Chapter 82 - Mint Soap and Shampoo

Heilong-kou (Black Dragon-Mouth/Pass)

Heilong-cheng (Black Dragon-City)

Censorate (Supervisory Court)

Yuling City (Jade City)

Jingui Town (Golden Turtle Town)

Xuanwu City (Black tortoise City)

…

New caravans kept arriving at Black Dragon City in a steady stream. Judging by their clothing, the Qingluan Tribe was the most eye-catching among them.

With that, the three major demon tribes had all sent caravans to Black Dragon City.

The young demon stepped into the city and was utterly stunned by what he saw.

He couldn't help but exclaim, "This is what you all called 'sleeping on the streets'?"

The seasoned merchants exchanged awkward glances. The last time they'd come to Black Dragon City, they had slept on the streets.

The changes to the city were simply too drastic. They could hardly believe this was the same place they had visited before.

But now, faced with the city before them, they found themselves at a loss for words. Black Dragon City no longer showed even a trace of its former dilapidation.

If they tried to explain, the young demon might think they were slandering the city out of spite.

Still full of questions, they headed toward one of the inns in the city.

Autumn Chrysanthemum Inn and Distant Guest Inn had long been packed with merchants, so they ended up in one of the newly opened ones. Anyone who registered with the Inspectorate and completed basic training could now operate their inn.

In the early stages, their income and goods would go to the Inspectorate as collateral to cover the cost of furniture and renovations.

These materials were leftover building supplies provided by the system—unlike normal materials, they didn't need to be dried or aired out. Once installed, the rooms were ready for use.

Later on, once the debt was paid off, innkeepers only needed to pay 30% of their monthly income as tax.

The young demon was lucky—he got a room at the newest inn, which not only had fresh vegetables recently delivered from outside the city, but also complimentary toiletries like soap and shampoo, courtesy of the Daily Goods Factory.

Though they were only sample sizes, who could resist trying something new—especially when it was free?

The young demon, clearly pampered and well-bred, might very well have been the child of a Qingluan princess.

The Qingluan royal family was vast and followed a polyandrous system—anyone with Qingluan blood could claim royal status.

The innkeeper welcomed them warmly, grinning from ear to ear. They had been trained to address all customers uniformly as "sirs."

"This way, honored sirs. This inn is newly opened here in Black Dragon City. I've equipped your rooms with the city's latest products—soap and shampoo. Perhaps you're unfamiliar with them, but once you try them and if you like them, feel free to let me know. I can place an order for you directly with the Daily Goods Factory. I guarantee—nowhere else in the demon realm will you find such treasures, only here in Black Dragon City."

The youth was instantly intrigued. "What are soap and shampoo for?"

Thanks to the training, the innkeeper answered professionally, "Soap is used for bathing and washing your hands. It leaves your body with a pleasant fragrance and a light, refreshing coolness. Shampoo is used to care for your hair, making it soft and smooth instead of frizzy."

"I'm going to try it out right now! Even our Qingluan Tribe doesn't have something like this!" And with that, he dashed upstairs, not bothering to wait for the rest of his caravan.

The other members of the caravan exchanged glances, then shrugged and paid for rooms as well. The innkeeper had sounded so convincing that their curiosity was piqued. Could these so-called soap and shampoos be so magical?

But at the same time, they couldn't help but wonder—when had Black Dragon City changed so drastically? Just last year, they had stayed in broken-down houses and woke each morning drenched in dew.

What in the world had happened to this place? It felt like a whole new city had popped up overnight.

This trip, their primary goal was to buy glass. Qingluan treehouses were perfect for installing glass windows—clear, bright, and elegant, glass had become the most coveted item in their tribe.

At first, they refused to believe that glass could come from Black Dragon City. But after the Xuanwu caravan entered the city and didn't come out for days, they started to suspect there might be some truth to it.

Now that they were here, the city was so transformed they could hardly recognize it.

On the streets, they saw things they had never even imagined.

Two-wheeled iron frames allowed demon folk to sit and, with just a couple of pedal strokes, travel far without even using their legs. Small children pushing mysterious contraptions with their feet, gliding quickly across the road. Three-wheeled cargo carts loaded with goods are being pulled through the streets—without the help of any demon beasts.

Black Dragon folk transporting goods without using demon beasts!

The change was overwhelming. It was nothing like the Black Dragon City in their memories. If not for the familiar city gate, they might have thought they'd come to the wrong place.

The caravan rented out the inn's backyard storage area to stash their goods, setting up a protective ward at the entrance.

As a city bus rumbled by, a few merchants ran to the door, watching it disappear into the distance, leaving only a puff of exhaust behind.

The innkeeper said proudly, "That's one of our Black Dragon City exclusive buses—free for all to ride. Unfortunately, the materials used are quite rare, so they're not for sale. No matter how much money you have, you won't be able to buy one."

The merchants' interest was piqued.

"Then how do we ride one? It didn't even stop just now!"

The innkeeper explained, "You saw those signs on the side of the road, right? The ones with the tall boards? Those are bus stops. If you wait there and wave when the bus approaches, it'll stop to pick you up."

A middle-aged demon said, "Ah, I see. Let's go give it a try!"

The innkeeper quickly added,

"No rush, sirs. That one just left. It'll be about half a stick of incense before the next one passes by. I'll call you when the time comes."

The middle-aged demon smiled. "Alright. Let's go try that soap and shampoo of yours first. I'm getting more and more curious about this city."

The innkeeper gave another friendly reminder, "Oh, by the way, the city bikes are free to use, too. Just check the rules posted next to them. The ones with two wheels—that's what we call a bicycle."

The merchants thanked him and made a mental note to check it out later.

The young demon had booked a single room with its bath. The bath wasn't just a wooden tub—it was a small tub built with tiles, much like a modern bathtub, but smaller than ancient communal baths.

He used the mint soap and took a refreshing bath, then washed his hair with the shampoo. Maybe it was just psychological, but his hair did feel smoother.

He had no idea what mint was, but he loved the light, cool scent. It left a chilly, refreshing sensation on his skin. It was still a bit cold for the season, but he could imagine how amazing it would feel in the summer—especially since the Qingluan Tribe was naturally heat-sensitive.

Stepping out of the tub, he couldn't help sniffing his arm. He loved that scent. He was going to place an order to bring some back for the crown princess and his aunts.