Cal could see how hard Seris tried to keep herself from asking to stop on every floor. The first few floors were meant for mortals, while the floors directly after were mostly for ones with access to the interface.
The higher the floors, the more specialized they became. Some runes could be used by mortals on the lower floors, but anything higher was of little to no utility to them.
In fact, the food on the ninth floor would mostly be a waste of Seris. Everything there focused on dishes with the greatest mana density to appease the hunger that came with having an interface.
However, while that didn’t apply to Seris, it should still be some of the best-tasting food she would have in her life. In addition, Cal knew that some mortals beggared themselves with mana-dense food in hopes of increasing their chances of gaining an interface.
As far as he knew, that had never happened. But it confirmed that the food should be safe for Seris to eat.
This senseless splurging can be considered another apology. I shouldn’t be short of money after the deal with the Overseer, so it’s not something I need to be overly watchful about.
Cal led Seris into the ninth floor and saw the Starfruit Custard stand. He considered getting that again, but with the other options available, it would be more of a snack instead of a meal. Besides, he got the custard last time due to a combination of temptation and being in a rush.
He pulled Seris to the side to prevent her from being run over by the others who entered and exited the floor. This was the most popular place to get the required food for people with an interface, and it was also on the cheaper side, not to say it was subpar in quality.
The higher-end eateries were standalone shops that were more for showing off wealth and status than food quality. Cal had never been to one himself in his first life since it had no purpose in his mind.
“What type of food do you like?” Cal interrupted Seris, who looked around like she had never had so many restaurant options. It was probably true since she likely hadn’t traveled far from Mariner’s Rest.
“Sweets,” Seris said as she drooled at the Starfruit Custard stand.
Cal narrowed his eyes in thought. If that’s what she wanted, then he wouldn’t mind it. “We can have that custard, or if you want to eat multiple varieties, you can get it for the same price elsewhere.”
Seris took a sniff of the scent wafting from the custard stand before reluctantly pulling her eyes away. “How many of them can I buy with two silver?”
“Two silver?” Cal blinked in confusion. He quickly remembered precisely how much he had paid her so far. “Did you want to pay for it?”
Seris nodded solemnly. “It’s the least I could do for bringing me here.”
Cal crossed his arms and gave her a skeptical look. He was happy about her offer since it meant she didn’t think about the little episode at the field as a serious matter. Still, she sounded far too generous to be believed. “Who told you to do this?”
“This is what I get for trying to be generous,” Seris sounded putout. When Cal’s look didn’t change, she looked away and muttered, “Well, you seemed to be in a bad mood today. Everyone likes free food, so I figured this might work to fix that.”
“… I appreciate the thought, Seris. However, save the money for yourself. You can treat me in a few years when you’re an adult.” Cal felt a strange sensation he couldn’t quite put a finger on. Whatever it was, it was nice… and warm.
Seris pursed her lips before nodding reluctantly. “As you say, boss.”
Good. I didn’t want to tell her that even a single dish here would cost exponentially more than the money she had. I will need to splurge more than I intended to keep that a secret.
Most of the restaurants here had the prices on the menu. However, there were a few that didn’t list a price since its targeted customers didn’t care much about the cost. That also meant they were priced a little higher than the others.
“Let’s go,” Cal motioned for Seris to follow. “We’re going to a place called Starlit Joy. It’s a full-service restaurant known for the best desserts on the floor.”
He made sure Seris followed closely as they navigated through the tight spaces due to most of the floor being taken up by restaurants. It left smaller-than-ideal walkways which was made worse since this was the most popular place to eat for guild members not part of the core guild.
Starlit Joy was a restaurant located in the middle of the floor. The restaurant itself wasn’t any larger than most others on the floor. Still, there was a significantly larger seating area outside to show its wealth. He heard it was created by the owner of Starlit Joy buying the neighboring shop and tearing it down.
The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.
Cal knew it was one of the reasons some core members chose to dine there. They could show off that they were eating there in full view of anyone passing by. Of course, simple ego-stroking wouldn’t have made the restaurant as popular as it was.
As hinted by the name ‘Starlit Joy,’ each table was made from precious starlit marble. It was the only reason he was familiar with the place. He wasn’t always immune to the effects of the starlit marble, and in this first life, he found it interesting to have the option to practice while eating.
Unfortunately, it was just a gimmick. The quality of the starlit marble was so low that it might as well have been any ordinary rock. All it did was make eating there more impressive and justify the higher prices.
So yes, simple ego-stroking wouldn’t have made the restaurant as popular as it was, but when that turned into exorbitant ego-stroking, it was apparently enough.
They approached their destination quicker than they should have with Cal’s carving a path through the walkway. The large windowed exterior was unmistakable, and so was the sudden space to move around that was available in its vicinity.
