The Ice and Snow Sage walked a little farther. A strange aroma filled the air.
Teleporting between continents consumed a great deal of power. He was hungry now, too, and began looking around until his gaze finally settled on a restaurant.
The restaurant looked ordinary, but what he saw through its glass windows seemed rather inviting. Without further hesitation, the Ice and Snow Sage pushed open the wooden door and walked in.
"What would you like to eat, Master Mage?" Seeing a customer enter, a waiter immediately approached him with a cheerful smile.
"That smell... what dish is it?" the Ice and Snow Sage asked.
After a moment's thought, the waiter had a good idea what he meant.
"Master Mage, are you talking about hot pot?"
"Hot pot?"
"From the look of it, you haven't tried it before. You must be new here, right? It's a dish our local lord invented, and it's perfect for winter. Would you like a serving to try?" the waiter explained. "It's called hot pot because there are burning coals underneath."
"We offer several grades, depending on the ingredients. Would you like the premium or standard version?"
Seeing that everyone on the ground floor was eating hot pot, the Ice and Snow Sage considered it, then nodded. "Very well. Bring me the premium version. I'll eat upstairs, somewhere by a window!"
"Right, another premium hot pot..." the waiter called to someone beside him.
Led upstairs by the waiter, the Ice and Snow Sage found a seat by a window.
Before long, the hot pot ingredients arrived. After explaining the basics of how to eat it, the waiter withdrew.
"...The lord's residence is holding a grand banquet. All the respectable families in the city and the territory have been invited." Suddenly, a conversation at a table