Chapter 87: Chapter 87
“What!?” Eru yelled out loud, startling the girl alongside the people inside the inn. The girl laughed out loud after seeing Eru’s reaction. “Fucking bastard! This must be Andre’s idea. That old bastard, the next time I see him, he’s dead!” Eru fumed. “And you, what are you laughing at?” Eru asked, feeling quite irritated. “Sorry, sorry”, the girl tried to hold back her laughter, “It’s just that you have some interesting friends.” Eru scoffed, “They’re not my friends; they’re just acquaintances.”
Still in a bad mood, Eru swiped the menu from the girl’s hand. He scrutinized the menu carefully, looking at the price and calculating the amount of bani he currently has in his pocket. “I’ll have two dumplings and a noodle soup, please”, Eru handed the menu back. The girl received the menu back from Eru, still giggling, “Alright. Wait for a hot minute”, she cheerily said. The girl went down the stairs, “Boss, two dumplings and a noodle soup, please!” she yelled.
The innkeeper nodded before he headed straight back into the kitchen. Eru watched all of this unfold while resting his chin on his hands. He waited for a while until the girl brought his order with amazing agility. “Two dumplings and a noodle soup!” the girl put down the plates in order, neatly arranged in a triangle. “Dig in”, the girl smiled as she left Eru alone to enjoy his food. “Thanks”, Eru looked at the food before him and couldn’t help but drool. “They look so good!” Eru said as he picked up a chopstick, “Time to eat!”
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When Eru was enjoying his food, the scream of a girl could be heard downstairs following the sound of a broken table. “What the hell are you doing!?” the girl screamed at the people that were fighting inside the inn. “Shut up, woman!” yelled one of them while he picked up his enemy, holding him up by his neck. “Say it to me one more time!” the one with bald hair and beard threatened. “I’d said it before, and I’ll say it again, Gale territory needs to move on from their tradition. I had been outside and saw how backwards we are compared to others. If we kept going like this, we all would be swallowed”, warned the scholar-like-man without a trace of fear in his eyes.
“You bastard!” the bearded man clenched his fist. He prepared to punch the scholarly man’s face while the latter closed his eyes. Then, out of nowhere, two chopsticks flew from the inn’s kitchen towards the bearded man. The chopsticks pierced through the bearded man’s clothes, pinning him down on the wall. “No fighting in my inn”, the innkeeper’s voice reverberated throughout the inn, sending shivers down to everyone in it.
The bearded man’s companion brought him down before escorting him outside the inn. The scholarly man cusped his hands in gratitude as he followed the bearded man to get out of the inn. “Mou! Why are people always fighting in our inn…” complained the girl as she cleaned up the broken table and chair. Eru looked at this scene with interest, “Huh, this looks like a scene from out of a novel. Interesting….” He murmured before his attention was drawn elsewhere. The girl down below let out her aura, and using it, she controlled it beautifully to pick up the broken tables and chairs.
‘What precise control’, Eru hummed. As if she noticed Eru’s stared, the girl looked directly at Eru as she flashed a smile. Eru smiled back before he went back to his food. “Ahh, what a nice food”, Eru rubbed his belly, satisfied. Eru approached the inn’s bar, “How much do I owe?” The innkeeper observed Eru for a while, “What’s your order?” Eru immediately replied, “Two dumplings and a noodle soup.” The innkeeper counted with his hands, “That’ll be, 32 Bani.” Eru took out the Bani’s from his pouch, “Here you go.” The innkeeper counted the bani on the table before nodding, “Come again!” he said; his stoic face tried to smile, but it came out forced.
“Sure”, Eru left the inn. The girl did not forget to say goodbye to Eru by waving her hands which Eru waved back. Eru looked up, he found that the sun was about to set, “Right, got to hurry before night falls.” After walking a while, Eru knock himself on the head, “Why am I walking according to the compass? I could’ve asked for direction from the innkeeper or that waitress. I’m such an idiot.” So, Eru walked back. However, when Eru arrived again at the inn, the sun was already set, and stars decorated the sky. “Damn it, if it weren’t for my stupid head, I would probably arrive at the Gale Highlands by now”, Eru grumbled to himself before he walked inside the inn.
