The Female CEO's Personal Bodyguard

Chapter 2521 Power Projection, Monopolistic Operation

Lin Chen wasn't the only one to enter the restaurant; the middle-aged man who hadn't interacted with the others also chose to go in.

Lin Chen and the man exchanged a glance. Lin Chen nodded as a greeting, but the man did not respond. He turned around and went into the dining room.

The dining hall was large and filled with guests. To Lin Chen's surprise, most of them looked tired and weak, and many even had bloody wounds on their bodies.

Many people were enjoying the food they had bought, while some had already put down their chopsticks, sat cross-legged, and closed their eyes, seemingly taking the time to practice their internal energy to heal their injuries.

There were still many empty seats in the dining room, but Lin Chen glanced around and walked towards a middle-aged man who looked exhausted.

The man sat alone at a table in the corner. His robe was torn in several places, with dried bloodstains visible at the tears. It looked weathered and quite old. He frowned, his face full of sorrow, and he closed his eyes without saying a word.

Lin Chen walked up to the man and smiled, "Fellow Daoist, could we share a table?"

The man opened his eyes, glanced quickly at the almost brand-new robe, and frowned, saying, "New here, huh? Trying to find out something?"

Lin Chen readily admitted, "Judging from your appearance, you must have lived here for quite some time. I'm new here and just wanted to ask around. Don't worry, I won't waste your time."

Lin Chen took out a small porcelain bottle and handed it to the man: "I see that you have a deficiency of qi and blood and many hidden injuries. This is a blood-clotting pill that can help you treat your hidden injuries and restore your condition."

The man's eyes lit up slightly. He reached out, took the porcelain bottle, examined it, and put it away: "Ask away."

Lin Chen gestured with his chin around: "This is a restaurant, so why are all the people eating here injured? Shouldn't they go directly to the clinic? Is there a clinic here?"

The man answered decisively, "What the Kuta Sea needs most are elixirs. Healing and recovery elixirs are consumed the fastest. Although the Kuta Sea also produces a lot of medicinal herbs, there are definitely not enough materials to refine them into elixirs."

"These people have all used up all the pills they have, and have been eroded by the spiritual energy tides for a long time, or even directly injured by the violent tides. Without medicine to heal their wounds, they come here to eat a medicinal meal, which is a way to prolong their lives at a low cost."

Lin Chen asked in surprise, "This restaurant sells medicinal cuisine?"

The man replied, "Yes, it has a special effect on the recovery of people injured by the spiritual energy tide. The effect is not as good as some pills, but because the price is low, it is the first choice for many poor people. They eat a medicinal meal, recover, and then continue to suffer. They go to the seabed to collect pearls or other valuable things, sell them, and then buy medicinal meals or pills. In short, it's all about suffering. If you can't suffer, you will die."

"Those exiled here will try to bring as many pills and spirit stones as possible. Of course, it depends on the length of time. If it's just a common crime, like one or two years, and their strength and willpower aren't too bad, they can endure it as long as they can. If the time is too long, there's no problem if they're strong enough. But if their strength isn't high and their sentence is too long, they'll most likely die here."

Lin Chen asked, "Fifty thousand spirit stones per portion, is that considered cheap?" The man sighed and said, "If it were outside, the price would definitely not be expensive, but this is the Ku Tuo Sea, there is no land, only a vast ocean. Although there are medicinal herbs in the ocean, they are difficult to collect and there are too few varieties, so they are definitely not enough for alchemy."

As they were talking, their food was served. Lin Chen glanced at it and saw a bowl of meat dishes, a plate of seaweed vegetables, and a bowl of soup with a strong medicinal flavor.

"Time is limited, let's eat first!"

The man picked up his chopsticks and began to wolf down his food. Seeing this, Lin Chen stopped asking questions and also picked up his chopsticks and started eating.

Lin Chen himself is an alchemist and also knows medicine. After tasting them, he confirmed that all three dishes were medicinal cuisine. Whether it was stewed meat or seaweed, they all had medicinal effects. However, the most effective one was the soup whose ingredients were not visible. It had a strong medicinal taste. Lin Chen could distinguish two kinds, but there were also some he could not distinguish.

Lin Chen was not injured and was in high spirits, so he didn't need to eat or drink. After all, the food was hardly gourmet. He moved the dishes closer to the man and placed the bowl of soup in front of him.

"I just arrived and I'm not hungry yet. Could you drink this soup for me? Don't waste it."

The man paused for a moment, then looked up and asked, "How long are you going to stay?"

"One year."

The man nodded slowly: "It won't be long. No matter how difficult it is, just persevere and it will pass."

Lin Chen nodded and pushed the soup bowl two more inches away.

The man glanced at the soup bowl, his voice suddenly becoming low and muffled, as if it were coming from his nose.

"Thank you!"

Lin Chen withdrew his hand, turned his gaze away, and refused to look at the man who continued to wolf down his food.

He only needs to find someone to ask questions; whether he asks inside or outside the restaurant is fine.

How do I perceive the external spiritual energy tides?
Lin Chen has plenty of methods, and more than one...

(End of this chapter)