After giving a few "clarifications" about that matter to this Inn girl. The situation has returned to the status quo and I can continue to look at the list of food and beverage menus at this inn.
Hmmm ...
Hmm… the menu choices are quite diverse and the prices are also pocket-friendly.
Well, why would Casey's party bother going to the tavern just for drinks? Even though there are already alcoholic drinks here, such as ale and wine? I think that's enough for relaxing and to have leisure.
My guess is, Casey, et al might be meeting important people and he wants to talk about important things there too?
Whatever.
"Sir?"
"… Hmm?"
"I can help you to read the menu, sir."
Wow, she thinks I can't read!
Maybe from her point of view, I just kept quiet because I was in trouble because I couldn't read the menu and he took the initiative to help me.
Hey, I just wanted to enjoy my time just looking at the menu, you know.
But so be it.
"Really?" (Unknown)
"Yeah!"
Woah, she's so excited. Is she new here?
I tried to pay attention to her face again.
It seems so. And if you look carefully at her face, she's probably the same age as high school teenagers.
"Sure."
"Okay!"
She then reads the food and drink menu cheerfully while occasionally inserting marketing stuff (AKA. Bragging) in each of the existing menu lists. For instance, the rye bread they sell has no stones or husks, and the milk they sell is fresh and is not stale because it was just milked this afternoon.
In this world, bread with husks and stones (small stones, AKA. Gravel) is very common and can be encountered frequently.
This is not a matter of cleanliness alone, but many other problems, and among them is the way they store the finished bread, the processing of wheat into flour, or the most common thing because there are stingy people.
For milk, it's the same problem.
There are those who are stingy and still sell stale milk, and they trick it by heating the milk or mixing fresh milk with stale milk with a ratio of 3: 7 or something so that the milk is not too obvious and easy to recognize whether it is stale milk or not.
Interestingly, plain water that has been debated about by people on the internet, if medieval people rarely drank water because the water quality at that time was bad, full of bacteria, microbes and stuff like that, and they prefer to drink Ale, it was not completely true or wrong in this world although the level of civilization here and medieval on Earth is almost the same.
Because at a minimum, every village, especially a town like Rijeka, has wells to meet the needs of sufficient drinking water for its residents.
Yeah. Indeed, there are cases when the dry season, the wells will run dry, they are forced to choose alternative options like that (drink ale) to meet their drinking water needs.
And the people who live in this world have a stronger immune system and don't get stomachaches just because they drink the water with a poor quality because they are used to it.
Their bodies have adapted.
I'm talking about water in wells, do you understand?
If what you think about is river water, especially river water that has been polluted. They died too- I mean they would get stomach aches too from drinking that water.
In essence, they still have a choice.
Admittedly, what is more commonly sold for drinking here is Ale. Ale is also less perishable than milk, and of course, tastes better than just plain water.
“…”
The girl then finished reading out everything on the menu.
"Woah, great. You're this young, but already able to read. " Praise me.
"Hehe, thank you, Sir."
Wait, don't be happy just yet. I know your tricks, young girl.
"Hey, can you read this for me?"
I then took out a parchment sheet which I happened to find lying on the street.
"Eh? Mmm… ” She then started fidgeting and her confidence began to lose.
Got you.
This girl is still trying to read the letters in the parchment, but I know that you ...
"S-sorry, sir. Actually, I-I can't read yet. I just memorized all the menus. "
"Is that true? Then that's a shame. But it's okay."
Then the girl was hanging her head. She looks so ashamed.
Oh, maybe I was teasing her too much.
"Two portions of pottage and two medium ales, please."
"Ah, Okey! Two Pottage, two medium Ale!" The girl smiled again and quickly turned around to go to the back of the kitchen. I quickly stopped her because I hadn't finished ordering.
"Hey, wait."
"Y-yes? Anything else, Sir? "
“Please one more portion of Pottage and Hot Milk. I want to eat here, and for the first order. Please take it to the second floor to room number 12."
"Okey. One Pottage and Hot Milk and the first order are brought to the second floor, to room number 12? "
"Great."
"Okey."
Wow, that smile of her.
"Please sit in the empty chair, sir. Your order will soon be delivered to your table. "
I nodded.
I then saw the girl turned around and entered the kitchen.
"..."
I waited for my order by choosing to sit in the corner of the room.
By sitting here. I can freely observe the situation and condition of the entire room plus I feel safe from sudden attacks, I can minimize getting stabbed in the back by someone by sitting here since my back is safe because behind my body are all walls.
Except for heavy equipment like bulldozers attacking me.
I also carry a weapon as self-defense, not my main weapon though (which is the ax), but the small ones. Not that hatchet either.
So throwing knife?
Yeah, my throwing knife, I brought three of them.
It's too stupid if the ax I brought down here, I can't hide it, I'm planning to eat anyway. I also can't conceal such a big hatchet, if knives like this I can conceal it by tucking it between my sleeves or my pocket inside my modified clothes.
With this knife I can use it as a minimum of self-defense by using it as a melee weapon or ranged weapon (by throwing them), even though the blade is small, it can kill people if it hits their vital parts.
There is no harm in me carrying this. At least I can stab when someone wants to pick a fight with me, instead of just using my bare hands when I'm fighting with that idiot.
This world is not as safe as on earth.
Well, if there is magic in the world, I don't have to bother carrying this knife and hiding it under my clothes because I feel uncomfortable doing this too.
However, if magic existed in this world, my life would be even more endangered because everyone here who was enjoying eating it now, could enter into my calculation as a person who could threaten my life.
"..."
Hmmm ...
It looks like the innkeeper plays an important role to develop and make the town prosper and maybe he/she is also a member of the rich and influential in the town.
You can realize that by looking at the conditions and how things are in this inn.
You can recognize the innkeeper is rich or not, apart from seeing the condition of the inn building whether it is good and well-maintained, the road in front of the inn can also be used as a benchmark for making an assessment.
This inn is not located in the town square, but the location is still strategic because the road outside, I think it will be quite congested and many people pass it if it is daytime, because this inn is close to a market, and also close to a blacksmith shop, and according to Princess, Ami the Half-Elf's inn was also quite close to Adventure Guild.
I can predict why many townspeople advised adventurers and merchants to choose this place as a place to stay.
To Be Continued
I love economics tables or anyone in general, I appreciate them