Chapter 175: Give Them a Piece of Your Mind
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 175: Give Them a Piece of Your Mind
“Hmm... So this is where you usually sleep...”
“Well, yeah. There’s not much to see, though.”
It wasn’t like I did much in my room anyway. I was usually in the dining hall or out in the backyard. I only really came here to sleep, and since I’d been away for a while recently, the place looked pretty bare.
“Hmm, I see. Interesting...”
Theodora looked around the room for a moment before taking a seat on the edge of the bed. Every time she wagged her tail, a bit of fur fluttered off. I wasn't sure if I should mention that or not.
I’d aired the place out, so there wasn't much of a lingering scent. Since it was an inn, the occupants changed almost daily, and my room was originally meant for guests anyway. It was designed so that the air cleared out quickly as long as the windows were open.
“Oh, by the way, what did you do with that check I gave you?”
“I haven't even had a chance to use it yet. It’s just sitting there. How much is actually in it?”
“About 340 gold coins. From now on, every time there’s a request to transport materials, the payment will be deposited there. I gave you a little extra this time.”
“Is that so? You’ll have to show me how to use it properly later.”
“Pfft, alright. I figured you’d say that.”
When we headed downstairs, I found Ravi sitting with Sera, chattering away about something. Sera didn't look particularly interested, but she was listening intently nonetheless, while Ravi babbled on, completely oblivious to Sera’s expression.
“Ravi, and then? Didn't you say there was something else besides the festival talk?”
“Yoo Eon! You’re just in time! I just got a reply from the Page of Arcana yesterday!”
“What kind of reply?”
“They said that even after searching through the entire Library Plaza of the Page of Arcana, they couldn't find a single case that exactly matches your skill!”
“Wasn't the conclusion already that it’s an Unidentified Skill?”
Ravi shook her head vigorously at my question. She continued with a triumphant look on her face.
“There are so many different types of skills! Even if the mechanisms are completely different, there are plenty of skills that produce the exact same result! Sometimes, even if it’s the same skill, it can turn into something else entirely because of the influence of other skills you already have!”
“I see.”
So skills could influence each other. It made sense; with so many skills out there, some were bound to have overlapping effects. Ravi gave an example: apparently, a skill that makes you go bald and a skill that makes your hair grow fast cannot coexist. Unfortunately, the baldness skill usually wins.
Instead, the fast-growing hair skill supposedly affects other types of body hair. How horrifying.
“Naturally, there are countless similar skills, so it was unclear if this was truly a brand-new skill that had never been discovered before! But I just got the confirmation yesterday!”
“So it really is an Unidentified Skill.”
“Yes! And now? Guess what? The big news!”
“News?”
“You get to give the new skill a name!”
“Hmm, okay.”
“What’s with that reaction?! Aren't you excited?!”
So I got to name the nameless skill I possessed. That sounded like a headache.
“You name it, Ravi. Just pick something appropriate.”
“What?! But this is a huge honor!”
“How so?”
“The name you choose will be recorded in the Skill Encyclopedia at the Library Plaza!”
“Umm...”
Even when she put it that way, I wasn't really feeling it. I asked Theodora, who was standing nearby, and she confirmed that the Library Plaza was indeed a prestigious academic archive. But I wasn't good at naming things, nor was I particularly interested.
“Alright. I’ll think about it, so you put some thought into it too, Ravi.”
“H-hmph! Well, if you insist, Yoo Eon! I’ll think of something! I already have about 27 candidates, so I’ll have to narrow them down carefully.”
She’s certainly enjoying herself.
* * *
After chattering for a long while, Ravi seemed to have gotten hungry and decided she wanted to eat. I wasn't sure how much caloric energy that tiny body could store, but it was impressive that she could talk all day in that high-pitched voice.
Once Tresha returned from visiting Iris, I was finally able to escape Ravi’s swamp of endless chatter.
“Lymain? What’s that?”
“How should I explain it...”
Tresha didn't really go grocery shopping, nor had she ever bought high-end monster material equipment. Consequently, she lacked information about the Great Merchant Lymain family. It was a bit awkward to explain.
“They could buy the entire Southwest with cash.”
“I apologize for my ignorance, please spare my life...”
“It’s not that extreme... Or is it?”
Even Theodora, standing next to us, seemed unsure if that was true or not. I couldn't estimate the Lymain family’s total assets either, so I didn't know the specifics. However, they owned a large workshop on the outskirts of the Northwest, a luxury department store building, a hospital in the North... If you added it all up, it seemed plausible.
They could probably do it just by selling off their assets in Calax.
Anyway, Tresha, who had initially thought Theodora was just a regular guest and told her to pull up a chair, was now bowing so low her forehead almost touched the floor.
“Yoo Eon! Is there any of that left from last time?”
“Ah, that.”
“Hm? That? What is it?”
“Since Theodora is here, maybe I should bring some out.”
The ‘that’ Ravi was referring to was Bear Fish. When she first tried it, she’d said it was the most delicious thing she’d ever eaten in her life. For Ravi, whose usual diet was barely above starvation levels, Bear Fish was in her top five favorite foods—the rest were probably things she’d been treated to at Roanmarie’s.
Even if it wasn't that amazing, Bear Fish was objectively a delicious fish. I wondered if Theodora would like it.
“Sera, I’m going to use the kitchen. I’m going to grill that fish we had before. You’ll have some too, right?”
“Huh? Oh, yes! I’ll eat!”
I should probably ask Auntie, who was currently tinkering with a magic tool to heat the bathwater.
“All done.”
“Yep.”
Auntie passed. What about Father?
“Oh, sounds good! Make mine a big piece!”
