Chapter 20

"Welcome, traveler. Do you want to book a room or eat first?" The kind grandmother asked with a polite smile

"I want to book a room for three days but I need a meal as soon as possible" Xianth replied, he can't wait to finally eat some decent meals

"Our standard room costs 400 gold coins for 24 hours and the more luxurious ones cost 600 gold coins. Are you going to stay in the city for a long time? If so, I suggest that you find an apartment to rent. You can stay for a long time with cheaper rates, usually around 3,000 gold coins per month for the cheap ones"

Xianth nodded at that. It seems like this world also has rental properties. This inn could be equated as a hotel from his previous world that is for a short-term stay while the apartments are well... apartments meant for people that want to stay in an area for a long period of time

"Thank you for the advice. I will do that" Xianth replied politely and he booked a standard room. While he thinks that he can earn enough money for his living expenses when he tries to do so, it was still better to save money in case there are things he has to buy. He is not that picky with his accommodation, as long as there is a decent bed then everything else is complementary

"Hehehe, welcome, young man! Here, this is the menu. You can call one of our waitresses when you finished choosing what you want" the grandma said and Xianth paid 400 gold coins for the room and he received the room's key before he went to find a vacant table

Fortunately, the restaurant is not fully packed and he was able to choose a table near the window. As soon as he sat down he turned to look at the menu

This world also has paper in which the dish that the restaurant served could be seen

"Hmm? This is a completely different language but I still can understand it. Come to think of it, I'm also conversing with other people using a different language. How is this possible?"

This added to one of the mysteries that Xianth wanted to solve but since he cannot do anything about it, he just ignored it for now

"Bread, tomato soup, steak, braised chicken, eggs, oh, they also serve monster meat?"

Xianth was like a curious child in Disneyland. He can't help but be excited every time he discovered something new and amazing in this world

The menu listed where the meat of the dishes came from and these meats are not your normal pork or beef. The names sound like the name of monsters

There was a soup made with the meat of a Long-tailed Hummingbird, grilled camouflaging snake, and even insects like black and white crickets

Since this is Xianth's first time eating in a restaurant in this world he decided to choose the safer option of ordering food made from an ordinary animal. As much as he is curious about this world, he still doesn't want the memory of the first-ever proper meal he had on this world to be horrible

When he was done choosing, Xianth called the attention of one of the attending waiters and he ordered one grilled porkchop, mashed potatoes, and an apple juice to quench his thirst

The total of his order didn't even reach 200 gold coins. Of course, since the kid that guided him told him that this inn was on the cheaper side, Xianth expects that eating in other restaurants would cost more

It took only around 10 to 15 minutes before Xianth's order was served which was already quite fast considering that there are many other customers

In excitement, Xianth grabbed the wooden utensils and he sliced his grilled porkchop. It was cooked quite well as it was not hard and Xianth immediately had a taste

Since the restaurant's foods are cheap, the food is only at a decent level. It might have something to do with the ingredients that are cooked or the cook themselves

Normally, although the dish wouldn't make Xianth extremely satisfied, it was still decent and not to be looked down upon

However, upon biting and swallowing his food, although he can taste it, something felt missing

He enjoyed the taste as the food was cooked to satisfy a human's taste buds but something was clearly lacking and it was not the least bit filling

"Could this be because of my Gift? Would I only find things rich with energy filling?" Xianth asked himself with a frown

He can taste the food perfectly fine but it cannot give his stomach any sense of satisfaction as they lack the energy that his body always craves

This discovery dampened Xianth's food but at the very least, he can taste human food and he still finished everything that he ordered

He paid the bill before he walked out of the inn where the kid from before was loyally waiting for him and Xianth kinda felt bad

"Should I have bought something for him too?" Xianth asked himself as he found out that the kid didn't charge him an exorbitant amount for his service

The hundred gold coins are only enough for one meal, a maximum of two if you choose the really cheap ones. These gold coins are only enough for the kid to eat for a day but considering that the kid is clearly a beggar, he might buy something that would fill his stomach even at the expense of taste

As such, Xianth cannot help but feel a bit guilty but the kid does not seem offended that Xianth didn't give him any food. In fact, he just looks excited that Xianth returned to him since that means he could still receive the other fifty gold coins

"Mister, you are here. Where should I guide you next?" The kid asked enthusiastically

"I want to go to a public library" Xianth answered