389: Chapter 389 So that's where "virtue" comes from.

Just as Chen You stepped over the threshold, a figure hurried forward to meet him.

"Lord Chen You!"

The Chuxin City guard captain bowed ninety degrees, his face plastered with a fawning smile.

Chen You glanced at him.

Truthfully, he didn't want to waste time on side quests.

But right now, the main quest was stuck on Sander in Cangxing City.

Sander was single-mindedly focused on her center-stage debut and wouldn't be free for a while.

In that case, there was no harm in meeting this Novice Village City Lord.

"Lead the way," Chen You said flatly.

The guard captain's smile widened, and his waist bent even lower.

"This way, please, My Lord! The City Lord has been waiting for a long time!"

Chen You followed the guard through two streets and stopped before a somewhat large courtyard.

There were no towering walls or grand stone lions, only two heavy wooden doors reinforced with iron plating.

This was the City Lord's Manor of Chuxin City.

Compared to the cyberpunk-style manor in Cangxing City that Chen You had practically built with gold coins, this place was so shabby it was pitiable.

The guard captain pushed open the door and bowed, gesturing for him to enter.

Chen You stepped over the threshold, his gaze crossing the somewhat empty front courtyard to land on a figure standing at the entrance of the main hall.

It was a dwarf.

He looked to be less than 1.2 meters tall and was extremely wide; his thick arms were almost as girthy as Chen You's thighs.

He wore a lavish, dark-gold robe with a hem that dragged along the ground, picking up quite a bit of dust.

The most eye-catching thing was his back.

A pair of wings grew there.

To be precise, they were a pair of miniature wings covered in white downy feathers.

The wingspan wasn't even as wide as the dwarf's shoulders, and they were currently fluttering uselessly in the air at a high frequency in sync with the dwarf's breathing.

This thing clearly provided zero lift and had been reduced to a mere back ornament.

"Lord Chen You! I have heard of your great name for a long time; it truly precedes you!"

The dwarf moved his two short, thick legs, approaching with an agility that defied his physique.

He rubbed his hands together, his face so full of smiles that his already flat features were squeezed into a bunch.

"I am the City Lord of Chuxin City, Kidder."

Chen You stopped, his gaze sweeping over the tiny wings on Kidder's back as he suppressed the urge to reach out and pluck them off.

"City Lord Kidder, you are too kind," Chen You said lukewarmly.

"Not at all, not at all!" Kidder waved his hands repeatedly, stepping aside to clear the path.

"It is my greatest honor to have My Lord visit Chuxin City. Please, come inside. I have prepared some modest refreshments."

The decor inside the hall was equally simple.

In the center stood a long wooden table piled high with charred, unknown beast legs, large plates of wild fruit, and several barrels of low-quality alcohol that gave off a strong scent of malt.

This setup might be considered top-tier in a Novice Village, but in Chen You's eyes, it didn't even compare to a roadside stall.

Chen You sat down in the guest of honor's seat.

Kidder struggled to climb onto the high-backed chair at the head of the table and clapped his hands.

Four burly dwarf women with skin of an eerie green hue walked out from the back hall.

They wore only short skirts and bodices woven from grass and held musical instruments fashioned from polished bone.

"My Lord, this is a song and dance performance I specially prepared for you—the pinnacle of art in Chuxin City!" Kidder said with a face full of pride.

Chen You picked up the wooden cup in front of him and had just brought it to his lips.

Boom! Boom! Clash!

The deafening sound of bone instruments being struck exploded within the hall.

The four dancers began to twist their waists frantically, accompanied by coarse roars. They leaped across the wooden floor with heavy steps, every landing causing the roasted meat on the table to tremble.

The visual impact was overwhelming.

Chen You set down his cup, his eyelid twitching.

He suddenly missed Sander a little; at least Sander's movements had some sense of rhythm. These four looked like they were performing some ancient exorcism ritual.

Kidder clearly didn't notice Chen You's speechlessness. He raised his cup, cleared his throat, and began his flattery mode.

"Lord Chen You, that giant beast you arrived on just now... it was truly... truly massive!"

Kidder racked his brain for words of praise. "It blotted out the sun and swallowed the mountains! In all my years, I have never seen such a mighty mount!"

Chen You said expressionlessly, "That is the Nine Nether Heaven-Devouring Kun."

"Yes, yes, yes! Kun! A fine name!" Kidder nodded repeatedly, his wings fluttering even more excitedly.

"Only a powerhouse with unfathomable strength like you, My Lord, is worthy of such a divine creature!"

Chen You didn't respond.

Seeing Chen You's cold reaction, Kidder wiped a bead of sweat from his forehead and continued to force the compliments.

"Your actions on the audition rankings, My Lord, were even more of an eye-opener for me."

"Ten thousand Starlight Tickets without even blinking! Such financial power, such spirit... it's simply... simply very rich!"

By the end, Kidder's vocabulary had clearly run dry, and he resorted to the most blunt description.

Chen You really couldn't listen to any more of this.

This kind of unskillful flattery was not only awkward to hear but also gave one goosebumps.

"Enough." Chen You raised his hand, stopping the wild dance in the center and interrupting Kidder's performance.

The hall instantly fell silent.

The four dancers looked at each other, standing in place, unsure of what to do.

Chen You waved his hand, signaling them to withdraw.

The smile on Kidder's face froze, and he rubbed his hands, looking somewhat ill at ease.

"I have a question I'm quite curious about," Chen You said, changing the subject. Instead of directly pressing the other party for his purpose, he threw out a doubt that had been circling in his mind.

"Ask away, My Lord! I will tell you everything I know!" Kidder quickly straightened his back.

"I've met a few other City Lords in other cities before." Chen You stared into Kidder's eyes.

"Your names... is it a coincidence, or is it a trend for City Lords in your Source Realm to have 'Der' in their names? Is it a family business?"

Kidder blanked for a moment, clearly not expecting Chen You to ask this.

He scratched his bald scalp, then laughed, much of his tension dissipating.

"You misunderstand, My Lord. I have no blood relation to James Sander of Cangxing City," Kidder explained.

"In the ancient language system of the Source Realm, the pronunciation 'Der' is not a simple name."

"Then what is it?" Chen You raised an eyebrow.

"It is a title." Kidder reined in his fawning smile, his expression becoming somewhat solemn.

"In the ancient tongue, 'Der' means 'Lord', 'Ruler', or 'Protector'."

"Only those who have gained the people's recognition and possess absolute control have this word added to the end of their names."

Chen You realized.

So that was it.

"So, your full name is actually Kid?" Chen You asked.

"No, my full name is Balabala Ki," Kidder corrected him seriously.

Chen You's mouth twitched again.

Balabala Ki-der. This name sounded like some kind of incantation for a magical girl transformation.

"Then Sander's full name is James San?" Chen You deduced following the logic.

"Exactly," Kidder nodded.

Chen You leaned back in his chair and let out a long breath.

"I thought you were all from the same crosstalk club," Chen You muttered under his breath.

"Crosstalk club? What kind of organization is that? Is it very strong?" Kidder pricked up his ears.

"Very strong. They specialize in sonic attacks and mental pollution," Chen You fabricated randomly, not wanting to get bogged down in this topic.

He sat up straight, deciding to get straight to the point.

"City Lord Kidder, you didn't invite me here just for small talk, did you?"