Clop clop clop…
Raymond's and Patrick's groups exited the castle. The two leaders looked at each other, snorted coldly, and turned to leave. If the other party hadn't been there, they would have absolutely torn Lucas apart today.
"Heh, so those two groups are planning to play dirty," Scott sneered. They had hidden their identities all the way from the capital. Their objective was obvious without even having to think about it.
"What now?" Kevin looked grim. The mission had failed. He hadn't expected Lucas to be so intractable; even mentioning the Fourth Prince's impending arrival had no effect.
"Don't panic. Neither of those groups got the formula either, which means we still have a chance." Scott waved his hand dismissively, his voice cold. "Have our men watch them closely. We must be the first to get that formula."
Today's actions were just a test. Now they understood Lucas's attitude: the direct approach was useless, so they'd have to use underhanded methods. Three hundred thousand gold coins... he'd have to be alive to take it, and alive to spend it.
"I'll arrange for men to watch them," Kevin nodded. As long as the First and Second Princes didn't get the formula, they were in a good position.
"Let's find a place to rest first." Scott sighed. He'd thought this would be an easy mission, but he'd run into a reckless, clueless young noble who didn't know how to play the game.
"The food at that restaurant last time was excellent. Should we go there again?" Kevin said, recalling their meal at the Drunken Night.
"Fine by me." Scott licked his lips, also recalling the food at the Drunken Night.
The two men led their knights in the direction of the Drunken Night. Halfway there, they saw a large crowd gathered outside a shop, mostly composed of nobles and merchants.
"What are they doing?" Kevin frowned. He recognized the people in the crowd—weren't they the same nobles and merchants who had traveled with them?
Many of the nobles in that group were representatives for the major houses. They had deliberately avoided a direct conflict with the princes' men, but they were still targeting Lucas's goods—and perhaps even the formula.
"A teahouse?" Scott looked up at the shop's sign, astonished. "Is it a place that specializes in bitter tea?"
"It's too expensive! The cheapest pot of tea is 888 copper coins, and a decent one is actually a whole silver coin! It's robbery!"
"But those nobles all said it was delicious. Maybe we should try it next time? I wonder if it's bitter tea."
"Didn't the attendant just say? It's called 'green tea'."
"..."
Kevin and Scott listened to the merchants' discussion, exchanged a glance, and walked toward the teahouse. They were curious to see what kind of tea could possibly be sold for such a high price.
Tap tap tap...
"Welcome to the Teahouse."
As soon as Kevin and Scott entered, they heard a clear female voice. They turned to see a row of girls standing by the entrance, dressed in exquisite attire. They looked less like waitresses and more like young ladies from noble families.
"A table for two? Do you have a reservation?" A waitress immediately stepped forward to ask.
"Two, no reservation," Scott replied quickly. He was stunned; just the appearance of the girls at the entrance made him feel the place was high-class.
"Please follow me." The waitress politely led the way.
The teahouse had only opened yesterday. The waitresses had been hastily trained; several were even drawn from an intelligence organization, their purpose self-evident.
"Right." Kevin, by contrast, felt a little stiff. The floor was covered in wooden planks, and the walls were adorned with exquisite, openwork wood carvings. Compared to the crude decor in his own home, he realized his house wasn't even as refined as this teahouse.
"Gentlemen, please sit here." The waitress led them to a table by the window. Once they were seated, she handed them a menu. "This is our teahouse's tea list. Please take a look."
"Right." Scott took the menu and began to flip through it. The more he read, the more shocked he became. Has anyone ever seen a pot of tea for ten or twenty silver coins? Now he had. More than half the menu was filled with such prices. He even saw one pot of tea priced in gold—ten gold coins. Were they drinking divine tea?
"Ahem... This tea for ten gold coins... What makes it different from regular tea?" Kevin couldn't help but ask.
"There are certainly differences. First, less than a pound of the leaves for this tea is produced per year. The cups and kettle are all crafted from crystal glass, and it is served with premium pastries..." The waitress recited the speech she had been taught during training.
In the end, the high-priced tea was just a gimmick to rip off wealthy suckers. Of course, the expensive tea leaves were brought over from Earth; the cheaper teas used leaves harvested locally from the 'Pitfall'.
The waitress was explaining so enthusiastically because she earned a commission on every pot sold. If she sold the ten-gold-coin tea, her commission alone would be one silver coin.
"Oh, I see..." Kevin was completely bluffed. He didn't really understand, but it all sounded incredibly high-class, making the price seem almost reasonable.
"Uh, just bring us a pot of the one-silver-coin tea," Scott said, his lip twitching. Ten gold coins for a pot of tea in crystal cups... even a prince would find that steep.
"Very good. Please wait a moment." The waitress said politely, collected the menu, and departed.
"Whew..." Kevin let out a breath, glancing around. It was very quiet; everyone else was speaking in hushed tones.
He followed suit, lowering his voice. "This place is incredibly refined. No wonder all those people at the door didn't dare to come in."
"This is the kind of place nobles should be." Scott gestured dismissively. He loved this kind of high-class establishment; it was the same principle as having private dining rooms back in the capital.
"The poor..." Kevin was about to speak, but he was distracted by a conversation from a nearby table.
"Hey, did you hear? There's an auction at the Drunken Night tomorrow."
"Of course. I heard they're even auctioning a treasure map. Supposedly it's a map to the treasure of the Valtoria Kingdom. No idea if it's real or fake."
"Real or not, we'll find out tomorrow. The bidding for that map is going to be fierce. It's going to be a good show."
"I heard quite a few people believe the map is real. Several groups have already set their sights on it."
.
.
.
.
You can read advance chapters and view R-18 images of the characters on pat reon page.
pat reon.com/GreenBlue17
300 Power Stones for 1 extra chapter.
5 New reviews for 1 extra chapter.