The cloaked figure tilted their head up slightly and said softly:
"Do you know?
In the Golden Flower Bird Kingdom, the earth is seen as the foundation of life and the mother of all things; it is the starting point for all living creatures.
On the annual Day of Prayer, there are rituals of kissing the earth to thank the Mother Goddess.
During the ceremony, flowers and grass are considered the most primal gifts from the earth to humankind, and those who follow the tenets of the flower also kiss the blossoms and the grass.
I was not eating grass just now; I was kissing the earth!"
"???"
Chen Qi frowned and glanced at the few blades of grass on the corner of the other person's mouth.
What is she talking about?
You call this a kiss? You kissed it right into your mouth?
The Floral Appearance symbolizes elements such as nature, pleasure, art, and beauty.
Chen Qi remembered that some professions with the Floral Appearance indeed have skills like healing through eating grass or photosynthesis.
But grass, especially the random kind, is really hard to eat.
And mentioning it is not very elegant.
Her wriggling appearance lacked the grace that the ceremony should have.
"Are you sure you're not just hungry?"
Chen Qi asked curiously, as he still had some food in his backpack.
"No."
The cloaked woman hesitated for a moment before answering resolutely.
Fine... Chen Qi wasn't surprised by the response.
In such a place where order was imbalanced, few would accept food from a stranger.
When hungry, many would rather eat grass.
The cloaked woman's ability to stave off hunger was extraordinary; he glanced at the massive portal and swiftly changed the subject:
"Are you also here to join in on this crack?"
Chen Qi looked around.
In the vicinity of this street, many civilians had run far away due to the issues with factions.
The people who could stay nearby were either those joining the crack or those selling information or equipment.
Chen Qi thought for a moment:
"I'm a Chef, and I want to see if I can earn some money nearby."
"A Chef! Really?"
The cloaked woman was startled, she swallowed hard, immediately envisioning a deliciously fragrant cake in her mind.
She suspected that the other person might have realized she was very hungry and was just teasing her!
Suddenly, Chen Qi noticed some peculiar changes on the cloaked woman.
The cloak covering her head inexplicably bulged slightly, like ocean waves!
What's going on? Can her hair move? Or is it undulating flesh?
Chen Qi was shocked.
It immediately brought to mind the creatures in many games that used cloaks to cover their terrifying forms!
These creatures were invariably hidden BOSS-level characters.
Upon closer inspection, this person had their entire body wrapped up tight.
And the revealed arms and legs were also entwined with bandages.
The cloak was pulled so low, it was impossible to see the upper half of the face.
A very mysterious person...
Chen Qi's curiosity was piqued and he felt an urge to lift her cloak.
Unfortunately, he was not strong enough and it would be rude, so he had to suppress the impulse to lift her cloak for now.
Based on his gaming experience, the moment the other person removed the cloak, it could likely trigger a terrifying second phase.
The cloaked woman seemed to realize the strange bulges on her cloak, and she turned her head toward the direction of the portal, speaking mysteriously:
"It looks like you are a newcomer to the crack.
Let me warn you, within that crack, unimaginable terror awaits."
As soon as she finished speaking, the cloaked woman patted the dust off her body and walked towards the street.
"Huh?"
What terror? Chen Qi watched the back of the cloaked woman.
She left after dropping a cryptic line.
```
Damned, he'd run into a cursed riddler!
From the recent situation, it seemed that the hooded woman was, like him, preparing to enter the rift alone.
Moreover, she most likely harbored many secrets.
In Moonstone City, there was no shortage of people with secrets.
"Might as well go gather some intelligence first..."
Chen Qi took out his 'reporter' business card and walked towards the newspaper stand up ahead.
The newsstand was built next to a weapon shop, and the area around it was dimly lit and hazy. The owner behind the display window was a hairy old man with a pair of gold-rimmed glasses.
He squinted his eyes and asked in a thick voice,
"What kind of newspaper would you like, sir? We have the Witch Times, the freshly printed White Dove Times, or the Man's Times that covers the lives of the famous. Of course, we also have some newspapers that expose the wonderful curves of the human body."
Chen Qi stated bluntly,
"I'm looking for information about that rift."
The old man adjusted his glasses,
"Newspapers about the rift, sir, will cost a bit more than normal ones, but it'll be cheaper if you're a member of the press."
The old man made a five with his hand.
Five thousand Shell Coins...
Not too expensive.
Chen Qi thought for a moment then handed over Pelu's business card,
"With this card, how much will it be?"
He wondered how much of a discount Pelu's fame could fetch.
The old man bent his head, glanced at it, and clenched his fist,
"Pelu again..."
The kind old man's eyes suddenly held a trace of deep resentment.
Chen Qi frowned.
From his expression, it seemed that the fame of miracle reporter Pelu wasn't as useful as he had imagined.
After all, the business cards Pelu had spread around were not thousands, they were at least in the hundreds.
Even the best things would lose their value if they became too common.
Chen Qi reached out his hand, ready to fork over some money—paying for information felt more secure.
But the next second, the old man interrupted him,
"No, sir, with the business card, there's no need to pay an additional fee. That's the rule of our profession, even when it comes to that small... lovely Pelu, rules are rules."
The old man wouldn't take the money? Chen Qi stopped his motion of paying.
You see, the old man could have easily pocketed the money without anyone being the wiser.
This organization known as the 'press' was even more disciplined than he had imagined.
The old man popped his head out from behind the display, making sure no one was around, and whispered,
"Sir, rest assured, the press can always be trusted.
The rift you're about to enter is said to be more dangerous than you can imagine, but of course, the greater the risk, the greater the reward.
That's why people from the Black Rabbit Gang and the Stray Dog Gang are guarding in front of the rift."
"Go on."
"The rift you're heading to is called the Hunting Grounds, a Blade Phase rift.
It's a major rift, one of the highest-grade E-class rifts. First Order Transcendents are allowed to enter, with a maximum of fifty people, and there's also one supervisor who can join the ranks of the monsters."
The time the rift opens is at noon tomorrow.
Of course, you are probably already aware of this information."
The Hunting Grounds... Chen Qi took note of this; he had a deep impression of this type of rift.
The old man pulled out a newspaper and continued,
"The following information will cost a bit of money.
According to ancient archives, this rift was opened ten years ago. At that time, a powerful gang leader discovered a hidden treasure guarded by a monster within the rift.
Unfortunately, due to excessive exhaustion, the gang leader was defeated by the monster guarding the treasure and died within the rift.
Latter, when the rift's anomaly level dropped to zero, it was permanently closed and that treasure became unattainable. This event gradually fell into oblivion."
"But now, the Winds of Tides have blown away the dusty fog, allowing many objects buried by history to re-emerge."
Immediately afterward, the old man's gaze shifted to the fully armed treasure hunters in the distance,
"That's why there are so many people interested in this rift. Those heading there include hunters seasoned in such expeditions."
"According to my guess, those lone figures ahead, as well as the mysterious cloaked person you just encountered, are here for that treasure without a doubt."
```