Is That You, Ranma?

It turned out I was slightly off-angle when I flew toward the west and overshot Crown City. Annoying but I was at least relieved it was only a few hours away if I flew at highway speeds.

At least 37 was now more "awake" with having finished coding and figuring out how to implement the HUD he'd been working on. The AI would be able to tell me if I was in danger of overshooting Crown City again.

[Please access the Terminal and enable the HUD in Options.]

'In a minute.'

Finding a tavern with a mixed crowd of merchants and laborers I wouldn't be too out-of-place in, I wandered to a corner and sat myself down. The air was filled with tobacco smoke and the smell of the dinner special: a "leftover" stew. It was loud, as half-expected.

Since I was here, in what passed for civilization in this world, I might as well stay for a few days to recover from my impromptu camping trip and get a better lay of the land in a place I wasn't a criminal.

Well, considering I sneaked into the town, a known criminal.

'Get ready to convert some coin for me, Thirty-Seven.'

The barmaid had finally made her way to me, looking at my hooded figure in curiosity, not a hint of fear in her blue eyes.

"You got any rooms for the night?" I asked before tilting my head to face the woman who looked about my older sister's age.

"Three silvers, extra if you need a bed warmer."

Not letting her jarring accent get to me, a part of me was amused it was that kind of establishment I wandered into. Either that or prostitution was commonplace.

Lifting the coin that appeared in the palm of my hand, I walked the small gold coin along my fingers dexterously before giving the barmaid a winning smile, "I'll just take a room and dinner with drink, Miss."

The redhead perked up and my gaze automatically went to her face when the woman sidled closer to me in her low-cut period dress. "I take it back, Lord Alf. For you, a bed warming's free-of-charge."

Eh. I can take advantage of this.

[?]

I continued smiling easily. "Tempting but I do not mix business with pleasure and I'm on an errand to Crown City for a meeting."

Looking disappointed, the curly-haired woman tilted her head and I tried not to be reminded of how people acted around Geralt—made harder considering the fact she was wearing a corseted dress. It was like I was being hit on in a Ren Faire.

"I 'eard about that. Coming from this direction, you must not be an Aurean Alf then."

Definitely needed to find a book and did I have an accent or something? Or was it the cloak?

[The first Gaellia language you learned was elvish so you will retain a slight accent when speaking in any other tongue.]

Could be worse, I guess. I could have an orcish accent. If orcs existed in Gaellia.

So she definitely thought I was an 'alf/elve' which I found no need to correct her on considering the lack of prejudice I'm seeing compared to the reverse back in Aure. I made a note to hide my ears when in town; better to be a funky-colored 'alf' than a foreign human.

"I'm from a-far, Miss—"

"Lettie."

"—Miss Lettie, and rather unfamiliar with the area. I was hoping to resupply here for a few days before heading to Crown City. I didn't think I'd meet someone as nice as you," I emphasized the last part with a grin.

The barmaid blushed, agreed the town had what I might need, stuttered something about getting me that dinner before leaving in a rush.

Looking down at the pockmarked tabletop again, I let my face return to a rather bored look. 'Anyway, Thirty-Seven, I'll wait until we're in the privacy of a room before enabling the Heads-Up Display. Not like I don't trust you but, well, just in case.'

[I understand.] There was a pause before the AI continued. [Why did you do that?]

'Hm? Do you mean flirting with our waitress?'

[Yes, it is something new.]

I was amused; not like I had an opportunity to do so before now. As for why—

Well, I think my extra-meaty stew (and a loaf of warm bread!) with the good ale was answer enough. Always be nice to people who get you food!

[… I suppose maintaining politeness is only right?] The confusion could be felt with every word from 37.

(To think he hadn't even seen the extent my shamelessness can go yet.)

The AI clearly decided he didn't have enough samples for this behavior to form an opinion and moved on.

[With the spoils from the monsters you've killed, you can sell some of the materials at various places in this settlement while the Market is still locked.]

I was over Level 5 now, so I can access the Stores in the Terminal but the problem I've discovered was that it was like window shopping while online. Technically, I could buy things in the Market but I didn't have a need for any of the local items except for arrows, which were a rip-off for what I could get at my current access level.

The Sell feature wasn't unlocked until Level 15. It was like the system was requiring I interact with the locals.

'Yeah, sure.' Better to just get money locally rather than deal with the potential headache of introducing gold into Gaellian economy with currency exchange. A part of me was also hoping to get back to Earth eventually and did not want to return to an empty bank account.

I paused before I started on the stew, having finished half the loaf of hot bread already. 'I probably should have asked this earlier but what kind of meat is in the stew, Thirty-Seven?'

[… Hare and Elk. It is not harmful to you, Nori.]

Gotta be careful with other world foods even when I couldn't exactly be picky. Who knows if their "field chicken" were actually frogs, right?