Vitmori POV

With the grim urgency that Krys and his team brought with them, the overall mood could have been better as drinks and bread were brought to the table, keeping hands and mouths generally occupied until the main course arrived.

Krys had then gone about explaining some of the things he had learned, that being the recent rise of missing beggars and prostitutes from various sectors within the capital city and how there have currently been no leads on possible responsible parties.

I could tell he had some other things he wanted to tell me, though considering the presence of Riley and Lostrill, he decided to hold off until we were alone since the information in question seemed to be about me and guild business.

"So, have y'all found a place to stay yet?" I asked as we moved on from the more serious matters.

Krys shared a look with Sera and Zax before looking at Ren and then back at me as he scratched his cheek. "We have a lead on a few places, but nothing set in stone, Boss." I could feel his mind wandering to something along the lines of various safe houses, but those seemed like some shared or communal housing, and I could tell he didn't want to bring Ren into that sort of situation.

"Well, if you don't have anywhere in mind yet, would you like to stay at my shop?" I offered, taking up the schematics for my shop and offering it to Krys as Sera came over to peek at the paper. "You can take the basement since I won't need the place for storage or anything like that." I then flashed a little smile as I leaned back into my seat. "And don't worry about furniture or anything else; I'll handle the arrangements myself."

Krys couldn't help but look fairly surprised by the offer, sharing glances with Sera and Zax, who nodded in agreement after a moment. "Sure, Boss, we'd like that. Thanks." Krys said with a rather sincere smile.

Once the food had come out, there was little to discuss. A rather wide array of seafood dishes captivated the attention of the felines at the table and Krys and his team's general curiosity, as they had never seen such unfamiliar styles of food in their landlocked border town.

It was also a strange sight for me, as there were many oddly familiar dishes accompanied by things I couldn't recognize or properly compare to the types of food I knew back in my own world. There was sashimi, nigiri, and even a familiar style of sushi made with steamed white rice and thin sheets of what looked like blue nori. Whole fish were wrapped in what looked like blue seaweed before being steamed, and bowls that looked like they used to be yellow sea urchins, the size of cantaloupes, were filled with a stew made from their meat, among other things.

Though there were also a couple of strange dishes that looked possibly like roe, except each one was the size of a tangerine and had the consistency of jelly, not to mention another plate with a large, thick chunk of soft pinkish-white meat that was a foot long and half a foot wide with what looked like two suckers on one end, topped with a clear, grey syrupy sauce. Everything else looked like some variety of salads or cuts of fresh fruit, which looked just as inviting as the rest of the spread.

Despite the variety, I could only enjoy the smells as I pretended to eat a few things. I noticed that I had surprised Lostrill and Riley as I displayed my proficiency with the chopsticks among the utensils. Thankfully, they decided not to press me on the subject, chalking it up to my being well-traveled.

Before long, the food was gone, and a payment of a single gold piece was left behind. The total tab appeared to be only eleven silver, though Riley was keen on leaving a nice tip, considering the large party our server had to handle.

"Mister Vito, shall we visit your shop, or do you want to visit the furniture store first?" Lostrill asked as our group began leaving the Inn.

I hummed in response, considering the choices before nodding and speaking up while regarding Lostrill. "How about we go visit the furniture shop? The others can go check out the shop." I suggested while looking at Basti.

Basti, for her part, flashed a fanged smile while bobbing her head. "Sure, would you lead the way?" She said as she looked at Riley, who offered a dutiful nod.

"Of course, Miss Basti, it'll be my pleasure." Riley said as she took up a key that Lostrill had readily out for her.

It was then that Krys spoke up, tilting his head slightly toward Ren and his team. "I'll go with the Boss; you all check out the shop," he said, flashing a smirk. "Pick out your spots in the basement, but I call one of the corners by the door." He mused cheerfully as he stepped towards my side.

Legosi quickly followed me, and Wither joined soon after as the groups split off and headed in their own directions.

With Lostrill guiding our group, Krys fell into step beside me without a word and an oddly focused look on his face. I could feel him doing his best to think at me through our bond, and it took more than a few moments before the strength of our bond increased from his end of it. 'Boss, can you hear me?' He asked while silently quirking his brows.

'I can hear you just fine. Tell me, did it take you this long to reach me last time?' I thought back to him, an amused look on my face at his expense.

'No, of course not.' He stated, his thoughts vaguely indignant, though after a few moments, I watched as he sighed and continued. 'It took me longer.'

