Chapter 756

Chapter 20 Settling In

Lifting my head, I looked at the oak sign of “Madam Acorn” at the entrance, then glanced at the three-story stone building of the tavern, with smoke rising from the chimney. The sounds coming from inside didn’t seem as chaotic and noisy as those in other taverns. I thought about it and figured this tavern probably offered lodging. I decided not to look further and pushed open the double wooden doors, walking in.

Ding-dong—

The doorbell rang clearly. Several pairs of eyes swept over me the moment I entered.

There weren’t many guests in this tavern.

It wasn’t likely because it was daytime; the other taverns I passed by earlier were noisy and had fights, but this one did not. I guessed it might be due to the tavern’s remote location—practically outside the range of Jasmine Street. There weren’t many people on the road, only ragged beggars in the corners, their fleeting figures still visible.

Stepping into the tavern, the furniture and decor looked quite worn out. This seemed like an old tavern, far less bustling than those in the center of the street. It appeared somewhat dilapidated, with only a few scattered guests who didn’t seem well-off.

They looked more like sloppy drunkards, most of whom were asleep, either lying on chairs or the floor, snoring loudly. Occasionally, one would wake up and stare at me with unfriendly eyes.

The good thing was that the stench in the tavern wasn’t too strong.

At least it was within my tolerance level.

Here should do…

Such a place wouldn’t cost too much.

I ignored the wandering gazes and pulled down my hood, quickly walking to the bar. I lifted my head and looked at the maid cleaning glasses, cleared my throat, and asked, “Hey, do you have any food?”

“…Hmm?”

The maid continued wiping for a while before slowly lifting her head, saying absentmindedly, “What do you want? Black bread, salted fish, ham… Oh, we’re out of ham. Would you like some salted fish? But if you don’t buy alcohol, we won’t give it… Eh, why is it a child?”

She squinted at me and then frowned, wrinkling her yellowish face: “…Little girl?”

“I want bread,” I said, ignoring her doubt, standing on tiptoe, and tapping lightly on the counter, “Ding-ding.”

This sound seemed to irritate the other party: “Move away, move away. What are you doing here, little girl? Are you bold enough? Do you have money on you? Don’t you fear being beaten up…”

She grumbled, but there was a strange look in her eyes, as if she hadn’t seen a girl dare to come to a tavern alone. Although she spoke as if she wanted to drive me away, she continued wiping the glass and didn’t take any action.

“I do.”

I lowered my head, took out a few silver coins from my waist pouch, and placed them on the counter: “How many loaves of bread can I buy with these?”

Seeing the silver coins, the maid stopped talking, put down the glass, and looked at me suspiciously again. She picked up one of the silver coins, examined it closely in the light, and bit it. After confirming it was real, she smiled broadly.

“That’s enough. But it’s only enough for three loaves of bread.”

She said this subconsciously glancing at my waist.

The cloak covered the bundle, so the maid couldn’t see anything.

“Is it so expensive?” I frowned.

Indeed, it was still like this…

It made sense.

If it was so expensive outside, how could it be cheap in a tavern?

“Do you have anything cheaper to eat?”

I asked again. The maid smiled even wider, her mouth opening to reveal a row of yellow teeth: “Girl, are you new here? Where are your family? Starving to death?”

“…That’s none of your business.”

“Probably starved to death.”

She continued, “I don’t know where you got your money, but it’s far from enough to survive in this city. You can’t buy many loaves of bread, and after a few days, you’ll be hungry again… Do you have more money? If not, I can teach you how to make money. Want to hear?”

“No.”

I shook my head, not planning to waste any more words. I stretched out my hand, palm open: “Just give me the bread. Three loaves will do.”

Let’s buy three first.

When night falls, I’ll search for food nearby…

The maid stared at me for a while, seeing my firm attitude, she laughed softly, put away the silver coins, turned around, and took out three loaves of bread from under the counter. She didn’t wrap them in brown paper but directly placed them on the counter. When she looked at me again, her unpleasant, meaningful smile seemed oddly confident: “Remember, when you’re hungry, come find me. There’s money to be made.”

She seemed to be planning something…

But I didn’t care what she was plotting. As long as they didn’t provoke me, I didn’t care about anyone. While putting the three small black rye breads into my bag, I asked, “Do you have places to stay?”

“Yes, of course.”

The maid looked even happier, nodding frequently like a pecking chicken: “There are many empty rooms upstairs. Accommodation isn’t expensive. Just one copper coin per night.”

“Hmm?”

Isn’t it almost free?

There must be some catch…

It piqued my curiosity…

“Girl, how long do you plan to stay?”

She asked again. I took out five copper coins from my bag and threw them to her: “These for now. Return the extra when I leave.”

While taking out the money, I noticed the maid stretching her neck to peek into my bag. The moment I looked up, she turned her head away.

“Come on, I’ll show you upstairs.”

The maid came out from behind the counter, leading me up the stairs to the second floor. The simple staircase was suspended without any railings. During the climb, the men sitting below stared at me with their clear eyes, saying nothing. If it were a girl with no strength, she might be scared to run away—assuming she could escape.

Of course, I didn’t care about such things.

In fact, taverns were always chaotic, with all sorts of people. Encountering villains or desperados happened frequently, especially in the East Continent. It only made me feel that someone was going to give me money.

I hope they have some silver coins in their pockets…

Thinking this, I followed the maid to a dilapidated room on the second floor. She took out a key, searched for a long time, and finally opened the door. A musty smell hit me, but it wasn’t strong. Inside was a hard bed, a cabinet, and a coat rack, all looking old but relatively clean. Apart from that, there was nothing else.

“You can stay here. Be careful not to damage anything. Repair costs aren’t cheap…”

The maid reminded me a few times before closing the door and leaving. I heard her footsteps go downstairs and fade away. I took off my cloak and hung it on the rack, straightened my linen dress, smoothed the hem, and placed my bag on the cabinet. I took out a piece of bread and ate it, feeling a bit sleepy. So, I leaned against the head of the bed, closed my eyes, and slowly fell asleep.

…………

I originally planned to rest for a while, but I slept until nightfall.

I didn’t know what time it was, but I woke up due to a violent commotion next door.