Dragon Flame Tavern

Simon watched his companions bustling about in the kitchen, harbouring not the slightest anticipation for the evening meal ahead.

They were lodging in a local resident's house in the small town—a place that provided no food but allowed use of the kitchen. The mere thought of the inevitable salted meat broth and stale bread made Simon's vision grow dim, and even his rumbling stomach fell silent in protest.

He recalled the delicious aroma he'd caught earlier and ventured, "I hear the Dragon Flame Tavern has reopened."

Every person in the room fixed him with an expression as if they'd seen a ghost. Old John raised an eyebrow: "Are you quite serious? Please tell me you don't mean what I think you mean."

Angus spoke in his characteristic drawn-out manner, like a melancholy aria: "Whether it be black bread mixed with sawdust or roasted lamb upon a silver platter, all share the same ultimate fate."

Angus bore the nickname "the Melancholy One." Born of minor nobility, he had somehow become a mercenary, constantly muttering incomprehensible phrases whilst maintaining the grey-eyed look of someone perpetually on the verge of throwing himself into the nearest river. Yet here he remained, alive and well to this day.

Even Sage, who was doing the cooking, poked his head out: "I rather think the Dragon Flame Tavern's proprietor possesses culinary skills on par with my own—though fortunately, I don't rely on cookery for my living."

The others erupted in laughter.

Simon felt thoroughly mocked. He sprang to his feet and strode towards the door, remembering to snatch up his purse. Today he was absolutely determined to have a proper meal at the Dragon Flame Tavern, and regardless of how it tasted, he would return and describe it as the most exquisite culinary experience imaginable, thereby tricking his teammates into becoming the next victims.

In the tavern, Lusen ate with such intensity that perspiration beaded on his nose, never lifting his head. The thornback fish bore no fishy odour whatsoever—it was refreshingly tender, the rich spiciness melding intimately with the fish, penetrating every fibre of the flesh.

The poached fish contained only lettuce and golden needle mushrooms freshly harvested from the mushroom cultivation house. The superior quality of the fish compensated for the sparse vegetables, allowing Nami to create an exceptionally delicious dish.

[Sichuan Poached Fish ★★★: Rich without being greasy, spicy without being harsh, fresh and tender. May have unexpected effects upon consumption.]

Immediately afterwards, a notification made Nami leap to her feet.

[Main Quest 2: Welcome your first customer! Requirements: Customer satisfaction must reach 70% or above.]

The tavern was finally to have a customer! Nami paced excitedly by the entrance, then suddenly remembered something and promptly removed the tavern's door.

Having a customer knocked senseless by a falling door panel wouldn't make for a particularly pleasant experience.

Simon stared in bewilderment at Nami before him. The girl he'd encountered near the Midnight Marsh was actually the new proprietor of the Dragon Flame Tavern?

He found himself rather inclined to agree with Sage's assessment—the new owner didn't appear to be a particularly reliable cook.

Nami was introducing today's menu: "Seaweed, ham and egg drop soup, lettuce salad, tomatoes with sugar..."

Upon realising there wasn't a single proper main course amongst these offerings, Nami caught Lusen's eye and whispered, "What can you prepare?"

Lusen glanced at the ingredients and replied rather sheepishly, "Onion rings, pan-fried mushrooms..."

Simon took a deep sniff. This was precisely the aroma he'd detected an hour ago outside! The scent clearly wasn't emanating from any of the aforementioned dishes, so he enquired directly, "What food produces this particular aroma?"

Nami hesitated slightly—not because she was unwilling to add the poached fish to the menu, but because, considering Lusen's earlier reaction, the locals seemed rather unable to tolerate overly spicy cuisine.

She explained, "It's poached fish, a new style of dish the tavern has introduced. If you can assure us you won't demand compensation after consuming it, we'd be happy to serve it to you."

This didn't sound particularly encouraging, but Simon harboured no great expectations for this meal anyway. He didn't believe any food could harm such a robust fellow as himself, so he adopted a devil-may-care attitude: "I'll have the poached fish and lettuce salad."

