"Identify yourself!" an Extractor shouted at a person who had appeared in front of the city gates.
"My name is Tarren Skylander, and I come from Sunken Ground City," Nick said, disguised as a smaller man with silver hair.
"What is your business with Gourmet City?" the guard asked.
"I am here to join the city and to found a Manufacturer," Nick answered.
The guard was taken aback when he heard that. "You want to make a new Manufacturer?"
"Yes, that is what I intend to do. I heard that the city's policy regarding new Manufacturers is very lenient. I always wanted to own a Manufacturer, but that is sadly not possible in Sunken Ground City," Nick answered.
The guards talked with each other.
"Wait here!" one of the guards shouted.
Nick did just that, and a couple of seconds later, a strong Extractor walked out of the city.
"You want to create a Manufacturer?" the person asked.
"Correct," Nick answered with a smile. "I hope that's okay."
"We are always looking for new Manufacturers, and we could certainly use another Specialist in the city," the man said with a friendly smile. "My name is Jonathan Leery, and I'm a representative of Big Gourmand, the largest Manufacturer in Gourmet City."
Nick shook Jonathan's hand. "Nice to meet you."
"Why don't you come in? Oh, I almost forgot. You are fine with undergoing a series of tests to make sure that you are not a Specter, right?" the man asked.
"No problem," Nick answered.
Jonathan led Nick to the gate, and one of the guards took out a couple of devices.
First, the guard held some form of stick to Nick's body.
"Mid Specialist," he said. "No signs of Specter Zephyx."
Then, he activated another device, and Nick's Barrier activated. Naturally, Nick had changed his Barrier.
"Credentials check out," he said.
Finally, the man took out a small needle and pricked Nick's finger.
He put the needle into a tube and added some powder.
A moment later, the blood turned bright red.
"Human," he said before looking at Jonathan. "Everything checks out."
"You may enter. Welcome to Gourmet City!" the guard said, politely welcoming Nick.
"Thank you," Nick answered.
Then, Jonathan and Nick entered the city.
When Nick entered, he acted like he was surprised by what he saw.
Of course, he had already scouted out the city before officially joining.
Gourmet City was rather sizable. It was around five kilometers across, and it was filled with many tall and clean buildings.
There was even some greenery here and there, which was a luxury in most cities.
Surprisingly, there were almost no poor people walking on the streets.
Everything seemed pretty nice, but since this was a city controlled by Gluttony, there had to be a dark undercurrent.
And it was actually quite easy to see that undercurrent.
"The people seem… quite healthy," Nick said.
Jonathan laughed a bit. "They're all fat."
Sure enough, over 90% of people were morbidly obese.
Around 50% of them were driving around in little carts since they couldn't even walk anymore due to their weight, while the other 50% walked slowly while sweating profusely. R𝙖𐌽ՕΒĚ𝘴
Since Nick had already inspected the city, he knew why that was.
These carts were very expensive.
In Gourmet City, status was displayed by the carts the people drove.
Rich people had big, comfortable, and luxurious carts made of real leather and wood.
People of the middle class drove around in old carts made of metal.
And the lower class just didn't have the money to purchase a cart.
Nick saw plenty of people coughing and groaning as they held their backs and joints.
The most interesting part was the disparity between the 90% of fat people and the 10% of thin people.
It was like the weight of the people was divided into two extremes.
The 10% were at a healthy weight,but almost everyone who was part of the 90% weighed at least 150 kg.
There was barely anyone weighing between 80 kg and 150 kg.
Of course, Nick already knew why that was.
Gourmet Spice.
Gourmet Spice was incredibly addictive since it made any kind of food unfathomably delicious.
Surprisingly, pure Gourmet Spice didn't taste like anything, but when coupled with food that had a lot of fat and carbs, it tasted amazing.
Half of the city's land was dedicated to growing crops, and there were plenty of underground caves that housed different kinds of edible animals.
The city had an absolute abundance of food, and food prices were ridiculously low.
Five credits was enough to buy food for three months.
However, everything else was quite expensive.
Especially the carts.
It was quite obvious how Gluttony's servant influenced the city.
Gluttony grew more powerful by causing people to consume way too much of something, and its servant grew more powerful by causing people to suffer due to high weight.
Heart issues. Lung issues. Clogged up arteries. Abused joints. Intestinal issues. Low testosterone. Diabetes. Lethargy.
Cleaning oneself was difficult when one's arms couldn't reach all parts of one's body, and just moving an arm turned into a workout.
Sweat in unreachable places gathered and fermented, creating a hive for diseases and fungi.
Because of that, diseases and maladies not directly related to obesity were also way more prevalent.
The people seemed relatively happy on the surface, but a majority of their movements were accompanied by pain and suffering.
But that was just their new normal.
"Here is a sack of Gourmet Spice," Jonathan said, pulling Nick out of his trance. "Treat it as a welcoming gift."
Nick took hold of the sack. "Thank you. I heard that Gourmet Spice is amazing, and judging by the people living in this city, it makes its reputation justice."
"It is amazing," Jonathan said with a forlorn expression. "Sometimes,I wish I wasn't working for Big Gourmand."
"How come?" Nick asked.
Jonathan sighed. "We are not allowed to consume Gourmet Spice. We have to be combat ready, and well… you know."
Nick nodded. "I get it."
This was another aspect of Gourmet Spice.
It also worked on Extractors.
Despite the fact that powerful Extractors all underwent Zephosis, Gourmet Spice still managed to fatten them up, weakening their battle-strength quite a bit.
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