Lodging at Aquarius!

When we reached Aquarius, another bell rang inside the space bullet to indicate we reached. Standing up, everyone slightly crowded around the entrance and waited for the doors to open. Then as we deboarded, we were faced with an obviously more invested AT center. Even the walls of the platform were a much whiter color.

Following the crowd, we got onto an escalator and headed down towards a large area. Glancing at the signs above our heads, we followed one that directed us towards the shops. Walking out of the airport portion of the AT center, we were at a crosswalk that opened up to at least five streets full of shops.

Holding my hand, Sazzy guided me towards the rightmost street. Just a couple steps in, I immediately knew why Sazzy wanted us to go down here first. It was the hotel street. Lined up neatly on both sides of the street were various hotels of different aesthetics as well as prices. Glancing at the price boards outside the hotels, I could feel my teeth clench at some of the prices. 600 UC for 3 nights, 200 UC a night! There was one that was 350 UC a night!

Glancing at the outer looks of the hotels, I already knew that we did not have enough money to stay there. And even if we did, I did not have the courage! They looked incredibly expensive.

Moving further away from the center, the prices for the hotels visibly dropped. Finally, we stopped in front of one that was on the very edge of the AT center. It was so far away that we could see the trees that belonged to the road that was outside the protective shield of the AT center. To be fair, the place looked more like an inn than a hotel.

Standing at a very humble two stories high, the place in front of us had a very homely look, like a big cottage. Opening the door and entering, we were greeted by a cat-like creature that was snoozing on the front desk counter. The moment we fully stepped inside, the creature's cat ears flickered before it gave a big meow, then it went back to sleep.

Right after its meow, there were sounds of someone running down the stairs and it was not long before we saw an employee rushing towards us.

A boy my height ran while shouting.

"Hello there new customers! Do you want to board at the ribbon fish inn! Cheap prices for staying, as well as breakfast, lunch and dinner provided!"

Grabbing a clipboard from the side of the front desk counter, he braked in front of us and pointed at various prices.

"A one night stay is only 60 UC a night! And breakfast is usually provided at a discounted rate of 2 UC for a whole meal, drinks included! For a week's stay, it's only 400 UC in total, including breakfast, lunch and dinner for free!"

Receiving the clipboard with their rates on it, I looked at it carefully while pulling up my personal terminal.

"Sazzy, what do you think about this inn?"

The poster on the clipboard had pictures of their rooms, which were generously wide and had a nice view of the forest outside the protection circle. The various rates that the boy was exclaiming were also written down clearly at the bottom.

[I searched up this place before we got here and there were very popular reviews. It's one of the more affordable and higher quality hotels on the planet. The best thing is that the food they serve here are actually the native cuisines from the major ethnic group on this planet, the Piscus people. It's also the reason why they have not many customers.]

Searching through the poster again, I spotted a line that disclaimed that the food served in the inn was handmade food from the Piscus people.

"How long are we staying Sazzy?"

[About maybe 2 to 3 weeks, so we can start with booking for 2 full weeks first since I doubt we will finish all the preparations in time. Since the food here contains parasites, I am guessing that they have many preparation steps.]

After discussing it with Sazzy, I closed my personal terminal and straight away booked a two week stay for one room.

Ecstatic, the boy led us to the front desk counter and checked us in. Food was whenever we decided to order so if we were hungry we could just tell him or any of the inn staff and wait at the dining area.

Giving me the keys to our room, the boy gave us a brief introduction to the inn.

"After we walk in, to the left is the dining area! Right behind that is the recreational area where we have several board games as well as a television! Both of them are free to rent! We also have single player games if you want to rent them. They can't be taken out of the recreational area though."

Walking through the corridor right beside the front desk, he opened the doors to show us the rooms. Opposite the recreational area was the stairs to the second floor.

"The second floor is where all the rooms are. Your room is the one right over there, the outermost room on the right side of the inn! There is a balcony in the room which faces our most prized view of the scenery outside the protective barrier!"

Leading us to our room, the boy stopped outside our door and sold to us the many advantages of our room before saying goodbye and going down the stairs.

Closing the room door, I set my luggage bag on a nearby table and headed towards the balcony. Opening the floor to ceiling windows, I stepped onto the balcony and took a deep breath of the fresh air outside.

Before my eyes there was a long batch of trees that seemed to taper off near the end. If I looked right and stared hard enough, I could even see the sparkling blue of the sea.

[This main island where the AT center is at is one of the largest islands on this planet. There are seven main islands as well as countless small ones scattered around the entire planet. However, most people actually live on the sea, since that is their main source of food.]

Sazzy was explaining as she unpacked the luggage bag and hung everything in the closet.

Turning my back to watch her, I took this time to also look closely at the room.

It was definitely cost-effective. The big king sized bed and its white silky sheets seemed to be calling for me to lie and rest on them. The cupboard was huge and the length of me if I stretched one of my hands out. There was a large table that we were currently putting my luggage bag on, as well as a sturdy looking wooden chair. And even though this was a one person accommodating room, there was even a small sofa to lie on near the other window that was facing the street.

On the balcony, there was a sun tanning chair as well as a small table to rest our items on.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a woman carrying a basket of fish and other seafood. Stopping before she entered the protective barrier, she ran her hands over her body, pulling out several creatures that seemed to be stuck on her, then entered the barrier.

[Hey Alex! It's almost time for lunch! We should go down and order some native dishes to try. Of course since nobody can see me, you should tell them that you like to eat in your room. Besides, it looks like there is a small kitchenette over in the corner so you can experiment cooking some things!]

Glancing over at what Sazzy called a 'kitchenette', which was basically a small stove, a kettle on said stove, and one frying pan, I closed one eye to it and prepared to go out. It was time to try out this planet's cuisine!