[You have received an order: Poached Fish (suggested retail price: 3 silver coins), Lettuce Salad (suggested retail price: 70 copper coins). Please complete the order promptly!]

Nami smiled at Simon: "Five silver coins." She was rather a mercenary businesswoman and wouldn't accept suggested retail prices.

Mercenaries typically spent money like water—the shadow of death perpetually loomed over them, so after a substantial windfall they might be found in premium inns costing a gold coin per night, whilst in lean times they'd often be found gnawing the cheapest black bread.

Presently, Simon found himself in rather comfortable circumstances. He counted out five silver coins, already formulating the rhetoric he'd use to deceive his companions. He intended to praise the tavern's cuisine to the heavens, then thoroughly have them on when they actually came to dine. The thought filled him with slight regret—if only he'd patronised rather more upmarket establishments, his fabrications would surely have his comrades positively drooling.

Nami ladled a spoonful of scalding chilli oil over the cooked fish fillets, releasing an eruption of rich, spicy fragrance. Lusen had already prepared the vegetable salad and took the poached fish from Nami's hands to serve it.

Simon was indeed famished. The dish before him possessed a brilliant red colour and distinctive aroma that greatly stimulated his appetite. He glanced about searching for knife and fork, but Nami handed him two slender wooden sticks instead.

"Like this," she demonstrated.

Out of deference to her position as proprietor, Simon patiently accepted the sticks. Wielding both hands, he held one stick in each and speared a fish fillet. The fillets had been sliced extremely thin, requiring only a brief poaching to cook through. They trembled precariously upon Simon's chopsticks as he conveyed them to his mouth.

First came the fish's smoothness and tenderness, then the spicy heat exploded upon his tongue. Simon attempted to pause and speak, but the tingling spiciness rapidly spread throughout his mouth, causing his eyes to redden as he hastily stuffed in another piece of fish, hoping to mask the sensation.

Nami and Lusen exchanged glances. Their customer sat before them with tears streaming down his face, mucus flowing freely, yet his hands moved with increasing speed to convey food to his mouth. It was genuinely impossible to discern whether he was satisfied or not.

Should he prove dissatisfied, her quest would remain incomplete. Nami thoughtfully poured a glass of hot water, placing her hand over the cup for barely a second before a thin layer of ice formed on the surface.

Simon stirred the bowl with his chopsticks, discovering that all the fish had been consumed. Just as anxiety began to set in, someone timely presented him with a glass of ice water. He immediately took a large gulp, extinguishing the fire upon his tongue, then collapsed back in his chair with a long sigh of relief.

The customer offered no evaluation, leaving Nami unable to gauge his thoughts. However, he had already risen and was heading for the exit.

[Customer satisfaction: 60%]

The satisfaction level fell short of requirements, yet no task failure notification appeared. Just as Nami was contemplating a final effort, she suddenly noticed Simon preparing to close the tavern door behind him.

She rushed over and snatched the wooden door from the startled Simon's grasp, efficiently nailing it shut with her dagger, smiling sweetly: "Please, allow me."

Simon's gaze lingered on the dagger embedded deep in the stone wall. Unless his eyes deceived him, the seemingly delicate girl before him had just inserted a dagger into solid stone with no more difficulty than dropping a red-hot iron into butter.

He swallowed hard and managed to squeeze out from his numbed tongue: "Thank you for your hospitality."

[Customer satisfaction: 80%. Congratulations on completing Main Quest 2. Reward: 500 achievement points.]

[You have completed this order. Rewards: 5 silver coins, 50 tavern experience points, 7 achievement points!]

Nami displayed a satisfied smile. Combined with the 500 achievement points from completing the vegetable-growing side quest, she could draw cards again. She did wonder why the customer had suddenly changed his mind, but being unable to fathom it, she attributed the success to her change of appearance.

It truly did possess a approachable and friendly charm indeed!