Chapter 008: Return to the Royal Capital

Before long, a sumptuous meal was laid before Wang Bo.

There was wine and meat, as well as vegetarian dishes.

But overall, it had a strong Western flavor—after all, this was a Western fantasy otherworld, so naturally, foods like soy milk, fried dough sticks, and soup dumplings wouldn't appear here.

Still, Wang Bo ate heartily.

The meat used here came from some unknown animal; Wang Bo had never tasted it before. Its flavor was peculiar, somewhat like beef, yet also a bit like pork.

If placed in the world of *Toriko*, it would probably be a species with a hunting level above one but below five.

Worthy of anticipation.

However, the wine here was indeed quite mediocre. After one sip, Wang Bo lost all appetite; it couldn't compare to the fine wine of Flower Town—far too inferior.

Prince Kit and the captain of the guard felt the same; after one sip, they nearly spat it out.

"I've never drunk such poor-quality wine," said Prince Kit, sticking out his tongue.

To be honest, a man sticking out his tongue wasn't cute at all.

The captain said in a low voice, "You should get used to it. This is Gold Rush Town, Your High—no, Kit."

Wang Bo cut a piece of meat with his knife and fork and said, "At least the meat here is passable."

The captain said, "The meat of wild beasts is always good."

So that animal was called a wild beast. Wang Bo realized inwardly and decided to find time to catch a few wild beasts and raise them in his time villa.

Prince Kit picked up a spoon, took a sip of soup, and said, "The pumpkin soup here is also quite tasty."

The captain took a sip and said, "That's because the chef added some windweed. It reminds me of my mother; she would also add a handful of windweed to pumpkin soup."

Hearing the two praise the pumpkin soup as if it were heavenly, Wang Bo, who hadn't intended to drink any, couldn't resist a taste. But with a sputter, he spat out all the pumpkin soup in his mouth.

Prince Kit couldn't help but burst out laughing.

The captain tried to hold back his laughter but ultimately failed and laughed heartily.

Wang Bo looked at the two with a blank expression. He realized he had been tricked by them.

Just as he was about to exact a small revenge, the conversation of a few nearby people suddenly caught his attention.

"Does anyone know what's going on with those people outside the town?"

"Simple. The White Chrysanthemum Kingdom and the Shuna Kingdom have gone to war again. The battlefield is the Flower Plains, so those people are residents fleeing to the royal capital."

"So they're from Flower Town."

"Yes."

"How pitiful. Damn war," someone cursed.

"I want to know why the White Chrysanthemum Kingdom and the Shuna Kingdom are fighting. If I remember correctly, the two countries had good relations, didn't they? Didn't the prince of White Chrysanthemum marry the eldest princess of Shuna?"

"Yes."

"Then why are they fighting?"

"Because the prince of White Chrysanthemum died. It's said that the eldest princess of Shuna caused his death, so the two countries fell out."

"How terrible. Why would the eldest princess kill the prince?"

"That's just a rumor. No one knows the real reason. Maybe the nobles in the capital know, but we're just commoners; we know nothing."

No, no, no. Actually, you already know quite a lot. I know nothing—I don't even know this rumor.

Wang Bo thought to himself, his gaze involuntarily drifting toward Prince Kit and his captain.

The two had clearly heard the conversation as well, but they looked unperturbed, as if such rumors were nonsense.

When the three of them left the tavern, Wang Bo asked casually, "What do you think of those rumors?"

Prince Kit said, "They're nonsense."

The captain nodded.

Wang Bo asked, "Then what's the actual situation?"

Prince Kit and the captain glanced at Wang Bo in surprise and couldn't help asking, "Don't you know, Duke?"

"I've been tied up with other matters lately," Wang Bo explained offhandedly.

The captain said, "A month ago, the king of Shuna held a birthday banquet for his fiftieth year. The eldest princess brought her husband, the prince of White Chrysanthemum, home to celebrate."

"But at the banquet, the prince of White Chrysanthemum tried to poison the Shuna king, attempting to murder him."

"Then the prince's actions were exposed, and the Shuna king imprisoned him, demanding an explanation from the White Chrysanthemum Kingdom."

"But the White Chrysanthemum Kingdom believed that their prince could never commit such an outrageous act and accused Shuna of slander. Each side stuck to its own story, neither yielding, and the result was war."

Wang Bo listened and nodded.

Whether the poisoning by the White Chrysanthemum prince was true or false no longer mattered, since the war had already begun.

The only ones who suffered were the residents of Flower Town.

Of course, to the Shuna Kingdom or the White Chrysanthemum Kingdom, this was trivial, as they didn't care about the mere residents of Flower Town at all.

After all, Flower Town wasn't part of their kingdom.

And Wang Bo's kingdom was too weak to contend with the White Chrysanthemum and Shuna kingdoms, powerless to stop the war. They could only grit their teeth and silently play the role of victims.

Wang Bo wasn't surprised by this; after all, in this world, might makes right.

Even in another world, it was the same.

The next day, Wang Bo got up from the inn, woke Prince Kit and the captain, and left Gold Rush Town to continue their journey.

Traveling with frequent stops, they finally returned to the royal capital after about fifteen days.

The outward journey took three days, but the return took five times as long, showing just how slow the trip had been.

Still, they had finally returned.

No one had fallen behind along the way.

In the royal capital, the aging King Derek had already made all arrangements, settling the residents of Flower Town near the capital.

On the first day back in the capital, Wang Bo, Prince Kit, and the captain went to the palace to report on their mission.

The king first lavishly praised his son, then patted the captain on the shoulder, and finally embraced Wang Bo once more.

"You did well, Sland," the king said, his aged face gaining a bit of vitality.

Wang Bo replied calmly, "Thank you for your praise, Your Majesty."

The king said, "You must be very tired from the long journey. If possible, I would like you to rest, but we have encountered trouble, Sland. You are someone I trust, and I hope you can help me."

Wang Bo asked in surprise, "What trouble have we encountered?"

The king said, "The White Chrysanthemum Kingdom has been defeated!!"