“That’s where we’re going?” Seris said in a not-whisper as they approached. “Boss, it probably costs a silver for one dish in there. We should go somewhere cheaper.”
Cal chuckled as he imagined her face if she saw the actual cost. “Let me worry about the price. Your only job is to pick what you eat to eat and enjoy.”
Seris didn’t get the chance to reply since a staff member noticed him approaching.
“Welcome to the Starlit Joy! Just the two of you?”
“Wonderful! My name is Karl, and I’ll be your server. Would you like to take a seat inside or outside?”
“Inside,” Cal said immediately.
“Inside it is,” Karl smiled. “Let me take you to your table.”
They followed Karl into the restaurant.
Seris’s presence would get some looks if they realize she’s a mortal, but most won’t bother to do much else. However, the chance of looks turning into action would increase with those who generally liked to eat outside.
Namely, those who like more attention on them.
… Now that I think about it, maybe choosing this place wasn’t the best idea. But it’s too late to back out now. Seris is already salivating at the scent of the food.
The murmur of the crowd disappeared the moment they passed through the entrance. They were hit with an overabundance of golden hues and deep purples. It made Cal grimace.
I forgot about this. This is almost as bad as Tavia’s tastes. And they call this ‘luxurious.’
“Wow, this is amazing,” Seris mumbled, making Cal turn to her in betrayal. There was another with questionable taste close to him.
“It is great, isn’t it?” Karl beamed. “The owner spent two years picking the best materials, sparing no expense to ensure our customers are comfortable.”
Cal smiled wanly when he was looked at. “How inspiring. It must have been challenging to put all of this together.”
Karl nodded happily, not catching Cal’s mockery. “Here we are! Please take a seat while I get you the menu!”
Their table was in the middle of the dining hall, which surprisingly was only half capacity. Cal couldn’t recognize anyone he knew from either his first life or his current one, which he preferred. He had no desire to meet familiar faces.
“Boss, am I dressed right for this?”
Cal just realized that Seris was fidgeting nervously while tugging at her clothes. He didn’t think it was anything atrocious. It was the utilitarian hunter outfit she usually wore and was clean.
“Don’t worry about it,” Cal motioned to himself. “Does it look like I’m dressed up?”
“But you’re an Initiate. I’m not,” Seris looked even more uncomfortable.
“Well, you’re with me, so any exception you think applies to me applies to you.”
“Oh,” Seris was still self-conscious, but at least she straightened up in her chair… slightly.
Cal decided to distract her. “I like the tarts they make here. Some of their cakes come in at a close second, especially their honey cakes.”
“Honey cake? That sounds—”
“I didn’t think you would ever show your face here, Cal. I’m guessing you’re using the last bit of money left to feel special?”
Cal looked at the man speaking and couldn’t say he knew who it was. He had noticed the man sitting in a group of four a few tables away but didn’t think it would have been an issue since he didn’t recognize anyone.
“What has you so quiet? Shocked to find me here? Too scared to speak me me?”
“… Who are you?” Cal asked with genuine curiosity.
“Ha!” The man let out a harsh laugh. “Still trying to make yourself look good in front of Tavia! It won’t work a second—”
“Quiet,” Cal snapped at him when his rage spiked. He noticed Seris retreating into her shell again. “First, I have no idea how you know Tavia, but she isn’t even here. And second, I’m being serious. Who the hell are you? And why are you bothering me in a restaurant of all places?”
By this time, one of the people sitting in the same group as the man had walked up to them. Cal was ready to stand and deal with the headache, but the situation fixed itself.
“You’re embarrassing us. Get back to the table and be silent. You can deal with this in your own time!”
Cal was given a last glare before the man left just as abruptly as he arrived. Of course, he still received narrowed looks from the table, but he didn’t care.
“B-Boss? Should we leave?”
Cal shook his head while shifting through his memories to try and find that face. With such hatred towards him, it must be someone significant.
However, he was drawing up a blank. There was nobody he could remember with the man's face. Rather, there was nobody that he cared to remember.
Maybe it’s one of the Trainees I wasn't kind to. I could see some wanting to lord over my supposed failure at the Selection.
He noticed Seris was looking around the dining hall at the eyes that were now on them.
This was supposed to be a simple meal. I definitely shouldn’t have picked this place.
“Here we are!” Karl showed up with the menus, conveniently avoiding the chaos. “Give me a wave when you’re ready to order!”
Cal sighed as Karl practically ran away before focusing on Seris. “Ignore them. We’re here to eat some good food. Everything else doesn’t matter.”
Seris gave him a jerky nod before browsing the menu.
Cal kept his eye on the man that wanted to burn him with his gaze.