"Buddy, get me a room, I need to stay here for a day."
"Sure sir, that will be one Oren Coin, and it comes with dinner and breakfast."
"...Oren? You charge Oren Coins for a night's stay here?!"
In front of the counter at the Silver Swan Tavern, a man wearing a hooded cloak seemed taken aback, then tilted his head to confirm with the bartender that he hadn't misheard.
The bartender, with a towel draped over his shoulder, looked like he'd seen it all.
His tone was completely calm.
"Sir, this is the Silver Swan Tavern. We are the best in all of Gos Velen, and we often have Mages staying with us. As you know, no Mage carries loose coins in their wallet, they only have Oren Coins."
Though the bartender couldn't see the upper half of the guest's face, the twitch at the corner of his mouth was very noticeable.
"Oh~" A meaningful drawl echoed in Lann's mind, "Serving Mages, huh? In that case, the price is quite fair! Maybe we should try elsewhere?"
Mentos had long been annoyed with the Demon Hunter profession and often made sarcastic remarks towards fellow otherworldly system Mages.
To be honest, Lann wanted to be a Mage too, otherwise, the Magic Seal's assistance function wouldn't be developed so smoothly.
Who wouldn't want to face countless enemies, flick their fingers to summon a meteor shower, and finish without a speck of dirt on their clothes?
It's quite normal for melee professions to roll in the mud.
...But the problem is it's just not possible!
When Lann pressed that gleaming golden Oren Coin onto the counter, his knuckles turned white from exertion.
"Hey, look at you, if you're feeling stingy, we can find another place."
Mentos continued with his sarcastic remarks.
Lann gritted his teeth.
I want to change places too, but... do you think I'm the type who, after a haircut, hears the price and just walks out unsatisfied?!
Damn! My cursed pride!
"Mentos, shut up!"
"Then promise not to sing on the way there!!!"
The conversation abruptly ended.
Lann quickly picked up his dinner tray from the bartender, walked silently to the dining table in the tavern hall,
acting as if nothing had happened.
Sarcastic remarks are tolerable!
...
The Silver Swan Tavern's dinner lived up to its reputation in Gos Velen.
A pint of beer, fresh pan-fried sea fish paired with seasoned mashed potatoes, and a creamy oyster mushroom soup, with a large piece of bread as the main course.
This city is the trade hub and largest consumer market in all of Velen.
Naturally, it gathers the diverse agricultural products and recipes of Velen.
It was the best meal Lann had eaten since coming to this world.
He finally experienced the local culinary culture.
And as he chewed slowly, he eavesdropped on all the conversations in the tavern.
That's how it's written in novels, right? Taverns are supposed to be sources of information, aren't they?
But what Lann didn't expect was that a move made in jest actually yielded some results.
At the table behind Lann, two well-dressed merchants were sitting opposite each other, each holding a drink.
One voice was slightly high-pitched, while the other sounded as if phlegm was stuck in his throat.
It seemed like they were playing cards because Lann heard a lot of stiff cardboard sounds on the tabletop.
"Aha! With this rainy card, all your siege machines are paralyzed, leaving just seven points!" the high-pitched voice said.
"Alright, alright, who knew you'd have so many weather cards in your hand?" replied the phlegmy voice.
As soon as the words were spoken, the sound of coins sliding on the solid wood table was heard.
The dining Lann took a vicious bite of his bread.
Damn, two big merchants, gambling thirty Oren Coins in one game?!
The sound of money was embedded into Lann's core!
But the next moment, the two merchants chatted during their shuffle, snapping the young man out of his despair over the wealth gap.
"How's your vegetable business? Airetusa's sealed off, and I remember supplying them daily was a big part of your business," the high-pitched voice probed.
"Yeah, yeah, those Female Warlocks could treat exotic fruits as snacks, isn't it profitable? But to be honest, the Airetusa Academy's closure hasn't affected my business that badly, I mean, I'm still here playing cards with you, right?" replied the phlegmy voice.
The high-pitched merchant chuckled silently.
"Don't be skeptical, even if those Female Warlocks close the academy, don't they still need to eat and do their business? I continue to supply my vegetables and fruits to them, I just can't adjust the price daily based on market fluctuations like before."
The phlegmy merchant took a sip of liquor to moisten his throat, then continued.
"But there are also benefits, the prices of vegetables and fruits vary greatly. Now, in the market, the expensive stuff I can't sell at a high price, but I can still sell the cheap stuff at high prices like before. Overall... it's steady fluctuations."
"Do you know…" the high-pitched voice's tone was slightly probing, "do you know why Airetusa closed the academy?"
Upon hearing this, Lann accidentally knocked over his beer mug with his arm.
Golden beer spilled all over the table.
He muttered a quiet curse, then picked up his tray and went over to the table behind him.
The two merchants gave him a wary glance but seeing that the seats weren't really close, they assumed he couldn't hear anything, so they didn't comment.
They just spoke in deeper voices.
"I heard someone from the academy disappeared," said the phlegmy voice.
"Lost a person?" The high-pitched voice displayed a hint of surprise, "Is it worth sealing off the academy over this? Haven't there been many Mages who accidentally wiped themselves out due to magic accidents?"
"This time is different!" The phlegmy merchant dealt cards and lowered his voice even more, though such measures were useless against Lann.
"You know what kind of person the headmistress is at this batch of Airetusa. She cares about her students and personally went out to look for the missing student, only to herself disappear! The academy suspects someone is targeting them, which is why they sealed it off."
"Even the headmistress disappeared?!" the high-pitched voice was overflowing with shock, and he had to raise his glass to cover his gaping mouth as if drinking.
"Lady Margarita? She's one of the strongest Warlocks in the world!"
"Who's denying it? Otherwise, why would Airetusa cause such a big stir?"
The phlegmy merchant also took a sip.
The conversation trailed off here.
Perhaps due to Lann changing seats, the two merchants fully focused on their card game afterward.
The rest was just idle talk.
Lann wasn't particularly disappointed to hear just this much.
The matter wasn't really related to him; the young man's persistent inner sense of crisis just led him to collect more intel.
The merchants relying on the academy for their livelihood were boozing and gambling at this moment, why should he worry when he had nothing to do with the academy?
Nevertheless, there was something gained from the conversation.
Lann learned that the Silver Swan Tavern had a new batch of alcohol from the Sodden region called Sodden Mountain Triple Honey Mead.
It was said that honey was added three times during the fermentation before it was ready.
Whether it was real honey or sugar being passed off, Lann paid one Oren without blinking.
Filling up his two water skins and even having an extra cup to savor upstairs in his guest room.