Buy a Meal, Get Lodging Included

The innkeeper's daughter was the hostess.

After the twelve or thirteen-year-old child brought the food.

Linsey sat for a while, changed her drink, and then quietly moved to a different spot with her plate.

There were many adventurers moving around in the inn, so this behavior was not particularly noticeable.

Linsey approached the group of men and women who were discussing something.

He didn't even need to ask questions; after a while, he was naturally drawn into the discussion.

At the table next to Linsey's.

A middle-aged man with a full beard smiled proudly and waved his wooden wine glass in an exaggerated manner, "Hey, hey, hey! The news I heard is a little different!"

"Fuerzi from the north of the city seems to be involved in this matter, and he hasn't disappeared. Tonight, some Awakened Ones are going to gather and go find him to ask about the situation."

The bearded man's voice fell to the ground.

One of the people behind Linsey also raised his glass:

"Look at what you're saying, this is probably just another rumor."

"The strange events in the forest have only just subsided a week ago, and look at the chaos in the town."

"What reliable information could there possibly be!"

Everyone nodded in agreement.

That's indeed the situation in the town; you'll have to verify the truth of the news yourself.

But right at the table where the topic was brought up, a young girl suddenly spoke up, "I think this matter is definitely not simple."

"The anomaly just ended a week ago, so it's understandable that these things are happening now, since everyone's been holding back for over a month. But what about now? The most anxious ones have already left, so these problems must have a deeper reason for appearing now!"

The girl's companion asked, "Nana, what do you think could have caused this to happen?"

"Everyone is preparing to travel, so there's no time to cause such trouble. As for things that are more recent... the only one is the civil war in Nine Bends City."

Will the civil war in Nine Bends City affect Echo Valley Town?

The idea began to emerge in the minds of the people in the hotel, and the discussion subsided.

Just then, the man behind Linsey suddenly had a wild idea and made a bold conjecture to those around him. "Do you think the events in Nine Bends City might be related to Black Mountain?"

"A Dragon Beast died there! Seventh Stage one!"

"The person who killed him should have arrived at the Courtyard in the Forest by now. Perhaps it was his arrival that triggered this series of events?"

Someone in the inn immediately retorted, "You're wrong! I heard that the Dragon Beast died after failing to advance its level!"

Bang! The bearded man next to Linsey slammed his glass on the table. "Would anyone believe this nonsense?"

"That thing was still some years away from successfully advancing, so it definitely didn't die of natural causes."

The man behind Linsey also sighed:

"Slaying Seventh Stage Dragon Beast... a dragon-slaying hero indeed."

"In my entire life, I've only ever heard of such things in legends and stories. I never imagined it would happen so close to home in the next world."

At another table, someone exclaimed, "Yes, how many years does it take to produce a hero like him who kills such a monster that threatens the world!"

"..."

"Tell me, if I were that kind of person, how would I feel right now?"

"..."

Stop dreaming!

"..."

The atmosphere inside the tavern changed.

The conversation then shifted to Black Mountain.

The Courtyard in the Forest and the Black Mountain World are adjacent to each other, and Dragon Beast have indeed been a major element that has long occupied people's minds.

Now, six months have passed.

The news has spread far and wide.

This real act of slaying a dragon is even more moving than searching for hidden treasures in the forest.

In another six months, who knows, poets might even be composing something to sing about...

Among the crowd, Linsey was the only one who seemed a little embarrassed.

How did this group of adventurers' boasting turn into this kind of topic?

"Can't we just discuss intelligence properly in the hotel? There's clearly no need to discuss this kind of thing..."

Linsey blushed.

He lowered his head and began to focus on his dinner.

The food provided by the hotel looked pretty good.

Click—

Linsey took a bite of her main dish, and her eyes immediately lit up.

The environment of the Courtyard in the Forest was not conducive to the large-scale cultivation of grains, and ordinary households did not have food made from flour. The staple food here was the heart of a yellow banana plant called Yellow Banana Stick.

Its taste is refreshing and sweet, and when you bite into it, a white, viscous juice will seep out.

"Um..."

"The taste is pretty good?"

Linsey wiped her mouth.

These Yellow Banana Stick taste good, but the juice tends to stick to your mouth.

On the wooden tray provided by the inn, there was only a small knife as cutlery, and the side dish was a piece of Blue Tail Catfish meat.

Linsey cut open the fish and took a bite.

Perhaps due to the large number of customers, the fish was not prepared perfectly, and a slight fishy smell remained.

However, it's served with a dipping sauce made from berries that are native to the forest.

After being balanced by that sweet and sour flavor, the whole dish became acceptable, and even somewhat delicious.

After taking a couple of bites of Yellow Banana Stick and fish, Linsey picked up a drink from the side.

The hotel owner wanted to offer him fruit beer, but Linsey strictly refused alcoholic beverages, so she gave him a glass of locally produced berry juice instead.

Linsey raised her glass and smelled it.

Fresh fruit juice is cloudy in color and may even contain fruit pulp and peel residue, but its aroma is very sweet.

Linsey immediately took a swig.

"Ouch—why is it so sour!"

Linsey felt her shoulders were so sore they could be pressed against her back.

The juice was ridiculously sour; even with his Constitution of 60, he felt a tingling sensation on his scalp and his mouth started drooling profusely.

"Ha ha--"

Linsey's reaction immediately caused her bearded deskmate to burst into laughter.

He came up, patted Linsey on the shoulder, and began to introduce them in a very familiar manner:

"Brother, this stuff is juice made from Red Snake Plum. It's rare to see someone gulp it down like that!"

The people nearby were also drawn to the attention.

Unlike the bearded man, he was more interested in Linsey's appearance. "Hey? My friend, did you just arrive at the hotel today? I've never seen you before."

Linsey immediately made up a reason:

"The strange events in the forest trapped me there. I finally managed to get back to town after the events ended."

Many people have experienced this.

Upon hearing Linsey's answer, the man who had asked the question immediately comforted her, "It's alright, it's good that you're back."

"Who knows how many more people will die in this incident? You're lucky!"

Linsey gave an awkward smile, "Indeed, I've always been lucky."

After a brief explanation, Linsey casually steered the conversation. "By the way, I heard they say something happened in the north of the city. Could you tell me the details?"

The man opposite him immediately perked up and began to explain in detail, "Hey! You've come to the right person."

"I know this better than anyone, it happened last night..."

"..."

Linsey whiled away two hours in the hotel lobby.

He made several new friends and figured out what had happened in Zhenbei.

As dusk fell, the rain in Echo Valley subsided, and a light drizzle began to fall on the streets.

However, when Linsey walked from the hotel lobby to the guest rooms at the back...

What appeared before him was a rather rudimentary makeshift shed built of wooden planks.

He pushed open the loose door.

Looking inside, you can see that the house is even leaking a little.

There were two wooden basins on the ground, dripping water.

"..."

"No wonder two Silver Coin cover food and lodging."

This scenery was as expected.

But looking at these cheap rooms, Linsey couldn't help but scratch her head:

"How about we don't rest tonight?"

"Let's head straight to the north of town and see what they mean by 'missing' and 'treasure'..."