Chapter 66: Chapter 66: Foodie
Just then, a gust of eerie wind blew past.
The cold wind WHOOSHED, burrowing into everyone’s sleeves.
"Zelir, can we please not tell ghost stories in the middle of the night? Show some class," Gray said, unable to stop himself from shrinking back.
"..."
No one said anything more, simply speeding up their collection of the quest tokens.
Just being in such a grim and eerie place was unsettling.
By the time the party returned to Black Stone Town, the moon had already crossed its zenith and begun its descent.
"You should all head back and get some rest."
"It’s the middle of the night, so the Adventurer’s Association is closed," Marcus said. "I’ll get up early tomorrow morning to turn in the quest. I’ll make sure you all get your share of the pay then."
"Thanks for the hard work," Valles said, nodding.
"See you all next time, then," Gray said, already starting to yawn.
After saying his goodbyes, Zelir returned to the Night Flower Inn.
The one on the night shift was no longer Aurora, but another woman.
She appeared to be in her forties, with a dignified face, though fine lines inevitably creased the corners of her eyes.
Zelir had seen this woman a few times before. She was always sitting quietly behind the counter reading a book. She wasn’t one for many words, but her gentle eyes gave off an impression of great wisdom.
The two exchanged slight nods, a silent greeting, and Zelir headed straight upstairs to rest.
When he woke up the next day, the sunlight streaming through the window was already bright.
Zelir tossed and turned, lingering in bed for a good while before slowly sitting up.
’This feeling of waking up naturally every day is pretty great.’
After washing up, Zelir went downstairs, yawning.
The lively clamor of daily life washed over him.
It was the Night Flower Inn’s busy lunch rush, and the main hall’s dining area was at least eighty percent full.
The savory aroma of roasting meat, the rich scent of thick stew, and the smell of ale flooded Zelir’s senses, making his stomach rumble with hunger.
Aurora zipped between the tables, as busy as a bee. Her cheeks were flushed, and a bead of sweat clung to the tip of her pert nose.
"Coming through! Roasted meat platter for table three!"
"Table seven, your ale!"
"Kitchen! Table nine needs another order of sausage!"
Aurora turned her head and saw Zelir coming downstairs. Her eyes lit up with a smile, and she stole a free moment to dash over to him.
"Zelir, you’re finally awake!"
"I went to bed too late..."
’I must have gotten back around three or four in the morning.’
Zelir scratched his bedhead. "By the way, who was the lady on the night shift yesterday?"
"Oh, you mean Madam Dejian? She’s the owner of this inn."
"When I first arrived in Black Stone Town, I was all alone," Aurora explained. "She was the one who took me in and gave me this job."
"Oh..." Zelir nodded in understanding.
’Sounds like she’s a good person.’
"Are you hungry? What would you like to eat?" Aurora asked, handing him a menu.
Zelir scanned the menu for a moment before choosing a relatively light seafood porridge combo.
’I just woke up, so my stomach isn’t quite ready for anything too heavy. A bowl of porridge will be nice and easy on the system.’
"You got it! Coming right up!"
Zelir found a seat by the window.
He held a cup of black tea Aurora had just brought him, its fragrant steam drifting into the air.
His gaze drifted out the window to the bustling street below, and he found himself lost in thought.
’Have I been in this world... for about a month now?’
’It seems I’m slowly getting used to this life.’
’What should I do today...’
’First, I should head to the Mage’s Guild to show Instructor Manlin the herbs I gathered yesterday. Then I’ll return the Elf Ancient Texts. It’s not like I can make heads or tails of it right now anyway.’
As he was mulling things over, a steady voice sounded beside him.
"Ah, you’re awake. I thought you’d still be sleeping."
Zelir looked up. It was Marcus.
At some point, he had arrived at the Night Flower Inn.
Marcus pulled out a chair and sat down opposite Zelir.
"Oh... Have you eaten?"
Seeing Zelir about to habitually wave Aurora over to order more food, Marcus quickly raised a hand to stop him.
