This was the first time Tang Shaoyang strolled in his city. For the first time ever since, they rebuilt the city with the main base in the center. He left everything to Li Shuang before leaving for Lukan. After Lukan, he went for the trial, then fought the Immortal Dynasty. He never got the chance to look thoroughly at what he tried to build and protect.
Tang Shaoyang was surprised at what was presented to him. If he did not know anything about the game and the zombies, he might think this was just another city in China. He barely found a difference to the time before the Game. He looked up the "Market District" sign above him. That was right; he was at the entrance to the Market District.
'Market, huh? What are they selling?' The Emperor was curious about what the market had. Even until now, The Empire was still responsible for food and other daily needs. That made him curious about what these people sold in the market. What his citizens had produced for them to sell in the market?
Li Yue and Li Jiaying pulled him, urging him to enter the market, "Did you visit the market often?" He could not help but be curious. What the two little girls wanted from the market.
"Nay. Mommy did not allow us to go to the market without guards. It's not fun going with guards; they prevent us from doing fun stuff," Li Jiaying replied, while Li Yue nodded at the side, agreeing with Li Yue.
A bodyguard was a must if the two little girls wanted to go out. It was not that Li Shuang did not trust TEIS, but people could change anytime. If some people saw the two little girls and thought of kidnapping them for money or other stuff, The TEIS could not react in time to protect the two little girls. The TEIS was similar to the police; they would not act unless they received a report.
They must have a bodyguard if they want to go out.
Of course, with bodyguards around them, their movement was restricted too. That was something they did not like with bodyguards, 'So they want me to come as a bodyguard for them,'
Tang Shaoyang let himself get pulled by the two little girls and found the first store at the entrance. He looked at the store sign, "Empire's Sweets." To the right was the TEIS post; two people in uniform were on guard, watching him and the two little girls. From the look on their faces, they recognized the two little girls, but not him.
They watched him as they squinted their eyes at him, casting a suspicious glance at him.
He felt like he needed to explain everything to the TEIS to avoid misunderstanding. However, the two little girls were just too excited, pulling him directly to the sweet store. The bell chimed up as they entered the store, attracting the two shopkeepers' attention to the door. He observed the shop as he allowed himself to be dragged by the two kids.
To the right were shelves attached to the wall, having various kinds of snacks. He could tell those were the common snacks he often saw before the Game. To the left were shelves, but most of them were empty. He realized the shop was reselling the product they scavenged from the abandoned mini-market or shop.
"Brother! We want this!" Li Yue's voice caught his attention, glancing toward what she pointed at. There was a table in the middle of the shop with candies on top of that. He looked at what the two little girls wanted. It was a strawberry coated with sugar, and it had a stick to hold the candy.
Tang Shaoyang was surprised to see the candy. It was clearly made by the shop, and he was surprised they could make the candy. But then a frown appeared on his forehead, 'Does this mean they waste the sugar to make candy? How can they waste the sugar when we can't produce the sugar yet?'
"Hello YingYing and Yue," The female shopkeeper approached them and smiled. She recognized Jiaying and Li Yue but not Tang Shaoyang. She thought the man was just another bodyguard. The shopkeeper plucked the candy from the stand and handed it to the two little girls, "it's freshly made; you can have this."
The shopkeeper knew Jiaying was Li Shuang's daughter, and Li Yue was Li Na's sister. Both were important figures in the Empire, and she would not dare to receive the money from the two little girls.
Li Yue and Li Jiaying did not shy away from taking the candy, "My Daddy will pay it, Sister Meng." Jiaying pulled the hem of his clothes, telling him to pay.
The young shopkeeper raised her head in shock, looking at the man in front of him. There was a rumor that Lady Shuang's husband was the Emperor, the leader of the Empire. She also heard a rumor that The Emperor killed a lot of people who did not listen to him in the early establishment. Despite all the rumors, she never saw the Emperor's face. Her eyes widened open as her jaw dropped.
The Emperor was not just a mere title but a real status. She was a subject to the Emperor, and her brain spun, telling her to do something. But her mind was just blank as she did not know what to do in this situation. The man in front of her was not just an official of the empire but the Emperor himself. How should she greet him?
She did not know the proper greeting to the Emperor as she never thought that the Emperor would visit her humble shop.
At the same time, Tang Shaoyang was also confused. How did he pay the shop lady? He did not remember if Li Shuang had applied the new currency, or should he pay with Game Coin? Or were they still using Yuan? He did not know anything. Unaware of the shopkeeper's predicament, Tang Shaoyang squatted and whispered to the two little girls, "How do I pay her?"