Chapter 479 – The Oak Inn

Chapter 479 – The Oak Inn

“Go straight and turn left at the second intersection!” Jenny spoke up first. She was quite familiar with the city’s roads and shops.

“However, my ladies, the Gold Globe Flower Inn’s restaurant has excellent food—it’s well-regarded among mages, and many of them love dining there. But the rooms aren’t the best value for money.

By comparison, the Oak Inn across the street from the Gold Globe Flower Inn offers rooms of the same quality for only eighty percent of the price. The only catch is that you’re not allowed to eat meat inside the establishment.

But you could absolutely stay at the Oak Inn and eat at the Gold Globe Flower Inn.”

Having gotten to ride in a magic carriage today, she was more than happy to help these elegant mage ladies save money—and besides, those who sought her out as a guide tended to be the budget-conscious type.

“No meat? What kind of rule is that?” Vasida said.

As for the Gold Globe Flower Inn having good food, Vasida absolutely refused to believe it. She had eaten at the Silver Globe Flower Inn before, and she wouldn’t dare try it a second time in her life.

Though the Gold Globe Flower Inn was a tier above the Silver Globe Flower Inn, they were both owned by the same family! She didn’t dare pin her hopes on the Gold Globe Flower Inn’s cuisine. If Mo Lan hadn’t mentioned that Greta was working at the Gold Globe Flower Inn, she wouldn’t have wanted to stay there at all.

“It’s because the owner of the Oak Inn is a super-strict vegetarian old Elf. He forbids guests from eating meat inside the inn.

The Oak Inn is still operating normally for now, but I heard he’s planning to go back to the Elven Woods and wants to sell the inn to someone else!”

Lena said it all in one breath, her little face slightly flushed.

She could guarantee that Jenny didn’t know that last bit of news!

And indeed, Jenny didn’t. “What? That old Elf wants to sell the inn? I heard he’s been in Lance City for over a hundred years! Why would he suddenly want to leave?”

“I heard from passing merchant caravans that the Elven Woods are unstable right now. That’s probably the reason,” Lena said.

“The Elven Woods are unstable? What do you mean by that?” Jenny asked curiously.

“Apparently they’re at war with the Kingdom of Elwiss.”

“What?”

“Haven’t you noticed there’ve been more and more mages coming from Elwiss lately?”

……

They were just two children, after all, and the little guides had started gossiping away.

The four Sorceresses inside the carriage quietly eavesdropped.

When Jenny and Lena realized they’d gone off on a tangent and apologized sheepishly toward the carriage interior, the Sorceresses actually felt a bit disappointed it had ended.

“Lena, this is our first time in Lance City. Tell us more interesting things about the city!” Lilith said.

Preferably more gossip!

Lena thought for a moment. The mage ladies were surely more interested in mage-related matters, so she said:

“After the autumn harvest, the noble title examinations will begin. I heard that an especially large number of mages have registered this year.

I went to the Administrative Center yesterday to take a look—so far, three hundred Apprentice-level mages have registered, along with twenty-eight Beginner mages and three Intermediate mages.

For this round of title examinations, the Duke is putting up one Count’s fief, one Viscount’s fief, and three Baron’s fiefs.

The Count’s fief is the former Sanchez County. I don’t know if you ladies have heard of Count Sanchez.

Marquis Dayla and Count Sanchez used to be such a perfect match made in heaven! What a pity that Count Sanchez let greed cloud his judgment. Fortunately, Lady Dayla was wise and decisive…”

Lena’s little mouth chattered on without pause. She had meant to talk about mage news, but after barely a few minutes of staying on topic, she’d veered right into noble gossip!

It was Jenny who nudged her with an elbow and whispered a reminder: “Count Sanchez may be gone, but there’s still a Baron Sanchez! We’re on a public street—be careful!”

Lena clapped a hand over her mouth, slamming the brakes on her gossip, and forcibly steered back to the topic:

“After the title examinations, the Lance Mage Tower will begin this year’s second enrollment examination ahead of schedule. It used to only happen in spring, once a year, but now they hold them in both spring and autumn…”

The Sorceresses, who had been hoping to hear more gossip: “…”

Before Lena could accidentally veer back toward gossip territory, they arrived at the Gold Globe Flower Inn.

Directly across from it stood the Oak Inn.

In the courtyard grew a great oak tree, at least a hundred years old.

One glance told Sylph that this tree possessed a spiritual awareness—it could be communicated with using Tree Friend.

In a city, a great tree you could communicate with was quite rare—an excellent channel for gathering information.

She looked toward Mo Lan. Mo Lan had noticed it too and gave her a nod.

Sylph called out to the front: “Vasida, let’s stay at the Oak Inn!”

The moment the words left her lips, the carriage that had been about to turn right veered left instead, pulling into the Oak Inn’s courtyard.

The entire Oak Inn was decorated in an Elven style. Besides the old oak tree, the courtyard was filled with flowers and plants. Even the walls and roof of the building were covered in lush green vines, making it look like a little garden.

“This inn doesn’t seem like it was built to make money,” Lilith remarked.

Even she, having only just arrived in a human kingdom, knew that an inn should have the building made as large as possible, with the courtyard left just big enough to park carriages.

After all, an inn sold rooms! Yet this Oak Inn had its garden built so large and so exquisitely maintained, while the building itself was tiny—it probably didn’t even have many rooms.

No wonder they had established such a guest-repelling rule as no meat allowed.

“You’re absolutely right, my lady! I heard the inn’s owner likes the bustle of human cities and enjoys meeting different people—that’s why he opened an inn here. It was never about making money.”

Lena continued: “Now that he wants to sell the inn, his conditions are that the old oak tree must not be cut down, the areas used for growing flowers and plants must not be repurposed, and the buyer has to meet his approval—someone who knows how to tend to flowers and plants. The more of his requirements you meet, the lower the price. That’s why it still hasn’t sold.”

If you asked her, at this rate of pickiness, the war in the Elven Woods would be over before the old Elf found a suitable buyer!

“Really?” Lilith’s interest was piqued. “Instructor! Let Sylph give it a try! Her wood elemental force affinity is quite good, and she loves growing flowers and plants. Maybe she could get this place at a low price!”

This courtyard was a bit impractical as an inn—a money-losing venture just for the sake of it—but as a personal residence, it would be quite nice.

Sylph took a deep breath. “Instructor, the wood elemental force here is very rich. I really like it. Why don’t we give it a try? If we’re short on money, I can copy magic scrolls to earn more!”

She must truly love it if she was already talking about earning money by copying magic scrolls.

But the group had long since agreed that once they assumed their disguises as a wild mage and mage apprentices, they could not use any means outside of what mages had access to for earning money.

The Witch Magic Gold Coins they had earned from Academy examinations—Mo Lan had taken 100 Magic Gold Coins, while Sylph, Vasida, and Lilith had each taken 10—were converted one-to-one into Mage Empire Magic Gold Coins through the Book of Cards. That was the entirety of their startup funds.

To buy this place, the money in Sylph’s hands alone probably wouldn’t be enough, but combined with Mo Lan and the others’ funds, they could certainly afford it.

However, right now Mo Lan was the “Instructor” and Sylph was the “Apprentice.”

Asking the instructor to foot the bill—that was why Sylph had mentioned earning money by copying magic scrolls.

“Let’s go. Let’s meet this Elf gentleman first,” Mo Lan said.