After settling the bill, the two said goodbye to Bob and headed toward the sewer outlet.

A short while later, they arrived at Donkexes’s herb shop.

Donkexes put down the pestle he was using to grind herbs and said, "What’s the haul? Winter Wolf Hides? A Snowman’s sharp claws? Or the heart of an Ice Troll?"

"A scale from a Legendary White Dragon," Kase said irritably. "Do you even believe the words coming out of your own mouth?"

Colin placed the clay pot containing the Blight pollen on the table.

After pulling out the cork and taking a close look, Donkexes nodded in satisfaction.

"Also, a few other things," Colin continued. "I have two Potions here, but I don’t know what they do. And my Armor has a hole poked in it."

"What do you take me for? A bathhouse seamstress who mends clothes for you?" Donkexes grumbled, then said, "Leave it here. Come back for it in two days."

As Colin took off his Armor, he also placed the Potions on the table.

After a moment’s thought, he also tossed the Hand Half Sword the old veteran had given him onto the table and said, "While you’re at it, sharpen this sword, too."

"Clever, aren’t you," Donkexes remarked, picking up a Potion to examine it closely by sight and smell. "Looks a lot like a Healing Potion. If you want to be safe, you’d best give me some time to identify it."

"Fine by me. We were planning to rest in the city for a while anyway."

"Suit yourself, then."

"Alright, that’s everything." Colin said his goodbyes, and he and Kase walked out of the sewer outlet.

The two of them stood on the street.

"Where to next?" Kase asked again.

"Same as always. It’s not like we can find any work anyway." Colin looked down at his abdomen.

A small hole had appeared on his already well-worn linen clothes, which was quite noticeable now that his Armor was off. On top of that, the legs of his trousers, tucked into his tall boots, were also tattered; he still hadn’t changed them since they were torn up by a wolf last time.

"I’m going to go get a new set of clothes. Aren’t you going to change?"

"Nah, I’ll pass. I’ll just go back and patch it up with something."

"Tsk, and you called me stingy before."

"Is eating meat the same as buying clothes?"

After their bickering, the two parted ways at the next intersection.

Colin thought for a moment. What Donkexes had said about a bathhouse seamstress had just given him an idea.

There were no high-end tailor shops in the slums, but many clothing stores collaborated with bathhouses. You could buy a new set of clothes while you bathed and, at the same time, get your old ones washed and patched up. That was exactly the service he needed.

With that in mind, he turned and headed for the slum’s bathhouse.

After walking a few blocks, a wooden sign hanging by the roadside, carved with the image of a bathtub, came into view.

Though it was called a bathhouse, the building itself was nothing special.

It was just a house with a courtyard, where numerous wooden racks were set up for drying clothes. Black smoke billowed from the chimney, and white steam puffed from several windows, giving it a visibly warm and steamy look.

A few women were sitting by the door, needles and thread in hand, quickly sewing clothes.

Seeing Colin peering in from outside, one of the women gave a little wave and called out in a strained, high-pitched voice, "Hello there, handsome. Why don’t you come in?"

"Where’s the owner?" Colin asked, walking up to them.

"You’ll see him as soon as you go in."

Colin nodded and strode inside, faintly hearing the sound of women’s laughter behind him.

As he reached the entrance to the house, two strange guys were crowded together, peering incessantly through the doorway.

Colin paid them no mind and walked straight in.

The entire room was filled with steam. Aside from a large counter, the room was filled with clothes baskets and weapon racks.

Of course, the brawny men standing in the corner were also an essential part of the scene.

Right then, a customer with a large pack on their back was standing at the counter, and the fat bathhouse owner was frowning, seemingly trying to explain something.

Colin walked over for a look and was taken aback by the customer at the counter.

It was a young woman of about sixteen or seventeen. Her hair was like spun gold, yet her tips shimmered with a silver light. She was about 1.6 meters tall, dressed in a simple, dark green traveling cloak, and her entire aura was completely out of place with her surroundings.

The face beneath that hair far surpassed any woman’s he had ever seen, including the celebrities from his phone and television. The only possible flaw was a hint of sharp, unconcealed aggression.

To be honest, it was downright bizarre for a face like that to appear here.

The feeling was as incongruous as a fairy-tale princess suddenly appearing on the set of a cyberpunk film.

Now Colin understood why the two men outside hadn’t left.

To the poor folk here, who had rarely seen such a beauty, this woman’s allure was simply overwhelming.

"Good miss, this isn’t a place for female customers. With you here, I can’t do business."

The young woman asked, "Why?"

"Er... because there are no baths for women."

"Then why aren’t there any?"

Not wanting to wait in line, Colin offered, "Because this is a bathhouse built specifically for men. Go find a Guard in the city and ask. They’ll show you where to go."

The two men who had been standing outside had come in at some point.

One of them chimed in with a smile, "That’s right, miss. Come with us, we’ll take you."

The two of them had smiles on their faces, but one look was enough to tell they were not good people.

’Another troublesome situation, and I don’t want to get involved... What happens next will depend on her luck.’

While thinking this, Colin casually placed his right hand, the one wearing the ring, on the counter with a soft tap.

He said calmly, "I’d like to buy a set of clothes, have this set I’m wearing patched up, and finally, take a bath." 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

The ring, engraved with the City Guard emblem, gleamed faintly in the light.

The owner was a little surprised that such a customer had come to his establishment, but he still smiled and said, "Right away, sir."

A rustling sound came from behind him.

"Sorry, ma’am, you should probably find it yourself." After one of the men said this, the sound of footsteps retreating followed.

’Looks like the young lady’s luck is pretty good,’ Colin thought. ’Those two saw the ring.’

The young woman turned her head and blinked, confused.

After a moment, she also walked out without a word.

"This way, sir."

Colin followed the owner and was led to a small room with a bathtub and a mirror in the corner.

The owner said, "What kind of clothing do you need? I recommend a fine linen tunic and a fine wool outer coat for warmth, along with a robe and a pair of sturdy breeches."

"Er... how much?"

Colin, who only knew about modern clothing materials, was completely lost.

"A full set of traveling clothes like that is about two Gold Coins."

"I already have a suit of Armor, so I probably don’t need all that," Colin said quickly.

"Then how about a set of Ordinary clothes? A linen shirt and a pair of breeches, that’ll be four Silver Coins. The bathing service is two Silver Coins. You can stay for a few hours, and it includes soap, a towel, and plenty of hot water."

Colin paid without hesitation.

’Compared to everything else that’s gone up in price, this is pretty reasonable... Maybe it’s because most refugees don’t come here to buy clothes.’

After shouting outside for a worker to bring more hot water, the owner made an inviting gesture. "This way for the fitting, then."

While the owner was out getting the clothes, Colin walked over to the mirror and stripped down to his shorts.

The moment he looked up at the mirror, he froze.

’Is that really me?’

The body in the mirror had clearly defined muscle lines and healthy, wheat-colored skin.

When he’d first crossed over, Colin had looked at his body. Back then, it was dark and scrawny, barely healthy. It was nothing like it was now, where you could see the Power contained within the flesh at a single glance.

This was a much more intuitive feeling than the Intelligence boost.

Colin moved his arms a little, watching the muscle lines appear and feeling the new Power in his body.

"Er, sir?"

Turning his head, he saw the owner standing there, watching him with an indescribable expression.

Colin smoothly turned the movement into a stretch. "It’s nothing. Let’s try on the clothes."