothes?", Liu Feng said. he was speaking very politely now, but inside, he was screaming. He did not understand anyone's obsession about clothing. Shoes, he understood. Watches, he understood. Even jewelry, he understood. But spending so much time on clothes, was something that truly baffled Liu Feng.

"Just, please don't buy anything now. Let us look at everything else in the market, and then maybe tomorrow or the day after, you can come here on your leisure time, and buy whatever you want. You even have your own personal carry bad with you.", Liu Feng said, pointing ack to an empty space. For an instance, a black shadow flickered there.

"You have got to stop doing that! It will trouble my shadow guards, and they will think that the real threat is you.", she said.

"Well you are certainly concerned about your guards. You are right to be. If they ever attack me, they are going to have a big problem.", he said laughing.

Then, Amelia looked at another store. Liu Feng wanted to stop her, but he couldn't. 

After a while, they were strolling through the market, when Liu Feng caught a whiff of the noodles that were being freshly made in the corner. Liu Feng's stomach grumbled. He took a look at the line, but saw that it was too big.

"Hungry already? We just ate at the train!", Amelia laughed.

"Well, lettuce is ninety nine percent water. Salads are not filling at all. Let us go to a restaurant first. I am famished, and I am positive you are too, even if you don't feel it now."

"Speak for yourself. We are experts at controlling our energy consumption. Unlike you humans, we do much more productive things in our free time.", Amelia retorted.

They went to the biggest restaurant in town, Diogenes. It seemed that Liu Feng was clearly a huge fan of Sherlock Holmes, to name the restaurant after sherlock's brother's restaurant chain. It was a five story building, quite extravagant for a restaurant actually. When Liu Feng and Amelia stepped in, a waiter arrived to greet them. He was about to say something when he saw their simple clothing, and their masks. 

He said coldly, "Can you even afford it here? Every dish here costs at least three coppers. Your clothes are not worth that much, and neither are you probably."

It seemed that even in Liu Feng's own utopian paradise, a few leeched had crept in. Liu Feng tried so hard to get people in the city to dispel this absurd thought in their head to treat the poor lower than others.

Liu Feng fell crestfallen. "Well, every place in the world is bound to be filled with people like you. I was foolish to think that I could possibly eliminate people like you, leeches. Well, all I can do is force you to stop with a display of power, maybe.", he mumbled. He was disappointed in himself for believing in the fairy tale that every one in his city was a nice person.

Liu Feng took Amelia's hand and went up the stairs. The waiter tried to stop them.

"The higher floors are reserved for important guests. You can't go there. Forget even going there. You probably can't even afford the least expensive food here. What are you even doing here?", the waiter said, rudely.

"Just wait a moment.", Liu Feng held his hand against the waiter, and started rummaging through his pockets. "Ah! Found it.", he said and took out a card out. It was golden, and it had a seal of a crown, with an Ouroboros logo around it.

Liu Feng flashed the golden card at him, and the waiter went silent. His eyes widened when he saw the symbol on it. He then bowed down immediately and apologized, "I am terribly sorry not to recognize you, Young Lord. My eyes were behind my back for not recognizing your greatness when he was right in front of me. Please forgive me."

"Oh yes. I forgive you. You will be leaving this restaurant with your head still on. Leave this place. You no longer work here. Call your manager."

Trembling, the waiter rushed away, and came back with a middle aged woman.

"Young Lord! Why has his highness graced us today?"

"Fire this waiter. He has offended me today, and more importantly, he has stopped me from going up even though I am practically starving. What should I do about him? Well then, do what you have to. I am going to eat."

Liu Feng took Amelia to the fourth floor. There were a few people there, that was all. This floor was clearly one of the highest floors, and was only available for the more important V I P s. 

"Why not the fifth level? I am sure that you have access there?", Amelia asked with curiosity.

"Well, the fifth floor is way too quiet. I don't like it like that. There should be at least a few people so that it does not feel that we are all alone.", Liu Feng responded, while he was looking around the floor for a nice place to eat. He then spotted a nice table for two near the windows. He pointed to that table and asked Amelia, "Would you prefer to see the street or just tables?"

"Well the street, of course. What kind of question is that?"

"Well, there are people who prefer otherwise, and I just wanted to make sure that you were not one of them."

They took a seat at one of the window seats, and Liu Feng hit the bell that was at the center of each table. A waiter came in, different from the one that greeted them in the beginning.

"Hello Sir, Madam. As a protocol, please show your membership card."

"Alright. It is in there somewhere.", Liu Feng said as he rubbed his spatial ring. He put his hands below the table so that no one could see them, and he took out a golden card. This card was a little different. It had the engravings if an olive tree on it. He took it out and showed it to the waiter.

The waiter took the card and turned the card to look at the embossed letters and numbers.

"Welcome back, Young Lord. I will be your personal server for this evening. Today's specials are-"

"Just bring us the whole platter of vegetarian food that is available. I mean everything. I want Prateek to personally cook for us. It has been a while since I ate something good. I want it to be the best thing I have eaten this time around. As you can see, I have company to impress."

The waiter nodded and went inside. Liu Feng and Amelia had to wait now. After ten to fifteen minutes, Amelia was getting a little impatient.

"How much longer do we have to wait? The train got everything ready in a few minutes.", she said, her head down.

"So, are you feeling the problems with salad now? A whiff of something good, and your stomach is growling, just begging for more food. Now, how are the elves more energy efficient, I wonder?", Liu Feng said, taunting her.

"Just shut up. It is your fault. I thought that the salad was supposed to be dinner."

"Dinner? Dinner is the biggest meal of the day! I said that it would be nice to wat something because I wanted my tongue to get rid of the horrible after taste of the school canteen.", Liu Feng clarified.

"I don't care about all of that. How much longer will I be waiting?", she repeated.

"That was a salad. This is all exotic food that takes time to prepare. Now, eating this will prove difficult with a fork and spoon, so follow me when I eat. It is the traditional and proper way to eat. You can take off your masks now too."

Liu Feng and Amelia took off their masks, and continued to wait. Meanwhile at the other table,

"Brother, look at that beauty. If I can have her, my life is fulfilled."

"Are you an idiot? They came to the fourth floor, which means that they have to be nobility somewhere. You can't just take someone like that. We are in a very different city. In this city, for some reason, the security is higher, especially around that mage tower. Those goddamned a** holes took most of our merchandise for themselves, and they are showing them off."

"Come on! I helped you out with that Baron's daughter right. Help me out here. Just kill the boy and get the girl, then we will get out of here. The guards can't do anything here."

The other man nodded. Both of them got up and went to Liu Feng's seat.

"Hey kid. Piss off. Girl, stay. We want to have a nice talk with you.", the first man said, his eyes shining lecherously.