The Inn

"Deal!" Myu knew with at least one gold coin she could get a room at an inn. While she also wanted to get some food as well, she realized she was actually not hungry at all. She did not feel hungry one bit. She wondered why that was.

"Ummm?" Kori looked at the little girl who was holding out the huge shell to her, wondering how she was supposed to take it.

"Princess, we will take it." Two men walked over, and each taking a side, took the shell from Myu. But to their surprise, it was very heavy and they almost fell over.

"Ah right…. The slug is still inside, but I cooked it, so feel free to eat it." Myu replied.

"It seems I owe you an extra fifty silver." Kori was not one to rip off anyone, much less a little girl. But she was worried that even the most honest of merchants in the city would try to take advantage of her since she was so young.

"Hmmm?" Myu was confused, but she soon had a small pouch pushed into her hands.

"Take this and rest up. To be able to kill a rock slug at such a young age shows just how capable you truly are. If you get any more items to sell, bring them to Airia's Blessing near the city center. I will make sure they know to treat you well so that you do not lose out on money. Good luck on your adventures, and be careful." Kori went to pat Myu on the head but halted when she felt an intense heat coming off the girl. She secretly covered her hand in a thin layer of ice before patting Myu on the head and walking away. But even with the ice, she felt the heat on her hand as if she had just touched an open flame.

"Princess? Is something wrong with your hand?" One of the girls at her side asked.

"No… But I think that little one will make waves in the future…. Ahh… I forgot to ask her name…." Kori turned and wanted to ask the little girl her name, but when she turned around, the little girl was no longer there. She wondered if the little girl had returned to the tower or not.

Myu had actually already run past her, but because of her small stature, she had run through the crowd of people unseen by the others. She was currently heading towards the nearest inn! She never thought she would ever get so lucky that she would end up running into the famous Ice Princess of all people. She was as beautiful as Myu had heard. With a small smile on her face, she rushed to the inn and entered with a ding a ling of the doorbell. Her appearance quickly attracted the attention of those around her. She walked over to the counter that had a burly looking man sitting behind it and asked: "Do you have an open room?"

"A room?" The man looked over at the small girl who barely reached the top of his counter with a small frown. "Kid, go home. I can see your clothes are not bad, so I am sure you got a decent home to return to."

"No, I don't. And I am a climber." Myu showed her marking, causing the man's eyes to widen.

"I see… well, it will be one silver a night. You got the only free room on the third floor." He then leaned over the counter a bit more and whispered: "It's across from my daughter's room, so it will be safe."

"Hmm?" Myu did not really understand, but she nodded her head to agree. She thought the price of the room would be much more, but for a single silver a night, she would be able to stay for a while. After thinking for a moment, she asked: "Can I pay for fifty nights up front?"

"Fifty? Sure can." Myu thanked the man and reached for her pouch. She was planning to use the gold coin but saw that she had an extra fifty silver. She had thought she heard wrong, but it seemed that the Ice Princess really did give her an extra fifty silver. She took it out and passed it to the man. The man looked at the silver pieces and nodded when he counted the right amount. "Alright then, let me lead you up. If you get hungry, let me know. I will cook you up something good."

"Thanks!" Myu smiled and nodded her head to be polite, but she still did not feel hungry at all. She was led up a separate staircase that did not lead to the second floor but directly to the third floor. It was there that she saw what looked to be the innkeeper's home. To her right was an open living area along with a kitchen. While the left was a long hallway with multiple doors. She guessed that was where the bedrooms were. "Oh right, my name is Mich, me and my wife, Nana's room is on the other side of the house. As you can see, we got plenty of rooms. Your room is the second door on the right."

"Papa?" A voice of a young girl, younger than Myu, peaked out of one of the rooms, looking curiously at Myu. After a few seconds later, she asked: "Illegitimate child?"

"Where the hell did you hear words like that!? Tio, come here and meet…." Mich suddenly realized he did not know the girl's name. "Little one, what's your name?"

"Myu," Myu replied with a small bow.

"Then Myu, this is my daughter Tio. It is safe here up on the third floor, and you will not have to listen to the drunks downstairs. As you are a climber, I am sure you will spend a lot of time in the tower. So I will only charge you for the nights that you are here. I will just deduct it from the silver you gave me. If you decide to leave, just let me know, and I will refund the remaining amount. I just ask while you are here if you can be friends with my daughter. She has a strange mouth, but she is a good kid." Myu now understood why he was being so nice. He was trying to find a playmate for his daughter. Now that she thought about it, in this area, there would not be many kids Tio's age, and if there were, they would definitely not be running about with all the climbers.

Seeing no reason not to take him up on his offer, Myu replied with a smile: "As long as Tio is willing to befriend me."