CHAPTER 161: DELICIOUS MONEY

"So please pay for your due now," he said, gently tapping the counter top. "The great merchants and mercenaries could spare a few gold, yeah?"

"First-come, first-serve~ I only have a few rooms, so better be fast if you want to get a bed."

"..."

Tension filled the air, as if one side was waiting to see who would give in first.

It certainly wasn’t Finn. His amicable smiley mask remained even when the enemies released aura (though it was limited considering the little mana and stamina they still had).

In the end, the guests gritted their teeth in defeat, especially when someone stepped forward and actually started paying!

The two merchants, as well as two of the leading mercenaries, obviously had space runes, as well. He doubted it was big, but seeing four at a time really made him hopeful he’d get one, too.

Anyway, with a handsome smile, he raised his hand and received the blessings.

Ka-ching! Ka-ching!

[INNKEEPER DASHBOARD]

Inn Name: The Wanderer’s Refuge

Inn Level: 1

Inn Status: 32 Cleanliness, 29 Ambience, 30 Comfort

Reputation: 99

Current Guests: 18

Number of Staff: 3

Rooms: Basic Bedroom x 4, Toilet x 2, Kitchen x 1, Living Room x 1, Dining Room x 1, Front Desk x 1, Barrier x1, Utility Room x 1,Graden x 7, Cellar x 1

Barrier Type: Upgraded

Barrier Health: 9792/10000

Active Functions: None]

He just realized that his reputation had increased. It was definitely not related to this batch, however.

When he asked Pang how this was calculated, having a unique guest would already be equal to a point, and every visit thereafter would have a bit, though it did have diminishing returns per guest.

There was also a fraction added for the word of mouth, particularly if the name was uttered in a positive light, or the desire to go was initiated elsewhere.

This also showed that the system was omnipresent in a sense, though he couldn’t help but grumble: if it was so omnipresent, why didn’t it give him a world map?

Later, Pang would explain that it was omniscient and omnipresent only when it was related to the inn. The Inn had a special existence and signature. It was difficult for mortals to understand, he said, so Finn could only shrug it off.

Well, anyway, Finn checked his status just in case. Fortunately, his stats were okay. Hopefully, if he was ever attacked by these bastards, they’d react in time.

Pang always lazing around, wasn’t very reassuring either. Would he even be alert enough and move fast enough if someone were to attack him? It was so sad that it wasn’t automatic!

[Status]

Name: Finnick Altheus Solthar

Race: Human

Class: Innkeeper, Chef

Level: Awakened Tier 2

Awakening Type: Physical

Affinity: Fire, Earth, Wind

...

VITALS

HP: 391/400

Mana: 390/400

Stamina: 380/400

Wallet: 398 Gold

Hearth Points: 69 Points

...

Skills:

Active: [Ingredient Scan] [Dish Analysis][Heated Arc] [Farming] [Assessment] [Feather Step] [Sticky Soil]

Passive: [Blade Proficiency - Growth Type (Lv 2)] [Monster Instinct]

[Strong Stomach] [Foraging] [Improved Palate] [Fire Resistance]

Condition: Normal]

He smiled when he looked at his wallet.

Including the half-dead dude who was let in, excluding the halfkin, there were a total of 18 people, and interestingly, he got paid mostly in gold!

The merchant’s space rune was, unsurprisingly, filled with money. Most greedy people would not be able to part with a good bulk of their money, and these merchants were no exception.

And he was taking advantage of that.

Similarly, mercenaries worked for money, and they had a bit of down payment for their work, and a lot of that was in his hands now.

Of course, not everyone had the appropriate amount of gold, and they exchanged it for cores, instead. Some were in their bodies, while others went to the barrier to hunt.

Now that they knew they would be safe, it wasn’t difficult to hunt Awakened-level monsters anymore; they certainly took advantage to gather the needed cores without injuring themselves.

Anyway, he and Ranran went to prepare the food while Tumble gave robes to the guests and took their clothes to the utility room for cleansing.

Because Tumble had interacted with other races before, he knew that they disliked touching them, so he took out his cart and let them place their items there instead.

Similarly, many mercenaries were tempted to bully him, but Clen reminded them that the Innkeeper was very protective of the staff, so they had no choice but to suck it up.

Durgan was there this time to be a guard, making sure the mercenaries weren’t doing anything stupid.

"Don’t worry so much, la," Pang said. "I am the spirit of the Inn, and I can see every corner, even the speck of dust in the corner of the room. I can even see the drop of juice left on the sofa (sorry), and I can even see someone’s wart."

"No need to be so specific."

"My will is connected to the inn itself. I may not be able to leave this place, but every piece of this place is connected to my being.

"Even the slightest movement of aggression will alert me, la."

"Wow, you are actually useful."

Pang jumped and smacked his face. "So feed me!"

...

Finn wasn’t planning on spending too much effort cooking if it was only these bastards who’d eat it.

However, he did want to sell his product well and get them to pay more, so he still made sure they were tasty enough. In the end, he made some of his easy barbecue dishes, along with salad and mashed thornroot for starch.

In the danger zone, this was literally a luxury already. And it would be essence food whether he liked it or not, so they wouldn’t complain anymore and would probably buy more.

Barbecue was also the easiest meal to show off his new sauce. He hadn’t displayed anything yet (the shelves weren’t even made yet), and while he wasn’t planning on starting business deals with scum, it would be good to get some expert feedback.

While cooking, his window was open, and they couldn’t help but hear the mercenaries talk amongst themselves.

The insulation was good, so temperature changes, scents, and so on wouldn’t go in or out of the inn. But sound, when the window was open, entered the building well enough.

"The halfkin is gone?" one asked, sounding a bit annoyed.

"Probably dead."

"Damnit! I should’ve tasted her, at least!"

His eyes twitched, and his movements paused. Should he poison their food?