“Welcome!” the girl greeted warmly before noticing that it was just Eru, “You again!?” Eru nodded, “Yeah, why? Am I not allowed to visit again?” The girl quickly shook her head, “No, no. Feel free to visit again. So, do you want to eat, or do you want to stay?” Eru flashed a wry smile, “Actually, I came here to ask for direction. But, seeing that night already came, how much is it for a room?” The girl thought about it for a minute, “120 Bani for a night, including breakfast and hot water.” Eru gawked, “120 Bani!?” he shook his head in reluctance; he debated in his head whether it was worth it or did he want to camp again outside. “Fine, I’ll take a room.”
The girl expression bloomed, “Okay”, she looked behind, “Dad! One room with breakfast and hot water, please!” The innkeeper’s voice reverberated from the kitchen, “You’ll take care of it, Mei!” The girl stomped her foot, “Fine, I’ll do it”, she turned her attention back at Eru, “Alright, follow me.” Eru’s a little surprised, ‘She changed her expression real fast.’ The girl led Eru upstairs past the door to the north. “Here you go”, she stopped in front of the three-room inside the inn. “Only three-room?” Eru asked. The girl nodded, “Yeah. There’s no point in having more as people rarely came here to stay.” Eru nodded in understanding, “That’s why it’s so expensive.”
“I know, right? I proposed to my father to decrease the price, but he wouldn’t budge”, the girl harumphed. She opened the room, showing Eru the interior of it. A nice, clean and humble room was presented right in front of Eru. “Whoa, this is nice”, Eru genuinely complimented as he entered the room. “Right!? Anyway, here you go”, the girl gave Eru the room key, “Although the room looks old, we have modern lamps and a bathroom”, the girl explained while she opened up the door beside the main door. “What about the hot water?” Eru asked. “Just turn on the right faucet, and the hot water should flow. If it doesn’t work, you could either tell my father or me.” The girl informed.
Eru nodded, “Right, thank you.” The girl smiled before she left Eru on his own. Eru observed the room and found that it was true to his liking. He checked out the bathroom, “Oh, there’s a shower here”, he walked near the showerhead, then he turned on the left and right faucet. “Warm”, Eru said before turning the faucet back off. Then, Eru approached the sink and found that the hot water faucet worked. “Huh, it’s neat. Did not expect that an inn on the mountains had electricity and modern plumbing,” Eru exclaimed, “As you expected from a world full of magic. I’ll go take a shower before going to sleep.”
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Morning soon came, and Eru was woken up by the sound of knocking from outside of his room. “Excuse me, customer? Your breakfast is ready”, a girl voice could be heard outside. Eru groggily woke up before opening up the door. “Here you go, cust—” the girl smiled before she gasped. Eru rubbed the back of his head, “Huh, what’s wrong?” The girl blushed a little, seeing Eru’s well-chiselled body. Eru then noticed that he did not wear clothes before he let out a chuckle, “Thank you”, he quickly swiped the food from the waitress’s hand.
Eru closed the door slowly, “Enjoy the sight”, he slightly teased the girl before completely closing the door. The girl was still in her mind when Eru completely closed the door. After a hot minute, the girl woke up from her daydream as she pouted while blushing. Eru chuckled inside his room before finishing his breakfast. Before leaving the room, Eru took a quick shower before packing his belongings. Eru went down the stairs as he found the inn was still empty. “Enjoying the room?” the innkeeper asked with his usually stoic voice.
“Very much so”, Eru replied to the innkeeper while handing him the 120 Bani he owed. “Here you go”, Eru said. “Thanks”, the innkeeper received the bani, and before he got the chance to go back to the kitchen, Eru interrupted him. “Excuse me, but can you tell me the way to Gale Highlands?” Eru politely asked. The innkeeper quickly pointed towards the northeast, “Follow the road down to the main road and followed it eastwards. Then, you will see a fork in the road. Follow the north road, and you will arrive at Gale Highlands.”
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