Don't Disturb My Meal (1)
Seomun Prefecture. Located at the southernmost tip of Guangdong Province, it was one of the two ports handling trade taxes with the Yue Kingdom and offering ferry services to Hainan Island. There were no particular sights to see, but it appeared to be a moderately prosperous trading port.
Ha-jin, who was walking ahead, quietly added that it was also one of the few places where trade with the Western Regions took place. It felt like he was probing to see if I had any intention of returning.
I shook my head at his question.
"Not interested. I have nowhere to return to anyway."
I didn't even know where the original owner of this body had lived, and the knightly order I belonged to had been wiped out in battle. Then I was captured by those Middle Eastern bastards and sold as a slave. At that point, my ties to Europe could be considered severed.
"...Why not consider Hainan Island your second home?"
So if I had nowhere else to go, they'd take me in. I met his eyes. Ha-jin's gaze was filled with goodwill.
Settling down in Hainan Island... It might not be such a bad idea. After all, I had nowhere else to go, and establishing myself in the Central Plains wouldn't be easy either.
If I couldn't secure a foothold until the end of the Third Righteous-Demonic War, returning to Hainan Island wouldn't be a bad choice. The difference between having a place to stand and not having one was enormous.
"Thank you."
"You've already done us a great favor by fighting for us, Sir. This is merely a small token of our gratitude."
"That's right!"
"If you can't find a place to settle in the Central Plains, just come back."
Would I even find a place to settle in the Central Plains? If I built up my reputation, I might become some kind of hanger-on, but as a foreigner, there weren't many places where I'd be free from scrutiny. Staying near the Wulin Alliance until the war ended was the best option, but...
It didn't seem like things would go according to my wishes.
Now that I'd shown myself before the Demonic Cult, they'd make contact one way or another. If it was some mediocre fellow, I could just swat him away, but if they sent a master at the Super Peak realm or higher, the people around me would be in danger too. I needed to grow stronger.
If possible, breaking through the wall to Master rank would be ideal, but... would it happen?
Up to Journeyman, I'd managed somehow with this body's talent through endless life-and-death battles, but the sect leader had emphasized that Master rank was on an entirely different level.
He'd mentioned that among so many knights, barely over fifty reached Master rank. Most of the knights ten years my senior had remained at Journeyman, so it might take me that long as well.
Reality wasn't so kind that one could surpass realms just by monopolizing opportunities. The fact that enlightenment in the East and West was subtly different also bothered me.
Even if all paths led to the same destination, whether I'd be able to surpass the realm with the enlightenment I'd gained here was uncertain.
...Though it didn't seem like something to worry about from the start.
"Elder Baek! So where are we staying?"
Hye-ryeong spoke to Elder Baek, who had been quietly listening to our conversation. Elder Baek stroked his beard thoughtfully before looking at Ha-jin. So the senior disciple would make the choice.
Ha-jin crossed his arms and pondered for a moment before looking at the main road and answering.
"I was thinking of going to the Clear Stream Inn."
"Isn't that place expensive?"
"We received plenty of travel funds, so that much is fine. Besides... cheap inns tend to have more incidents, don't they?"
Incidents. So like the typical wuxia cliché, the probability of chaos breaking out upon entering was high. Well, cheap inns would indeed have a higher chance of getting involved in such things than high-class ones.
And though he didn't say it, since we had to bring Hye-ryeong along, choosing a cheap inn wasn't easy either. Hye-ryeong wasn't the type to indulge in luxury, but cheap inns were perfect for getting dragged into unnecessary quarrels.
Even though she wore the wave-patterned robes symbolizing the Hainan Sword Sect, the world was vast and there were plenty of madmen. And if a woman was beautiful, it was inevitable that such madmen would flock to her.
"Ugh, I'm sorry for making us spend more money because of me."
She looked sulky, which didn't suit her age.
"Not at all. Thanks to you, we received more travel funds, so isn't that a good thing? Besides, when traveling, it's better to spend generously when needed rather than being stingy halfway."
"Elder Baek is right. Just think of it as gaining good experiences."
"Hehe, then I'll do that!"
As expected, Hye-ryeong looked best when smiling. I smiled at her bright expression.