"No, no, that’s not necessary. I already ate before I came."
"Alright, then."
"I went to the Association first thing this morning and turned in the quest."
As he spoke, Marcus pulled a cloth pouch from his tunic, placed it on the table, and pushed it over.
"This is your share."
Zelir picked it up, but he quickly sensed something was off—the pouch was much heavier than he had expected.
The loot from the cemetery quest was to be split 30-30-20-20, with Zelir and Valles taking the largest shares.
Twenty-six Skeleton Soldiers at Ten Silver Coins each came to two gold and sixty silver coins.
One Evil Remains, for Ten Gold Coins.
For a total of twelve gold and sixty silver coins.
Zelir’s 30% cut should have been three gold and seventy-eight silver coins, but the pouch clearly held more than that.
He gave Marcus a questioning look.
Marcus just gave a slight nod. "I found a reliable contact and sold that batch of equipment. It went for twenty-one gold coins in total. Your share is five gold."
’So that’s what it was...’
Zelir nodded calmly in acknowledgment.
’The gear on those things was actually worth a decent amount.’
After accepting the payment, Zelir’s personal fortune now exceeded thirty gold coins, a new record for him.
"By the way, did you report the situation with that corpse we found?" Zelir asked.
"I told the receptionist, Eira," Marcus said. "She reported it to Chairman Hogan right away. They discussed it and decided they’ll handle it jointly with the town guard. It’s out of our hands now."
Zelir nodded slightly.
"That’s good."
Aurora walked over carrying a large tray. She placed the seafood porridge, a side of roasted asparagus, and two pieces of soft, buttered bread in front of Zelir.
"Here’s your seafood porridge combo! Enjoy your meal."
After setting down the food, Aurora turned warmly to Marcus. "Oh, it’s you, Marcus. Can I get you anything?"
"I’m fine, thank you."
Marcus waved his hand and stood up. "Well, I’ll be on my way. Get some rest, Zelir."
"Alright." Zelir watched Marcus leave.
Aurora held her tray, a thoughtful look on her face.
"Looks like you have a pretty high standing in your party. Even someone as experienced and steady as Marcus comes looking for you time and again."
"It’s nothing special. We all just help each other out," Zelir said.
"A customer at table twelve wants to order!" a voice called from the other side of the hall.
"Coming!" Aurora called back, trotting away.
Zelir picked up his spoon and began to eat the seafood porridge.
Though it was called seafood, everything in it actually came from the rivers near Black Stone Town.
The snow-white fish fillets were stewed until they melted in his mouth, and a few bright-red river shrimp were steeped in the porridge. With a sprinkle of pepper for extra flavor, the sight alone was enough to make his mouth water.
The porridge was cooked until it was wonderfully creamy. With each spoonful, the savory flavor of the fish and the fresh sweetness of the shrimp blended together. Every bite was a delight.
The price of this combo was a little cheaper than the beef shank in red wine sauce, at just one silver and fifty copper coins, but it still wasn’t a meal the average person could afford every day.
But Zelir never skimped when it came to his stomach. He was more than willing to spend money on food; in less than a month, he had already spent nearly a Gold Coin on meals.
’What’s the point of living if you spend all day out there training, running errands, and slaying Demons, only to come back and not even get a good meal?’
’Might as well be dead.’
After finishing the seafood porridge, Zelir felt much more content.
He went to the front counter to pay his bill, laying out a few more large coins on the side.
"Is that a tip for me?" Aurora asked, winking playfully.
"A fifty-silver-coin tip? For that much, I might as well hire you as my personal maid."
Zelir laughed. "It’s for next month’s rent. I’m paying in advance."
"And here I was thinking I’d struck it rich," Aurora said, wrinkling her nose.
After Zelir left the Night Flower Inn, Aurora began counting the Silver Coins on the counter.
When she finished counting, she found that besides the money for the rent, there were two extra silver coins.
"Hmph..."
Aurora didn’t say anything out loud, but a silent smile spread across her lips.
