“You volunteered to treat;

I didn’t force you.”

“Of course. I ended up taking quite a bit of your time today. If I didn’t treat you to a meal, I’d feel bad.”

“That’s not necessary. I don’t usually have visitors anyway.”

Andni closed the door of Thorn Cottage.

Unlike the casual pajamas she usually wore in the shop, she was dressed in an exquisite dark green long dress today. The hem gracefully stopped just above her knees, and below that were her slender calves clad in soft brown leather boots.

“Do you not go out much, senior?”

Gauss watched her as she kept adjusting her appearance, clearly very concerned about it, and asked curiously.

“Since retiring, I’ve been too lazy to go out. Usually, a familiar tavern delivers food here,” Andni said, adjusting her skirt once more, then finally letting out a sigh of relief.

Even though she deliberately dressed maturely, her height of less than one meter made her look like a sibling with a huge height gap standing next to Gauss.

Gauss noticed but didn’t point it out.

He realized that Andni seemed somewhat self-conscious about her height, especially in a human town environment.

It could also be because, as a retired adventurer, she didn’t go out frequently anymore and wasn’t quite used to it.

“Let’s go. I just heard about a nice restaurant this morning.”

If most taverns in Grayrock Town served as common eateries for low-level adventurers, naturally there were also finer restaurants offering more delicate dishes for the town’s smaller number of professional-level adventurers.

After all, Gauss had rarely seen any suspected Bronze-rank adventurers when he visited taverns before.

The place he planned to treat to was the Firefly Kitchen, a high-end restaurant he inquired about from a shop owner earlier that morning. Usually, only professionals or mid-to-high-level managers from caravans passing through Grayrock Town would visit.

There were several such private kitchens, but ordinary adventurers often didn’t even know their locations.

Walking through the alleys with Andni,

Today there were few clouds;

moonlight spilled over the stone paths. Even without torchlight, it wasn’t very dark.

In front of a few houses, Gauss spotted a firefly-shaped lamp and finally confirmed the restaurant’s location.

From the outside, there was no sign that it was an operating restaurant. The first floor’s door was tightly shut, and warm yellow light softly diffused from the second-floor windows.

The small courtyard had neatly trimmed evergreen shrubs dotted with tiny white flowers emitting a rich fragrance.

Pushing open the door and entering, a mature woman sat upright behind the counter on the first floor.

“Welcome. How many in your party?”

“Just two.”

“You’ve arrived at a good time. We have an available room now. However, if you enjoy your meal and wish to visit again, please make a reservation in advance.” The well-rounded woman wearing an apron spoke gently.

As she spoke, her eyes scanned the unusual height difference between Gauss and Andni, glancing at the halfling a little less.

Of course, this wasn’t the first time Gauss had seen a halfling. Though halflings were not as few as humans in Grayrock Town, they still weren’t that common.

But that halfling man gave a very special impression, making one unconsciously glance at him twice.

“The second empty room on the left down the hallway on the second floor.”

Gauss ascended the elegant wooden spiral staircase while observing the restaurant’s decor.

There weren’t many ornate artworks, but the atmosphere was comfortable, with an overall style warm and homelike.

“That woman just now is also a professional,” Andni suddenly said.

“Really?” Gauss was a bit surprised.

To him, the gentle female owner’s soft voice emitted no hint of danger.

“She’s probably been retired for many years like me,” Andni yawned.

“How did you tell? Magic?”

“Not possible. It’s best not to casually use magic on strangers in town. For most adventurers, that’s like an insulting provocation.” Andni rolled her eyes at him.

“Of course, if you clearly know the other person is much weaker than you, it’s fine. But if their strength is unknown, it’s best not to take that risk.”

“I understand.” Gauss nodded.

“My judgment is based solely on my keen observation.” Andni continued. “If you looked carefully earlier, you’d notice her shoulder and collarbone skin was rougher and darker than other parts. Her hip bone area was a bit unusually sunken. Although her thumb base and palm edge were well cared for, there were still traces of calluses.”

“That means the female owner used to wear armor for years and wield a sword or control reins.”

“Got it, senior Andni.”

“Gauss, although your profession advancement speed might be faster than ordinary people’s, you still have a lot to learn.” Andni snorted with a playful tone.

