Gold decided to withdraw 200 tahrs and leave the rest in the account. At this hour, the risk of being robbed was too high, though he doubted anyone would actually waste time going after someone dressed like him.
Then, he needed to find a place to appease his hunger. Gold had never gone to a restaurant before. At most, he had spent 20 or 30 tahrs in food stalls on the streets. Restaurants were considered a luxury in his country, and one had to earn a wage of over 5000 tahrs a month to visit them sporadically.
“Ah… Magnificent Lord Menes, I’m not sure they’ll let you in…” Gold didn’t know how to approach the subject, but the restaurant was getting closer and he couldn’t avoid it any longer.
“Meow.” ‘The inferior mortals can only see what Menes allows.’
Gold was uncertain if the cat could turn invisible or if it could make people blind, but it didn’t seem like Menes would answer, even if he asked. Thus, he could only let it go.
He had neither the taste nor knowledge to choose among restaurants, so he just went to the closest one. After walking for two blocks toward the shoreline, a simple but finely decorated blue storefront appeared in his sight. Although it was already late, the Saturday nightlife at Seaport was particularly vivid. The targeted restaurant wasn’t crowded but it was far from being empty.
On the surface, The Old Sea looked like a typical local restaurant, but those who paid attention knew that most of its clientele were executives, or at least, small business owners of the Southern Shore district. Tourists or those who visit the city for business would usually seek entertainment by the shoreline, so only locals would come this far to dine. Gold had walked by this place almost every day, but he never imagined himself coming in for a meal.
As soon as he stepped through the door, a young petit hostess dressed in a light and sober white dress appeared to welcome him with a menu. However, once she noticed his worn stained shirt and ripped jeans, the smile on her face disappeared. The woman paused trying to decide the proper approach, but Gold just ‘ignored’ her and walked to an empty table.
“Sir, can I ask you to leave? We don’t allow begg…” The woman’s voice was low but anyone around could hear it clearly.
Her voice sounded just like thunder falling directly on Gold’s self-esteem. He looked down at his clothes and then at the people who were sitting in the room, and for a moment, he didn’t know how to react. He felt humiliated and almost turned away to leave, but his pride and rising anger wouldn’t allow it. Also, he was starving.
“I came to buy a meal…” He started explaining weakly and regretted the moment the words left his mouth. Couldn’t he be more assertive, or at least outraged? A life of acting subservient to others would create strong habits. However, he couldn’t continue doing things like this. He now had the means to stand by himself, or at least, he would have them soon.
“Give me a table, and if you’re afraid that I can’t afford it, just charge in advance… Is one thousand enough?” He tried to sound arrogant and indifferent as if her offense couldn’t even enter his eyes. He was clearly trying to copy Lord Menes' demeanor.
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The hostess almost chocked back her words. Apart from the unexpected reaction, the change in his behavior was too exaggerated. Fortunately, she was still professional enough to salvage the situation on the go.
“Forgive my manners, sir. I just felt a little unwell and made a mistake. I wouldn’t dare to charge in advance. Please, this way.” She changed her posture hurriedly but the fear behind the standard actions was obvious. If Gold chose to complain, there would be a big chance of her losing her job.
Gold just muttered in agreement and followed her towards the stairs. His anger disappeared as soon as he saw her despair. As part of the laborer class, he knew well the fear of losing a job, so he couldn’t pursue the matter, even if she deserved it. However, he was surprised when she took him upstairs instead of guiding him to an empty table on the first floor. He was ready to question her actions when they reached the second floor. Then, he was too excited to say anything.
There were three rooms separated by wooden walls furnished and decorated with better materials than the lower floor. One of the rooms was already occupied but the other two seemed empty. Suddenly, he remembered something. Those should be the legendary private rooms where the wealthiest and more influential customers sit to discuss private business and enjoy the comfort of exclusivity.
“Sir, to apologize for my earlier rudeness, I’d like to offer you one of our private rooms.” The girl bowed and guided him to the smallest of the rooms.
Of course, he wouldn’t take offense on being offered the smaller one, after all, this level of ‘care’ was already enough to compensate for the previous humiliation.
“How may I address you, sir?”
“Gold.” The girl widened her eyes in surprise, but quickly regained her formal attitude. She probably thought he was mocking her.
“Then, I’ll leave you to choose, Mr. Gold. Please press this button when you decide to order something.” She said and then left.
In fact, the woman still doubted his ability to pay for the expensive meals, but she couldn’t risk offending a customer that might spend a thousand tahrs. Gold sat down, the chair was so comfortable that he felt the urge to close his eyes, but he forced his eyes to the menu. There were too many beautiful things to observe in the room, but he would starve before appreciating all of them.
A quick look at the options almost made him choke. The cheaper choices, under the appetizer section, started at 70 tahrs and went up to 220. The main dishes wouldn’t go lower than 300 but they could reach as high as one thousand. If he wanted to order the most expensive course, the weekly quota would surely be spent today.
“Great Lord Menes, are these prices within the limit?” He whispered while turning the menu to the cat who had found a comfortable place over the table.
“Meow.” ‘They are fine. The stupid mortal can choose at will, but remember to eat everything.’
Gold was horrified by the answer. How could these prices be fair? Wait, he should be thankful that he doesn’t need to leave and find another place with fair prices. Wouldn’t that be embarrassing? But then, he paid attention to the cat’s last words.
“If… If I don’t eat all the food, it’ll be considered wasting?” He wasn’t planning to leave scraps, but how could he guarantee it without even knowing the size of the servings?
“Meow.” ‘Mortals are really stupid. As Menes explained before, the foolish mortal has to consume 90 percent of the food.’
He could only swallow his complains and pay more attention to the menu. Initially, Gold planned to order a few expensive dishes to shock the beautiful hostess, but now such thoughts instantly disappeared from his mind. Still, he would at least spend a thousand tahrs to deal with her arrogance. Hence, he chose two options and a drink and pressed the ‘service’ button.