Chapter 8: Patra Bone WineThe autumn afternoon sun carried a hint of chill within its warmth.In the personal room on the second floor, Shan Xiaoxi sat on the floor covered with a white plush rug. On the wooden side table beside her sat a half-empty glass of orange juice along with paper and pens, while several sheets of paper filled with writing lay scattered on the floor near her feet.She wore a handmade cotton maxi dress, sitting cross-legged as she leaned over the side table writing in her diary. The sunlight fell precisely upon her, casting a short, slanted shadow that stretched across the nearby sofa.Behind her stood a wooden single bed. Near the window by the foot of the bed was an easel, currently empty. However, behind the easel was a leather suitcase containing Vincent’s paintings.This was the afternoon after the funeral. With Vincent’s ashes now resting at the bottom of the Fallen River, Shan Xiaoxi finally emerged from the shadow of days spent in despondent grief, sitting down to calmly review the events of the past few days.She had always kept a diary. Writing helped organize her thoughts. It was only these past few days, due to Vincent’s affairs, that she had interrupted the habit.After the morning funeral, her conversation with that Night Watcher had given Shan Xiaoxi much to ponder. She had roughly formed a few ideas about the future.Having wallowed these past few days, it was time for her to pull herself together.The scattered papers on the floor were pages from her old diary. Shan Xiaoxi gathered them to sort through together. Flipping through the diary was like revisiting the past. The events recorded on these pages reminded her that there was still much to be done.She needed to go to the Second Ring to find her brother. She also wanted to avenge Vincent. Achieving these two goals would be difficult, even somewhat daunting to begin with, but life gains meaning precisely because of having goals.After organizing her diary and storing it away in a folder, she drained the juice in her glass in one gulp, reached over to grab the cushion bear from the sofa, hugged it tightly, and leaned lazily against the sofa, letting out a contented burp.Closing her eyes in contemplation, she mentally rehearsed the things she planned to do next several times, only stopping when she felt nothing had been overlooked.Shan Xiaoxi savored this moment of tranquility.The azalea on the windowsill swayed in the breeze. This was Vincent’s favorite flower, a birthday gift he had given to Shan Xiaoxi.As if freshly recharged, Shan Xiaoxi tossed aside the cushion bear and stood up. She picked out a black tracksuit from the wardrobe, tied her hair into a high ponytail, and headed out.The Palat Eatery was located in an alley not far from Alloy Bridge.Palat was a type of artificially bred beast.Legend had it that its ancestors were tigers whose genes mutated over time. From head to toe, from fur to bone, every part of the Palat held high culinary value.For the common folk of the Fourth Ring, consuming Palat was the most expensive form of dietary nourishment. For example, Palat penis could enhance virility, while Palat bone wine could boost the human body’s resistance to Red Moon radiation.The Palat Eatery was a shop specializing in selling Palat delicacies and fine wines. It was also the only establishment on the east bank of the Fallen River in the Fourth Ring’s eastern district that sold Palat cuisine.Lin Ting was the proprietress of the Palat Eatery, known by the nickname “Red-haired Black Widow.”She hailed from the Grass Street Orphanage, sharing a bond as close as mother and daughter with the matron, Liang Qin. Upon reaching adulthood, she married Snakehead, an underground broker on the east bank. However, on the third day of her marriage, Snakehead was found dead in the Red-light District on the west bank. Rumor had it that Lin Ting’s lover had killed Snakehead.When Lin Ting got married, Shan Xiaoxi was not yet ten years old, but she had memories and knew what had happened at the time.The so-called lover was actually her true beloved. Lin Ting was forced to marry Snakehead, and within three days, she took control of his connections before disposing of him. She did it herself, not her lover.It was that simple. The law of survival in the Fourth Ring: the one who lives takes all.Her former lover died saving her. Lin Ting never remarried.Palat’s Eatery was tucked away at the very end of the alley, difficult to spot due to its black storefront. Pushing open the unassuming door revealed a world of its own inside.The eatery was decorated in a Japanese-inspired style, simple yet elegant. Each table was separated by curtains into private spaces, unlike the usual chaotic atmosphere of ordinary taverns.This was the style Lin Ting preferred.Lin Ting had a tall, curvaceous figure and strikingly fiery red hair, yet she always favored black clothing, earning her the nickname "Red-Haired Black Widow."At this moment, Lin Ting was leaning lazily against the bar, her fiery red hair tied up in a bun with a bone knife, a pair of earrings made from fragmented bones dangling to her collarbone, accentuating her slender neck.She toyed with a Palat leg bone in her hand, seemingly contemplating whether to use it for brewing wine or grinding it into powder for steamed buns.Above the bar hung several Palat skulls, each with a long wooden plaque suspended below it, inscribed with the eatery’s dish names. Whenever a customer entered, the breeze they brought would sway the plaques, causing them to collide and produce a pleasant clinking sound.The moment Shan Xiaoxi stepped into the eatery, Lin Ting spotted her.Lin Ting roughly guessed Shan Xiaoxi’s purpose for coming. She set down the bone in her hand, propped her chin on one hand, and looked up at her.She knew someone from the orphanage had passed away, but she wasn’t close to Vincent, so his death didn’t affect her much. She was more concerned about Shan Xiaoxi’s state.“Haven’t seen you in days, you’ve got dark circles under your eyes. I heard you haven’t been to the Third Ring for a while?”“I lost my job. Any new updates on the previous Aberrant Attack Incidents?”“I heard a livestock farm in North Third District was shut down.”This attack involved Night Watchers, who are stricter in their management than the police, so even Lin Ting couldn’t gather further information.Shan Xiaoxi frowned. “That’s it? Several people died this time, and that’s how the authorities handle it?”“Hasn’t it always been like this? When have the authorities ever cared about the dead? They care about how much money they’ll lose. Xiaoxi, the dead are gone. The living shouldn’t dwell on the past. You need to look ahead.”“I’d like to look at ‘money’ too,” Shan Xiaoxi quipped with a pun, proving she was already moving forward.Lin Ting extended a slender finger and flicked her forehead. “Go on, what else brings you here today?”“Nothing is more important than eating,” Shan Xiaoxi said, sitting down at the bar and reaching up to grab one of the wooden plaques. “I didn’t eat much for lunch. Get me a bowl of bak kut teh. I’ll talk to you after I fill my stomach.”Seeing Shan Xiaoxi like this, Lin Ting smiled and personally went to the kitchen to prepare a bowl of bak kut teh for her.Palat bak kut teh, with its rich and savory broth and tender, chewable bones. Combined with Lin Ting’s secret blend of medicinal herbs, a bowl of bak kut teh not only satisfied the appetite but also strengthened the body.It wasn’t peak dining hours, so only one or two customers were in the eatery. Shan Xiaoxi and Lin Ting didn’t bother avoiding suspicion, discussing matters right at the bar.Shan Xiaoxi asked Lin Ting while eating, "Ting-jie, do you have a way to get me into the Third Ring?""You still want to go to the Third Ring? Haven't you given up on looking for your brother? It's been over two years since he last contacted you. Haven't you considered that maybe he just doesn't want to get in touch?"Over two years ago, Shan Xiaoxi's brother suddenly stopped sending her money. Not knowing the reason, she suspected something had happened to him. But she couldn't contact her brother's biological father's family and had no way of finding out about his situation. That was why she was trying every possible means to go to the Second Ring to look for her brother.Back when she fought for the internship position at Miracle Gallery, she was thinking that after graduation, she could become a full-time employee at Miracle and go to the Second Ring for training. Then she would be able to look for her brother.In the last letter he sent to Shan Xiaoxi, her brother said he was working hard to gain the family's recognition so he could bring her to the Second Ring sooner.Pausing her spoon, Shan Xiaoxi said firmly, "I need to see with my own eyes that he's okay before I can rest easy."After Shan Xiaoxi finished eating, Lin Ting took out a small bottle of liquid from under the bar and pushed it toward her."There's only one way to get to the Third Ring. You've probably heard of it—you can only go from the other side of the river. If you've really thought it through, come find me at night."Shan Xiaoxi picked up the small bottle and opened it.A pungent, strange alcoholic smell rushed out.Patra Bone Wine—a medicinal liquor made by steeping Patra bones and herbs. Drinking it can temporarily enhance the body's resistance to Red Moon radiation. It's an essential medicinal liquor for commoners going out at night.People who work outdoors at night even drink Patra Bone Wine as a thirst-quenching beverage.Shan Xiaoxi had gone out at night before, so she had also drunk this wine and recognized it as soon as she smelled it.Shan Xiaoxi exchanged a glance with Lin Ting and silently put away the bottle of Patra Bone Wine.

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