The Clear Stream Inn, befitting its location in the bustling district, looked cleaner and more splendid than other places. The tables and chairs looked luxurious at a glance. Unlike the laborers wandering the harbor, people dressed in refined clothing stood out.
"There are quite a few foreigners here too."
I could see people from Tianzhu and some from the Middle East. So this was a trading port.
"This is one of the best inns in the city. Naturally, foreign merchants who come for trade often stay here."
Ha-jin kindly answered my casual question.
"That's why the people here are used to foreigners! After all, they see them often!"
Hye-ryeong added with an excited face and turned her gaze to the side. Following her line of sight, a person who looked like a waiter was approaching us.
So this was the neighborhood punching bag waiter from wuxia novels. Perhaps because it was a high-class inn, even the waiter's attire was quite ornate. Clean clothes with gold thread embroidery. Anyone would mistake him for the manager.
His walking posture was disciplined, so he seemed well-trained.
"It's been a while, Elder Baek-hyeon."
As he spoke, he glanced at Hye-ryeong, so she really must be beautiful.
"It's been a year since I last came, yet you still remember."
"How could I forget an elder of the great Hainan Sword Sect?"
"Haha... Bring out your most confident dishes. And prepare one large room and one small room... Ah, Sir William. If you need a private room..."
"It's fine."
A private room would be nice, but it didn't bother me that much. To begin with, the concept of a private room had barely existed for two years.
At least at the Hainan Sword Sect, I stayed alone in the annex, but thanks to Hye-ryeong visiting whenever she had time, it didn't really feel like a private room.
"We'll serve you our finest dishes."
The waiter disappeared toward the kitchen with quiet but quick steps.
Something felt different from the image I'd had in mind.
Was this why they'd suggested coming to a high-class inn? It would be harder to cause trouble here due to the scrutiny, so there'd be fewer incidents, and since they'd been here before, they'd prepare meals and everything else properly.
"Hehe, I'm looking forward to it."
"The food here is excellent, so you can look forward to it."
"..."
"Wow, Senior Brother, staying at such a fine inn... I never thought I'd see the day."
"Ha-gyeong, don't get too excited. You look unsophisticated."
"Ah, I'm sorry."
"I look forward to it too, Master Ha-gyeong."
"See? I knew it."
It had been a while since I'd heard Mu-gwang's voice. Perhaps because he was the lowest in seniority here, he barely spoke. I didn't know why that taciturn martial artist never said anything.
Unable to contain my curiosity, I spoke to the taciturn martial artist.
"Come to think of it, we haven't properly introduced ourselves yet. I'm Wi Ri-eom, or rather William Marshall. And you are..."
Instead of answering, he took out a small wooden plaque from his robe and held it out to me.
What? What kind of communication method was this?
"Sir. Geon-sam cannot speak."
Ha-jin quietly informed me.
Ah, so that was it... Then who was he?
"Geon-sam is Elder Cheon's disciple!"
Elder Cheon... I think I'd been introduced, but I didn't remember well. We'd only met once. The fact that they'd brought him along meant his skills were definitely reliable.
"I see... I'll be counting on you."
He nodded.
It was a posture that could seem somewhat arrogant, but since he couldn't speak, it couldn't be helped.
While we were chatting about this and that, the waiters began bringing out the food. Fish dishes overflowing with oil filled the table at a glance.
That one was probably the fish stew, that one was some grilled fish I didn't know the name of, and that one was grilled shrimp?
"These are our signature dishes that we're proud of. Please enjoy."
"Let's eat well."
When Elder Baek, who had the highest seniority among us, picked up his chopsticks, everyone else followed suit. What should I try first? I reached for the grilled fish that looked the most approachable.
When I stuck my chopsticks into the slightly bluish skin of the fish and gently parted it, white flesh appeared along with steam. Wow, high-class restaurants really were different.
It would have been better if there was rice too... Crash!
"...Ah."
Hye-ryeong's sigh mixed with exasperation came from beside me. I tore my gaze from the chopsticks that had cut through empty air without picking anything up and looked at the person who had fallen onto the table.
He looked quite refined, but judging by his muscle condition, he seemed like a martial artist.
That wasn't the important part.
"Fighting in front of sacred food..."
"Uncle?"
"Sir, if you release your killing intent here..." He was crossing the line. I picked up the Chinese-style spoon beside me and stood up.