Chapter 23

Vivian climbed down the stairs and swept her gaze around.

The first floor was packed and none of the tables and chairs were available.

There were men and women eating, drinking and chatting, and there were waitresses either carrying trays of food or empty plates and mugs. The scene was too chaotic for Vivian's taste because aside from the crowd and noise, she could also see some food being dropped to the floor that there were some animals -- or what Vivian assumed were animals because this is a magical fantasy world after all -- eating underneath the tables. And what made matters worse, the floor wasn't covered with cement or wood, just pure dirt.

Ugh...!

Disgusting...

She glanced at the necks of some of the patrons.

They all had adventurer pendants. Some were copper, others were silver.

"Hi, what can I get you?" a female voice suddenly said to her.

She turned her head to the direction of the voice. 

It was one of the waitresses of the tavern. She had green hair and eyes and was in her late teens. Although the waitresses here don't have a uniform and wear civilian clothing, she was carrying an empty tray and paper which looked like a menu on her hands so she could only assume she was one.

Vivian also noticed another thing that piqued her interest.

That's a Copper II rank, right…?

There was a copper-colored pendant engraved with the initials "II" around her neck. 

After thinking about it, Vivian finally figured out that the reason why people knew that she was an adventurer was because of the pendant around her neck.

Is being an adventurer that hard that they have to work other jobs…?

Or maybe it's because she's Copper, the lowest rank, and the pay is low…?

"You're one of the people renting the rooms above, right?" asked the woman asked.

"Yes," replied Vivian.

"I've never seen you around here so you must be new. There are no vacant tables and chairs right now. Although you can wait, you can also have your food delivered to your room."

"That's…"

Given that Vivian doesn't have enough information about this world, she wanted to eat here in order to gather information discreetly by eating and listening to the conversation of the people around her.

She just hoped no one would bother to ask her unnecessary questions.

"How long before a seat will be available?"

"It depends. But once there's a vacant seat, I'll let you know right away."

"I see," said Vivian. "What are the meals being sold here?"

"Here, take a look," the woman said and handed over a paper that she was holding.

The paper was rough and thick. As for the menu, there were no pictures or drawings, just words.

Fuck...

Vivian didn't want to gain any more attention so she thought of way. Whether it was a smart idea or not, she doesn't know. But she concluded that she at least needed to try.

She turned to the waitress and handed back the menu to her.

"What do you recommend? Also, if possible, something that's not too heavy on the budget."

The waitress gave an assuring nod.

In her mind, based on Vivian's answer and given that she noticed the Copper I pendant around Vivian's neck, she assumed that Vivian was indirectly asking for a meal that's easy on a Copper rank adventurer's budget.

"I recommend the Paparu meat stew. It costs 3 copper coins and has enough nutrients."

Just when Vivian was about to answer, a group of customers from one of the tables nearby stood up.

"Oh, there's an empty table. Please follow me," the waitress said and headed over there while Vivian followed behind.

And although Vivian didn't notice it, the closer she got to the animals who were waiting or eating underneath the tables, they either dropped or carried their food before just running away.

When Vivian and the waitress finally got to the empty table, Vivian didn't sit down right away because there were empty dishes. She didn't want to get in the way of the waitress while she removes and cleans the table.

The waitress, on the other hand, turned her head and looked around to search for the other customers who came before Vivian and were also waiting for a vacant seat.

Unfortunately, she didn't find them so she turned to Vivian.

"I'll be taking these plates at the back. And your order?"

"The one you recommended. Thank you."

"Okay."

The waitress rolled the paper and slid it on the side of her waist underneath a belt before gathering the empty plates and mugs on the tray.

When she left, Vivian finally took a seat and she swept her gaze around her surroundings.

Her eyes landed on a small animal underneath a table that was located far away from her at least 10 meters.

It wasn't a cat, but it was the same size as an adult cat. And as for its appearance, it looked like an ant eater with white and black stripes on its fur.

I don't know what's Paparu meat stew, but I hope it's not that thing…

The waitress returned carrying a tray with a bowl of Paparu meat stew, a slice of bread and a mug.

She placed them down on Vivian's table along with a wooden spoon.

"Should I pay now or pay after?"

"It depends on you."

"I see. By the way, I have a water pouch. How much if I wanted it to be refilled?"

"It's free. Just go to the kitchen."

The kitchen…? 

Vivian recalled the scene of the kitchen when she went to check the bathroom and toilet earlier.

"Ah... I see... Thank you."

"No problem, just call me if you need anything else."

"Okay."

When the waitress left, Vivian stared at her food.

All the utensils were made of wood.

She grabbed the slice of bread.

It's cold…

Squeeze.

Squeeze.

A bit hard from what I'm used to...

She pressed it near her nose.

Sniff.

Smells edible I guess…'

She put it down and grabbed the mug.

Is this… beer…?

She pressed the mug near her nose.

Sniff.

Sniff.

She titled the mug and took a sip.

It tastes like beer but a bit different…

Also, it's not cold…

As an aspiring fitness influencer, Vivian only drinks alcohol at social events. She never had alcohol while eating. On top of that, she only drinks cold alcohol.

She looked around, trying to search for the waitress from earlier.

Unfortunately, she was talking to another customer.

Vivian put down the mug and glanced at the other tables.

They all had similar mugs.

I'll just ask for water later…

This time her eyes turned to the Paparu meat stew.

She grabbed her wooden spoon -- or what passes off as a spoon -- and scooped the bowl.

There were 2 slices of vegetables with different colors -- one yellow, the other red. And for the Paparu meat, there were 2 small slices.

This…

Well, I guess with the beer this passes for 3 copper coins…

And with the beer, it's high on calories…

She tasted the soup.

Reminds me of beef stew but there's some difference…

Also, the spices are too strong…

She grabbed the sliced bread, tore a piece, dipped it into the soup and then took a bite.

Her eyes widen.

Maybe it's because Vivian hasn't eaten and has been running around the forest all day, but the bread and stew combination tasted quite delicious and an urge to just devour her food immediately welled up inside her.

However, she suppressed herself not to do so because of 2 reasons.

The first one, she wanted to listen around and discreetly gather information about this world around her. 

The second one, she knows she will be tempted to order another meal. And given that she's low on funds and hasn't officially established a stable source of income just yet, she wants to limit her expenses for now.

Wait..!

The receptionist from the Adventurer's Guild that they're open 24 hours, right…?

She shook her head.

My body is tired... 

I don't know much about this world... 

I don't even have a proper weapon... 

I can't see at night...

And I'm a woman...

It would be nothing but suicidal to do a quest at night…

She resumed eating and as slowly as she possibly could without appearing strange.