Chapter 18: Tip

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Lanya rubbed her red and swollen eyes, sobbing softly.

“Don’t mind it,” Lin Ge consoled her, “I can’t use those gold coins in my world anyway.”

“But, but… Not only can’t I defeat the spiders outside the city, but I can’t even help you keep your gold coins safe,” Lanya still could not stop her tears.

“You’ve already gone to the spider cave outside the city?” Lin Ge asked in surprise.

Lanya nodded, “I know you don’t want to fight, so I wanted to solve the mission for the team registration myself. But there are too many spiders. I can’t collect their venomous fangs even if I kill one.”

“When did you find out that gold coins were missing?” Lin Ge asked.

“When I was having breakfast.”

“Did you meet any strange people after you left this morning?”

Lanya thought for a while and answered no.

“Then, apart from when you paid the bill, have you ever taken off your hat?”

Lanya shook her head again.

“What happened last night when you were sleeping?”

“I was meditating all night.

“If that’s the case,” Lin Ge muttered, “The criminal probably made his move yesterday. Where did you go after we parted ways yesterday? Did you meet any strange people? Or was there anything strange?”

Lanya looked thoughtful and said softly, “After I parted with you yesterday, I went to the magic restaurant in the western part of the city to have a meal. At that time, I took out my money bag once, and then I left the city to go to the spider cave…”

“I see. You might have been targeted at that time. When you left the city, did you feel that someone was following you?”

“No…”

“Did you take off your hat after you left the city?”

Lanya suddenly thought of something and said, “I remember now. When I was escaping from the spider cave yesterday, my hat was hit by spider silk once. Maybe it fell out at that time.”

Then, she looked down, “If that’s the case, it might have already been picked up by someone. I promised to help you keep the gold coins, but I lost them in just one day. I…”

Lanya suddenly raised her head, her teary eyes filled with determination, “I promise you that I will take responsibility. I will work hard to earn money and return the gold coins to you, but it may take a long time. Please believe me and give me some time.”

“Actually, you don’t have to…”

“No!” Lanya was unusually determined, “I must pay you back.”

Seeing this, Lin Ge could only agree, “Okay, I believe you. But you don’t have to rush. Just pay me back slowly. I won’t charge you any interest.”

After she made up her mind to pay off her debt, Lanya’s mood was obviously much more stable. Lin Ge made her a glass of Mimosa.

A Mimosa only needed champagne and fresh orange juice, so it was quite fast to make. Even if there was no champagne, it could be replaced with other sparkling wine, and even soda water could be used to make an alcohol-free version.

The rich bubbles diluted the sweetness of the orange juice and increased the fun of drinking it. She should be happier after drinking this.

Looking at the light yellow drink in front of her, the gentle color and the bubbles in it aroused Lanya’s interest.

She took a sip carefully, and the sweet and refreshing taste immediately captured her heart. The bubbles in the wine popped on her soft tongue, bringing a different kind of fun and making her temporarily forget all the unpleasant things.

She raised her head, and her light purple eyes flickered with an alluring luster.

“Thank you, Lin Ge. This is really good. Put it on my tab and I’ll pay you back in the future.”

Elise’s teasing voice came from the side, “With your abilities, God knows how long you’ll have to wait to earn more than a thousand gold coins. I think you might as well pay with your body. With your looks, you can ask him for a high price~”

Lanya’s face immediately turned red, “What nonsense are you talking about? Body… Body… How can I do that kind of thing!”

Lin Ge also frowned, “Elise, don’t make such a ridiculous joke. How can I do such a thing to a little girl? Do you think I’m a pervert?”

“You are a pervert,” Elise said, “Besides, Castaron isn’t like Earth. The girls here can get married at the age of 14. The nobles in the city have countless mistresses. No matter how you look at it, she’s at least 14 years old, right?”

“Who’s a little girl?” Lanya argued, blushing, “I’m already eighteen!”

She even deliberately puffed out her chest as she spoke as if she wanted to prove something. However, her undeveloped chest was not very convincing.

“You’re 18?” Lin Ge stared at her in shock.

No matter how he looked at her, she was much younger than 18 years old. Could it be that she was malnourished from long-term hunger? Or was she lying about her age?

The look in Lin Ge’s eyes made Lanya even more displeased.

“Which part of me doesn’t look it?”

All of them.

Regardless of the reason, Lin Ge found it hard to believe that Lanya was actually 18 years old.

At this moment, an old voice came from the other side of the table, “What a delicious glass of wine. It’s soft and smooth, with an endless aftertaste. It makes me recall many things. It’s indeed worthy of being called Contemplation.”

It was the grey-robed old man who had entered the shop earlier. After drinking the Contemplation made by Lin Ge, he let out a sigh of admiration.

The old man turned his head and looked at Lin Ge, who was behind the bar counter, with a deep and mysterious gaze.

“Young man, I can see that you’re young. Where did you learn such a magical mixing technique? Are you an alchemist?”

“Alchemy?” Lin Ge laughed, “I don’t know anything about that. I only know how to mix alcohol.”

“If you knew alchemy, maybe the wine you made would be more delicious,” The old man said with a smile.

Then, he stood up, picked up his staff, and looked around the shop.

“It’s a really good tavern. I’ll come again next time.”

The tip of the staff lightly tapped the floor. At the same time, a few gold coins mixed with a blue gem fell in front of Lin Ge’s eyes, hitting the bar counter with a crisp sound.

“To pay for the wine and a small tip.”

After saying that, the old man slowly walked out of the bar.

Lin Ge picked up the blue gem from the pile of gold coins. It was shaped like a small shield, no longer than four centimeters long and about two centimeters thick. The lines were soft, and the color was beautiful. It gave off a steady and calm sense of magnificence as if it contained some mysterious power.

This was the tip left by the other party.

“Lanya, how much can this gemstone sell for?”

Lanya stared at the gem in his hand and said in surprise, “I don’t know, but I can feel that it contains a large amount of magic energy. Jewelry stores don’t sell such a thing. Even the magic gemstones in the magic item stores don’t have such a large amount of magic energy.”

“Then wouldn’t it be very valuable?”

Lanya nodded in a daze, “Yes, but don’t you want to become a mage? With the support of the magic energy of this gem, you can skip the step of magic energy accumulation and easily use magic. So I suggest that we keep it. With it, we might be able to complete the registration trial mission.”

As she spoke, Lanya’s eyes brightened up as if she had seen the hope of completing the task.

Elise walked over and glanced at the gem in Lin Ge’s hand, “What a sinister old man. This gem has his spiritual imprint. As long as you bring it with you, he can sense your location. God knows what he’s planning.”