Chapter 63

It had been half a day since they left Ellington. The midday sun was scorching, and even the hardworking coachman had to seek shade, stopping the carriage under a tree for a brief rest.

Tang En, holding his sore bottom, walked down from the carriage with a strange expression.

Although he had traveled through time in a carriage before, he hadn't sat for so long. Today was his first time sitting in a carriage for such an extended period.

Just one morning, and his bones felt like they were about to fall apart.

"Clearly, with such a long history of civilization, they haven't even solved the problem of carriage suspension..."

Tang En smiled bitterly, realizing he would have to tackle this issue himself. Although there were no rubber trees around Ellington, he could still make springs. Even without tire suspension, the carriage frame would be much more comfortable with springs.

Putting this thought aside, Tang En opened the package Fiona had prepared for him and sighed again.

Black bread, ham, and fresh milk.

It had been over half a month since he arrived in Plandar, and most of what he ate was bread, roasted meat, ham, and a mixed vegetable soup...

To be honest, at first, the pollution-free food tasted quite good, but after a while, Tang En began to miss the delicious food from Earth. Even without mentioning the mouth-watering Sichuan hotpot or copper pot lamb, a simple tomato and egg stir-fry would probably make him drool.

Unfortunately, he hadn't found tomatoes yet, though there were plenty of eggs...

Chili peppers, Sichuan peppercorns, star anise, and fennel were nowhere to be found, which made Tang En very frustrated.

If he could get his hands on chili peppers and Sichuan peppercorns, he could try to recreate Sichuan hotpot. After all, hotpot wasn't as complex as other dishes; it just needed to be flavorful enough to satisfy his cravings.

"Ah, I should look for them later, or I'll really go crazy..."

Tang En sighed. Although Plandar was a world full of charm, there were too many things that a modern Earthling accustomed to a rich material culture couldn't adapt to.

"Big brother, why are you sighing?"

"Of course, it's about our lunch."

"Lunch? Lunch is great."

Iliya didn't have as many thoughts as Tang En. She was happily eating the bread and ham, which lightened Tang En's mood a bit.

"Lord, after lunch, we should rest a bit before continuing."

The coachman said hesitantly, "The afternoon sun is very intense. I'm not afraid, but Lord might not be able to withstand it."

"No, let's set off after lunch."

Tang En looked at the sky, "It won't be hot soon."

The coachman didn't know where Tang En's confidence came from, but since the lord gave the order, he had to obey.

"By the way, what's your name?"

"Ford, sir."

The coachman respectfully said, "It's my honor to serve you."

"Ford, you've been a coachman for many years and have been to many places. Have you heard of a plant that is red, pointed, and very spicy when eaten?"

"Very spicy?"

Ford was puzzled, "Sir, I don't know what you mean by 'very spicy.'"

"Uh..."

Tang En bit into a piece of ham, struggling to convey the concept of "spicy" in a world without it.

Suddenly, he snapped his fingers, "Oh, right, it's like your mouth is on fire, and you really want to drink water."

"Your mouth on fire?"

Ford thought for a moment and smiled, "Lord, I think I know what you're talking about. Coincidentally, the place we're going, Caspami, has such a thing. The locals call it Devil's Fang."

"Oh!?"

Tang En's spirits lifted, overjoyed, "Is it red? And green? With a very pungent smell?"

"Yes, sir."

Ford described the Devil's Fang in detail. After listening, Tang En smiled, certain that it was the chili pepper he was looking for.

It seemed that this trip to Caspami would have some unexpected rewards.

After lunch, they set off again. Once on the road, Coachman Ford was surprised to find that it wasn't hot anymore.

Looking up, he saw a white cloud blocking the intense sunlight, making the surroundings very comfortable. Even the two horses seemed more energetic.

The lord is truly powerful, he can even predict this!

Ford smiled, not being a masochist, he was glad he didn't have to suffer the heat.

In the carriage, Tang En said to Iliya, "Did you see that?"

"Um... I don't quite understand..."

