Before long, they arrived at the spice shop.

  However, a group of people was blocking the entrance. Judging by their appearance, they were gang members. The shop owner was talking to them, his face filled with distress.

  "We already paid the protection fee a few days ago. Why are you asking for more?" the shop owner said bitterly.

  "Not my problem. This is the new rule—the protection fee has increased. If you want to keep your shop open, you have to pay!" The gang leader, shouldering a wooden club wrapped in iron wire, said impatiently.

  "How can you do this? We already pay taxes and rent. We're barely making ends meet, and now you’re increasing the protection fee… We won’t be able to keep the shop running!" The shop owner looked even more miserable.

  The nearby residents chimed in: "Yeah, this protection fee is ridiculous…" "How are we supposed to survive like this?"

  "Shut up, all of you!" The gang leader suddenly slammed the counter with his club, leaving a deep dent. Then he raised his weapon toward the surrounding people, his face fierce.

  "Survive? Live however you want! But if you don’t pay up today, I’ll make sure you don’t get to live at all!"

  Hearing this, the shop owner and the neighbors all showed anger in their eyes, but fear dominated their expressions.

  Seeing that no one dared to speak up, the gang leader smirked arrogantly, feeling pleased with himself.

  "A bunch of ungrateful fools. The Crab Gang is protecting you, and this is how you repay—Argh!"

  Before he could finish his sentence, a strong kick landed on his side, sending him flying two or three meters away.

  "Who the hell dares—" The gang leader groaned in pain on the ground, cursing as he struggled to get up.

  But the moment he turned his head, he saw Caius standing there, cigarette in his mouth, one hand carrying groceries while the other was in his pocket, looking at him with a raised eyebrow.

  "Uh…" The gang leader immediately shut his mouth.

  It wasn’t just Caius’s towering frame that scared him—it was the fact that he had witnessed Caius handling Sean before. He knew exactly who he was dealing with.

  In that instant, his arrogance vanished, replaced by sheer fear.

  "Impressive. Collecting protection fees now, are we?" Caius set his groceries down, shoved both hands into his pockets, and walked toward the gang members.

  The gang leader trembled, but he didn’t dare to run.

  Running? That was a joke. Caius was over two meters tall and a Gold-rank warrior. One of his strides covered three of his own. There was no way he could escape.

  As for the five or six underlings with him, none of them dared to stop Caius. They instinctively stepped aside.

  Caius stood before the gang leader, looking down at him. "Explain to me, what’s going on here?"

  He took a drag of his cigarette and blew the smoke directly into the gang leader’s face.

  The gang leader blinked rapidly from the sting but forced a flattering smile. "B-bro, it’s all a misunderstanding… A misunderstanding…"

  Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

  "A misunderstanding?" Caius chuckled and casually kicked him in the hip joint. He didn’t use much force, but it was enough to send the man sprawling again.

  "B-bro, please don’t hit me…"

  "Collecting protection fees on my turf? Looks like Sean has a death wish." Caius laughed again and kicked him once more, just hard enough to make him yelp in pain.

  "Big bro, w-we were forced to…"

  "Forced? So I was wrong to blame you then?"

  "N-no…" The gang leader hung his head submissively.

  Caius lost interest in beating him further and gestured with his hand.

  The gang leader hesitated for a moment.

  Caius frowned slightly.

  Immediately, the gang leader shivered and scrambled to his feet, standing cautiously before Caius. "B-big bro?"

  "Go back and tell Sean that this area is under my protection now. If I see another Crab Gang member collecting fees here, I’ll personally take off his other arm." Caius exhaled another puff of smoke and spoke calmly.

  "Y-yes, yes…" The gang leader nodded repeatedly.

  "Now scram." Caius tilted his chin, and the gang members fled as if granted amnesty, running off as fast as they could.

  Watching them leave, Caius smirked.

  It wasn’t that he was particularly noble or trying to protect the shopkeepers of this street.

  Nor was he interested in gang turf wars.

  He just didn’t want Belle, who often shopped here, to run into these guys.

  Sure, there were enforcers in Ocean City, but the law here… It was no better than a wasteland city’s. The enforcers were just there to clean up after the fact.

  Otherwise, why would gangs be collecting protection fees in broad daylight?

  Fortunately, these gangs were rather… interesting. Most of them were just people banding together for survival or young men who thought gangs were cool. They rarely did anything truly outrageous in public.

  As long as you paid up, they’d even protect you from other gangs. In that sense, they weren’t much different from the wasteland gangs.

  Back at the shop, Caius saw Belle still standing there, staring blankly. He raised an eyebrow. "What are you waiting for? Buy your spices. I’m starving."

  Belle finally snapped out of it and entered the shop to buy spices.

  Seeing that she was with Caius, the shop owner immediately packed her order, refusing to take her money and even throwing in several extra packs of high-quality spices.

  Belle waved her hands in protest, insisting on paying, but the owner said it was to thank Caius.

  Belle turned to look at Caius, looking a bit lost.

  Seeing her dazed expression, Caius chuckled, flicking away his cigarette ash. "If it’s a gift from the owner, just accept it."

  Belle nodded slightly and whispered a soft "thank you" to the shop owner.

  The owner didn’t quite hear her, but he still smiled warmly.

  With their shopping done, the two of them returned to the orphanage.

  Caius carried a bulging bag of groceries, while Belle held a small bag of spices—a rather eye-catching pair. Mostly because of Caius’s towering frame.

  The modestly dressed mushroom girl beside him barely had any presence at all. Passersby’s gazes would always land on Caius, overlooking Belle entirely.

  Back home, Caius placed the groceries in the kitchen and then lazily sat in the living room, waiting for food.

  Belle wanted to help in the kitchen but was promptly shooed out by Grandma Lunla.

  "I’m cooking today. Just wash your hands and wait to eat." Grandma Lunla smiled kindly, glancing at Caius as she spoke.

  Belle couldn’t argue with her and nodded obediently.

  However, she soon went back to the kitchen and retrieved a jug with half a bottle of liquor, then slowly pushed it toward Caius.

  Caius’s eyes lit up. He was feeling a bit thirsty after the walk.

  Without hesitation, he picked up the jug and chugged it down in one go.

  "Ahh!" Caius put the jug down, licking his lips. "That hit the spot!"

  But then he noticed something odd.

  Belle was staring at him intently, her face half-hidden by her hair, but he could feel her unwavering gaze.

  "W-what’s up?" Caius asked warily.

  "You like drinking," Belle said softly—surprisingly without stammering.

  "Of course—" Caius instinctively nodded, then quickly corrected himself. "No, I don’t! Mercenaries don’t get to drink good liquor. This stuff is awful!"

  Belle remained silent, just staring at him.

  After only three seconds, Caius felt guilty. He finally sighed. "Fine, I do like it…"

  "But so what? You’re not allowed to buy it!"

  Caius said fiercely, "If you dare to buy it, I'll dare to drink it! You buy a bottle, I'll down it all in one go!"

  "I’ll drink myself straight into a stomach perforation, burn a hole right through my gut, and drop dead on the spot!"

  "Just ask yourself—are you scared or not?"

  Belle shrank her little face into the high collar of her sweater.

  "Scared."

  "Then don’t buy it, in case I lose control, got it?" Caius said. "If you're going to buy something, get rye beer. That stuff isn’t too strong—it’s basically a soft drink."

  "Mm."

  "Don't just ‘mm’ me. Say you understand."

  "I understand."

  In the kitchen, Lunla's grandmother slowed her movements as she washed the vegetables, listening to the voices drifting from the living room. A warm smile unconsciously tugged at the corners of her mouth.

  This home was becoming a little livelier.