Chapter 1177: Chapter 95: Accepting the Mission
"Brother, aren’t you hungry? Let’s find a regular restaurant and grab something to eat," Ah Dai suggested as he touched the remaining dozen or so Gold Coins, thinking to himself that if he spent frugally, it should be enough to last them until they reached the Yajin Tribe. Once there, at the Mage Guild, he should be able to receive the monthly allowance distributed by the Guild.
Xuan Yue nodded and said, "Sure! But let’s at least find a decent restaurant to eat in; ordinary ones aren’t clean."
With a wry smile, Ah Dai was dragged by Xuan Yue into the most luxurious hotel in Mimu City. Though this luxury hotel in the remote city couldn’t compare to the grand casinos of the Empire of Sunset City, Ah Dai still felt a pang of pain. Money! Though not omnipotent, without it, there’s no food. No matter how powerful you are, you can’t skip meals! It looked like he would have to think of ways to raise money again after this meal.
Upon entering the hotel, a waiter rushed to greet them. His eyes lit up when he saw the Ritual Robe on Xuan Yue, and he respectfully said, "It’s an honor to have a prestigious mage grace our humble establishment! Please, right this way." He completely ignored Ah Dai standing beside and led Xuan Yue inside.
Ah Dai glanced down at his own ordinary civilian clothes, sighed softly, and followed behind.
The waiter led Xuan Yue to an open-style private room situated higher than the main hall and surrounded by wooden railings about one meter high. Handing over the menu, the waiter said, "Honored mage, please order."
Taking the menu, Xuan Yue turned to Ah Dai, who had just arrived, and said, "Big brother, take a seat. It’s not luxurious, but it’s clean enough."
The waiter, surprised, looked at Ah Dai. Before, he had thought this tall youth was just the young priest’s servant or bodyguard—never considering they were friends, perhaps even brothers. Quickly, he went over to pull out a chair for Ah Dai, "Sir, please take a seat."
Ah Dai, seeing the waiter’s peculiar look, knew what he was thinking; he wasn’t the first to look down on him. "Brother, order whatever you’d like; I’m fine with anything."
Xuan Yue sensed a change in Ah Dai’s mood, looked at him, and said, "Big brother, then I won’t hold back. I’ll have a Tian Jing Imperial Icy Sea Crab — two crabs, each over a pound would do — and then..."
With each item Xuan Yue ordered, Ah Dai’s heart trembled, instinctively touching the pouch of coins inside his pocket, unsure if his few remaining Gold Coins would be enough to cover the bill.
Xuan Yue ended up ordering eight dishes, each one of them a famous dish from the Tian Jing Empire. Although Ah Dai had never eaten them, he could tell from the names that these dishes weren’t cheap.
After closing the menu, Xuan Yue smiled at Ah Dai and said, "Big brother, I know you can eat a lot, so I ordered extra. Try these dishes later; they all taste great! You can go now," she said and dismissed the waiter.
Ah Dai sat there with a gloomy expression, preferring to eat dry Steamed Buns rather than wait for these delicacies.
"Big brother, what’s wrong? Are you unhappy? Is it because of that waiter’s cheap behavior? These people are like that, looking down on others. Don’t worry about them. Later, we’ll go find a Mage Guild and get you a mage robe, then this won’t happen again."
Ah Dai sighed and said, "Brother, you may not know this, but the Mage Guilds in the Tian Jing Empire and the ones on the continent are different. They probably won’t give us anything."
Xuan Yue, having been at the Pope’s residence except for her surreptitious departure three years ago, was unaware of what lay beyond, and puzzled, she asked, "What, there are two Mage Guilds?"
Ah Dai nodded and briefly recounted his previous encounter with two opposing groups of mages at the Yajin Tribe.
"Oh, so even the mages are in such disarray! Never mind that. We’ll talk about it once we get to the Yajin Tribe. The Mage Guild there should be affiliated with the one we originally joined. After all, you and sister went through tests in the Red Hurricane Clan, and most of the mages in the Federation should belong to the continental Mage Guild."
Ah Dai sighed softly, lowering his voice, "Brother, may I ask how much will this food cost? I don’t have much money left. Maybe we should cancel a few dishes."
Xuan Yue showed a slight smile and said, "No need to cancel any, big brother, don’t worry. I have my ways."
Believing her to be financially prepared — after all, she was the granddaughter of the Pope and possibly had plenty of money, and since he had shared many of his fruits with her in the Illusive Forest, it seemed only right to treat her in return — Ah Dai felt relieved.
Soon, the eight exquisite dishes Xuan Yue ordered were served one by one. Both of them looked at the aesthetically appealing food and, feeling no need for courtesy, began eating heartily.
The Tian Jing Imperial Icy Sea Crab, Swallowtail Dragon Shrimp, and other famous dishes were indeed delicious. Even during his wealthy days in the Empire of Sunset City, Ah Dai had never tasted such exquisite food, which whet his appetite greatly. As they finished off all eight dishes, Ah Dai thought it seemed that one not only needs money but also needs to know how to spend it.