I pat his shoulder but couldn't help but maintain that amused look as we walked. 'What's up anyhow? Is this about that thing you couldn't say in front of the others?'

Krys looked vaguely surprised by that but nodded in confirmation. 'Yeah, you're a person of interest to my guild and some key members of the Under Council.' He explained, shooting me a glance while absently reaching up and touching a spot on his chest, the thought of some token or amulet bubbling up in his mind. 'My guild master has entrusted me with the task of keeping an eye on you and your activities in the capital since they're too busy dealing with the disappearances happening around these parts.'

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

'Really? They're worried about little old me?' I asked, rightfully so, but realizing that I had made more of an impact than I originally intended was interesting. Considering what I'd done, it was inevitable, but it was still a bit of a surprise.

Krys audibly scoffed at that before smirking a bit as he glanced at me. 'You're an enigma, boss. The Under Council can't figure you out, and until you're either a clear ally or threat, they're gonna treat you like a rigged treasure chest.'

Again, that sounds fair. 'So, does this mean you're going to report every little thing about me to them?'

Krys just tilted his head from side to side in consideration before glancing up at me again. 'They only want to know about your goals in the capital or if I happened to come across any info about the missing individuals. Anything beyond that, they could likely care less.'

'If it's only that much, then I don't mind. Say, you don't think I could use your guild's resources, do you?' I asked, regarding Krys, for a moment before returning my attention to Lostrill, who diligently guided us through the crowd.

Krys looked fairly surprised by the notion, his ears twitching thoughtfully before he tilted his head from side to side. 'That depends. What do you need, boss?'

'I need a map of a certain temple, with directions to either the office or sleeping quarters of a Head Priest Siodric.' I explained, and as Krys quirked a brow at me, I continued explaining the situation. 'I was blindsided by him; he apparently knew about me and sent some kid to give me a letter written in a language only I would know. So I intend to return the favor and visit him when he least expects it.'

Krys nodded intently as he considered the circumstances. 'Well, it wouldn't be my guild that handles that sort of thing, but I can make a request to the information brokers to see if they have those details on hand... Do you have any more information on this Siodric?'

'Uh... Yeah, he's supposedly from one of those orders with blindfolded priests or something.' I mentioned after a moment, but nothing else really came to mind given how little I knew about this guy.

Krys couldn't help but snicker softly as he regarded me again. 'Blindsided by a blind priest... Alright, boss, when do you need the info?'

'Think you can get it to me by tonight? I'd rather not keep the guy waiting for too long, ya know.' I mused while rolling my eyes at his comment.

Krys just bobbed his head as he pulled up his hood. 'Sure thing, boss. If that's the case, I'll be making my leave now.' At that, he suddenly fell out of step before ducking into the next alleyway we passed and rather seamlessly made himself scarce.

We kept walking for a while longer, Lostrill leading us rather diligently as we approached a store that looked more like a small warehouse than just another shop. "Well, here we are, Mister Vito, Silza's 'Ready Set Rooms,' the finest in modern modular home design." He explained enthusiastically as he spun around on his heel, looking rather proud at the research he'd done and at having brought me here. However, as he looked over our group, he appeared rather confused as he tilted his head. "What happened to young Krys? Wasn't he just with us?"

I smiled and waved my hand dismissively. "He had to run an errand for me, don't worry about it." With that, I looked over the store in question, checking out the displays of various pieces of furniture behind somewhat thick panes of glass.

"Oh, of course. Very well, shall we head inside, Mister Vito?" Lostrill asked, gesturing to the door before opening it as I nodded in confirmation.

Inside the shop, I could see a rather uncanny resemblance to the furniture stores I knew of before the fall of my world. Taking up a small stone board off a table by the entrance with a piece of chalk on a string tied to it, we explored the store in earnest.

Every several feet, we walked past mock-ups of rooms that looked like they had been plucked out of someone's house and set up in this large warehouse. They looked almost lived in, with various knick-knacks, baubles, small drawn portraits, and even tableware strewn about in key places on tables, dressers, coffee tables, and nightstands.

In the middle of each room was a small placard on a stand with a set of numbers and letters, along with the names of various pieces of furniture and their prices. In this instance, a dining room set featuring a table, four chairs, a flower vase, and simple wooden tableware totaled four silvers. That said, the chairs themselves were about seven coppers each, and the table alone went for one silver.