"It's actually very simple. The principle of the three states of water in water magic: solid, liquid, and gas. Just now, I turned water into gas and sent it up, then it turned back into liquid. I dispersed it, and it became clouds, blocking the sun—"

Tang En paused, the star in Plandar was called Rumbica, but he was used to calling it the sun, "—the light of the sun. The small water droplets in the clouds condense and fall when they exceed the air's buoyancy, becoming rain. The rainwater gathers into streams and rivers..."

"When the temperature drops below zero, the water will freeze into ice, becoming solid again."

"So, to make water magic invisible, you need to raise the temperature or forcibly change its state to gas."

"To enhance its damage, you need to draw out the heat, making the water elements gather and condense into ice. Ice or ice blades at a sufficiently low temperature can easily pierce steel armor. Of course, using it this way is overkill. Creating a large-scale cold environment to create favorable conditions for your side is the true purpose of this spell..."

Although Tang En's explanation was a bit broad, he demonstrated the three states of water simultaneously, giving Iliya a very intuitive understanding.

So she immediately grasped it...

Tang En was once again moved to tears. He had a feeling that if he taught Iliya a legendary spell, she would learn it instantly...

But Tang En certainly wouldn't do that.

A legendary spell is like a nuclear bomb on Earth. Teaching Iliya a legendary spell would be like giving a nuclear launch button to an ignorant child, which is extremely dangerous...

Tang En even felt that he should limit Iliya's speed in learning magic.

If her talent was noticed by others, it could bring endless trouble.

Especially since Iliya was just a twelve-year-old girl.

Five days later, the carriage finally arrived outside Caspami.

"Lord, this is Caspami."

Ford smiled, "Although Caspami is more prosperous than Ellington, it's still a minor town in the empire. Under your leadership, Ellington will surely surpass Caspami soon."

Tang En didn't expect the honest and simple Ford to flatter him. He chuckled, "I believe it won't take long... By the way, does Caspami have a shop that sells magical materials or an alchemy workshop?"

Ford remembered that their lord was also an alchemist and became even more respectful, "I once saw a shop on a street in Caspami that sold all sorts of strange things. Perhaps you can find what you need there."

Tang En nodded slightly. It seemed that Caspami was indeed better than Ellington, which didn't even have the most basic magical material shop.

It seemed that the plan to brew potions for the guard could be put on the agenda. He just didn't know how many materials he could find here.

Tang En didn't carry much gold, nor did he have a crystal card from the Star Diamond Bank. Although the system's inventory still had a lot of gold, he couldn't take it out to use, only to buy things in the game store.

Of course, there was no NPC to accept his virtual gold now...

Tang En couldn't help but sigh, "What a weak system. Relying on the golden finger given by time travel is unreliable. I still have to work hard."

Because the system's presence was so weak, Tang En had to rely on himself in everything. If he didn't develop Ellington, he would have nowhere to cry when the chaos invasion came.

The carriage creaked as it passed through the fields and stopped at the gate of Caspami. It was almost dusk, and many people were queuing to enter the city. Occasionally, there were loud arguments, perhaps due to the entry tax with the guards.

After about ten minutes, it was finally Tang En's turn.

"Who's in the carriage? Get out for inspection!"

The guard was impatient. The carriage had no noble emblem, clearly not belonging to a significant person, so he wasn't being polite.

"Watch your words!"

Ford glared at the guard, "In the carriage is Lord Tang En of Ellington!"

"Lord of Ellington? Tang En?"

The guards laughed, "I've heard of Ellington, but I didn't expect the lord to be so poor? Leaving without even a servant?"

"What are you talking about? Even if he's poor, he's still a lord. How could he just sit in a carriage and wait in line to enter the city? It must be fake."

"Even if it's a fake, why choose a place like Ellington?"

"Didn't the previous lord send troops to attack Ellington? Maybe he couldn't hold on and came to beg for mercy?"

The soldiers laughed and chatted, making Ford's face turn pale, feeling deeply insulted.

This was how Ellington was viewed by others...

In the carriage, Tang En shook his head, lifted the curtain, and walked down with Iliya.

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