A Cultivator in the World Dominated By Awakeners

When the cigarettes arrived and Edward insisted, Oliver ended up smoking anyway, and had to admit that Edward was right.

The cigarette smoke he inhaled was smooth and gentle, with a distinctive sweet flavor.

After the meal, he felt incredibly relaxed as he smoked.

He thought he might need to buy a large supply as a gift for his teacher, who was also a heavy smoker.

Rebecca, of course, didn't try it even when Edward offered.

She probably considered it inelegant, since cigarette smoke did not have the pleasant aroma of wine.

In the end, one stick wasn't enough for Oliver.

"Do you want to go for a walk?" Edward asked.

"I think that would be interesting," Oliver replied.

"Hahaha, definitely. There are lots of tasty snacks sold by street vendors, you have to try them," Edward said, before turning to Rebecca.

"Are you coming?" he asked.

"Of course, I'm coming..." Rebecca answered immediately.

"I thought the scenery outside would be too unpleasant for your eyes," Edward remarked.

Oliver rolled his eyes, only able to shake his head, realizing the two of them were starting to get hostile toward each other.

Each of them probably felt slighted by the other.

But it wasn't something he felt the need to comment on.

They left the house, walking on foot but accompanied by soldiers.

As soon as they left the military housing complex, they drew attention. People passing by in cars or on motorcycles stared, especially at the beautiful Rebecca.

Compared to most local men, Rebecca was actually taller—even though she was only wearing ordinary boots. If she had worn high heels, she would have been towering.

Some eyes went wide just looking at her. Luckily, she was wearing long pants that covered her long, fair legs—otherwise, some eyeballs might have popped right out.

Oliver and the others were drawn to a park across the street.

It was huge, filled with street vendors, various rides, and flocks of birds flying about.

When they arrived at the park, Oliver caught the scent of countless snacks, which actually made him feel a bit hungry again—especially the smell of grilled corn, a kind different from what was found in Europe.

But what caught his attention most was a vendor selling cigarettes.

Oliver couldn't help but approach him.

"Boss, I want to buy all your cigarettes. How much?" Oliver asked, but the cigarette seller looked confused.

"Oliver, he doesn't understand your language," Edward said with a laugh before speaking to the man in the local language, explaining what Oliver wanted.

It turned out Edward was fluent in the local tongue.

The cigarette seller looked delighted, immediately arranging all his stock in front of Oliver and showing two fingers.

He spoke words Oliver didn't understand.

"He said all of it is 2,000 dollars," Edward translated.

"Only 2,000?" Oliver was surprised at how cheap it was. He had expected tens of thousands of dollars for such a large quantity.

"Cigarettes here are very cheap. Actually, everything is very cheap," Edward replied.

Oliver nodded and paid in cash.

Naturally, he carried cash as a precaution.

After paying, he stored all the cigarettes in his Observation Ring.

Aside from being gifts for his teacher, he figured he'd keep some for himself.

The cigarette seller looked overjoyed, so much so that he decided to treat the other vendors to a meal.

Oliver began to enjoy shopping, buying various types of snacks.

They could be stored and kept warm when he took them out later from his Observation Ring.

Even Rebecca, who had initially looked uncomfortable, ended up buying some snacks.

But they didn't go too far.

It wasn't just because Henry had told them not to, but they were well aware that their striking appearance could cause unpredictable trouble in this city.

After all, this wasn't a major hub accustomed to foreigners.

Still, there was plenty for them to explore in the park. Behind it was even a sports area that might have looked shabby, but was packed with people.

The only problem was the frequent fights—especially among soccer players.

They wandered for quite a while until Edward's phone rang—it was Henry calling.

He asked them to return, saying he had good news.

Hearing that, Oliver and the others quickly headed back.

At their house, Henry was already waiting, along with a soldier whose cheeks were swollen, as if he'd been badly beaten by a group.

It didn't exactly look like good news.

Nevertheless, Oliver and the others calmly sat down in front of Henry, waiting for his explanation.

"Ehmm!" The man cleared his throat first.

"He's the one I sent," he said, pointing at the soldier with swollen cheeks.

"How did it go?" Edward asked.

"The good news is, even though he got beaten up, Lestari agreed to meet you," Henry replied.

"Ohh..." Oliver and the others were intrigued.

"Where and when?" Rebecca asked seriously.

"Tonight. And Lestari herself will be coming here," Henry answered, surprising Oliver and the others.

After all, they were the ones who wanted to meet her—yet she was willing to come.

"Maybe she's curious about you being from Europe," Henry added.

"Maybe." Edward agreed.

"In that case, we'll just wait. If you're busy, you can go," Edward said.

"Thanks, I do have other matters to handle. But tonight, I'll come again," Henry replied.

He stood up and signaled for the swollen-cheeked soldier to follow him.

Oliver began to look thoughtful after Henry left.

He was still wondering whether this woman named Lestari could help him.

Naturally, since she was coming at night, they could only wait.

The good thing was, it was already around 4 p.m.—evening wasn't far off.

Rebecca chose to sit alone in a corner of the house while Oliver and Edward were busy playing mobile games.

Before long, the woman's mood seemed to sour again from doing nothing.

She was clearly the type who couldn't stand staring at a phone for too long.

And just like that, night arrived.

Not long after, Henry returned, no longer in military uniform.

"My informants say Lestari is already on her way. She's bringing twenty people, all of them Awakener and Cultivators," he said.

"Why bring so many troops?" Edward asked.

"That's just how she is—but yes, this is a bit more than usual. Maybe she's just being cautious," Henry replied.

"How long until she arrives?" Oliver finally spoke.

"There's some traffic, so maybe around thirty minutes," Henry said.

Oliver nodded, not feeling rushed.

He continued to wait silently, sitting in place.

Before long, they heard the sound of several cars outside, all with loud exhausts.