"Isn't all this somewhat cheap? At the very least, these last few sets we've looked at aren't all too pricey." I wondered aloud while looking at Lostrill.

Lostrill winced at the 'cheap' comment as he looked around, checking to ensure no nearby workers were listening to my apparently tactless words. "Well, Mister Vito, there are, of course, varying degrees of quality one can expect to find here. These are just the basic sets that just about any citizen of the Capital could walk in and purchase. If we continue towards the back of the shop, you'll find that the wares offered here will grow in price and quality in generally equal measure." He explained while gesturing for me to follow.

Sure enough, as we went further into the store, the quality of their furniture noticeably increased. The chairs looked sturdier and more ornate, and the tables came with finely made runners of varying high-end fabrics. The tableware appeared to be some variety of fine clayware or metals that looked either hand-crafted or meticulously stamped from what I could only assume was a large but thin sheet of iron or maybe even steel.

"I think I'm ready to make a purchase. Would you mind getting an employee for me?" I asked, looking to Lostrill as I pulled my hand away from a pleasantly firm-looking mattress from one of the bedroom mock-ups. We had been wandering for around 30 minutes, just seeing what the store had to offer, but it was time to wrap things up by now.

"Of course, Mister Vito, I shall return soon." Lostrill said dutifully before hurrying away.

Now, alone with Wither and Legosi, they looked at me curiously, and I just smiled in response. "Yes, Legosi, I'll be getting a bed for you too, don't worry."

Legosi's tail wagged in satisfaction as he bobbed his head. He kept himself quiet for the time being as he lay on the ground since we weren't going to be moving again anytime soon.

After a moment, Wither softly spoke up as he looked at me. "Do not bother with beds for Fester and me; we do not need sleep." He explained sincerely, then tilted his head from side to side. "Though if I could trouble you for a pillow to meditate on, I would be grateful."

I couldn't help but raise my brows in surprise at Wither. The last thing I expected from him was to ask me for something, let alone that thing being something like creature comforts. I had no reason to tell him no, nor would I have considered telling him no outright. "Alright, Wither, are you sure you don't want anything else?"

Despite the mask, I could tell Wither was clearly embarrassed about asking me for the pillows and just shook his head. "No, Boss. At least I don't need anything else. I shouldn't speak for Fester."

I just nodded some more, though before I could say anything else, Lostrill had returned with an employee, a grey-skinned half-orc who looked to be in his late thirties with a well-kept beard and mustache. "Mister Vito, I presume? It's a pleasure to have you here in our fine establishment. Lostrill here tells me you're ready to make some purchases for your new home. How may I help you?"

I just smiled at the opportunistic look the man had in his eyes. He was expecting a purchase that would cost me more than a few golds, undoubtedly earning him a nice commission. Not that there was any shame in that mindset, but I wasn't about to be so loose with the coin that was gifted to me by Tilzim. I have to make it last, after all, at least until I start earning some coin in turn. "Here you go, my order is listed here." I said simply while offering the employee the stone board with the list of item codes.

The half-orc eagerly took up the stone board, his eyes trailing the item codes and the number of each item I had listed. "Erm, Mister Vito... Is this truly all you want? Six mattresses, two couches, some pillows, and some steel tableware?" The overall cost comes out to a nice thirteen silver pieces, which I felt was pretty good for furniture shopping for a new place.

"Yep, that's all I need." I replied while offering the man a smile. "Oh, and don't worry about charging me for delivery and installation; I can transport everything myself if you bring it out to me."

"I... See." The man said, trying his best not to look too disappointed as he turned on his heel and headed off to collect my items.

As he left, I could feel Lostrill eyeing me curiously, unsure what to make of that exchange. "Did... Did you not find anything to your taste, Mister Vito?"

"Nah, it's nothing like that, Lostrill. I just felt like I could make everything myself for a much better price than what we were seeing here." I explained before flashing him a smile. "On an unrelated note... How much does it cost to get some wood from the forests beyond the farmlands on the outskirts of the Capital?"

Lostrill couldn't help but blink a few times as he searched his mind for that information before tilting his head ever so slightly in confusion. "As long as you aren't taking from the sections of forests that the various Logging Guilds have marked off... Well, it should only cost you the labor of cutting down the tree, processing it into usable material, and transporting it to your shop." He explained while looking up at me again.

"So, for me, I suppose that means it's free." I mused while patting Lostrill's shoulder. "I hope you don't mind if we take a stroll through the woods after this."