The Female CEO's Personal Bodyguard

Chapter 2521: Power Projection, Monopolistic Operation

Entering the restaurant wasn’t only Carson Flores; the middle-aged man who had kept to himself also chose to enter.

Carson Flores exchanged a glance with the man, nodded as a greeting, but the man gave no response and headed straight into the dining hall.

The dining hall was large, filled with numerous guests. To Carson Flores’s surprise, most of them appeared fatigued and weak, with many bearing fresh, bleeding wounds.

Several individuals were devouring the dishes they had purchased, while others had set down their chopsticks, sitting cross-legged with eyes closed, seemingly seizing the moment for cultivation practice to heal their wounds.

There were still quite a few empty seats in the dining hall, but Carson Flores scanned around and walked toward a weary-looking middle-aged man.

The man sat alone at a corner table, his robe had several tears and dried bloodstains could be seen, looking weatherworn and quite old. He was frowning, full of worries, with closed eyes, silent.

Carson Flores approached the man and smiled, "Fellow, may I share the table with you?"

The man opened his eyes, glanced quickly at the almost brand-new robe, and frowned, "New here, looking for information?"

Carson Flores admitted candidly, "Judging by your appearance, you must have lived here for quite some time. I’m new, and I want to learn a bit. Rest assured, your time won’t be wasted for nothing."

Carson Flores took out a small porcelain bottle and handed it to the man, "I can see that you’re suffering from blood loss and many internal injuries. This is a Blood Coagulation Pill, and it can help treat your internal wounds and restore your condition."

The man’s eyes lit up slightly, reached for the bottle, inspected it, and then put it away, "Ask away."

Carson Flores gestured at the surroundings with his chin, "This is a restaurant, why are most people eating here injured? They should go to a medical hall instead, is there a medical hall here?"

The man answered straightforwardly, "In the Suffering Pray Sea, what’s most needed is elixirs. The consumption of healing and restorative elixirs is incredibly high. Though some marine-produced herbs exist in the Suffering Pray Sea, they aren’t enough to fabricate elixirs."

"These people have exhausted their elixirs, been eroded by Spiritual Energy tides for a long time, and even directly injured by violent tides. Without healing medicines, they come here for medicinal food, a lower-cost method to barely hang on to life."

Carson Flores asked in surprise, "Does the restaurant sell medicinal food?"

The man replied, "Yes, it’s specifically effective for recovery from injuries caused by Spiritual Energy tides. Its effects aren’t as good as certain elixirs, but given the lower cost, it’s a preferred choice for many impoverished individuals. They consume the medicinal food, regain some strength, continue enduring, dive into the sea to collect clam pearls or other valuable items, sell them to buy more medicinal food or elixirs. In short, it’s all about enduring—those who can’t hold on will die."

"Those exiled here bring as many elixirs and Spirit Stones as possible, of course, depending on the sentence duration. For petty crimes lasting one or two years, with decent strength and willpower, a person might endure. But for prolonged sentences, if one’s strength is formidable, it’s not an issue. If their strength isn’t high and the sentence is too long, they likely won’t survive."

Carson Flores asked, "Fifty thousand Spirit Stones per serving, is that considered cheap?"

The man sighed, "Outside, it wouldn’t be expensive, but here in the Suffering Pray Sea, there’s no land, only vast sea. While there are herbs in the sea, gathering them is challenging, and their types are few, certainly insufficient for alchemy."

While they were talking, their meals were served. Carson Flores glanced down to see a bowl of meat, a portion of seaweed-like vegetables, and a bowl of soup with a rather strong medicinal aroma.

"Time is limited, let’s eat!"

The man picked up his chopsticks and began devouring the food ravenously. Seeing this, Carson Flores paused his inquiries and picked up his chopsticks to eat.

Being an Alchemist and knowledgeable in medical practice himself, Carson Flores tasted the dishes and confirmed that all three were medicinal foods. Whether the stew or the seaweed, each had medicinal effects, but the most effective was the soup, whose ingredients were unrecognizable, containing a strong medicinal aroma; Carson Flores could discern two of them, but there were also some he couldn’t distinguish.

Not being injured and fully energized, Carson Flores naturally didn’t need to eat or drink, given the taste wasn’t exactly gourmet. He nudged the dish toward the man and placed the soup bowl in front of him.

"I’ve just arrived, not hungry. Drink this soup for me, don’t let it go to waste."

The man hesitated slightly, then lifted his head, "How long are you staying?"

"One year."

The man nodded slowly, "Then it’s not long. No matter how difficult, just persevere and it’ll be over."

Carson Flores nodded, nudging the soup bowl slightly closer to the man.

The man glanced at the soup bowl, his voice suddenly deep and nasal, somewhat muffled.

"Thank you!"

Carson Flores pulled his hand back, diverted his gaze, avoiding watching the man continue to eat ravenously.

All he needed was someone who could answer questions, whether it was inside or outside the restaurant.

What about the Spiritual Energy tides outside?

Carson Flores had plenty of methods, more than one...