The Whole Chapter Had Special Effects Added

"Ruben, you're Mr. Ruben, right?"

Just as Mayuna was wondering what to eat, she suddenly heard someone calling Ruben's name. A middle-aged man dressed in a butler's uniform was walking toward them, a warm smile on his face.

"Who are you?"

"I'm Lal, the mayor's butler. Don't you remember me? Do you remember that hair-growth tonic?"

At Ruben's question, half of the butler Lal's enthusiasm vanished. His smile stiffened, turning into a helpless wry grin as he asked.

"Oh, I vaguely remember something like that."

Ruben nodded. Hearing a term related to Earth in this world meant this person had definitely benefited from technology, and he vaguely recalled how he had met this butler.

"You've truly been a tremendous help. The mayor has always said he wanted to thank you in person, but you appear at such irregular times that we never had the chance. How about today? It's just about lunchtime, and the mayor would certainly be delighted to have lunch with you."

There was no doubt that Lal was a good butler responsible to his master. He had always kept his master's instructions in mind, which was why he greeted Ruben so warmly.

"It wasn't anything valuable. There's no need to be so enthusiastic."

"No, no, you're underestimating yourself. You've solved one of humanity's greatest problems. You know how people start losing their hair when they reach middle age, but how many can accept becoming bald? Especially those influential nobles. If you introduced that hair-growth tonic to high society, you'd definitely become incredibly wealthy."

"In fact, the mayor also wishes to purchase some hair-growth tonic from you. Please do visit the mayor's home. Of course, your companion is welcome to come as well."

As Lal spoke, he turned his gaze toward Mayuna. But after a single glance, he looked away. Dispelling bystanders was such a miraculous spell—Mayuna looked no more conspicuous than a pebble by the roadside in anyone's eyes.

"Fine, then we'll trouble you."

In the end, Ruben could not refuse the enthusiastic butler. Lal had gone this far; refusing any longer would make him seem like he was putting on airs. Besides, it was only one meal.

"I didn't expect you to be so popular. What's this hair-growth tonic?"

Mayuna had no opinion about mooching a meal. As she followed Ruben along the way, she noticed that people on the street who recognized him would smile and greet him, asking where he was going. The butler would then smilingly tell them that he had invited Ruben to the mayor's home as a guest.

"It's a medicine that helps people grow hair."

Seeing that Mayuna was rather curious, Ruben told her how he had met Lal.

It had been an ordinary afternoon. Ruben had come to town to buy materials when he suddenly noticed someone sitting by a street corner, sighing repeatedly and muttering, "There's no such hair." Curious, Ruben had asked why he held such a deep grudge against hair.

Lal then told him that his master had been troubled by middle-aged baldness for a long time and had ordered him to go out and find hair. But the butler had never heard of anywhere that sold hair, so all he could do was sigh helplessly. After learning this, Ruben had taken out a bottle of hair-growth tonic and given it to the butler, teaching him how to use it.

The mayor had used it a few times with the mindset of giving it a try, only to discover that new hair had really begun to grow. After finishing one bottle, his hair had actually returned to the thick, jet-black state it had been in during his youth. The mayor had been overjoyed. When he met with the mayors of other towns, everyone had been stunned by his glorious head of hair and kept asking how he had done it. The mayor's vanity had been greatly satisfied, and he had wanted to help Ruben promote such a fine product, but unfortunately, he had never been able to find him.

"Wait, where are the things you were carrying?"

Mayuna had little interest in the story. Instead, Ruben's empty hands caught her attention. She had clearly seen him put a huge pile of ore into a cloth bag and carry it around. Did he have a spatial artifact for storing items? That possibility could be ruled out. Leaving aside how expensive storage artifacts were, someone without magic power simply did not go with such a thing.

Take Mayuna, for example. To store something, she first had to use her own magic power and her spatial ring to open a passage, then with a thought, she could draw the item she wanted into it. Taking things out worked the same way.

"They're inside Dragon's body."

"Huh? Dragon can do that too?"

Mayuna looked in surprise at the branch atop Ruben's head. No wonder Ruben always said Dragon was important to him. This guy could actually create a space inside his body. Not even her own companion could do something like that. Still, it was rather funny when she thought about it. What should a Dragon like this be called? A spatial branch?

"Ha ha ha! Didn't expect that, did you? I'm not like some freeloader who does nothing but eat. Honestly, you've got some nerve. Even that poisonous dragon knew to pay with her body, yet you eat and drink off my partner every day without doing a thing. Tsk, tsk."

