The street was bustling with people coming and going.
The Baron Puxin, whose name Lin Ke couldn’t remember, elegantly used his corpulent body to make a bow, then stepped forward intending to perform a hand-kiss.
The hand-kiss is a greeting performed between family members where the younger generation greets the elders.
For instance, Lin Ke, when meeting an aunt or similar, could perform a hand-kiss.
However, it should never be done to a peer’s wife, as it’s extremely improper.
So, Lin Ke directly blocked the baron’s fatty hand and, shaking it, performed a handshake: "Hello, Pu... no, Uncle Baron."
This world hadn’t introduced the handshake yet; common gestures included striking the chest to express sincerity or bowing to show respect.
Baron Puxin, confronted with this unexpected gesture from young Lin Ke, raised his eyebrows, but recognizing Lin Ke, smiled slightly:
"Oh, it’s the esteemed Young Master Lin Ke. Do you remember your uncle?"
He then moved his oily gut and barrel waist aside, revealing a similarly greasy-haired, slicked-back boy behind him: "Galicia, you should chat more with people your age... Hmm, I’ll go have a word with Lady Fulon first."
Saying this, he eagerly attempted to shove Lin Ke aside with his rear.
The baron’s son tilted his head, exposing his nostrils and smirking from one corner of his mouth: "Hello, I’m..."
Lin Ke smiled faintly, ignoring the baron’s son, and sidestepped the baron’s body, directly taking Fulon’s hand:
"Let’s go, Mother, let’s have a look at that ’Akel’s Shop’."
With that, he pulled her away, and Fulon hummed a goodbye to the baron: "Goodbye, Baron Sangdir!"
John and Knicks, being too young to understand, simply followed along.
However, the two guards intentionally or unintentionally blocked the baron and his son’s path.
"Father, that mudblood ignored me!"
The baron’s son pouted, causing the powder on his face to crack, revealing freckles underneath.
The baron didn’t speak, just squinted his eyes, hiding the sharpness within, then followed them.
Akel’s Shop was a pet shop, or rather, an animal trading shop.
It housed pets, mounts, breeding cattle and pigs, and even some delicious wild beasts.
It was quite a spacious shop, spanning three floors.
This shop, purportedly, also had branches in other parts of the continent, selling unique creatures from other planes or even sentient beings.
Despite having three floors, the shop in Parrot City was still cramped.
Hunters and adventurers often brought rare beasts from nearby forests or distant swamps to sell, filling the space with a myriad of animal calls and odors.
Fulon wrinkled her nose upon approaching, stopping in her tracks.
From afar, one could only see the cuteness and novelty, not the stench.
Fulon planned to go elsewhere, as it was a hot afternoon with an even stronger stench.
But at this moment, the "Luck" bloodline in Lin Ke’s mind pulsed.
The "Knowledge" bloodline gave specific advantages in the aspects of learning, acquiring, mastering, and utilizing knowledge.
In contrast, the "Luck" bloodline increased the probability of encountering lucky events.
"Mother, I want to go inside and take a look!"
Lin Ke tugged Fulon’s hand, stretching his pure, unblemished eyes to gaze at Fulon.
Fulon’s heart melted, and she couldn’t help but let her maternal instinct overflow: "Alright!" she said, pinching Lin Ke’s cheek.
Lin Ke glanced back and noticed that Baron Puxin seemed to have also followed them.
This guy, does he really not fear Garoce coming back to deal with him...
Lin Ke signaled to the two guard captains, saying, "Tell that baron, if you don’t want to die, scram, or I’ll honestly report to Viscount Garoce."
Then he led Fulon into "Akel’s Shop."
The two guard captains exchanged glances, nodded, then turned to face the following baron.
One could see that Akel’s Shop was originally very spacious.
But when the only two shop attendants were too busy, many animal cages were carelessly left on the ground, making the place feel cramped.
At the cash register in the innermost part, a tall, burly woman was haggling with four or five people simultaneously.
"Five silver coins! Five at most! Your greed is comparable to kobolds from the Yulan plane!"
"This purple mink is clearly painted! Remember to wash the paint out of its claws next time, fool."
"Oh~ who do we have here? The most precious gem of the Azanen Domain, the sweetest red wind of Azanen—Lady Fulon!"
Suddenly, the female shopkeeper, with arms covered in black hair, spotted Fulon and Lin Ke, pushed aside those hunters, and enthusiastically approached: "And you, you must be the famous, clever Young Master Lin Ke?"
The female shopkeeper looked at Lin Ke, who was looking around.
It seemed that this shopkeeper had met Fulon before.
Fulon clearly felt uneasy in this place filled with the stench of sweat, feet, animals, and other mixed odors.
However, there was no choice as Lin Ke wanted to find out why the "Luck" bloodline pulsed, so Fulon had to suck it up a little.
So he simply said, "Hello, sister, my mother and I want to look around. Is that okay?"
Hearing Lin Ke call her "sister," the shopkeeper’s eyes sparkled with a frightening brilliance, and she exclaimed excitedly:
"Of course, you most dear Young Master Lin Ke! Your eyes are brighter than the midday sheen on Orland Lake in the south!"
Then she shouted into the shop, "Ruby! Little Ruby, get over here! Show Lady Fulon and Young Master Lin Ke around, quickly!"
Over there, a skinny young guy came running over.
"Ah! Wouldn’t that be too bothersome..." Fulon felt a bit embarrassed, also noticing that the shop was indeed very busy.
"It’s no big deal, my lady; your visit is our shop’s honor." The shopkeeper bent slightly in a bow.
Lin Ke couldn’t help but admire that even though "Akel’s Shop" was a large chain, it was savvy enough in dealing with matters, never bullying the customers due to its size, and would never snub the local rulers.
"Sister, you can go busy yourself, no need to stop other staff; we’ll let you know if we fancy anything, and bill it to Azaenn Castle."
Anyway, Lin Ke’s goal wasn’t just shopping.
"You are truly a charming and considerate noble, thank you for your understanding."
The shopkeeper sincerely expressed her gratitude, then waved her hand for the staff to resume their work.
To prevent excessive interaction from affecting others’ businesses, Lin Ke pulled his mother around to look.
Most of what was there were ordinary wild animals, perhaps to be bought as exotic delicacies for small restaurants.
Some exquisite and beautiful wild animals were also likely to be regarded as potential pets.
These kinds of animals often attracted females, or rather, people of all ages.
Most boys tended to like majestic ones, and most girls preferred cute, small, brightly-colored ones.
Soon enough, Fulon stopped in front of a cage, pinching her nose with a frown and yet her eyes sparkling.
"What a cute little kitty, look Lin Ke."
Lin Ke looked over to see a small leopard trembling in the corner of a cage.