Nalrond garnered quite a bit of attention to himself since no one had ever seen an Agni. When he introduced himself as a perfect merging between humans and Emperor Beasts, the Tavern went into an uproar.
Until that moment, only the Guardians’ bloodlines seemed to be powerful enough to achieve such a miracle.
As for Quylla, the table for six turned out to be barely enough to contain all the dishes she ordered. Morok pulled the curtain at the beginning of the meal, to give them privacy and keep everyone from seeing her eating like a famished troll.
He held most of the conversation until they reached halfway through dinner. Only then was Quylla’s mouth empty often and long enough to produce intelligible sounds.
“I stand corrected.” She looked at the piles of empty plates on the table while the waiters brought them away and replaced them with seconds. “I am a glutton and I’m glad no one saw me. Friya would never let me hear the end of it.
“Thank you for this beautiful night, Morok.” She looked at him and then through the window at the moonlit bay.
Haugh had altered the Tavern to give the couple a panoramic look at the harbor while they dined. They were seated on the ground floor like everyone else but dimensional magic showed them an aerial view as if they were dining at a panoramic restaurant.
This way, no one could look at them from the outside whereas Quylla and Morok could enjoy the seascape.
And only them at that. Morok had paid extra to make sure of it.
“Only the best for my gorgeous wife and my beautiful children.” He leaned forward for a kiss that she happily delivered while giggling like a little girl.
Once she was done eating, Quylla took care of showing off her husband and all the attention with which she had showered her.
“Take a leaf from Morok’s book, dear.” Kamila and Friya said in unison.
“I would, but I don’t have that kind of money to spend on a single dinner.” Nalrond shrugged.
“I do, but I’m stingy and you knew it before marrying me.” Lith followed suit, receiving lots of slaps on the back of his head from the female side of the group.
While everyone ordered dessert and latecomers came to take a look at the babies, Lith left the table, unnoticed by the crowd.
He hadn’t come to the Travelling Tavern just to dine nor had he brought Elysia along for the discount. Or rather, not just for that.
She served as a distraction and gave Lith a pretext to talk with Haug.
Zoreth had scoured the underbelly of Garlen and Verendi for weeks now while Strider kept Lith updated about his inquiries in the Awakened community. The problem was that neither of them had found anything about the mysterious thieves who had taken the Ears away.
Lith decided it was time to open a third line of search and needed Haug’s help to do it. The Travelling Tavern was a neutral zone and its clients spoke freely without using Hush zones which made it easy to collect information.
The establishment also served as a safe exchange spot for goods, information, and job offers. The regular requests were posted on the message board hung on the wall right below the menu.
The sensitive jobs, instead, were entrusted to Haug directly.
“I need your help with a delicate matter that requires absolute discretion.” Lith knew the bartender enough to know he didn’t mince words.
“Just be quick. If we get interrupted, the conversation ends there and you go back to your table.” Haug replied, cleaning glasses with a wide smile as if they were talking about the joys of parenthood.
“Someone stole a precious tome from me. It’s an ancient Forgemastering book written by Menadion herself.” Lith would never reveal the existence of the Ears but the make-believe grimoire was enough to make Haug’s eyes go wide for a second.
“It’s old junk, but in the hands of a good Forgemaster, it can help them craft wonders. If they have the talent and the ability to apply it to modern magic, of course. I can’t reveal its existence and neither can the thief.
“It’s a piece too hot to be sold. The buyer would kill the seller just to make sure they don’t earn extra money by revealing its existence to their competition. I believe that the thief himself is a Forgemaster so I need you to keep your ears open.
“Report to me any mention about a nobody suddenly selling powerful Forgemastering pieces or just weird news about a Forgemaster. I need a wide net since I don’t know their identity, race, or country of origin.”
“It’s feasible.” Haug nodded. “What about the payment?”
“Gold or magic crystals for tips. A weapon Forgemastered by me for leads, materials not included. The materials are on me only if I catch the thief thanks to the information. And within reason, of course. No Davross.”
“We have a deal.” Haug gave Lith his tab and under it, there was a contact card for the Mogar equivalent of a burner phone.
Haug would use the amulet associated with the rune only for the job and destroy it once the matter was over.
“What the farm?” Lith looked at the bill in horror. The amount was just a few coins, but it was gold coins. “I’m not paying for Quylla. That’s Morok’s job!”
“And you are not.” Haug tutted, weaving his finger under Lith’s nose. “Your sister, her boyfriend, Nalrond, and Protector eat a lot and they are all on your tab. Not to mention the sweets Solus has eaten, the rounds of drinks she has offered to her new friends, and the takeaway food.”
“What food?” Lith stared in amazement as piles of takeout containers as tall as him were brought to his table and stored in dimensional amulets.
“Thanks, Lith.” Selia kissed his cheeks. “With this, I won’t have to cook for a week.”
“Sorry, lil bro.” Rena swept her hair behind her ear in embarrassment. “Ryla and the girls can’t come to the Tavern with me so I’m bringing the Tavern to them.”
With “girls” she meant the matriarchs from Zelex. Rena was helping them and their kids to get used to the surface world and they were often guests at the Mansion.
“Thanks, lil bro.” Tista hugged him tight. “I haven’t been so full since I’ve turned into a Hekate and Bodya hasn’t eaten human food for years so I’ve bought a little extra for later.”
Lith returned the embrace, glaring at the Nidhogg while slowly passing his thumb horizontally over his own throat.
Bodya swallowed loudly, hoping that the rumors about Lith being a softie with his sisters weren’t just rumors.
“Thanks, Lith.” Solus offered him a slice of a sponge cake with multiple layers of different kinds of cream. “This should last me for a week, maybe.”
“A week?” He echoed in disbelief.
Her pile was as big as the others and for personal use only.
“Maybe more. Maybe less.” She shrugged. “And don’t forget to tip.”
***
A few days later, Lith was still nursing the hole in his wallet when he received an unexpected call.