Dragon had no intention of peacefully coexisting with Mayuna for the rest of his life. After saying that, he shrank down to the size of one of Ruben's hairs and hid completely, leaving Mayuna with no way to deal with him.

"You bastard, just wait."

Dragon's few words angered Mayuna until her face turned red. If they had not been on the street and she had not wanted to draw too much attention, she would have already pinned Ruben to the ground and gone after Dragon.

"We're here."

As Ruben and Mayuna chatted on and off, Lal soon led them to their destination. Lal truly was an excellent butler. Throughout the journey, he had never interrupted the guests' conversation, pretending not to hear anything as he quietly led the way.

"So this is the mayor's house? It's pretty big."

Mayuna clearly remembered that they had already walked alongside the outer wall for quite a while before reaching the estate's main gate. After getting used to Ruben's tiny room, anyone would feel that way upon seeing such a large house. She had forgotten that her manor in the imperial capital was more than ten times bigger than this.

"Thank you for the compliment, miss. Please follow me."

The butler merely smiled at Mayuna's words. After leading them into the living room, he went to report to his master.

"You must be young Ruben. You're even younger than I imagined. I'm Aite Rusty, the mayor of this town. Just call me Aite."

Before long, a black-haired middle-aged man strode into the living room. Though he was a mage, he had a powerfully built physique and stood a head taller than Ruben. His thick sideburns extended all the way to his chin. Anyone would think he was more suited to be a warrior than a mage. Upon seeing Ruben, the mayor immediately clasped his hand and introduced himself with the same enthusiasm as his butler.

"Mayor Aite, sorry to intrude."

Ruben was clearly somewhat unaccustomed to strangers' enthusiasm. There was not even a polite fake smile on his face, earning him a zero from Mayuna, who was used to mingling in high society.

"You're too polite. Lal, have the kitchen prepare the finest black pepper steak for my guests."

Aite's personality was as rough and straightforward as his appearance. After giving his butler the order, he led Ruben and Mayuna directly from the living room to the dining room. Once they were seated, he stroked his thick hair and told Ruben how happy he was.

The mayor's kitchen was unexpectedly efficient. While Aite was still talking about how he had mocked his bald friends, the food was finished and brought out. The aroma of meat mixed with spices filled the entire room and whetted everyone's appetite. But Mayuna could tell with a single sniff that it was definitely not as delicious as Ruben's cooking, and her little face showed little interest.

"Lal, isn't William coming to eat?"

Aite noticed that his beloved son was still absent from the table and asked the butler standing nearby awaiting orders.

"The young master said he has no appetite."

"Sigh, that child... Go call him again."

Aite shook his head and sent Lal away. He did not bring up his family matters in front of the guests, instead picking up his knife and fork and beginning to eat first. According to etiquette, guests generally only began after the host did.

"Hey, Ruben, does your female companion not like meat?"

Even as Aite ate, he did not forget to watch his two guests' reactions. He had once confidently believed this dish was the finest cuisine Dris could possibly eat, yet strangely, neither of them showed much enthusiasm for the food. Compared to Ruben, who had picked up his knife and fork, Mayuna did not seem to want to move at all.

"Mayuna, don't be picky. Going hungry is very painful."

Ruben could tell from Mayuna's reaction that she did not want to eat. This woman had been spoiled by him into becoming picky, but whether out of politeness or simply to avoid wasting food, he would not allow Mayuna to sit there like a wooden statue. He cut off a piece of meat, speared it with his fork, and rudely stuffed it into her mouth.

"Ahm, hmm?"

Mayuna did not resist Ruben feeding her, but the moment the meat touched her tongue, she became suspicious. The seasoning seemed to contain more than just black pepper—there were ingredients from magical potions mixed in. After feeding Mayuna, Ruben took a bite himself. His brow furrowed slightly, and he instinctively exchanged a glance with Mayuna. From that look, they both knew the other had noticed it too.

Mayuna immediately wanted to explode. No wonder they had been so polite—so this was a trap banquet? It was time to let them experience the terror of being ruled by an Archmage. However, Ruben quickly snuffed out that thought. Beneath the table, he tightly gripped her hand to stop her from doing anything rash, signaling for her to wait and see what happened.

"Huh? My hands and feet..."

Aite's knife and fork clattered crisply against the metal plate. He was utterly confused. Why could he no longer even hold his utensils? His limbs had gone numb, and the paralysis quickly spread throughout his entire body. Powerless, he collapsed onto the table. Seeing this, Ruben and Mayuna put their acting skills to use, pretending to have been affected as well and falling over together. The entire dining hall became strangely silent.

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