It took a while before Rant Valo and Floriana Sabina were able to calm down. The other customers of the restaurant were already giving them odd looks.

"Why don't we try this, Master Floriana?"

Rant Valo suggested to her with a smile.

"Why not, right?"

Floriana Sabina readily agreed, and they both used their forks to cut a small piece of the fish meat before picking it up and eating it.

Munch Munch

"Mmm! This is much better than I thought."

Rant Valo exclaimed as he put another piece of fish meat inside his mouth.

"Yes. It was properly seasoned compared to what we ate back in the forest."

Floriana Sabina agreed with a bob of her head. What they ate in the forest was, after all, unseasoned. Rant Valo didn't have any seasoning with him, and Floriana Sabina didn't have any inside her Storage Ring. That's because she simply doesn't need some as cultivators didn't have to eat.

Floriana Sabina simply eats because it's fun and tasting different delicious dishes is incomparable to anything. Even Rant Valo could already fast for a long time and not suffer the effects that a mortal would normally have by not eating or drinking.

"Now that we're talking about it. We should buy some seasoning too."

Rant Valo discussed with her. If they had seasoning, their travel would be much more enjoyable. They didn't have to worry about eating anything bland.

"We should do that."

Floriana Sabina agreed. They both quickly finished their meal, and the waiter approached them once again to take their payment.

"That would be 6 silver coins."

The currency for mortal goods or goods below the Foundation Establishment stage was Gold, Silver, and Copper in this kingdom. Above that, they use Mana Stones, which are very expensive and are used for cultivation.

Floriana Sabina and Rant Valo glanced at each other.

"Are you paying for it?"

Rant Valo asked her.

"...I don't have mortal money."

Floriana Sabina looked away as she replied to him. She was, after all, a high-stage cultivator. Mortal money like Gold, Silver, and Copper is like dirt to her. There was no way she would have any with her.

"Don't you have anything to pay them with?"

Rant Valo started to get nervous. He was a simple villager, and he didn't know what would happen if they couldn't pay their bills here.

"Here."

Floriana Sabina passed a transparent glass pebble with a red hue to it.

"Huh? Are you playing with me?"

The waiter's facial expression quickly changed when he saw her passing to him a glass pebble. There were many of them in rivers. Although this one was transparent, he didn't think that it was anything special.

"We don't have any coins with us…"

Rant Valo said to the waiter with a wry smile on his face. He doesn't know what Floriana Sabina was doing by giving him a pebble, but he didn't have any choice. He could only bite the bullet and follow along.

"Tch! And you dared to order food from me! How shameless!"

The waiter fumed in anger. His voice resounded throughout the street as they were outside the restaurant. Some customers inside the restaurant even started looking at them.

"What's happening here?"

A middle-aged man with a perfectly trimmed mustache approached and asked the waiter. He oozes the aura of a boss of the restaurant.

"Boss, they ordered two Steamed Spirit Fishes, and then they said they have no coins to pay us with!"

The waiter reported to him with an indignant tone. He was clearly upset. He felt like he was just tricked by them.

"Huh, and? Did they offer other things to pay with?"

The boss asked him with squinted eyes.

"Yes! But it's just a pebble! They are clearly insulting us."

The waiter continued. Just the thought of it incensed him.

"A pebble!? What the? Whose sons and daughters are you?"

The boss turned to Rant Valo and Floriana Sabina with anger. He felt ashamed that someone just tried to pay them with pebbles. They were not playing restaurant here for two kids to pay them with pebbles.

"We're really sorry. We forgot to bring money with us."

Rant Valo apologized with embarrassment on his face. It was a misstep on their part to forget to bring money. He just assumed that Floriana Sabina had some. That's why he even tried to act like a noble earlier because he thought that they had money to splurge.

"You're not going anywhere! Come to the kitchen! I'll make you work for your payment."

The boss lifted Rant Valo's shoulders and easily lifted him up. Compared to Rant Valo's weight, the boss was clearly stronger by many times.

Rant Valo was eyeing Floriana Sabina, trying to get her help. Instead of helping him, Floriana Sabina stood up and followed them to the kitchen. When Rant Valo saw that, he felt his heart fall. He was doomed. He was gonna work in a kitchen instead of exploring the town.

Rant Valo thought that the boss would assign them harsh jobs. Because for Rant Valo, 6 silver coins is a lot. Turns out, the boss was very kind. He only gave them jobs that they could do with their abilities.

Rant Valo was given the job of butchering meat, while Floriana Sabina was given the job of counting the coins. Rant Valo didn't actually mind doing it, but he felt bored as he wanted to explore the town.

There's no point in being in this town if he couldn't explore it. And contrary to Rant Valo's expectations, Floriana Sabina started counting the coins without any complaints. In fact, she seems happy to do it.

"Master Floriana, is it really that fun mindlessly counting coins?"

Rant Valo asked her with a sigh. He just passed by her and he still needed to chop more meat. He just thought that it was a good opportunity to ask her about it.

"It's fun! It feels as if I'm just a normal mortal."

Floriana Sabina smiled back at Rant Valo. It was a smile so beautiful and innocent that Rant Valo felt like he was seeing things.