Although the pier was quite busy with people coming and going carrying goods, the aromas of the sea, salted fish, and charcoal smoke from the street stalls mingled, clinging to hair, clinging to jackets, and lingering on the breath of anyone who passed by.
Amidst the bustle, Aoki caught a whiff of delicious food. This made him turn and look in the direction of the scent, where spicy intestine satay was steaming over red coals, its smoke rising slowly, wrapping around the bamboo poles supporting the tent.
Aoki's stomach suddenly growled. He clutched his stomach briefly, pretending to look away, but the sound of hunger couldn't be hidden.
Aoki glanced at the satay vendor, a short, elderly woman in a shabby t-shirt, busily turning the skewers on the iron grill. Her hands were nimble even though the hot coals bit her fingertips.
"Wow, intestine satay. How about we try some?" Aoki said, turning to his three companions with a broad smile, as if he didn't care that he'd just emptied his pockets for the boat tickets, as if hunger was more worth celebrating than dreading.
"Sure! I'm hungry too, boss! I'm so hungry!" Tetsu replied enthusiastically, his eyes sparkling like a child seeing a new toy.
After all, the long journey had made Tetsu tired and eager for a delicious meal. His breath came in short gasps as he held back the urge to quickly bite into the hot satay.
Aoki, seeing this, fell silent, making the corners of his lips twitch involuntarily. Aoki sensed that Tetsu was now becoming bolder, daring to speak out louder than just following behind. Despite this, Aoki remained calm, suppressing a small smile.
"Yes, yes, let's go." Aoki then led the way to the food stall tent, where a short, old woman appeared. Seeing Aoki and the others arrive, she looked up.
The wrinkles at the corners of the old woman's eyes parted the soot from the charcoal, her eyes squinting to hold back the ever-rising smoke from the grill.
"Hello, auntie, I'll have eight spicy intestine satays!" Aoki said with a smile, his hand holding up eight fingers as if afraid his voice would be drowned out by the roar of the waves and the bustling chatter of the fishermen.
"Okay! Wait a moment!" The short woman immediately replied with a smile, her half-finished teeth gleaming in the glow of the coals.
The old woman's hands moved quickly, flipping the satays with practiced fingertips, the sound of fat dripping onto the coals creating a hungry sizzle that enticed anyone passing by.
"By the way, auntie, do you know of any decent inns in this port village?" Aoki asked, his voice laced with doubt, but his eyes filled with hope.
He leaned slightly toward the old woman, trying to drown out the noise of the waves crashing against the nearby pier.
The short old woman turned her head, wiping the sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand, which was already covered in charcoal soot.
The old woman's white hair clung to her temples, slightly yellowed at the tips from the ever-rising smoke from the satay. Behind her wrinkled eyes, a glint of amusement flashed at Aoki's question.
"Lodging? Then you'll have to go to the central area," the old woman replied, her hoarse voice sounding like old wood being gently rubbed.
"There's a good lodging there. Not too expensive, not too cheap, but clean. Hot food, plenty of bath water, and if you're lucky, you can hear the sound of the waves crashing through the window."
As the old woman spoke, the smoke from the intestine satay grew thicker. The sea breeze carried a sweet, spicy scent to Aoki's nostrils.
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[Announcement: A New Novel Has Been Added!
The Puppet Maker in the World of Naruto
A man who is a scientist, researcher, and expert mechanic in robotics dies in a massive explosion that occurs in his laboratory while developing an advanced robot project. However, instead of experiencing death as he thought, the man awakens in another world—a strange place with vast stretches of desert.
There, the man is surrounded by people who can jump high, calling themselves ninjas. The confusion he initially felt grows as he realizes that this world is not unfamiliar to him. This is the world of Naruto! However, there is one thing that surprises him.
"Isn't this Sunagakure? Why am I not in Konoha? This poorest village... Oh my God, this is serious!"
Now, in the midst of a new life filled with danger and uncertainty, the scientist must find a way to survive in Sunagakure, a harsh place full of limitations. With his robotic knowledge, can the man change his fate in this ninja world, or will he fall along with the village?]
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