Chapter 26: Lavish Feasting

Any adventurer who has completed even a single quest is entitled to run a tab for drinks at The Goblin’s Left Ear.

This is something of a hidden perk for the tavern, as the adventurers who retire from the trade—or die on their missions—are never coming back to settle their debts. Because of this, the prices at The Goblin’s Left Ear are high, and the tavern owner is entirely unapologetic about it.

Upon entering the tavern, Paul and his three companions led Li Rui straight to the counter.

"Hawk!" the druid Paul shouted over the din to the tavern owner, who was busy polishing a wooden mug behind the bar. "Give us a pot of cream of mushroom soup, five lamb legs, and tell me, what kind of seafood do you have today?"

Hawk didn't even stop polishing the mug; he just glanced at them sideways. "You haven't paid off your last tab yet. That’s five gold coins."

Paul and his companions turned their gazes toward Li Rui.

Li Rui pulled five gold coins from his pouch and placed them on the counter before Hawk.

The tavern owner finally set down the mug, but instead of reaching for the coins, he braced his thick, muscular arms on the counter and stared directly at Li Rui.

"A newcomer? Who are you?"

***

Fragrant.

That was the first impression anyone had upon stepping into The Goblin’s Left Ear.

Looking through the serving window behind the counter, one could see the bustling chaos of the kitchen. Iron skewers rotated constantly over the grill, where large racks of ribs and game birds roasted, releasing a rich, meaty aroma. Droplets of fat hit the charcoal, emitting intermittent sizzling sounds.

The cook grabbed a handful of fine white salt and spice powder—luxuries that farmers and lumberjacks rarely saw in their lifetimes—and tossed them onto the roasting meat with a casual, almost cathartic flair, inciting an even more intense and seductive fragrance.

In a waist-high iron pot, a dark brown, thick soup bubbled away. The sweet scent of root vegetables, the gelatinous richness of long-simmered meat, and the aroma of exotic spices blended together, drifting through the air like a phantom soup that seemed to force its way into everyone’s nostrils.

The scent of ale was reduced to tiny, isolated islands in this environment, existing only on the tables where people sat.

"Gulp!"

***

Li Rui took a large swallow of the locally brewed ale from Golden Wheat Town, enjoying the lingering taste on his lips.

He wasn't much of a drinker, and his tolerance wasn't particularly high, but for a beverage that likely had an alcohol content of only one or two percent—perhaps "drink" was a more fitting term—even he could easily down a large tankard.

After setting down his mug, he looked at the table, now laden with a feast.

At the very center sat a pot filled to the brim with cream of mushroom soup that emitted a faint, yellowish luminescence.

According to Paul, this soup was made from ingredients sourced from the distant Amethyst Dungeon, home to a unique monster known as the "Puji."

The name sounded cute, and in reality, they were quite cute.

A Puji looked like a mushroom with two short legs. With every step, their little cap-like feet made a soft "puji-puji" sound, which was how they got their name.

Unlike most monsters, they were soft all over, possessed no offensive capabilities, and were incredibly delicious, which was why they had been introduced to Golden Wheat Town. However, because their ecological niche overlapped too heavily with the Spore Goblins of the low-level monster forests—and because they were utterly incapable of fighting off goblins—they couldn't multiply in the wild and were only kept in small-scale captivity.

Every so often, a few "Fluorescent Pujis" would mutate within the population, and these were even tastier than the common variety.

In all of Golden Wheat Town, only The Goblin’s Left Ear served dishes made from Fluorescent Pujis. Consequently, the price of this pot of glowing cream of mushroom soup was quite steep: five gold coins.

Paul and his companions were tearing into the lamb legs, which were coated in a thick layer of spices that made the crispy skin and the meat right down to the bone delicious. Including the one in front of Li Rui, that was another five gold coins.

On the table also sat a large platter holding blue lobsters as thick as an arm. The meat pulled away perfectly from the shell; five of them cost twenty-five gold coins. Don't ask why the lobster was so expensive—the answer is that there isn't a harbor within a thousand kilometers.

As for the brown, soft bread that looked like baguettes, Hawk didn't even put those on the tab; they were on the house.

This meal cost the five of them a total of thirty-five gold coins.

That was roughly equivalent to the entire profit from killing two or three groups of goblins, or enough to buy nearly three tons of golden wheat. The entire meal was put on Li Rui’s tab. Naturally, he was buying on credit.

***

Li Rui had the backing of Paul’s team, having killed undead, goblins, and slimes. Although he had been led out of the monster forest by Paul’s team, he had proven during the process that he dared to kill goblins and was qualified for this line of work.

He had also helped Paul’s team pay off their previous tab, and so, Hawk was willing to do him a favor and allow him to start a tab at The Goblin’s Left Ear from now on.

Since arriving in the Endi World, Li Rui had never had such a lavish meal—or, rather, he had never had a proper meal at all.

He was ravenous, yet even after stuffing himself until he couldn't eat another bite, he hadn't finished his share. Meanwhile, the four animals of Paul’s team had not only finished their own portions but still had the appetite to polish off his leftovers.

Li Rui couldn't help but sigh to himself—melee professionals really do eat more than pigs!

After this meal, he could consider himself officially initiated into the adventurer circle of Golden Wheat Town.

Now, it all depended on how the Church of the Goddess of Fortune and the Golden Wheat Town Adventurers' Guild handled the Pure White City. If they could eliminate the Mind Flayer that potentially lurked there, Li Rui would certainly stay for a long time. If they couldn't, then everyone in Golden Wheat Town would likely have to pack up and find a new life elsewhere.

After the meal, Li Rui and Paul’s team all decided to spend the night in the guest rooms on the second floor of The Goblin’s Left Ear.

Before resting, however, they had to pay a visit to the public bathhouse adjacent to the south side of the tavern.

After a thorough scrubbing, Li Rui finally shed his tattered, filthy clothes and changed into long-sleeved, soft brown linen loungewear.

Feeling refreshed and having washed away the dust and the scent of alcohol, Li Rui walked slowly back toward the second floor of the tavern, swinging his loose tunic and wearing the slightly rough wooden sandals provided by the bathhouse.

The corridor on the second floor was dim. Unlike the bright magic lamps on the first floor, the second was lit only by oil lamps hanging on the walls.

Amidst the flickering, unsteady glow, Li Rui suddenly noticed a figure standing silently before the heavy wooden door of his room.

The person watched Li Rui approach, a gentle smile appearing on their face. "Excuse me, are you Mr. Li Rui?"