Lotus Tavern

"Well... it is getting late and we are still hungry since noon. Anywhere else we can go for a bite Kai?"

"How about going to Lotus Tavern? They have nice food and we could meet new people."

"Have you gone there before?"

"Hehe... not really... I have always been timid and couldn't muster the courage to go in alone..."

Peng Hu could see that Kai was getting red from his embarrassment. He was getting curious as to why Kai didn't interact much with people if he was always so full of energy. Nevertheless, this is a tale for another time.

[It will be quite an experience going to the tavern haha! When I was in the old world, I was always afraid of going to a tavern... bar... to parties... because I hesitated on using false identity. Anyways, a tavern huh... it may be a good place to find leads about any suspicious person. Also, we may find more people which names starts with the letter 'B'.]

"Lead the way, Kai!"

"On it!"

With Kai leading the way to the Lotus Tavern, Peng Hu was deep in thoughts on what had happened so far in the day. From being treated as an intruder to looking for a spy, it was way too much for Peng Hu if it were in the old world. Surprisingly, he found a new sort of strength in him that he was displaying in this new world, doing things with bravery and calmness. Peng Hu enjoyed this feeling of satisfaction.

[Maybe it wasn't really bad dying... Although I'm very sad for leaving my mother behind... I apologize, mom.]

It was a long distance Kai and Peng Hu walked. When they finally arrived to the location of the Lotus Tavern, they could see that there were a lot of people flowing in and out of the tavern. Apparently, it seems to be a great location for making social activities. Peng Hu looked around the tavern and noticed some interesting characteristics. The tavern's building was a house of two floors. There was a small sign hanging out of the main door, as if it didn't want to attract much attention. There was only one window in the first floor and it had a curtain. On the second floor, there were three windows. Overall, the tavern was very low-key and didn't want to attract much attention.

[Whew... we finally arrived huh... Finally, it's time to make memories.]

Kai and Peng Hu entered the tavern slowly. It was a first time experience for both of them and they were savoring each second of it. After getting through the door, the mood of the tavern was very joyful, breaking the ice both Kai and Peng Hu had. Curious villagers went to greet Kai and Peng Hu out of courtesy, exchanging small talks. After ordering food with the waitress, both Kai and Peng Hu sat on a table with tired looks.

"Whew. That was amazing Pen! This is my first time in a tavern!"

"Me too Kai. Me too! I'm grateful that my first time going into a tavern was so welcoming and warm."

"Haha me too, me too Pen! I always thought they were afraid and were keeping their distance from me..."

Peng Hu was reminded of the situation Kai was into before he met him. Curious, Peng Hu inquired Kai about it.

"Haha..."

Kai looked dejected. Apparently, he wasn't in the mood to talk about it.

"Don't worry. I am your friend and you can talk to me about it when you feel comfortable, Kai."

"Thanks... Pen."

"Nothing much. We are friends right? Friends got to help each other."

Kai looked at Peng Hu and was smiling widely. He was feeling very happy that the first friend he had made was with Peng Hu.

"Anyways, Pen... can you tell me why you didn't you want me to say much when we were on Yuvan's place?"

"Oh? You mean when Biggs asked us some questions?"

"Yeah..."

"The truth is..."

Peng Hu told Kai everything that he discovered and experienced while Kai himself was looking for help. Peng Hu explained about the red stone with the letter B. engraved into it and the deductions he could infer from it. Kai listened attentively, astonished by the findings made by Peng Hu. Additionally, Peng Hu disclosed to Kai the reason why Peng Hu warned Kai about being careful during the investigation.

"If... the red stone belonged to someone whose name starts with the letter 'B'... then..."

"Yes. They are primary suspects. Also, we shouldn't scratch other villagers. That's why we getting to know people in the tavern is a good chance to discovering more possible suspects."

"What if... the real culprit is using a false name in the village?"

"We better hope that is not the case, else every villager could possibly be the culprit!"

"Not if we could scratch off those that have tight alibi."

"It is time consuming... and I believe that the spy and the culprit behind the incident at Mister Yuvan's place are very related."

Kai got into a deep thinking. Peng Hu looked at Kai and saw that Kai got into a trance. It seemed like Kai was using every fiber of his brain to come up with many solutions, scratching off impossible situations, and then trying to arrive to a single truth. Kai started to struggle internally, on which Peng Hu helped Kai snap out of it.

"Don't worry about it Kai. My intuition is telling me that the true culprit behind Yuvan's incident is between Biggs and Birok."

"Why do you think so Pen?"

"Because the culprit might have noticed he dropped the stone, which may be a sort of magic stone for communication with the Red Ember Kingdom, and decided to come back to the crime scene and retrieve it before someone zeroed in to them."

"But maybe they are using a different name and may be possible that the true culprit is among the villagers that went to see the crime scene."

"It's possible... At least we don't have to ask for alibi with every villager. It's only with those that attended the crime scene. Also, I believe it would be best if we could clarify the innocence of both Biggs and Borik. There is a high probability that the stone may point to them."

"I understand... but I don't see how both Uncle Biggs and Uncle Borik could be the culprit. They have been serving for the village since its foundation!"

"Human's nature is very fragile, Kai. It is very fragile."

As if a delicious scent could be sniffed from a mile apart, two delicious plate of food arrived into the table, both looking at its respective owners.

"Here is your order, Mr. Kai, Mr. Who. Nyaaa~ If there is anything else you need, you may pet me~"

Turning his head, and looking at the waitress, Peng Hu noticed something that he didn't when he first came in... All the waitresses of the tavern were wearing MAID outfits with CAT EARS!! It took him into a memory trip, remembering the cultures from the old world. Peng Hu's heart started to race fast. He was feeling overjoyed and excited.

[Sigh... this is life... Maids with cat ears... All hail moe culture! All hail moe culture!]