She felt the shock she sensed from Gauss earlier in the day was somewhat restored.

Reaching the second floor, all other room doors in the hallway were closed except for one empty room.

The heavy wooden door was soundproofed well;

no noise came from other private rooms.

Closing the room door, Gauss somewhat understood why professionals preferred such small restaurants.

Compared to taverns, it was definitely much quieter.

Outside the window, the surrounding town’s night view was visible.

Sitting back at the table, a menu and an order sheet lay before him.

“Senior, would you like to order first?”

“You go ahead.”

Gauss nodded.

But as he opened the menu, Andni leaned over not far away.

Clearly, her politeness was only superficial. Her desire for food overwhelmed any pretense of courtesy.

Or rather, most adventurers, if conditions allow, are food lovers.

It’s hard to maintain a pure disinterest in food after expending so much physical energy;

the body’s instincts won’t permit it.

If someone could manage that, they wouldn’t be adventurers but saints or ascetics.

Gauss’s eyes brightened a bit as he looked at the dishes on the menu.

No denying it: the dishes at this high-end restaurant were indeed better than those he had in other taverns.

“Oysters drizzled with moonlight herb vinegar, grilled mushroom platter, charcoal-grilled silver-scaled river fish, slime gel fruit tart, baked walking mushrooms…”

“Slime gel can be used as an ingredient?” Gauss was dumbfounded.

He imagined again those ugly slime monsters like puddles of mud or face-hugging bugs that jumped on heads, doubting it.

“It requires many special processing steps. I’ve eaten it;

the taste isn’t bad. The texture is unique, very elastic but not sticky.” Andni swallowed and said.

“Otherwise, who do you think has been buying up all the slime gel?”

“Let’s try a little bit.”

“This is good, too.”

After a while, dishes were brought out one by one.

Originally feeling a bit stingy about the prices, Gauss immediately pushed those worries aside when he smelled the rich aromas wafting from the plates.

Dish after dish glistened under the warm glow of the oil lamps.

Indeed, the only downside of expensive things was their price.

Gauss thought that if he ever couldn’t afford this anymore, he should first find the cause in himself.

“I’m full!”

Without much ceremony, the two quickly finished each dish until the plates were clean.

After the whirlwind feast, they leaned back in their chairs, feeling stuffed.

It had been many days since they last had a proper big meal.

Gauss felt very satisfied.

Though the prices here were a bit high, coming here occasionally to relax and enjoy a meal was a good choice.

Eating the specially ordered blueberry dessert, Gauss and Andni both slumped into the soft chairs, staring out the window, unwilling to move.

“Moonlight herb, several special mushrooms, walking mushrooms…” Another meal, and Gauss memorized some new ingredients.

Even if he didn’t eat them himself, he could bring them back to sell for profit.

Andni said walking mushrooms weren’t very common on the outskirts of the Emerald Forest;

they were more likely to be found clustered in narrow caves deeper inside.

After all, many monsters’ recipes included walking mushrooms.

When she was still an adventurer, her favorite way to prepare walking mushrooms was charcoal grilling.

After peeling off the outer skin, simple charcoal grilling made them very delicious.

But for some reason, many monster species like walking mushrooms couldn’t be artificially cultivated and could only be captured by adventurers.

When they returned to the first floor to pay, Gauss deliberately observed the female owner. With focused attention, he indeed noticed some of the subtle details Andni had mentioned.

The owner caught his gaze but did not avoid it, her smile remaining warm and gentle.

“The total is 31 silver coins and 60 copper coins.”

“We’ll round down the amount for you, so it’s 31 silver coins.”

Yet beneath her tender expression, the price was enough to make low-level adventurers’ hearts skip a beat or even go black.

Gauss’s hand hesitated but still took out 31 silver coins from his wallet.

He had planned to invite Sophia to a good meal sometime soon, but looking at his current finances, he couldn’t afford to come here frequently.

Once he passed the assessment and earned the Bronze-rank badge, he would come back to celebrate.

“Welcome back next time.”

Stepping out the door,

Andni seemed to notice his hesitation when paying and felt a bit embarrassed.

She was small in stature but ate a lot.

“Gauss, next time it’s my treat.”