Klaris was known as the city of Duels. It was where most duels were fought, and winners were decided based on their capabilities.

It was a place where the weak had no place to be, and the strong flourished. Such a city always had an influx of people trying to make a name for themselves.

Unfortunately, these people did not have much money and influence until they were able to establish themselves. This caused the tavern owners to lose a lot of business when operating there.

One such owner was the big-chested middle-aged lady who cursed under her breath as another customer quickly made their way out after hearing her price for the night.

Her family and regulars always told her that she charged a lot more than other places and that if she continued like this, she would run her business into the ground. But the owner did not care.

While other places had to serve ten customers, she only had to serve one to make the same amount…

That was what was supposed to happen in theory. But reality and imagination were often different.

Unfortunately, the tavern owner had yet to get her first customer of the week due to her high prices.

The nobles who could afford her place did not want to stay there because she was 'rude,' ' unfriendly,' and 'ugly.' But anyone else could not afford her prices.

So, the tavern owner was stuck in limbo: She had no money but was too prideful and stubborn to lower her prices for anyone.

'I should close this business and open a new one. At this rate, I would end up starving.'

The owner had these constant thoughts plaguing her, but she found she could not do that when she went to work on them. Her instincts stopped her, and she succumbed to money and her desire.

At such a crucial time, the door to her tavern opened, and someone entered.

It looked like a young and thin figure, but the hood covering that person's face made it impossible to guess.

The tavern owner looked at the person in front of her suspiciously, but then that unknown person placed a coin on the counter, and the lady quickly shut her mouth.

"I would like to rent a room for a few nights. How much would it cost?"

The person asked, and the tavern owner tried to recall the voice. But no matter how much she tried, she could not remember what this person sounded like—and she had just heard the voice seconds ago.

'A magician? And a profound one at that. We don't get many of these people since they think they are better than everyone else. This child would soon become a big shot, so I should treat them well.'

The tavern owner had sharp instincts, and seeing this child made her feel like she was in someone great's presence.

That made her drop her price from 4 coins per night to 3.

It was still expensive for a single night's room, but the tavern owner had principles she didn't want to give up on.

"It would be three coins per day, miss. Try your luck elsewhere if you can't afford it or think it's expensive."

The tavern owner spoke in a firm voice, but the person opposite her looked unbothered.

"Hmm, and how many rooms are there in this tavern?"

The person asked, and now the tavern owner felt odd. This was not a question she ever asked when dealing with a customer.

"There are ten rooms in here, miss."

It was answered quickly, but the tavern owner kept an eye on the person she was looking at.

"I see. So, sixty silver coins per day? Fine, here are three gold coins. I would like to rent out this whole place for ten days, and I may extend my stay if I feel like doing so."

The customer placed three genuine gold coins in front of the tavern owner, and the owner felt her jaw slack.

Silver was something that someone like her hardly saw, much less gold.

The person in front of her was a goldmine of wealth. If they were spending money like it, it was water.

"M-Master, who are you-"

The lady started to ask, but the cloaked figure touched her mouth to silence her.

"It's alright. There is no need for you to question me about anything. Rather, pretend you did not see me if you know what is good for you."

The noble said (because who else would have this much money to spend this freely) before they took the key and went to their room.

"What just happened? Is this a dream?"

The tavern owner complained as she pinched herself to check for a dream. But she was wide awake, and this was not a dream.

Someone had come in and booked out her inn for a ridiculous price, which felt impossible to match.

The tavern owner knew that she needed to take good care of this guest, who must be much more important than she expected them to be.

She did not tell anyone what happened, but somehow, the news spread around anyway, and people began to gossip about the wealthy new customer she had just gotten.

People began to ask her about her customers, hoping they could secure her if they were a little more charming than the tavern owner.

It made her suspicious and paranoid, and she also began to prepare to fight others off to keep her customers.

No one had gotten such a customer before, and the tavern owner would be damned if she lost her wealthy patron to anyone else.

Layla, who had caused all this mess, did not even seem aware of it. She was just going about her usual day and sleeping her day away in her bed.

She did not need to do anything but wait for her people to come and get her now. It would only take a small amount of time.