“Then come out to the dining hall and set the forks and knives.”
“Why are you making me do chores...?”
* * *
“This must be expensive. You caught this yourself on the 3rd Stratum?”
“Yeah. I went into the Labyrinth with Father and his colleagues.”
“Ah, Father...”
Father was currently eating with sauce smeared all over his mouth. Surprisingly, Sera, Theodora, and I were at one table, while Father sat at another with Tresha and Ravi.
It felt like a holiday where the kids' table and the adults' table were separated, and the three ‘kids’ were happily munching away while chatting.
“You said he’s Sera’s father...?”
“Ah, yes. That’s right... He’s a bit unique...”
“Well... I suppose that’s how explorers can be.”
Apparently, he was considered quite mild by comparison. One of the Cobalt-grade explorers the Golden Glove Syndicate had contracted with in the past had suddenly turned into a lizard inside the Labyrinth and was still missing. If it hadn't been for the testimony of his comrades, they wouldn't have even known what happened.
“So this inn is a family-run business.”
“Before Yoo Eon came, it was just me and my mom. Now we have Tresha, and thanks to the kids Yoo Eon brought, the work has become much easier.”
“Kids?”
“Their names are Walter and Sola. Sola is that wisp from before. Walter is a Red-Feathered Eagle Owl you can find on the 1st Floor. Over there. Tresha made a monster contract with him.”
“Aha...”
Tresha must have overheard our conversation because she brought Walter out from the room where he’d been resting to show him to Theodora. She used to carry him in her arms, but he’d grown too big for that now, so Walter walked out on his own.
“So you’re Walter? Oh my, how cute.”
“Walter! Say hello to the lady!”
Since Walter had hatched on the surface, he was very gentle and liked people. Since the first things he saw when he came out of the egg were Sera and Tresha, he didn't show any aggression toward humans.
When Tresha told him to greet her, he bowed his head just as he’d been trained. He was a smart fellow.
“Bear Fish... It’s hard to transport and hard to keep fresh, so it’s usually incredibly expensive. But I guess Aven has his skills.”
“Is it... is it a very expensive ingredient?”
“It probably goes for about 1 gold coin per 400 grams.”
“What?!”
Clang!
Ravi, who had been listening from the next table, dropped her fork onto her plate and slowly turned toward us.
“Y-Yoo Eon...?”
“Including last time, that’s about 2 gold coins... No, maybe a bit less than 400 grams?”
“P-please spare me...”
“I’m joking. Hurry up and finish your food.”
I’d heard it was an expensive fish, but I hadn't known the exact price.
“There will be a lot of guests tomorrow. Maybe I should try selling this.”
“It’s questionable if anyone visiting the Southwest would pay for such an expensive fish.”
“True. I’ll have to lower the price.”
It was much easier to grill than meat, and the cooking process was simple—just a bit of salt and pepper—so the difficulty would be much lower.
* * *
“Thanks for the delicious meal. I was originally going to take you back to sleep at my place, but...”
It was almost time for the guests to start pouring in. As evening fell, the streets of the Southwest were crowded with three or four times as many people as before. I’d noticed the streets were looking busy, and now I saw colorful pennants hanging everywhere.
They were like those strings of triangular flags with national flags you see at festivals. Since there were no national flags, they were decorated with the sigils of craft clans, Great Families, and other sponsors.
Theodora looked back and forth between Sera and me, who had come out to see her off, and gave a sheepish smile. Behind us, Ravi poked her head out and waved at Theodora.
“I-I’ll be back tomorrow! See you tomorrow, Sera!”
“Ah, yes! See you tomorrow, Theodora...!”
A short while later, the Lymain carriage arrived to pick up Theodora, and soon after, guests began to swarm in.
“Auntie, do you want to try grilling this and serving it?”
“This?”
Auntie looked at the Bear Fish steak on the plate and hesitated for a moment.
“The guests won't be happy if we run out of ingredients.”
“I have plenty.”
I pulled out a whole, undismantled chunk of Bear Fish from my fingertips. She looked surprised at the size for a moment, but then gave the okay.
“Tresha, from now on, when guests order meat, ask them if they want to try the special menu.”
“Special menu? Ah, that fish?”
“Yeah. The price... let’s charge about 15 silver coins.”
They were people who had come from out of town to spend money anyway. Even if there weren't many wealthy people in the Southwest, 15 silver coins for dinner wasn't too bad. Even those who didn't order it because of the price would probably change their minds once they saw others eating it.
The portion size would be about 200 grams. That was less than 30 percent of the average market price. Not exactly a profitable venture.
Creeeeak.
“Alright, the guests are here. Go on.”
“T-there are so many of them?!”
The dining hall quickly filled with twice as many people as usual. Guests began to sit at the tables set up outside on the street as well, and the other nearby inns were just as packed.
“It’s fine. These guys will handle the serving.”
“Ooh...!”
Now it was Sola’s turn to shine. Five wooden doll servants for food service, created through the power of special training. They were quite impressive.
“I’ll show you the results of my special training, Hero!”
“Thanks. Make sure everything goes smoothly.”
“Yes!”
Since Bear Fish was much easier to grill than pork or beef, it made things easier for Sera and Auntie, and Tresha only had to take orders. She’d even decided to split the ordering duties with Ravi.
I hadn't originally intended to make Ravi work, but after Theodora mentioned the price of the Bear Fish, she’d begged me to let her help.
“Aven! Then what should I do?”
“Hmm.”
—I said get the guest over here! Why are you so slow!
—Hey, there’s a bug in this dish! You trying to go out of business?!
“Go give them a piece of your mind.”
“You got it. Leave it to me!”