Chapter 3: Moonlight Pavilion

He stepped onto the street and chose a particularly exquisite-looking tavern before walking right in.

"Hey, hey, hey, this is the most expensive tavern in the entire continent! I don't mind, but if we end up working in the kitchen to pay for it, that's all on you!" Lancaster hurriedly declared.

"Relax, my Queen!" Sacre waved to the waiter. "Give us a Moonlight Feast."

In other places, a "Moonlight Feast" might mean something else, but here at the Moonlight Pavilion, it referred to a banquet of 27 exquisite dishes, priced at a steep 9,999 brins.

The waiter's demeanor immediately became respectful, bowing slightly as he said, "Honored guest, the Moonlight Feast requires payment in advance."

Sacre casually handed over a white card, and the waiter, with great care, accepted it, heading over to the counter to swipe it.

He froze.

The other patrons in the room glanced over with gloating eyes.

Trying to show off wealth? Just wait to be embarrassed. How bold to order a Moonlight Feast! No one had dared to order it for two years, not even the continent's richest Situh family would do so lightly.

"What's the problem? That damned guy guaranteed me this card would work across the entire Sturt Continent." Sacre raised his voice.

"No, no, no, there's absolutely no problem at all," the waiter immediately regained his composure, his smile even more respectful than before. "Please wait a moment."

He reluctantly returned the card to Sacre, stealing one last glance before walking away.

"What's going on?" Lancaster asked.

"Nothing. I guess he's just a bumpkin who's never seen anything like it and got scared." Sacre replied nonchalantly.

A bumpkin? Never seen anything like it?

Even the waiters here could easily manage any tavern outside these walls.

This was the Moonlight Pavilion in Lolita, after all!

The patrons around them glared, shooting daggers at this arrogant brat.

But he remained utterly calm, unshaken.

"How much money do you have on that card?" Lancaster asked.

All the nearby diners pricked up their ears, as this was also the burning question in their minds. The Moonlight Pavilion was no place where 20,000 or 30,000 brins could settle the bill.

"About 30 or 40 million brins, I think," Sacre replied casually.

T-Thirty or forty…million brins?

The jaws of the people around them dropped as though they had become black holes. That figure wasn't something they could even dream about.

Even the military budget of the largest country on the continent for the next three years was only 200,000 brins, and that was considered exorbitant. Thirty or forty million brins? What kind of concept was that?

"Can someone tell me how many zeros that is?" A man with the look of a nouveau riche turned around and asked.

Lancaster's face remained expressionless, asking plainly, "How do you have that much money?"

Sacre leaned in close, whispering, "Did you forget? I'm a dragon. Collecting beautiful gems and wealth is our greatest passion, right?"

"Get lost," Lancaster replied irritably.

"Oh, my heart's been broken yet again," Sacre dramatically clutched his chest and sighed.

"In the distant snow-covered mountains, there blooms a white snow lotus. I love you, but I do not wish to pluck you. I only wish to gaze at you, think of you, love you, and guard you. Oh, my snow lotus, when will you bless me with a beautiful smile?"

As the song ended, applause rang through the tavern.

"To be honest, you'd make a good bard," Lancaster commented half-jokingly.

Sacre had sung acapella, without any accompaniment, yet his voice had been melodic and moving.

"If Her Majesty the Queen would be my accompanist, I'll happily become one," Sacre grinned smugly.

Given his current physical state, Lancaster couldn't be bothered to argue, turning instead to look out the window.

Suddenly, a hard card was slipped into his hand. Looking down, he saw that it was the very card that had stunned everyone moments before.

He looked up silently at Sacre.

"Oh~~ My Queen, everything I have is yours, so this card is no exception."

The people around them couldn't hear what they were saying, but from their movements, they could make a good guess.

Several pairs of envious eyes glared at Lancaster, which made him rather uncomfortable.

After a brief pause, he tossed the card back to Sacre.

"I'm not interested in such burdens," Lancaster said, lifting his head slightly, looking off into the distance with a proud gleam in his eyes.

Sacre gazed at him adoringly, "Oh~~ My Queen!"

The food finally arrived. Lancaster decided to focus on eating and ignore the lovesick fool.

After a few bites, he paused, pulled out another card from his pocket, and tossed it to Sacre.

"You hold onto this one too," he said.

The nouveau riche man took one glance at the card and immediately fell off his chair.

"What's wrong? Don't make a scene," his companion helped him up.

"T-That's a platinum card from the Federal Reserve Bank too!"

"Wow!"

The Federal Reserve Bank had issued no more than 30 platinum cards across the continent, each with a minimum credit limit of 100,000 brins.

Without exaggeration, at this moment, the other patrons in the tavern were staring at Lancaster and Sacre as though they were starved men eyeing a succulent steak.

They seemed to glow with golden light.

"But, my Queen, didn't you say you were out of money?" Sacre asked, puzzled.

"I am. I don't have a single lulin on me, just this card," Lancaster mumbled through a mouthful of food.

"But the account's been frozen by that old fox," he grumbled, starting to cough.

Sacre immediately put down the card and gently patted Lancaster on the back. "Slow down, my Queen. I won't steal your food. Oh~~ My Queen, even when you're choking, you're so graceful!"

Lancaster glared at him, "Try going three days without food."

Sacre gasped in horror, his face full of heartbreak. "How could this happen? Who dared treat my Queen like this? I'll make them regret ever being born."

There was such coldness in his words that people instinctively believed he would do exactly that.

"Alright, alright!" Lancaster waved his hand. "I left the palace with just this card. Why do you think I came to find you?"

"To collect the bounty?" Sacre ventured.

"Exactly," Lancaster confirmed.

"Oh~~ My Queen, am I worth only 100,000 brins to you?... Mmph!" Sacre's words were cut short as a piece of tofu was stuffed into his mouth.

Sacre's face turned red, the chopsticks lodged in his throat almost choking him like that princess.

It took Lancaster a while to remove the chopsticks.

Sacre took a deep breath, then sighed contentedly, "Ah, tofu touched by Her Majesty's chopsticks, how smooth and fragrant."

Under the table, Sacre's foot was stomped on and twisted twice.

Lancaster returned to his meal.

Sacre obediently did the same.

After they finally finished, Sacre walked over to the counter. "We'd like a room."

Though the Moonlight Pavilion was a tavern, it only had two guest rooms, symbols of the highest luxury on the continent, far surpassing any inn or hotel.

The owner, already aware of his two wealthy guests, nodded repeatedly, bowing and scraping, "Of course, of course, please follow me."

"No, we need two rooms," Lancaster added.